Project Deep Woods:
A Survey of the 2004/2005 Deer Season

During the 2004/2005 deer season in Illinois I conducted a survey which reviewed the demographics of the deer killed. This was an attempt to verify the number of female deer killed compared to male deer considering that states do not offer this information to the public. This research concludes what has been voiced before, that females are killed in lesser numbers than males.

There are limits to this research. It may be that other areas of Illinois counteract the results published here, though I doubt this to be so. The hunters interviewed in this survey also represent a certain portion of the state. It may be that trends amongst hunters vary with geographic location. Also, this is a remarkably small sample given the number of deer killed each year in Illinois.

There are 132 deer permits included in this survey. Two types of permits are available in Illinois. One is an “either-sex” permit allowing hunters to kill either males or females. The other is an “antlerless” permit which provides that hunters may only kill a deer without antlers (including males that are too young to have antlers). There were 69 either-sex permits and 63 antlerless permits, which comprised 52 and 48 percent, respectively, of the total recorded permits.

Permit Types
	# of Permits	% of Permits
Either-Sex Permits	69	52%
Antlerless Permits	63	48%
Either-Sex Permits
	# of Deer	% of Either-Sex Permits
Males Killed	60	87%
Females Killed	9	13%
Antlerless Permits
	# of Deer	% of Antlerless Permits
Males Killed	18	29%
Females Killed	45	71%

Of the deer killed, 77 were males (58%) and 55 (42%) were females. These totals are divided amongst the two permit types, either-sex and antlerless. Of the 69 either-sex permits 60 (87%) were filled by killing males while the remaining 9 (13%) permits were filled by killing females. Of the 63 antlerless permits 18 (29%) were filled by killing males while the remaining 45 (57%) permits were filled by killing females.

Total Demographics
	# of Kills	% of Kills
Total Males Killed	77	58%
Total Females Killed	55	42%
Male Demographics
	# of Deer	% of Male Deer
Males Killed w/out Antlers	19	25%
Males Killed Unstated Antlers	2	3%
Males w/5 or Less Points	13	17%
Males w/6 or More Points	44	57%

What Does It All Mean?

These findings bolster the fact that hunting is upsetting herd demographics by killing more males than females. The more females that remain the more offspring there will be each spring. This research shows that 58% of the deer killed were males compared to females at only 42%. Furthermore, there is evidence that killing males as opposed to females is intentional. Of the 69 either-sex permits only 13% of those were used to kill females while the remaining 87% were used to kill males.

Consider also the antlerless permits where a significant number of deer killed (29%) were male even though hunters were limited by permit type. The fact that a higher percentage of males were killed in the antlerless category than females in the either-sex category demonstrates that herd population numbers can only increase.

The fact that hunters search for trophy deer to kill can also be reinforced by what is revealed here. Among the deer with antlers only 13% had 5 or less points, compared to the 57% with 6 or more points. Clearly when it comes to antlered deer, many hunters prefer to involve themselves in the search for a “trophy.” Even if the categories of antlerless males (25%) and males with 5 or less points (17%) are added together the total (42%) is still less than the number of males killed with 6 or more points (57%). The difference here is more than insignificant; in fact it appears that trophy hunting is alive and well.

A Final Word

I believe this research to be fairly accurate. Indeed most of the totals more than survive the usual margins of error. How culpable state departments are in this cannot be determined. It would not be surprising to find that state agencies across the country are involved in issuing permits in a manner that either maintains or inflates the current deer populations. With more animals to kill states could offer more permits therefore increasing revenue. What can be determined is that some hunters with permits in hand do not practice what they preach. If the argument from population control contained any merit then the number of females killed would exceed that of males rather than lagging far behind. It appears that while state agencies and hunters portray their actions as a public service, individual interests are of first concern. As long as people consider killing animals a type of pleasurable activity the perpetuation of that activity will always be paramount to any other concern. The above is proof of that.