by Joseph Yannuzzi Jr.

Created on: April 04, 2009

The 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.

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