Nature Center & Refuge develops white-tailed deer management program

Nature Center & Refuge develops white-tailed deer management program

Published on August 19, 2026

The Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge (FWNCR) is developing a science-based white-tailed deer management program to help maintain a healthy balance between the deer population and the habitat that supports it. While white-tailed deer are an important part of the natural environment, an overabundant population can place significant pressure on the vegetation and habitat that deer and other wildlife depend on.

A single deer can consume approximately 2,000 pounds of vegetation each year. When deer populations exceed what the habitat can sustainably support, heavy browsing can reduce native plants and wildflowers and diminish habitat for birds, pollinators and small mammals. An overabundant herd can also experience increased stress, reduced body condition and greater risk of disease transmission.

"Maintaining a balanced deer population is about understanding the carrying capacity of an urban habitat, finding the right ecological balance and ensuring public safety," said Dr. Jared Wood, FWNCR manager. "The goal is not to eliminate deer, but to maintain a population the Refuge can sustainably support while protecting native plants, wildlife diversity and the overall health of this natural area."

The Nature Center will host a regulated harvest program in partnership with the Texas Youth Hunting Program (TYHP), a statewide program supported by wildlife professionals and conservation partners. TYHP would manage the hunts alongside trained Refuge staff and ensure participants follow established safety requirements and state hunting regulations.

Safety will be the highest priority. The Refuge would be closed to visitors during scheduled public hunts. TYHP has conducted more than 4,650 hunts involving more than 32,650 youth participants since 1996 without a firearm-related incident. The program's structured supervision, hunter education requirements and safety protocols are designed to provide participants with a safe and educational experience.

To learn more about the deer management program, visit fortworthtexas.gov/departments/parks/services/deer-management.

A conservation and education opportunity

Youth participation is an important component of the proposed program. Education has long been a core mission of the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge, and the program would give young people firsthand experience with responsible wildlife management, outdoor ethics and conservation.

"Today's youth are tomorrow's land managers, conservationists and environmental stewards," said Dr. Wood. "This program provides an opportunity to help young people understand that healthy wildlife populations depend on healthy habitat and thoughtful stewardship."

The program also would provide an opportunity for wildlife health monitoring. Harvested deer would provide samples that can help biologists monitor for diseases of concern, including Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) and Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD). CWD has not been detected in Tarrant County but has been identified in nearby North Texas counties.

Monitoring the results

The Nature Center will use several methods to measure the program's effectiveness, including deer population surveys, vegetation monitoring, habitat assessments and wildlife observations. These data will help determine whether the deer population is moving toward sustainable levels and whether habitat conditions are improving.

The need for active deer management is particularly important at the Nature Center because it is a protected natural area surrounded by urban development. Historically, natural predators and larger landscapes helped regulate deer populations. Today, those natural controls are limited, allowing deer populations to grow beyond what the available habitat can sustainably support.

The long-term goal is a healthy, sustainable deer population that exists in balance with the habitat and other wildlife at the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge, protecting the Refuge's natural resources for generations to come while promoting public safety and responsible conservation.

One more tool in the Refuge's conservation toolbox

The Refuge also prides itself on connecting urban communities with conservation practices more often associated with remote parks, ranches and wildlife management areas. The Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge is more than a traditional nature center offering trails and educational programs. Its approximately 3,700 acres, remarkable biodiversity and location within one of the nation's largest metropolitan areas creates a unique opportunity to introduce the public to the full range of tools used in modern conservation.

Inspired by Aldo Leopold's well-known "tools" of wildlife management, the Refuge already uses the plow through native seeding and restoration of degraded habitats; the axe through brush management and mechanical removal; fire through an extensive prescribed-burn program; and the cow through responsible rotational grazing with bison. The proposed deer management program would add the gun as another carefully regulated conservation tool, making the Refuge special among large urban natural areas in its ability to demonstrate all of these practices in one place while helping the public understand how active management supports healthy habitats and wildlife.

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