Deer on Main Street in Yarmouth (file photo)
For the second spring in a row, Yarmouth is surveying its deer population as it works toward a long-term management plan.
A wildlife consultant has been hired to carry out a pellet group inventory (PGI), which uses deer droppings to estimate population density. The work will take place in two or three phases over the coming weeks. Survey teams will cover the same locations as last year, including areas like Lake Milo, the Yarmouth Links golf course, and the former airport.
The PGI is a requirement before any population control efforts—such as a proposed controlled hunt—can move forward. The survey is being coordinated by the Town of Yarmouth and the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Renewables (NSDNRR), with the Deer Management Working Group leading the effort.
Last spring’s baseline survey showed consistently high numbers of deer throughout the town. Ten transects were established across areas of suitable deer habitat within municipal boundaries, each around one kilometre long. Nearly all of them—90 percent—recorded at least 20 deer pellet piles, with an average of just over 60 per transect. That’s more than five times higher than the average count across Nova Scotia’s broader Deer Management Zone 101, which includes Yarmouth.
In some cases, individual transects in Yarmouth recorded up to 93 pellet piles. Several showed clear deer trails and nearby hunting blinds, despite being within town limits. Even routes that passed through thorny brush or less accessible terrain still showed evidence of deer use.
The 2024 report notes that although the sample size is limited, the local data strongly suggests deer density in and around the Town of Yarmouth is among the highest in the province. Provincial data from Zone 101 between 2017 and 2023 shows a general increase in pellet counts in recent years, but Yarmouth’s numbers remain well above that trendline.
The town hopes that this year’s follow-up PGI, along with a roadside count, will provide enough data to finalize and seek approval for a population management plan. Town Council voted last fall to move forward with that plan, which includes the possibility of a controlled hunt. All management actions must be reviewed and approved by NSDNRR.
A summary of last year’s PGI report is available at getinvolvedyarmouth.ca/urban-deer-management.
