Land trusts & preserves
Deer surveys for land trusts and preserves
Restoration plantings, regeneration plots, and invasive-plant work all depend on deer pressure. Measure it on each preserve, and track it as your management changes.
What we hear
The problems a count solves
Restoration under browse pressure
Plantings and natural regeneration fail when density is high. A count tells you whether fencing or reduction comes first.
Hunting programs without a scorecard
Preserve archery programs report harvest. A winter count on the same preserve shows whether the herd is responding.
Many properties, one budget
Survey several preserves in one season with the same method, so you can compare them and set priorities.
Sensitive landowners
We survey only land whose owner has agreed, keep locations confidential, and never share deer locations with hunters in season.
What you get
Built around your decisions
- Per-preserve density with a detection-adjusted range
- Maps of bedding and feeding areas next to restoration sites
- Seasonal flights to see how deer use corridors between preserves
- Optional GIS files for your stewardship database
- Year-over-year trend on the same transects
Easement properties: drone flights over land you don't own need the landowner's consent. We'll help you ask.
Reserve a winter count window.
Counts fly Dec 1 – Mar 15, on cold, clear nights. Windows fill in order of request, and townships often need the numbers before spring board meetings.