Deer have been known to cause some problems which shouldn’t be surprising given that an animal that is so prevalent in the human landscape. For many of us driving in rural areas and sometimes not so rural areas we have come quite familiar with the deer crossing signs along roadways. Deer and car collisions are quite common and more often than not cause a substantial hit to your pocketbook. In fact damage to cars from these collisions has been estimated to be in the millions each year!

Deer can also assist in spreading disease to both humans and animals. They have been known to transmit and contract hoof and mouth disease from livestock animals which can cost farmers thousands of dollars. The spread of Lyme disease is also helped along by deer and humans living in close quarters.

Further problems are related to Deer often hosting ticks in their fur that carry the disease and may drop one (1) or two (2) off as they pass through your property. Ticks that bite humans can infect them with this very debilitating disease.

Benefits of deer include the economic boost given to states that have a stake in deer hunting. Deer are hunted for both sports and food and bring in a lot of recreation dollars to counties and states with a well managed deer population.

Deer are also an important prey animal for the larger carnivores of the western states including mountain lions.

The shedding of the antlers provides a very important source of calcium for many animals including mice, coyotes, bison and porcupines. But, perhaps the least spoke of benefit is the enjoyment provided to many people who see the animals in the wild. In fact, parks and other natural areas often become sought after spots to watch for wildlife include the large hoofed animal, the Deer.