This document provides advice to individuals experiencing deer damage problems in Maryland. It explains several damage abatement techniques that can be useful in reducing or controlling deer damage.

Lethal deer management techniques kill deer. Non-lethal deer management techniques do not harm deer, but can be useful in decreasing the amount of damage that deer can cause. They are intended to supplement, not to replace, deer population management.

Common Deer Damage Problems

A list of questions that will guide you to the best deer management technique for a particular situation.

 

The Maryland DNR advises individuals to try a combination of deer management techniques for the best results. The following documents list the various non-lethal and lethal deer management techniques that are available.

Non-Lethal Deer Management Techniques

Lethal Deer Management Techniques

Maryland’s Deer Project strives to help Maryland’s residents resolve urban and suburban deer problems.

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List of Services:

Community Deer Management Assistance

Upon request from a community representative, a DNR wildlife biologist can provide information on the various deer management techniques that are available and can assist the community in determining the most appropriate deer management techniques for them. Communities must collectively decide which technique(s) are best for them.

Corporate Deer Management Assistance

Upon request from a corporation representative, a DNR wildlife biologist can provide information on the various deer management techniques that are available and can assist in identifying those methods most appropriate for the company.

Governmental Deer Management Assistance

Upon request from a government agency representative, a DNR wildlife biologist can provide assistance by consulting government agencies on the most appropriate deer management techniques for them, and assist them in designing a plan to help them manage the deer on properties they control.​

Deer Management Permit​

University of MD Cooperative Extension Service Publications
https://extension.umd.edu/woodland

• Managing Deer Damage in Maryland
• Wildlife Damage Management: Resistance of Ornamentals to Deer Damage
• Using Commercial Deer Repellents To Manage Deer Browsing in The Landscape
• The Maryland Master Gardener Program

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​​For more information, contact:

Maureen Kinlan
Deer Project Leader
Wildlife & Heritage Service
Department of Natural Resources
14038 Blairs Valley Road
Clear Spring, MD 21722
301-842-0332 (office)
Maureen.kinlan@maryland.gov

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