NJ Deer Facts

image via wikimedia.org

Estimates are that there are nearly 200,000 whitetail deer in New Jersey. 100 years ago, deer in NJ were "endangered."

This population explosion is causing many problems throughout the state including damaged landscaping to homeowners, major accidents to motorists, and an ecological imbalance.

According to njdeercontrol.com, who offer a deer repellent product and strategies to prevent deer from coming on your property, some of the "favorite" plants and shrubs of deer in New Jersey are:

SHRUBS: Arborvitae, Azalea, Burning Bush, Holly, Hydrangea, Lilac, Mountain Laurel, Red Twigged Dogwood, Rhododendron, Rose of Sharon, Viburnum, Yew.

FLOWERS: Aster, Astilbe, Bee Balm, Cardinal Flower, Coneflower, Daylily, Gayfeather, Geranium, Hosta, Impatiens, Sedum, Sunflowers, Tulips.

Some White Tail Deer facts:

1. A deer’s nose is about 100 times more sensitive than a human's
2. Deer can jump a 9 foot fence
3. They are the largest wild herbivore in NJ
4. Their stomach is able to digest different foods at specific times of the year. This helps it survive the changing availability of food, and why only certain plants and shrubs are eaten at particular times of the year.
5. They actually thrive in today’s environment because they are an "edge species." This means they do not like large homogeneous tracts of land, but land with borders and edge habitats. As the human population has increased and divided land, we have created a more suitable habitat for the whitetail deer.
6. They have no natural predators in New Jersey in high enough numbers to affect their population. Humans - especially motorists - and domestic dogs are the only real "predators."