Four-Footed Locust

[catbirdseat]

I saw an article in today's New York Times about the problems they are having on the East Coast states with overpopulation of deer. There are millions of them and they are ravaging forests and gardens. While they have started hunting them, they are only managing to keep the problem from getting worse.

 

Of course, the writer had to mention the PETA people who are adamantly opposed to killing nuisance animals no matter how numerous and destructive they become. I'm not a hunter, myself, but I have no problem with killing animals that have become overpopulated, when there is no practical alternative. The key word, "practical"- as if we are going to relocate or administer birth control to 3 million deer. I think these people need to face reality.

 

The deer are overpopulating because there are no longer any predators. Would PETA advocate reintroduction of wolves and cougars in Princeton, New Jersey. That would do the trick. You might lose a few school children, but what the hey?

[arlen]

Having taken my limit every year I lived in NY State, my impression is that reintroducing predators isn't a likely solution because of plain lack of habitat, which is the real problem.

 

NY has a three week season, and you can take two deer. They'd increase the season and/or the limit if it were fair to all the residents of the state, but it isn't, because the open space land is too fractured by people's property. There's generally enough woods for deer to hang out in but not enough for a 30.06 bullet to drop without hitting houses, cars, kids, etc. If you live in a rural area, opening day is a serious nuisance no matter how you feel about hunting.

 

Same for reintroducing wolves in the Adirondacks: folks who bought their piece of pristine nature (or their sovereign bunker compound) are afraid their $1200 papillion would get eaten.

 

I've heard PETA folks say that deer actually breed more in response to pressures on population or habitat. Anybody know if that's an actual phenomenon?