The white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) is perhaps the most recognizable species of wildlife in the United States. The economic benefits as a result of hunting, viewing, and photographing deer are in the hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Deer provide numerous ecological benefits as well. However, in many states, extremely large populations of deer are causing a negative impact. The objective of our study was to compile data for 13 northeastern states to gauge the economic impacts from unwanted deer-human interactions. Economic data were collected for property damage from deer-vehicle collisions, damage to high value agriculture (i.e. vegetable and fruit), grain crops, residential /commercial ornamental crops, and nursery stocks. Based on the described categories, the estimated annual total impact from deer on vehicles, crops, and residential landscapes for the 13 states surveyed was $639,089,707. We suggest that this is a conservative estimate due to incomplete or missing data in certain states. Our estimate places the impact from deer in a context that may be beneficial to supporting management decisions and underscoring the need for funding regional research projects to resolve deer-human conflicts
