We'll. That's in the hands of the authorities and regulation. I lived quite close to a farm with deer. They had acres to plod around in, and never went to a factory farm.
Just like pigs, chicken and beef, it can be done nicer, but we have to be prepared to pay for it and make a market for it.
It is still hard for me to believe that 20 deer per day are hit on the road here in Wyoming. The first time that read this, I thought it was a misprint, but just the other day, I read it again from another (US Wildlife and game). The last time that I murdered a deer, we just waited them to come out of the field. Had meat for the winter for my kids. And FWIW, venison is by far and away better meat than any cow could produce, period. You only know that by experience.
Then there are those murderous wolves who will actually kill more than they need, but hey we are going to fix all of that.
Then there are those murderous wolves who will actually kill more than they need, but hey we are going to fix all of that.
"Monster" buck? Better dead? How pathetic! Yes, truly magnificent. Rest assured virtually the whole world considers this a disgusting act.
I live in rural West Virginia. Deer here are "game animals" you cannot buy deer meat, or meat from any game animal or game fish in a store. People here shoot deer for food, and to a lesser degree, sport. I have gone with a group of hunters a few times about 10 years ago, but never pulled the trigger on anything other than a rat. I have no problem killing rats, we have too many of them here, and even more so when I lived in Florida. I have relatives who operated a small scale pig farm in Tennessee. I went to their meat processor / storage facility once in my teenage years. That sight and smell killed my desire to eat bacon for quite some time.
We were out in a hunting pack many years ago on the first day of deer season when we came across a buck carcass that had been mutilated. The neck and head had been hacked off and the rest of the animal left to rot. This sight was not only a crime scene, it made few grown men cry. This was an obvious trophy kill, which occurred before the season opened, which is likely why the carcass was left behind. Nobody present at this sight thought that this was justified, and some grumbling as to what should be done to the shooter ensued.
I can't imagine the number of wolves that it would take to eat 20 deer per day....
We do however have a vast overpopulation of deer here. They are damaging to crops even. Then there is the disease that has started to spread from them to livestock in a few cases. Been pretty bad this season.
We do however have a vast overpopulation of deer here. They are damaging to crops even. Then there is the disease that has started to spread from them to livestock in a few cases. Been pretty bad this season.
I'm curious. How do you determine what exactly constitutes a "vast overpopulation" of a wild animal species. Particularly in a rural area where they live to begin with.
My son's are both retired Navy SEALS, and I rarely mention it except to agree with you about the risk and then its aftershocks that can stick with you for life. In fact, an entire family can suffer along with those who payed. Little exception for low risk once you leave our borders.
Maybe more on topic here is that no one that I know believes that wildlife can just be taken at random for no good reason. I say this because just this year there is a story (and hopefully a conviction) of a guy who came all the way from MIchigan to Cody WY just to randomly shoot deer with a bow and arrow. 9 of them IN the town of Cody itself! I told you that we have an overpopulation. Yup, he left every one of them behind after he pulled the arrow out. Then if that wasn't enough, he shot a rancher's cow up in the hills. This time the arrow broke off and they some sound evidence. He flew back to Michigan leaving his car behind, but then flew back at the advice of his lawyer and then turned himself in. On a side note of sorts, he handed his weapon over to his lawyer, apparently making it unavailable in court as evidence. He has since been in jail from September on. Now that is what I call a murder case, not that many other incidents aren't of the same nature.
Maybe more on topic here is that no one that I know believes that wildlife can just be taken at random for no good reason. I say this because just this year there is a story (and hopefully a conviction) of a guy who came all the way from MIchigan to Cody WY just to randomly shoot deer with a bow and arrow. 9 of them IN the town of Cody itself! I told you that we have an overpopulation. Yup, he left every one of them behind after he pulled the arrow out. Then if that wasn't enough, he shot a rancher's cow up in the hills. This time the arrow broke off and they some sound evidence. He flew back to Michigan leaving his car behind, but then flew back at the advice of his lawyer and then turned himself in. On a side note of sorts, he handed his weapon over to his lawyer, apparently making it unavailable in court as evidence. He has since been in jail from September on. Now that is what I call a murder case, not that many other incidents aren't of the same nature.
Actually, here in Ontario Canada in Bruce County there is an overpopulation of deer partly due to the prohibition of culling and the deer feeding on garbage throughout the small towns in the area. They literally wander the streets scavenging. Not sure if it's still happening but it was rampant 20 years ago.
It says it all when the majority of vehicle accidents involving wildlife are deer. Yes, there are buffalo and bear occasionally, and numerous raccoons for some reason. To add more to this, I believe that many a farmer would conclude as well that deer are becoming (actually been a concern for many years) an intrusive species if that is the correct way to put it. When I say that they are everywhere, that is getting to be incredibly true. Last week, I stopped for one right in the middle of the highway. In about a 20 mile stretch, you will see the remains of these animals on or beside the road. Today I counted 6. The highway dept is very good at picking them up, but is also asking for some kind of help with this issue. I also think that the spread of disease among the herds in is an indication of overpopulation, though not as an absolute marker.
Comes down to how much deer per area of land and if there is enough to support a "healthy" population. Usually determined by a DNR type organization that looks at the amount of starving or diseased deer in relation to healthy ones. Also in consideration is how prevalent they are in urban areas as well as how many lethal automobile encounters occur.
https://www.envirothonpa.org/documents/FTW-White-tailedDeer.pdf
A few years back, I drove east on 94 and between Wisconsin and Michigan, counted over 100 carcasses along the roadsides.
The diseases that are present among the herds now are concerning, as the development of natural spaces has eliminated many of the predators that had kept populations in check previously.
Hunting probably only has a small effect overall these days I am guessing, but I can only hope that the truly psychotic people are staying at home and playing violent video games, leaving the animals alone.
The diseases that are present among the herds now are concerning, as the development of natural spaces has eliminated many of the predators that had kept populations in check previously.
Hunting probably only has a small effect overall these days I am guessing, but I can only hope that the truly psychotic people are staying at home and playing violent video games, leaving the animals alone.
Have you ever seen video of how the wolves kill animals? They basically run them until they fall and start to eat them when they are still alive. If I had to pick a way to go that would be very low on the list, like maybe one rank above burning to death in a car crash. An arrow through the upper hydraulics would be much closer to the top.
I've seen a view commercials on the boob tube when visiting family in Wisconsin in which DNR is encouraging deer hunting. My understanding is the popularity is dwindling and the deer population is exploding.
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