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port before they begin to die from starvation, diseases, and other factors created by their high population density. Fortunately, Lafon says that white-tails in Virginia are still well below this level and in no danger of a population crash.
However, Lafon notes another concept that is more relevant to deer today - the cultural carrying capacity. This reflects the maximum population level which human society can live with, and deer in the Northern Piedmont may have reached it.
Smithsonian ecologist Bill McShea agrees that the habitat could accommodate significantly more deer than we have today — and he worries that this might still happen. McShea and his colleague John Rappole, a bird specialist, have been conducting studies for two decades of the effects of deer on Piedmont and Blue Ridge mountain sites. These studies show that growing deer populations can reduce or eliminate tree seedlings of oaks and other desirable species, encourage the spread of invasive plants, and inhibit the nesting of several species of birds. Their book, “The Science of Overabundance”, pulls together chapters written by 42 scientists documenting the ecological effects of deer populations!.
Deer in your garden
As humans have built subdivision* in deer habitat, conflicts have steadily increased. Deer are notoriously liberal in their diets - the list of plants they will eat is much longer than the list of plants they (usually) won’t eat. Furthermore, plants like hollies which are avoided most of year may suddenly become a food of last resort after deep winter snowfalls. The Virginia DGIF website and a number of books provide recommendations for (relatively) deersafe trees, shrubs, and wildflowers.
There are also a number of effective deer repellents which can be sprayed on plants you don’t intend to eat, but most of them must be reapplied every time it rains. The best way to keep deer wit of a vegetable garden is a fence, but it must be at least eight feet high to counteract the deer's legendary leaping ability.
Deer and automobiles
Another serious effect of growing deer populations is motor vehicle collisions. Studies by insurance companies
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