Abstract

The White-Tailed Deer, Odocoileus virginianus, is the most common deer species in North America and is also the most heavily hunted deer species. However, the deer populations across the country and within Kentucky vary considerably. To assess the attitudes of Kentucky residents towards these varying population densities of deer, a survey was administered via social media. We received 351 responses from the four deer management zones as defined by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. Of the respondents, 82% were male and 18% were female. 72% of respondents considered themselves to live in a rural area and 75% of the respondents were active deer hunters. Most of the hunters claim that the main reason they hunt is to “be outdoors” (86%), followed by “meat for the freezer” (85%). These hunters used Rifle (91%) followed by Archery (71%). In general, among all respondents, hunters, and non-hunters, 44% of the respondents spent time outdoors on a daily basis while only 3% of the respondents spent time outdoors only “few times a year”. Regarding their perception on deer populations, 66% of the respondents either Strongly Disagreed or Disagreed with the statement that there were too many deer in the area where they live.

Semester/Year of Award

Fall 11-28-2022

Mentor

Stephen Sumithran

Mentor Department Affiliation

Biological Sciences

Access Options

Restricted Access Thesis

Document Type

Bachelor Thesis

Degree Name

Honors Scholars

Degree Level

Bachelor's

Department

Biological Sciences

IRB Approval Number (if applicable)

#4612

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