During the past decade white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) browsing has caused considerable damage to the under-story of the bottomland forest areas located on the north side of Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge (SCNWR) (Figure 1). In an effort to reduce deer browse damage a refuge hunt was established in 1988 and has taken place, in various forms, continually since that time. Although over 100 deer are typically harvested each year, under-story regeneration is limited to non-existent (Durbian unpublished, 2001). There are several hypotheses which may explain the slow under-story regeneration rate including: 1) Current harvest levels are not high enough to control deer; 2) Immigration from surrounding areas is compensating the loss due to harvest; and 3) Some other factor or combination of factors is preventing under-story regeneration. In order to begin evaluating the possible effects of the harvest program on deer at SCNWR, and to begin evaluating the previously mentioned hypotheses, a survey method was needed to obtain accurate deer densities.
