A. Species
Scientific name: Odocoileus virginanus
Common name(s): White-tailed deer
Global IUCN Red List Threat Status:
B. Location of use
Geographic location(s):
- Michigan
Country/Region: Michigan
C. Scale of assessment
Scale of assessment: Sub-national / Sub-region / Sub-State
Name/Details of location: Michigan State
D. Timescale of use
Start Year: 2013
End Year: 2013
E. Information about the use
How is the wild species sourced?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat
Type of use: Extractive
Practice of use: Hunting and/or Trapping of live terrestrial and aerial animals
Lethal or non-lethal: Lethal
Does this use involve take/extraction of: The whole entire organism
Purpose(s) of end use: Food and feed, Keeping/companionship/display and Recreation
Motivation of use: Basic subsistence and Recreational
Is this use legal or illegal?: Legal under national law
F. Information about the Users
Which stakeholder(s) does the record primarily focus on?: Local people and National external
G. Information about the sustainability of use
Is there evidence that the use is having an impact on the target species?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an ecological perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable
Details of assessment carried out: Based on assessments by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Deer numbers are increasing or held stable (depending on year and exact location) despite sustained hunting/ harvesting pressure (although 2013 harvests were down c. 8.5% on 2011 and 2012).
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an economic perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable
Details of assessment carried out: this study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Deer numbers are increasing or held stable (depending on year and exact location) despite sustained hunting/ harvesting pressure (although 2013 harvests were down c. 8.5% on 2011 and 2012).
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a social perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable
Details of assessment carried out: this study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: The study estimated 11,402–14,473 metric tons of edible venison were procured during the 2013 hunting season in Michigan. Of hunters who harvested a deer, 85% shared their venison. Hunters who shared did so with an average of 5.6 people (SD = 4.5). Sharing occurred most frequently within tight social networks: members of hunters’ households (69%), relatives (52%), and friends, neighbors, or co-workers (50%). In the absence of legal markets, venison is distributed widely by hunters and greatly amplifies the number of people benefiting from hunting.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a human health perspective been recorded?: No, sustainability not determined
Details of assessment carried out: this study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: The study identified the potential breadth of exposure to disease or contaminants from wild-harvested meat; although the authors' did not conclude this affected the sustainability of consuming wild-hunted venison.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an animal health/welfare perspective been recorded?: not recorded
Details of assessment carried out: this study does not investigate animal welfare
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: this study does not investigate animal welfare
Recommendations provided in the record to maintain or enhance the sustainability of the use of the target species
The study actually cautions against imposing a legal market on wild-harvested meat, because this could change who benefits and how those benefits are interpreted by society. The authors advocate the need for better data on: (a) harvest statistics including age distribution and carcass weight; (b) average deer size based on age class and sex; and (c) the amount of edible venison produced by recreational hunters.
Record source
Information about the record source: scientific_pub
Date of publication/issue/production: 2018-01-01T00:00:00+0000
Source Reference(s):
Date of record entry: 2022-11-26