Post by cambygsp on Nov 14, 2005 3:33:52 GMT -5
www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051113/SPORTS/511130411&SearchID=73226415859184
November 13, 2005
Outdoors: Skip Hess
Deer population remains growing concern for DNR
The man gave only his first name when he called. "It's Jerry," he said. "I'm nobody. I'm just a little man out here with no voice. But I'd like to say something."
It is his opinion that the Department of Natural Resources is putting the welfare of deer ahead of the safety of humans.
"In the last 10 years, I've driven a million miles in my job," he said. "I drive hundreds of miles a week from here (Indianapolis) to Terre Haute, either on I-70 or U.S. 40. Last week, there were seven or eight (live) deer along the road. Any one of them could have run out in front of my car."
What bothers him is that a relatively easy drive is one of almost constant tension for him because he never knows when a deer might dart in front of his car.
"It wouldn't bother me if they killed every deer in the state, and I'm wondering why they don't do that. What good are they? They eat all the vegetation they can reach. They run in front of cars and trucks and injure or kill people, or they damage vehicles," he said.
We talked at length about the plight of both humans and deer.
There's the deer-vehicle accident issue. Then there's the issue of humans creating the overpopulation by killing off all of the deer predators -- wolves and bears -- in Indiana.
That leaves humans as the deer's only predator. Disease, old age and poachers get a few, but not many.
There's the issue of deer destroying the ecosystem in our state parks. They learned years ago that parks were a safe haven. Not only could they find food provided by nature, they found that they could get a handout from humans.
That all changed several years ago when the DNR began what they called controlled deer reduction hunts at parks and other public recreational properties.
Every year, the DNR closes several parks and calls in hunters to thin the herds.
Indiana's deer population is in the neighborhood of 300,000 to 350,000. Imagine what it would be if there were no deer hunting seasons and no deer hunters.
In 2004, hunters killed 123,058 deer. That was 15 percent more than were harvested by firearm, muzzleloader and archery hunters the previous season.
This year, Indiana has four deer hunting seasons -- early archery, firearms, muzzleloader and late archery -- on various dates from Oct. 1 to Jan. 1, 2006.
The state also has archery-only deer seasons in urban zones. The zones include parts of Marion County and surrounding counties, as well as Fort Wayne, Evansville, Lafayette, Gary, Crown Point, Chesterton, Michigan City and Madison.
So it's not like the DNR isn't doing anything about the deer overpopulation.
The fact is the DNR is almost begging people to help it reduce the deer population.
Less than three weeks ago, DNR director issued what the police would call an all-points bulletin. The DNR's appeal came from its director, Kyle Hupfer.
"I'm writing today because the DNR needs your help," Hupfer wrote in a public statement issued by the department. "Successful deer management in Indiana requires individual hunters and landowners (to) join the DNR in addressing the concern of an expanding deer herd."
Hupfer is asking hunters to legally harvest as many antlerless deer as they and their families can use. He also encourages the recruitment of new hunters, including youths, and for people who gave up hunting to begin hunting again.
The state's 16-day firearms season began Saturday and runs concurrently with early archery season. During the first two days, the DNR is testing a program that includes the state's Department of Corrections (DOC).
In 10 Southern Indiana counties, hunters could donate their harvested antlerless deer to the state's Feeding Indiana's Hungry program.
As part of its offender training initiative program, the DOC was to collect the harvested deer and deliver them to licensed processors, who also participated in the program. Hunters were rewarded with a coupon from the DNR for an antlerless deer license at a reduced rate.
The goal of the DNR is not to eradicate the state's deer population, as "Jerry" would like. Instead, Hupfer said the goal is this: "To maintain a healthy deer herd at a level that provides hunting and viewing opportunities while minimizing deer-vehicle accidents, agriculture crop damage and other deer-human conflicts."
November 13, 2005
Outdoors: Skip Hess
Deer population remains growing concern for DNR
The man gave only his first name when he called. "It's Jerry," he said. "I'm nobody. I'm just a little man out here with no voice. But I'd like to say something."
It is his opinion that the Department of Natural Resources is putting the welfare of deer ahead of the safety of humans.
"In the last 10 years, I've driven a million miles in my job," he said. "I drive hundreds of miles a week from here (Indianapolis) to Terre Haute, either on I-70 or U.S. 40. Last week, there were seven or eight (live) deer along the road. Any one of them could have run out in front of my car."
What bothers him is that a relatively easy drive is one of almost constant tension for him because he never knows when a deer might dart in front of his car.
"It wouldn't bother me if they killed every deer in the state, and I'm wondering why they don't do that. What good are they? They eat all the vegetation they can reach. They run in front of cars and trucks and injure or kill people, or they damage vehicles," he said.
We talked at length about the plight of both humans and deer.
There's the deer-vehicle accident issue. Then there's the issue of humans creating the overpopulation by killing off all of the deer predators -- wolves and bears -- in Indiana.
That leaves humans as the deer's only predator. Disease, old age and poachers get a few, but not many.
There's the issue of deer destroying the ecosystem in our state parks. They learned years ago that parks were a safe haven. Not only could they find food provided by nature, they found that they could get a handout from humans.
That all changed several years ago when the DNR began what they called controlled deer reduction hunts at parks and other public recreational properties.
Every year, the DNR closes several parks and calls in hunters to thin the herds.
Indiana's deer population is in the neighborhood of 300,000 to 350,000. Imagine what it would be if there were no deer hunting seasons and no deer hunters.
In 2004, hunters killed 123,058 deer. That was 15 percent more than were harvested by firearm, muzzleloader and archery hunters the previous season.
This year, Indiana has four deer hunting seasons -- early archery, firearms, muzzleloader and late archery -- on various dates from Oct. 1 to Jan. 1, 2006.
The state also has archery-only deer seasons in urban zones. The zones include parts of Marion County and surrounding counties, as well as Fort Wayne, Evansville, Lafayette, Gary, Crown Point, Chesterton, Michigan City and Madison.
So it's not like the DNR isn't doing anything about the deer overpopulation.
The fact is the DNR is almost begging people to help it reduce the deer population.
Less than three weeks ago, DNR director issued what the police would call an all-points bulletin. The DNR's appeal came from its director, Kyle Hupfer.
"I'm writing today because the DNR needs your help," Hupfer wrote in a public statement issued by the department. "Successful deer management in Indiana requires individual hunters and landowners (to) join the DNR in addressing the concern of an expanding deer herd."
Hupfer is asking hunters to legally harvest as many antlerless deer as they and their families can use. He also encourages the recruitment of new hunters, including youths, and for people who gave up hunting to begin hunting again.
The state's 16-day firearms season began Saturday and runs concurrently with early archery season. During the first two days, the DNR is testing a program that includes the state's Department of Corrections (DOC).
In 10 Southern Indiana counties, hunters could donate their harvested antlerless deer to the state's Feeding Indiana's Hungry program.
As part of its offender training initiative program, the DOC was to collect the harvested deer and deliver them to licensed processors, who also participated in the program. Hunters were rewarded with a coupon from the DNR for an antlerless deer license at a reduced rate.
The goal of the DNR is not to eradicate the state's deer population, as "Jerry" would like. Instead, Hupfer said the goal is this: "To maintain a healthy deer herd at a level that provides hunting and viewing opportunities while minimizing deer-vehicle accidents, agriculture crop damage and other deer-human conflicts."
