Perspectives of New York State residents on deer management, hunting, and predator reintroduction

Journal article

High white-tailed deer abundance in the United States represents an ecological and human health threat. Reducing deer populations by lethal means and facilitating return of large predators are two potential, but controversial, management options. We used an online questionnaire to measure perspectives on deer management and predator return among a stratified sample of New York State residents. We found widespread acceptance (> 70%) for reducing deer populations using lethal means if doing so would reduce Lyme disease, increase forest regeneration, protect native plants and animals, and improve road safety. Acceptance for shooting more deer was unaffected by ethnicity but strongest among respondents who were older, identified as hunters or conservationists, owned more land, and considered health and safety while answering our questionnaire. Respondents who identified as animal protectionists were least accepting. Restoring regionally extirpated wolves and cougars had limited acceptance (

Authors: Blossey, B; Brice, L; Dalaba, J; Hare, D

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Springer Nature
• Journal: Scientific Reports
• Volume: 15
• Issue: 1
• Article number: 6123
• Publication date: 2025-02-19
• Acceptance date: 2025-02-13
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-90600-4
• EISSN: 2045-2322
• ISSN: 2045-2322
• Language: English
• Keywords: wildlife management; social acceptability; deer management; human-wildlife conflict; ethics; predators