"Thanks for the Deer . . ."

Photo by ICHIRO / Getty Images

It's rare and refreshing when a hunter admits that a state wildlife management agency has intentionally increased the deer herd for hunters. Most people have no idea, and will look at you funny if you tell them that these agencies manage the deer in a way that keeps the population high, for hunters. The hunters would prefer that the public is kept in the dark on this issue, because they would rather be seen as the solution to a high deer population, not the reason.

I attended the public hearing for the proposed New Jersey Fish & Game Code a couple weeks ago, where the Fish & Game Council accepts comments from the public. The fish & game code is a set of rules for the upcoming hunting season, including bag limits, hunting season dates, etc. People on all sides of the issue come out and speak - some supporting hunting, some opposing hunting, and some expressing their views on specific details in the proposed fish & game code.

I was surprised by a comment from one elderly hunter who said that there were very few deer in the state when he was young, but that there are now lots of deer for hunters. He thanked the Fish and Game Council for increasing the deer population. I was surprised not because the Council had managed the deer in such a way, but because this hunter had publicly admitted it.

I wish that elderly hunter's comments had been televised.

Links:

• How are Deer Managed by State Wildlife Agencies?
  
• PA Legislator Plans to Increase Deer Herd for Hunters
  
• What is Deer "Overabundance"?
  
• Deer with Arrow Wound Euthanized in Colorado