Hunting Can Increase The Severity Of Wildlife Disease Epidemics
One reason the policies failed, Choisy and Rohani said, is that they didn’t take into account an ecological principle known as compensation. When a portion of the animal population is reduced, those that survive are left with more resources such as food and shelter. As a result of the newly plentiful resources, the death rate decreases and the birth rate increases, compensating – and sometimes overcompensating – for the loss."
From a website on PZP (Immunocontraception)
"What is reproductive rebound?
Reproductive rebound is a well documented population dynamic in deer and other mammals. Deer conceive multiple embryos but the number of fawns actually born is determined by a number of complex factors including nutrition and herd density. With competition for food reduced by a sudden drop in herd numbers, younger fawns will breed and females will give birth to twins and triplets instead of single fawns.
In its 1990 report, "An Assessment of Deer Hunting in New Jersey," New Jersey Fish and Game offered a detailed example of this process. Its report shows that even during hunting seasons in which killing female deer was the objective (antlerless seasons), the remaining females had increased birthrates that not only replaced the ones killed, but increased the overall size of the herd."
From the PA Game Commission website
Game Commissions knows about "compensatory rebound", read on...
"Some people disagree with shooting antlerless deer; they reason that protecting them -- thus maintaining a maximum breeding base -- will assure large numbers of antlered bucks because terrific numbers of deer will be born each year and button bucks wouldn't be harvested. But bear in mind, a smaller herd in balance with its habitat can produce as many fawns as an oversized herd on poor range. Does have fewer young when habitat quality is lacking."
*(That means mass killing of deer and sudden drop WILL result in more deer in time for the deer killing season and the vicious cycle continues).
What else do they have to say?
"We strive to maintain a deer herd that each year that can provide quality sport to more than a million hunters. "
(I thought it was about "reducing" deer population)
Lets look at ANATOMY OF A "DOE" HUNT:
How Killing Female Deer at the Watchung Reservation Increased Birth Rates and Reproduction
The Watchung Reservation in Union County was the first area to use "Community Based Deer Management". From 1993 to 2001, more than 1,000 deer were either killed or wounded in the Reservation. In 1994, an infra-red air count of deer showed only 139 deer on 4,600 acres of land, 2,000 of which was the Reservation. That means that there were less than 100 deer in the Reservation itself when the hunts were initiated.
The deer in the reservation lived under non-hunting conditions for nearly a century before hunting was initiated, and had only reached a population height of 100, yet, in nine short years, more than 1,000 deer were produced and killed, and dozens, perhaps hundreds of others, were created and immigrated to other neighboring areas. How is such a thing possible? This the effect that hunting has on deer, and, thanks to the reports produced on the Reservation hunts, we now have the evidence that proves it.
The Watchung Reservation deer hunts targeted females and were designed to kill as many females as possible. After each female deer was killed at the Reservation, her womb was cut open and the fetuses, still alive, were removed. The study detailing the results of this can be found on page 25 of the 1997 Union County Parks Department report titled "Deer Management Program For Watchung Reservation".
All of the pregnant females killed during the first hunt had only one fetus in her womb. No twins or triplets were recorded at all. After the second year, 57% of the pregnant deer that were killed had twins in their wombs. After the third year, 60% of the pregnant deer killed had twins, and 8% had triplets. From this point on, the overwhelming majority of deer that were pregnant at the Reservation were producing either two or three offspring. In other words, as soon as hunting was introduced, the deer reacted with a massive increase in offspring production.
This is the heart of the matter: Before being hunted, female deer gave birth to only one child. Afterwards, it was double or triple that. This is what hunting does to deer. It is the reason why killing deer, female or male, doesn't reduce deer herds
Here is what an Anti-hunting organization wrote back in 2001 while hunters accuses them of "propaganda" because they fear the truth being exposed to the public
"Why do states like Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, PA, GA and TX which have the most hunters also have the most deer? Why have deer populations in these as well as other heavily hunted states steadily risen in the past three or four decades? "
NOW - WHICH STATES HAVE THE HIGHEST DEER VEHICLE ACCIDENTS? List from 2005-2006 even today many of the states still listed.
According to State Farm's claim statistics, the 10 states with the most deer crashes between June 1, 2005 and June 30, 2006 account for more than half of all such claims. (all big hunting states mind you)
Pennsylvania
Michigan
Illinois
Ohio
Georgia
Virginia
Minnesota
Texas
Indiana
South Carolina
Also included in the list is
NJ
Wisconsin
I HOPE THE PUBLIC REALIZE THAT HUNTING IS NOT ABOUT "REDUCING" THERE IS TOO MUCH BLOODY PROFIT TO ME MADE IN THE EXPENSE OF INNOCENT LIVES FROM HUMAN TO NON-HUMAN ANIMALS.
From an Anti-hunting website
" Game management is designed to insure a bumper crop of replacement "targets" each fall. Lots of "targets" means lots of hunters. Lots of hunters mean revenue for the state and federal wildlife management coffers. Consequently, deer populations are tied to and explicitly managed by permits. That is the nuts and bolts of deer management in America. The problem with the agenda is that it is working too well. Many game managers will freely admit that white-tailed deer exceed prudent carrying capacity in many areas. This is often used as a ploy to promote hunting, but often when we tamper with nature it can backfire. "
Plus State Wildlife Agencies continues to reject deer birth control because they need the abundance of deer for hunters.
State Wildlife Agencies DNR/DEC will all try to tell you its the deer's fault and how the hunters are the one to "help control" the Deer Vehicle Accidents. Article from Ohio DNR.
Quote from Ohio's DNR
"It’s no accident, however, that this time of year is also one of Ohio’s most popular hunting seasons. From early October through late January, thousands of avid outdoorsmen and women take to the fields across the state in pursuit of white-tailed deer. In fact, Ohio deer hunters play an important role in keeping these roadway accidents from being more common."
(YEAH RIGHT!)
They did not mention a thing about how hunters (to protect the hunting industry) are in the woods spooking the deer . Deer Vehicle Accident is still high today in Ohio so I guess hunting did nothing to "control" it.
Here is some fact about hunting and Deer Vehicle Accidents.
Facts #1
Deer Vehicle Accidents are the highest during hunting season Oct, Nov, Dec.
Fact #2
The report also confirms that most wild animal collisions occur during early morning (5am-7am) or after sunset (5pm-11pm). Deer hunting is permitted one half hour before sunrise and one half hour after sunset.
Fact #3
"Hunters scare deer out of the woods through a common practice known as "driving" the deer. One group of hunters will walk through the woods, driving the deer towards another hunter or group of hunters on the other side, who are waiting to ambush and kill the deer. Of course, this means the deer are running to escape the hunters, which causes many of them to run onto roads."
Fact #4
The DNR and Wildlife Agencies provides deer for hunters recreational purpose.
"We strive to maintain a deer herd that each year that can provide quality sport to more than a million hunters. "
Fact #5
They not only reject deer birth control and fear it like its the plague, but deceive the public on deer birth control facts..
Fact #6
They know that mass killing deer is only temporarily because of compensatory rebound effect there will always be an abundance of deer ready for the next deer killing season and why DVA's starts to rise after the summer when twins and triplets are born and of course peaks in the late fall and early winter from hunting and rut. But rut is part of nature where hunting is NOT.
Fact #7
Remember this quote from the PA. Game Commission?
"will assure large numbers of antlered bucks because terrific numbers of deer will be born each year"
So that means that more buck deer in a rut running to find mate in the Fall, the buck deer population created by the State Agencies for trophy hunters which is the main reason hunters buy their killing tags.
DNR and Wildlife Agencies know ALL of it yet lies to the public. Remember that Deer Birth Control is the ONLY solution we have today and if the public wants to continue with deer problem and deer vehicle accidents then use the hunters to kill the deer because that's what they love to do. After years and years of Deer Vehicle Accidents and same lame excuses its time the public wakes up to reality that hunting is NOT the "SOLUTION" but the PROBLEM!
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Even the Wildlife Conservation Agents says this about hunters in the forest causing DVA's
"Again in November, during rifle season, which runs from Nov. 10-20, deer on roads will be a common sighting.
With a lot of hunters in the woods, they will push deer out of wooded areas, making them run across the road,” Missouri Department of Conservation Agent Dan Akin said."
One last thing - Hunters kill deer natural predators (wolves, coyotes and bobcats) so that all the more ensures abundance of deer for killing opportunities.
Here is what YOU can do to help appose deer hunting in your area right now. click here
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The most important thing I forgot to mention is the hunters also kill deer's natural predators ie. Wolves, coyotes and bobcats so that way the hunting organization can keep the deer population abnormally high plus habitat is manipulated (burning vegetation, timber-cutting, etc.
Overall Deer "management" is a sham!
