Post by cambygsp on Oct 14, 2005 5:59:18 GMT -5
www.pickensprogress.com/edit/explodingdeer.htm
Editorial from October 13, 2005
Exploding deer population needs busy and
successful hunting season
About a decade ago, many people would justify deer hunting by
claiming if they weren't thinned out, the beautiful creatures would
face horrible starvation in the cruel Georgia winters.
That was both an inaccurate and lame excuse. As anybody in
Pickens County will attest before the animals succumbed to
starvation, every single leaf in the mountains would be gone.
Unfortunately for drivers, home gardeners, landscapers and
the rest of the natural world, in the past three decades, rather than
being thinned out, deer populations have exploded.
According to information presented at a meeting hosted here
last winter by the state Department of Natural Resources, Georgia's
deer population has grown from 198,000 to 1.2 million in the last 32
years -- a very unnatural level.
When America was first settled, it was estimated that about
five to ten deer roamed each square mile, now some areas on the east
coast house as many as 60 deer per square mile.
The problems tied directly to the overabundance of the deer
aren't limited to a few lost peas from a garden or blooms off a
prized hydrangea.
Among the deer scourge issues cited in a recent issue of
Smithsonian Magazine were:
Deer and cars collide 1.5 million times every year, causing a
billion dollars in insurance claims and in 2003 killing 210 people,
according to the magazine article.
Recently retired WRD Senior Wildlife Biologist Kent
Kammermeyer said during the February meeting on a long range deer
management plan held here that there are about 50,000 deer-vehicle
collisions in Georgia every year.
Deer also carry ticks which cause lyme disease with more than
21,000 cases reported in 2003.
The graceful, timid animals are doing a real hatchet job on
the forest. In some of the most heavily populated deer areas,
understory plants are being wiped out, including rare species such as
ginseng. While deer are gnawing away at native species, they pass
over several invasive species destroying a natural balance which may
be a factor in declining populations of some bird, butterfly and
small animal species, according to the October Smithsonian article.
The options for bringing the animals under control are fairly
limited. Kammermeyer, who is known as a statewide deer expert, has
said the only possible options are more hunting or sharpshooters.
There are some deer contraceptives on the market, which are
difficult to administer as you must first catch the animals, and
expensive at $110 for a once-a-lifetime shot, which is not 100
percent effective and still listed as experimental.
Locally Big Canoe has used sharp shooters to hold numbers
down. But in places where sharp-shooters are used the population
tends to rebound quickly as other deer migrate into the choice
locations.
It would be nice to re-introduce wolves and mountain lions to
help control the deer population naturally, but it would take years
before the competing populations could balance themselves out.
In the absence of large animals with fangs, the best bet for
controlling the deer comes down to guys (or girls) in camouflage.
Two eastern conservation areas, The Scherman-Hoffman
Wildlife Sanctuary and the National Zoo's Conservation and Research
Center in Virginia are both saying hunting will be necessary this
year to get the deer under control.
Ironically, of all the animals in the state, hunters
may be the most endangered.
Many hunters worry about liberals, animal rights
activists or anti-gun groups denying them their favorite past-time.
But scarier than anti-hunting protesters in the woods is a Georgia
DNR statistic showing only three percent of the state's population
went hunting last year. In a state with a population nearing 9
million people, only 202,000 licensed hunters reported killing deer
last year. That's not likely to make a dent in the cute brown scourge
of the vegetation.
That's only three people in every 100 who experienced an
important part of our rural identity and heritage. Rather than
worrying about National Rifle Association scare tactics, more hunters
need to focus on the lack of interest among the young people, or they
will soon find hunting is like tuning in to radio dramas - perfectly
legal but something of a bygone era.
Due both to the destructive impact of an unchecked deer herd
as well as the way society is moving away from traditional parts of
the culture, hunting should be encouraged when this year's deer
(rifle) season opens on October 22.
Editorial from October 13, 2005
Exploding deer population needs busy and
successful hunting season
About a decade ago, many people would justify deer hunting by
claiming if they weren't thinned out, the beautiful creatures would
face horrible starvation in the cruel Georgia winters.
That was both an inaccurate and lame excuse. As anybody in
Pickens County will attest before the animals succumbed to
starvation, every single leaf in the mountains would be gone.
Unfortunately for drivers, home gardeners, landscapers and
the rest of the natural world, in the past three decades, rather than
being thinned out, deer populations have exploded.
According to information presented at a meeting hosted here
last winter by the state Department of Natural Resources, Georgia's
deer population has grown from 198,000 to 1.2 million in the last 32
years -- a very unnatural level.
When America was first settled, it was estimated that about
five to ten deer roamed each square mile, now some areas on the east
coast house as many as 60 deer per square mile.
The problems tied directly to the overabundance of the deer
aren't limited to a few lost peas from a garden or blooms off a
prized hydrangea.
Among the deer scourge issues cited in a recent issue of
Smithsonian Magazine were:
Deer and cars collide 1.5 million times every year, causing a
billion dollars in insurance claims and in 2003 killing 210 people,
according to the magazine article.
Recently retired WRD Senior Wildlife Biologist Kent
Kammermeyer said during the February meeting on a long range deer
management plan held here that there are about 50,000 deer-vehicle
collisions in Georgia every year.
Deer also carry ticks which cause lyme disease with more than
21,000 cases reported in 2003.
The graceful, timid animals are doing a real hatchet job on
the forest. In some of the most heavily populated deer areas,
understory plants are being wiped out, including rare species such as
ginseng. While deer are gnawing away at native species, they pass
over several invasive species destroying a natural balance which may
be a factor in declining populations of some bird, butterfly and
small animal species, according to the October Smithsonian article.
The options for bringing the animals under control are fairly
limited. Kammermeyer, who is known as a statewide deer expert, has
said the only possible options are more hunting or sharpshooters.
There are some deer contraceptives on the market, which are
difficult to administer as you must first catch the animals, and
expensive at $110 for a once-a-lifetime shot, which is not 100
percent effective and still listed as experimental.
Locally Big Canoe has used sharp shooters to hold numbers
down. But in places where sharp-shooters are used the population
tends to rebound quickly as other deer migrate into the choice
locations.
It would be nice to re-introduce wolves and mountain lions to
help control the deer population naturally, but it would take years
before the competing populations could balance themselves out.
In the absence of large animals with fangs, the best bet for
controlling the deer comes down to guys (or girls) in camouflage.
Two eastern conservation areas, The Scherman-Hoffman
Wildlife Sanctuary and the National Zoo's Conservation and Research
Center in Virginia are both saying hunting will be necessary this
year to get the deer under control.
Ironically, of all the animals in the state, hunters
may be the most endangered.
Many hunters worry about liberals, animal rights
activists or anti-gun groups denying them their favorite past-time.
But scarier than anti-hunting protesters in the woods is a Georgia
DNR statistic showing only three percent of the state's population
went hunting last year. In a state with a population nearing 9
million people, only 202,000 licensed hunters reported killing deer
last year. That's not likely to make a dent in the cute brown scourge
of the vegetation.
That's only three people in every 100 who experienced an
important part of our rural identity and heritage. Rather than
worrying about National Rifle Association scare tactics, more hunters
need to focus on the lack of interest among the young people, or they
will soon find hunting is like tuning in to radio dramas - perfectly
legal but something of a bygone era.
Due both to the destructive impact of an unchecked deer herd
as well as the way society is moving away from traditional parts of
the culture, hunting should be encouraged when this year's deer
(rifle) season opens on October 22.
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