Deer Spotlight Survey

October 22, 2015

Briarcliffe Acres Deer Spotlight Survey
Conducted October 21, 2015
Participants in survey:  David Buonviri, Brian Palliser, Huston Huffman, Rick Marcozzi, John Wylie

A deer spotlight survey was conducted on October 21, 2015.  Our appreciation is extended to the volunteers and also to Dave Buonviri for the use of this truck and for driving. 
The Count started at 7:00 pm and was completed at 8:45 pm. The weather was clear and the temperature was around seventy.  Visibility was excellent. We had a first quarter moon so it was quite bright.  All streets in town were included in the survey.  Two Brinkmann Q-Beam LED spotlights were used in the survey.  These lights generate 600 lumens and have a range of 1000 ft.  Riding in the back of a pick-up truck, a team of four acted as spotters, two on each spot light.  We averaged approximately 6 miles per hour.
Results of the survey:  We spotted only one (1) deer, a doe.  It was sighted on lot 269 from Middle Gate Road. This compares to the 5 spotted in Oct 2014 and 7 in Oct 2013. We know of course that there are a few deer in town but it appears the population is probably the lowest it has been for the past 10 years. No doubt the presence of coyotes has played a role in reducing the population.

Results of previous counts are shown below;
Date  Deer Spotted
2004            0
2005            9
2006            20
2007            9
2009            21
Sept 2012        21
Feb 2013        6
Oct 2013        7
Oct 2014        5
Oct 2015        1
Unless we see more deer over the next year the next Spotlight Survey won’t be for at least 2 years.

Huston Huffman