Re: Deer

Maria?  There were many things missing on this report but I think the most
important one was the use of contraceptives.  Oh, not for the deer...for the
people!

DF

Maria Olshin wrote:

> Following is an excerpt from an article written by Larry Whitely for Bass
> Pro Shops.
>
> "If I were to ask you what you thought America's deadliest big game animal
> was, what would you say? This animal kills or injures more people every year
> than any other animal. Would you say the grizzly bear or maybe the mountain
> lion? You would probably be very surprised when I told you that the
> white-tailed deer not only causes more human deaths and injuries but also
> causes more damage and destruction than any other big game animal.
>
> Over 120 people are killed in the United States each year in deer-related
> car crashes, and hundreds more are injured. This far surpasses the few
> deaths and injuries caused by mountain lions and grizzly bears.
>
> According to the Insurance Information Institute, average cost of damage to
> each of the 300,000 vehicles involved in collisions with deer each year is
> over $600, totaling more than $180 million.
>
> Deer cause enormous damage to farm crops and suburban landscaping as well.
> Biologists studying declining bird populations, including woodcock, believe
> there is a link to the consumption of habitat by deer.
>
> Another growing problem caused by deer is Lyme disease and two new diseases,
> Ehrlichiosis and Babesiosis, all three carried by deer ticks. About 10,000
> new cases of Lyme disease alone are reported in the United States annually.
> These tick bites are not just coming from the deep woods but from people's
> backyards in their urban neighborhoods.
>
> Sixty-five years ago it would have been laughable to imagine too many deer
> in North America. There was even concern at that time that they would soon
> be extinct. Today there are more than 25 million white-tailed deer and 5
> million mule deer in the United States, and the populations continue to
> climb.
>
> The cause of the deer population explosion is multifaceted. Foremost, state
> conservation departments have for decades been successfully managing deer
> for hunting by providing the animals with food, cover and protection.
> Additionally the 65 million people who feed birds in their backyards have
> also successfully managed deer by unwittingly providing optimum habitat.
>
> Nature has also had a hand in the success. Prior to the 1980s, winter kill
> was a part of the deer management formula. But the mild winters in the past
> decade have resulted in very little mortality.
>
> The only effective way to reduce deer populations is to cull them,
> preferably by hunting. Many conservation departments have dramatically
> increased their deer permits for both residents and non-residents.
>
> This can help, but more controversial is how to control deer in urban and
> suburban areas and people's backyards where public hunting is either not
> permitted or is impractical. Numerous methods of control have been
> attempted, from trapping to contraceptives, but except for shooting the deer
> outright, nothing has proven effective.
>
> Urban deer task forces consisting of cross sections of community interests
> continue to grapple with the problem of what to do with America's deadliest
> and most destructive big game animal."
>
> >
> > Interesting that y'all view the problem as too many deer, rather than too
> > many people.
> >
> > Linda in Wyoming
>
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