To my fellow wildlife conservationists, there is a potential bow hunt opening on the local deer population in Lake Linganore, Maryland.

Conventional deer hunting kills mature male deer, or bucks, with large antlers, leaving the female deer, or does, to continue on. A single buck can breed with multiple does, so while hunting reduces the number of male deer it does not reduce the number of offspring.  This sex-biased hunting alters the natural 1:1 ratio of male and female deer to up to 1:8, or one male for every eight females. In other words, hunting does nothing but help increase the population.

In the words of Department of Natural Resources State Forester, Ned Caveney, “We manipulate forest habitat to produce amazingly unnatural deer numbers–up to two million of the critters some years.  That probably approaches two million more than existed before man got into the act.” Unfortunately there is minimal conservation for deer, or any wildlife, because Departments of Natural Resources see deer as just that, resources. The majority of the DNR’s funds, about 59.4% in 2010, come from hunting licenses. 

The Frederick News Post stated in their article, Lake Linganore Considering Bow Hunt to Control Deer Population, that “At least seven deer were presumably struck and killed by vehicles inside the community this month. Four homeowners called the HOA for dead deer in their yards; three other deer were found on the side of the road and removed by maintenance staff.” First of all, the speed limit is typically under 25 mph in most parts of the community, so why are people striking deer? With a community full of children, joggers, companion animals, etc., drivers should always be driving cautiously. Also, why are community members so shocked that a dead animal would be in their yard? Every day I see squirrels, deer, rabbits, chipmunks, groundhogs, and sometimes box turtles, raccoons, and opossums near the road. This community has a flourishing wildlife population. A dead animal in your yard should be seen as one of few downfalls of living in such a beautiful neighborhood. Again, living in a neighborhood full of children, animals, and wildlife that just want to enjoy the beauty of the community’s environment, killing the deer is a brutal answer to the “problem”.

As Amy Burkall stated in the FNP’s article, it does seem “backward” to kill the deer since wildlife is a huge selling point of living in this community. Though alternative methods to population control come with expenses, I urge you to consider them. I know that I, and many other wildlife conservationists, would personally be happy to donate and raise funds to have the deer sterilized.