Cornell UniversityThe Nature Conservancy

Community Example: Dubuque, Iowa

Key facts
  • One of the longest-standing community-based deer management programs in the United States
  • Community Size: Medium city (10,000 to 50,000 people)
  • Region: Midwest
    • Plan established in 1998
    Link(s): Dubuque Deer Management Program, Dubuque 2015-2016 Deer Management Brochure

    Dubuque, Iowa (approximate population 58,000) has one of the longest-standing community-based deer management programs in the United States. Established in 1987, Dubuque initiated its program by changing municipal regulations to make hunting legal within the community (using regular licensed hunters), followed by years of managed hunts on both public and private lands. The program is reviewed annually and re-approved based on its success as measured by: fewer complaints from citizens, stabilized deer population, continued participation by hunters and continued successful harvests.

    Location

    Community Survey
    Survey completed by a local government representative
    Initial discussion about deer as a community issue
    Which parties initiated the original discussion about the possibility of a local deer management program?

    Individual residents who were having problems with deer;Formal (elected or appointed) community leaders (e.g., town supervisor, town council)

    Issue Drivers
    What deer-related concerns were the main drivers of the original discussion about need for local deer management?

    Deer damage to gardens and plantings around homes

    Any particular impact/event that was a tipping point for your community’s decision to develop a deer management program?

    Increase in deer damage to gardens and plantings around homes; Increase in deer-vehicle accidents, or a particular collision with human injuries; No

    Gathering Information
    How did community members and/or leaders gather information to understand the deer-related problems?
    Information about concerns, interests, attitudes of local residents

    Unsolicited complaints to local leaders; Public meetings

    Information about problem levels (e.g., number of deer-related vehicle accidents, amount of plant damage or crop damage)

    Researched county health statistics for Lyme disease reports; contacted local Public Works Dept for number of dead deer on road ways picked up

    Information about local deer population size or deer density

    Consulted state wildlife agency to provide estimates, aireal helicopter survey of deer counts

    What process was used to define the deer management problem(s) in the community?

    the City's Environmental Stewardship Advisory Commission was charged with defining the problem and recommending solutions to the City council

    Special challenges
    Describe any challenges the community faced in defining the deer and deer management problem.

    Challenge: 
    hunting safety concerns
    Community Response: 
    rules and regulations for bow and arrow hunting in the City limits
    Challenge: 
    killing/harvesting wildlife
    Community Response: 
    Education regarding deer population, health and management

    Given how your community identified your deer management problem, what would you or your community have done differently?

    At the time, I believe we had a good process

    Structure of the decision-making process
    In what year did the first decision-making phase begin?

    1987

    What parties initiated or convened the process?

    Formal (elected or appointed) community leaders (e.g., town supervisor, town council)

    Briefly summarize the decision-making process.

    see email attachment

    In what ways did community members have opportunity(s) to provide input during the decision-making process?

    Unsolicited comments on action alternatives were accepted by leaders, Leaders created a formal public comment period before making decisions, Leaders or deer committee held public comment meetings

    Did your community use a facilitator to help make decisions about deer management goals and actions?

    Discussions about deer management goals and alternatives were facilitated by the chair or leader of the local deer committee

    Information Gathering
    What information sources were consulted by the community group that made decisions about deer management action alternatives?

    Content experts from wildlife agency, Community opinion presented by stakeholder groups, Research reports or papers, Deer management plans from other communities

    How were different types of information used?
    Content experts from wildlife agency:

    To determine cost, To determine feasibility, To determine acceptability of action alternatives

    Content experts from other organizations:

    To determine acceptability of action alternatives

    Community opinion presented by stakeholder groups:

    To determine feasibility, To determine acceptability of action alternatives

    Deer management plans from other communities:

    To determine cost, To determine feasibility, To determine acceptability of action alternatives, To determine how to manage a program

    How did the group find/identify the content experts they consulted?

    State DNR biologists and local hunters

    Program Goals
    What specific long-term goals were identified for this community’s deer management program?

    stated in our plan - on web site

    When were goals for the community-based deer management identified?

    During the process of selecting action alternatives

    Selecting Management Actions
    What actions were considered to meet your community’s goals related to managing deer-related impacts?
    Lethal Actions to manage deer population size

    Regulation changes to create or encourage additional hunting opportunity in the community (using regular licensed hunters), Managed public lands hunt (e.g., hunting by permit on park lands), Managed private lands hunt (e.g., vetted group or individuals matched to willing private landowners), Deer cull over bait with contracted/paid sharpshooters

    Actions to influence or modify behavior of community residents

    Information & education to encourage residents to use fencing to exclude deer from specific areas, Information & education on preventing or limiting deer damage to gardens and landscape plants, Information & education to discourage deer feeding

    What actions were selected to meet your community’s goals related to managing deer-related impacts?
    Lethal Actions to manage deer population size

    Regulation changes to create or encourage additional hunting opportunity in the community (using regular licensed hunters), Managed public lands hunt (e.g., hunting by permit on park lands), Managed private lands hunt (e.g., vetted group or individuals matched to willing private landowners)

    Actions to manage deer movements or deer access to municipal lands

    Install fencing to exclude deer from specific areas on public lands (e.g., small natural areas in parks)

    Actions to influence or modify behavior of community residents

    Information & education to discourage deer feeding

    Special Challenges
    Describe the two or three most important challenges the community faced during the decision-making phase.

    Challenge: 
    Assuring safety of bow and arrow hunting
    Community response to challenge: 
    Rules , regulations and qualifying/proficiency activities for hunters
    Challenge: 
    evaluation
    Community response to challenge: 
    utilizing aerial helicopter surveys, we were able to demonstrate a stabilizatio of the deer population

    Key characteristics of the management program
    Have any actions already been taken with respect to your deer management program?

    updated and approved annually

    What is/was the annual budget for your community's deer management program?

    1500.00

    For how many years has the program been funded?

    27.00

    Did your community create any new positions to assist in implementing the deer management program?

    None, None, deer management duties were assigned to an existing position

    What partners, if any, has the community engaged in to help implement the effort?

    State wildlife management agency

    Was venison donation a component of the implementation process?

    in brochure on website

    Special challenges
    Describe the most important challenges your community faced in implementing your deer management program

    Challenge: 
    satisfying hunters
    Community response to challenge: 
    incentive program
    ,
    Challenge: 
    places to hunt
    Community response to challenge: 
    up to the hunter to secure- also offer public spaces

    The community's approach to outcome assessment
    Did the community develop an assessment plan for measuring progress towards deer management goals?

    Yes

    What kinds of baseline information did your community collect before implementing the deer management program?
    Damage to gardens and landscape plantings

    Monitor Department of Natural Resources or Cooperative Extension reports of residential damage

    Deer-vehicle collisions

    Ask municipal agencies to monitor and report road kills in the community

    Residents’ perceptions

    Create a system that allows residents to report complaints, and monitor change in number and type of complaints submitted to the system

    If an assessment plan was created, what indicators are used for measuring outcomes of management actions?
    Deer population or deer density

    Aerial surveys to estimate deer population or deer density

    Deer-vehicle collisions

    Ask municipal agencies to monitor and report road kills in the community

    Residents’ perceptions

    Resident surveys to assess residents’ perceived level of problems with deer and how tolerable those problems are

    Who is responsible for carrying out the assessment plan and monitoring the success of the deer management program?

    Municipal agencies

    How program implementation has been adapted over time
    What, if any, changes have been made to the deer management program since its initial implementation?

    Change: 
    incentives, minimal area for hunting

    Special challenges at this phase
    Describe any challenges your community faced in evaluating your deer management program.

    Challenge: 
    can no longer secure a helicopter pilot to do aireal surveys.

    Assessment of program success overall
    Does the community consider its CBDM program to be successful in achieving its objectives? Why or why not?

    yes- fewer complaints from citizens, stabilized deer population, continued participation by hunters and continued successful harvests