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| Yes | 25% | 86 votes | Total: 345 votes | |
| No | 75% | 259 votes |
Yes
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Add to FavoritesThe hunting of deer is not only bad for the environment, but also for the deer population in general. The current system of wildlife management has been nothing more than a biological, ecological, and social disaster for wildlife populations. Contrary to popular belief, hunting does not control overpopulation, but in fact contributes to it. Hunting is big business and therefore the sole purpose of wildlife management is to purposely create surplus numbers of deer to satisfy the hunters gun.
In order to achieve a guaranteed surplus of deer each and every season, wildlife managers carefully regulate the number of doe licenses that are issued for specific hunting areas. This regulation insures that there is a large breeding pool of females to propagate the species and contribute purposely to an over abundance of deer each and every year. Wildlife managers target about 70% of the buck population for killing while restricting the killing of females to about 30%. This killing on a grand scale also disrupts the natural sex ratio of deer, (deer are born on a one to one basis, a mature female gives birth to one male and one female each year) which is nature's way of controlling the birth rate of deer.
Hunting also exerts other negative environmental effects on a deer herd. When a large number of deer are killed over a short period of time during hunting season, the remaining members of the herd are now left with an abundance of food. Since the birth rate of deer is directily linked with their available food supply, the birth rate will once again increase to restore the deer numbers with their available food supply. Once again the deer numbers will increase as a result of hunting pressure. This is never beneficial to a species and will eventually weaken the gene pool and promote starvation during severe winters.
The negative impact hunting has on wildlife populations can also directly impact the human environment. In hundreds of cities across our nation deer numbers are on the rise dramatically. There are more deer related accidents and encounters with humans than ever before. This can be attributed to many factors like land development, human encroachment, and a shrinking habitat for wildlife populations. However, the impact of hunting on deer populations is probably the most negative factor in contributing to deer overpopulation than anything else.
Hunting under the guise of conservation and wildlife management has never been nothing more than a tool of wildlife agencies to promote their "sport" and in the process generate millions of dollars in revenue at the expense of animals, caring people and our precious environment.
Learn more about this author, Joseph Yannuzzi Jr..
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No
A man in the wilderness, his gun cocked, sights aimed, his heart beating and his adrenaline pumping, he gets ready to shoot this creature, a perfect prize to impress and awe his friends. With the gentlest squeeze of the trigger the buck falls, and its over.
Now this is where the debate arises, is it fine for people to hunt these deers? Aren't they unbalancing the natural order of things in that part of the environment? Well to understand what happens lets understand how a deer lives. It grows up eating the various plants and fauna of it habitat. It gives birth to its children, who are self sufficient in a matter of months and can graze by themselves. And finally the deer is hunted down - though not necessarily by us, as it is also a source of nourishment for wolves, mountain lions, and other animals. So if its going to be hunted anyway why don't we be the ones to hunt it down? Here others will say that if we hunt deers there won't be any left for the predators in that area and that they will also perish because they will have nothing to feed off. This is where a man must learn control, and we must remember that we aren't the only ones wanting the deer. If you are hunting the deer merely to get it stuffed and mounted on our walls what purpose does that avail? Impressing others? Or maybe leaving behind a legacy? If we are hunting for these reasons specifically then yes it is wrong. But hunting deer for meat, for an actual cause of sustenance, that, to me at least, is right. The world has many checks and balances to keep it running properly, and hunting a few deers would not upset this balance too greatly. I know most might say that my theory is just plainly putting it as "the end justifies the means", but if the number of hunters who hunt merely for the prize of catching one of these animals decreases, we can see the impact on the environment, as the deer population will sustain itself and we will be able to hunt it for food.
So to hunt deer, we must remember just this one lesson, just this one: While you are hunting, try and remember others need the same animal too, whether its going to be animals, or humans themselves, we have to leave enough for the environment to remain balanced and not greatly impact the site where we hunt.
Learn more about this author, Nausherwan Korai.
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