I say "Let's arm the squirrels!!"
I couldn't see the rest of the article. Where does the environmental crowd play into this story? When I was young, my ma was a leftie type, and she used to point out the deer from the car--oooh ohhh, look at the deer!--and she also referred to hunters in disparaging terms--beer swillers, drunks--and probably opposed deer hunting at some point if she got the opportunity. Is that how the enviros figure into this story? Here in NJ, we got plenty of deer. It's hunting season this week, I think. I don't hunt so I have no idea what the limit is on deer, and how that jives with our deer population. I'm always looking out for em while driving, that's for sure. Deer are definitely plentiful, and definitely a factor in the smaller growth and saplings, etc.
My lefty in-laws live in a rich town in Connecticut. Hate Bush, Loved Kerry. Love the environment. They HATE deer. The deer ruin their gardens. They just wish SOMEONE could do SOMETHING about the dang deer. I mentioned hunting and they were horrified! There has to be some other way ...
Who, exactly, does Mr. Sterba thinks is his audience in this article*? 6-year olds?
* Rhetorical question
"... whitetails have been eating their way toward a more lasting legacy: They are wreaking ecological havoc in forests across the nation."
No way. It's all Bush's fault. And SUVs.
This reminds me of what goats have done to areas where they are turned loose to feed for "free" to be harvested later for "free" meat. On some formerly lush Carribean islands they have eaten every bit of vegetation until all that are left are heavily thorned bushes and trees. Natural selection in action.
Time for a reality check. It's pencils and paper, boys. The deer did just fine before you came to save them. And architecture has never improved upon the New England saltbox or the Parthenon. Get over it.
Ah, but it's true. Deer are he mammal version of Locusts - very destructive. This is not an article supporting environmentalists. It's an argument for venison stew.
I say "Let's arm the squirrels!!"
DEER ARE VERMIN!!! Why the hell they get protection by our own government is insane to me. They are just giant RATS!
There are more deer in my state than there are people!
There are more White Tail Deer in the US today than there were when the pilgrims landed!
You can see dead dear on the highways everywhere, and for every dead deer is a far too common story of tragedy for a human being of human family that had the misfortune of having the giant rat jump out in front of them.
All hunters are part of PETA's greater plan.
Owl_Eagle
”Guns Before Butter.”
Someone with more knowledge might enlighten me on the subject....
http://www.wisinfo.com/dailytribune/wrdtlocal/282134233411844.shtml
...Based on land area, deer densities are highest in east-central and west-central Wisconsin and in several units in northwestern Wisconsin. By comparison, densities are lower in southeastern and southwestern Wisconsin and in several west-central management units.
The statewide population averaged about 25 deer per square mile in 2003...
http://www.wnrmag.com/stories/1996/aug96/herd.htm
...Some leafy plants are stressed when deer populations swell to more than 12-15 animals per square mile.
...When deer populations rise above 20-25 per square mile, these trees are heavily browsed and have a tough time surviving.
...Every year, more than 40,000 deer collide with cars on highways and back roads. These accidents injure people, kill deer and cause an estimated $90 million in damage claims. Some auto body shops report 25-50 percent of their income is generated by car-deer collisions. The accident rates are high in most urban and rural areas where deer numbers exceed 25 per square mile.
A few months ago, Scientific American had an article about a similar situation in Yellowstone. Environmentalists for years wondered why no new forest growth was occurring. Then wolves were reintroduced and new forest growth was observed. The problem ws that Caribou were free roaming the park and eating every sapling they found so no new trees were growing. The reintroduction of wolves made the caribou stop their free roaming and stay in more strategically safe areas. The wolves also culled the herds so there was less demand for vegetative food. The net result was new forest growth and with the new forest growth, the populations of small mammals, birds and insects rebounded as well. The bottom line is that over protection of one herbivorous species can harm an entire ecosystem and ruin the environment therein.
As the Texas Yellow Pines are harvested, the land is replanted with Spruce Pines, a quicker growing but inferior quality wood.
Periodic controlled burns clean up forest floor to aid in growth and a straighter tree/product. The result is a forest of telephone poles void of wildlife. No animals and no birds. It is a strange sight to see.
Time to do some serious harvesting, of both deer and timber. Opening up large areas of canopy will stimulate new growth.
I'm a foreigner and I'm not sure what US law allows but it's viable.