Monday, September 26, 2011

Are white-tailed deer headed for a population crash?

A recent article in the national magazine Outdoor Life entitled  The Deer Depression by Andrew McKean claimed that white-tailed deer populations may be headed for a crash and along with it the number of hunters would greatly decrease.  I would agree that deer populations are facing some serious challenges but I don't feel as though the population is headed for a permanent population crash.

A few noted organizations including the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA)and Deer and Deer Hunting have posted responses to the article.  Unfortunately, I cannot share the full Outdoor Life magazine article with you.  But, the article does point out some interesting difficulties that we are dealing with as far as deer management is concerned.  Two of the biggest threats the article points out are maturing forests and increased predator populations.  This is true across most of Pennsylvania and many other states as well.  Our forests have matured and most provide very poor habitat for carrying large numbers of deer.  We also have all time high bear and coyote populations, higher than the state has seen for over 100 years!

To read the responses click the links below.
QDMA Has the Cure for Outdoor Life's Deer Depression
Deer and Deer hunting: We Are Not Headed for a Deer Depression

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