About Deer
Why not
Hunt to Reduce Deer Populations?
Without hunting, deer populations stabilize themselves based upon the amount of
food and water present, land available, and natural mortalities. When conditions
are bad, deer respond with decreased pregnancies, and death among the weakest
members. Within these conditions, there is no increase in the size of the
population. The herd remains stable and healthy. This is how nature regulates
wild animal populations. However, when hunting is introduced to a stable deer
herd, everything is thrown out of balance. When a large number of deer is
removed from a herd, competition for food, water, space and breeding
opportunities is reduced. The reaction of the herd, to the sudden kill, is
increased breeding. With plenty of food to go around, more does are likely to
get pregnant, and twin and triplet births often occur. This added nutrition will
also allow new born fawns to gain enough weight by the time they are 6 months
old to become pregnant. Normally, they would wait 2 to 3 years. This new, high
birth rate not only replaces those that were killed, but it adds significantly
to the size of the total population. The natural processes of deer herds and the
disturbance of these processes caused by hunting is documented in The Natural
History of Deer.
- 50 % of all deer-car collision claims occurs during
October, November and December -primarily due to hunting. Hunters
will claim that this is mating season but it's not. Deer mate in October - a
time when the deer-car collision rate was 1600. The vast majority of
deer-car collision claims - i.e. 4524 claims - occurred in November to
December during hunting season not mating season.
- The counties with the highest number of deer-car
collisions were among the most heavily hunted
counties based on statistics
from Erie Insurance and the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
- Pennsylvania Deer-car collisions averaged 34 deer
claims per day for the year. But on the first day of buck season the
average was 157 and on the first day of doe season it was 160 - a five-fold
increase!
- Hunting of deer predators Habitat
modification including clear-cutting to enhance "edge" habitat and
planting vegetation for deer.
- The Pennsylvania Game Commission derives 70% of its funding from the sale
of hunting licenses, fees, permits, and taxes, so it has managed deer herds
to increase deer numbers.
- Hunting Will Not Eliminate Lyme Disease. All mammals (except bats), 49
bird species and pets can serve as hosts for Lyme disease infected ticks.
The tick's preferred host is the white footed mouse, not deer. The
American Lyme Disease Foundation has stated that it does not recommend
killing deer as a way to control Lyme Disease. Killing deer may increase the
amount of food and cover available for mice, birds and other hosts, which in
turn will boost their numbers and escalate the spread of the disease.
- The Pennsylvania Game Commission took action to increase deer numbers for
trophy hunters. Deer were imported from other states, habitat was modified
to enhance deer viability, trap and transport was used to move deer from
densely populated areas into low density areas, and vegetation was planted
to feed deer. Within 25 years, deer numbers rebounded.
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