I don’t think I care for this plan.
Everything I read claims Mule Deer and White tailed are about the same size.
The author shows his ignorance. Mule deer are not “smaller than white-tailed deer”. The two species are about the same size, with lots of local variations.
Yes, it would make more sense to have private hunters thin the predator populations. Why have the state pay for something that private parties will pay the state to do?
I stopped reading right there.
They would do better by stopping the re-introduction of wolves throughout the west.
“I have (yet another) dumb question: Why not just let the hunters hunt the lions and bears? “
A PERFECT example of how government works. Letting hunters do the job for free; means no government bureaucrats would have jobs.
Friggan Bears do more killing of the deer than the cats ever will. Bears will follow the does just before they drop the fawns and then get the fawns.
Between that and wolves, the white tail deer population in the UP of Michigan has dropped. I imagine it is the same with the Mule Deer.
One other..how about these geniuses start clear cutting some of the aspen stands so the deer have more browse?
One of the arguments against gun control is that guns are necessary for hunting and hunting is a more humane method of keeping the ungulate (deer, elk, moose) populations in check than starvation and disease.
The anti-gunners really don’t have an answer to that argument.
So they decided to get rid of the ungulate populations.
That is why they reintroduced wolves.
You aren’t going to find any anti-gun people out in the woods watching the wolves scamper and play.
They want the guns gone so they can impress their will on the rest of us.
The wolves are meant to destroy the deer and elk and moose so that the anti-gun crowd can take away one of our arguments.
“You don’t need those rifles! There are no deer left!”
They killed a wolf last week just a few miles from my house. A BIG, healthy wolf. There was a mountain lion in the garden center of a store a couple of miles from my house.
Not good.
Cool!
Anyone with a heart should prefer this plan.
If I had a choice, I would much rather be killed with a bullet than violently mauled to death and partially eaten while still alive.
Man is a much more humane hunter than nature!
Because big money from out of state environazis passed a referendum to ALTER THE STATE CONSTITUTION and outlaw baiting and dogs for bear hunting, the most effective means to hunt them. Bear numbers have exploded since. So now government employees use bait and dogs to thin the populations.
“But natural predation is not seen as the leading cause of mule deer declines in Colorado.”
Then why do they want to kill a lot of bears and lions? So much about this article is mindless.
Mule deer are enormous. Not smaller than white tails.
Just like the goober mint to spend millions to accomplish what they make illegal then spend million to study the obvious.
Perhaps if they actually read their study they might discover standard forestry practices once used to maintain diversity. That is before they were hired because they were gay, or women or anything else but competent.
Mule deer have got to be the stupidest of all four legged creatures that cross a road. We lived in the Bakken at the start of the oil boom. I swear, there were at any given time of the year 1 - 2 road kill mule deer per mile. Wife & I both hit them with our vehicles. The would be in the road ditch, see a vehicle coming, then just get up on the road surface as the vehicle is passing. Day time they can be avoided, at night it’s nearly impossible.
On the other hand, a white tail is spooked by a vehicle, along with raccoons, coyotes, fox etc.
I just hate the damn things.
BTW, Colorado could save 4.5 million dollars, and maybe make a few by having hunters do the lion and bear thinning.
Is Colorado on Drugs ?
Why not let the hunters hunt terrorists?
There you go. $$$$$$ over nature.
Why next thing you know Colorado will legalize recreational Marijuana for $$$$. /s
$4,500,000 to kill 40 animals? That’s $112,500 each!
Already been said in comments but mulies are much larger than white tails. Another stupid reporter writing.
Also, I saw absolutely no shortage of mule deer on our recent trip to Colorado and other Western states.
The construction of deer fence and huge game crossing overpasses on highways throughout the area seems to be the latest craziness. Not good to hit a deer or elk but the fences are really obtrusive and the expense has to be obscene.
Maybe this strategy could be used in Chicago...