PICK UP A RIFLE-More Americans are killed by deer each year than by any other large American mammal

ncpa.org ^ | Thursday, December 08, 2005

[InvisibleChurch]

Unchecked by predators, deer populations are exploding in a way that is profoundly unnatural and that is destroying the ecosystem in many parts of the country. According to Nicholas D. Kristof of the New York Times, we should bring back hunting and reestablish a balance in the natural world.

In a wilderness area, there might be 10 deer per square mile, but in parts of New Jersey, there are up to 200 per square mile. The exploding deer populations are harming humans, says Kristof:

More Americans are killed by deer each year than by any other large American mammal, including bears, cougars and wolves. A study for the insurance industry estimated that deer kill 150 people a year in car crashes nationwide and cause $1 billion in damages. Ticks and Lyme disease, a more indirect effect from deer, also kill humans. Agreeing on a solution for controlling deer populations and protecting humans has proven difficult. These days, among the university-educated crowd in the cities, hunting is viewed as barbaric. Towns in New York and New Jersey are talking about using birth control to keep deer populations down, although deer contraception has not been very successful. Meanwhile, some towns are paying big bucks, taking out contracts on deer through discreet private companies.

Kristof says this is ridiculous. We have an environmental imbalance caused in part by the decline of hunting, he says. Humans first wiped out certain predators -- like wolves and cougars -- but then expected their own role as predators to sustain a rough ecological balance.

The humane and green solution, says Kristof, is to encourage hunting, and many environmentalists agree. Deer are not pets, and many find hunting them is preferable to letting deer die of hunger and disease. Furthermore, hunting connects people with the outdoors and creates a broader constituency for wilderness preservation.

For text: Nicholas D. Kristof, "For Environmental Balance, Pick Up a Rifle," New York Times, December 4, 2005.

For text (subscription required):

http://select.nytimes.com/2005/12/04/opinion/04kristof.html?hp&oref=login

For more on Environment:

http://eteam.ncpa.org/issues/?c=wildlife-issues

[Calpernia]

;)

[Coleus]

PICK UP A RIFLE-More Americans are killed by deer each year than by any other large American mammal >>

thanks for the ping, I've been saying this for years.

So it is, once again, the pharmaceutical companies looking to monopolize a market?>>

Not too sure, there just may be just too many crazy liberals in NJ who put pressure on their elected officials.

[Calpernia]

But they are financed by someone.....probably many someones.

You know, prop up a straw man type thing.

Just a thought.

[bert]

.....if we don't cull the deer population big time, back to what it was 150 years ago, you can say goodbye to our forest edge and eventually most of our forests.....

I don't understand this statement.

In my mind one of the contributing factors to an increased deer population is an increase in woodlands resulting from cropland being taken out of production.

[absolootezer0]

"OH NO, THEY'RE GOING TO KILL BAMBI..."

last time i tried to kill bambi i got scolded for putting a hole thru the tv.
besides, more appropriately, it should be "oh no, they're gonna kill bambi's mom." because removing does will slow population growth more than removing bucks.

[absolootezer0]

but isn't this the same place that is over populated with bear as well?

[BCR #226]

Ping...

Mike

[CATravelAgent]

"Heck with the rifle- I'm going hunting with a Civil War Cavalry saber."

The deer around here (Marin County, CA) have almost no fear of man, you could practically walk up to one and club it. Taking my son to school this morning, saw a kid walking down the sidewalk with a deer not 12 feet away from the kid, there was a fence in between though.

My favorite urban deer story: A woman in at a chi-chi Mill Valley sidewalk cafe was hit by an airborne deer. Apparently just up the street a deer ran in front of a car and was launched.

We've got so many deer around here it's just insane. Now the mountain lions are coming back, it's just a matter of time before somebody's kid becomes lion scat. I've had enough Bambi - time to feed the homeless!

[BCR #226]

Nothing suspect about 200 deer per square mile... we have a much bigger problem here in Northern Virginia. In 1927, it was estimated that Virginia had approximately 117,000 or so deer. In 1994, it was estimated that Loudoun County, Virginia had over 117,000 deer alone! There is another study happening now and the initial numbers are staggeringly high. One Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries person I spoke to actually said they fear that deer may out number people by 2-3 to 1 in the state.

Last weekend, I saw a group of over 50 does pass by my hunting position at one time. It's a huge problem and one that needs to be addressed. Diseases such as CWD are spreading. There was a confirmed case in the WVA panhandle a couple of months ago.

I've done my part... I've taken several deer so far this year and I intend on getting a couple more at the very least. If Corzine wants to ban hunting, more power to him. May he reap the consequenses of his actions...

Mike

[End Times Sentinel]

Deer mainly live in the first 100-150 meters of forest edge, so you're right in that we're increasing their habitat, especially suburban tracts cut into the woods.  Deep forest few of us see, it's very dense with undergrowth and not easily navigable.

 

What destroys the forests though is the deer themselves in that they eat saplings and rut against younger trees (scratch the bark off them, which weakens them, opens disease vectors, and eventually kills them).  Next time your in the woods (almost certainly forest edge) take a look up.  You'll see what foresters call a "Cathedral" woodland.  All the trees are large 60-80 year old trees, and very, very few small to moderate trees.  As those older trees die off, there's no shorter trees to take their place.  Ideally, a healthy forest will have trees equally spread throughout levels of maturity.

 

Owl_Eagle

(If what I just wrote makes you sad or angry,

 it was probably sarcasm)

[girlangler]

How was the bear hunt?

Any animal rights freaks give you any trouble?

[tcostell]

Well I didn't get a Bear. I did everything right except I underestimated the size of the crowd. I scouted, checked out topo and satellite maps, I hiked in 2 hours before legal shooting time, and set myself up quietly. A 450 pound male was on his way in to me but just before he crossed into my effective range another hunter crossed in front of my and spooked him. Damned disappointing. I'll really need to try to find some private land to hunt on next time.

as for the protesters, they all suck to the areas that had TV cameras, specifically the check station. No one hassled me at all. We had a decent bunch of guys where I was friendly as you would expect, and I did my part by helping a few fellas drag their deer the last 100 feet up the hill to the car etc.

All in it was a pleasant experience, but I'd feel better if I had gotten a Bear. Maybe I can hunt there again in 5 years after or earlier if Corzine is impeached for something or other.

[bert]

I've been working for sevral years now on the reestablishment of the American Chestnut tree.

We plant seedlings and they are like deer magnets. They will be sheared off to the ground and other species adjacent are untouched.

I travel a great deal in East Tennessee, South West Virginia and Western North Carolina. I see many farms in the process of reverting to woodland. These are in all stages from pastures over grown with blackberrite, to cedar forests and the climax hard wood saplings. There is no old growth and climax is is wood lots that vary in age but are not old.

It is these woodlands that are growing large deer and turkey populations.

[Riley]

(Grin) Mill Valley is actually my hometown. My family are Marin-ites of many generations. :-)

[End Times Sentinel]

Have you found any material or equipment that protects the seedling/saplings?

 

When I was a senior in college, one of my classmates was experimenting with a number of things, but he wasn't having much success.  Virutally everything was going to take an unreasonable amount of maintenece.

Owl_Eagle

(If what I just wrote makes you sad or angry,

 it was probably sarcasm)

[bert]

....Have you found any material or equipment that protects the seedling/saplings?....

There are various plastic tubes/ enclosures that work prety well but are very expensive. Wire mesh work fairly well but is a pain and also expensive.

The last big batch wass planted in 36 ' tubes and the deer would eat the emerging stems. The nest batch will be 48 or 60 "

[Mygirlsmom]

Well you know, they always seem to put deer crossings on the busiest roads - what do you expect will happen? :o)

[planekT]

It'll only work if you cull the does in the effected areas. You are correct. The doe to buck ratio in my area is now around 5 to 1. In nature it would be about even. No doubt in my mind that anything with horns gets shot by nimrods who don't understand this concept. The herd gets overpopulated, the bucks don't get any bigger. It's stupid. Thanks for posting.

[Coleus]

But they are financed by someone.....probably many someones. >>

sure they are, by those secular humanists who hate people, God and just love animals and trees. And you can be sure the environmental, peace, vegetarian, sustainable development, agenda 21 lobby are behind them.

[girlangler]

Owl Eagle,

You are describing the woods surrounding my house. I was hiking the other day and found some fresh scrapes, and Lots of what I think are older ones. I wasn't sure about the older ones, the trees are damaged and apparently diseased, but they sure as heck look like scrapes. If they are, I have some BIG old bucks around here.

Bert, I have some chestnuts on my property and in the surrounding woods. I contacted the Tennessee chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation just last week to let them know, printed out their ID form and, and yes I have chestnuts.

Chestnuts used to one of the dominant trees here in Appalachia, but the blight got them. So, it's pretty neat to find some here.