Here We Go Again — Too Many Deer
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The PGC tells the legislature there is still too many deer, with their canned presentation:
“The dilemma wildlife management agencies face comes with the knowledge that the land can support a finite number of large herbivores, in this case, deer.” Schmit said. “And to reduce deer to a level considered appropriate for sustained health of the plant communities that sustain them is difficult not only because deer have the decided advantage over the hunter, but also that the hunter’s desire to see deer often places this interest in direct conflict with what is best for the resource.
“The Game Commission is proud of the cherished status and celebrated history of deer and deer hunting in our Commonwealth, and while we don’t predict deer management to ever be non-controversial, we look forward to working with every person who cares about deer to enhance their relevance into the future.”
Celebrated history? It used to be there were deer in the mountains and the game lands. Now, they are all in the suburbs and developments.
There are no deer in the beltway, see OTB.
I’m no expert. But isn’t it possible that there are plenty of deer, as the PGC claims, but the deer have moved to places where you can’t hunt ‘em? Wouldn’t it make sense that they would do that over time? What can the PGC do about that (short of busing them to the Game Lands as Fuzzie suggested in an earlier post)?
Deer definitely move to areas where they are not harassed during the rifle season, but they do not stay there. The deer harvest is down 12% statewide last year, per the PGC. This is without doubt, evidence of a population decline – exactly what DNR and others have been pushing for.