ORIGINAL: rybohunter
Whew Atlas, I'm glad you finally got to me, I was feeling left out
Never happen bud
No one is telling you that, but that is all you hear. An individual deer can be fine and well fed, but the health of the overall herd could be in severe jeopardy due to overbrowsing and you end up with a crash like Germ has shown.
How many of these "crashes" have happened over the years?? I haven't seen anything like that in 20 years of hunting NY and my dad has been hunting for 40+. I don't like to spend my days worrying about boogymen and other urban legends. I'm not about to go out and buy tornado insurance anytime soon.
That's why I said later that we have the ability to restrict harvests and match up the populations with the habitat, so that our impacts can still leave a healthy more balanced herd.
Our impact is beyond the point of healthy consequences IMO........it's impossible to expect any deer herd to resemble what it would be "naturally"..........the more we meddle the more UN natural it becomes.
The biologists, and the deer. Biologists research natural deer herds and then translate the numbers into bag limits etc.
I'm sorry, but I have met and spoke to too many so called deer experts to feel comfortable leaving my hunting future in their hands...........some I wouldn't trust to get me a cup of coffee. As far as biologists go........it would be a fair arguement to say that many states deer herds were BETTER off BEFORE there were biologists around to "manage" them.
Carefull going down that road. Someone jacklighting deer may argue thier expression of "free will".
I don't see illegal activities as being in the same discussion.