Originally Posted by
rockport
I wasn't really basing my point on mother natures track record as much as common sense on this specific case.
no action VS extended hunting season to decrease population
IF some deer have a genetic resistance it makes more sense to me to let nature select than unknowing man as far as decreasing the population unless there is substantial evidence that suggest otherwise.
It just makes more sense to me that way.
For example if you have 40 acres with 10 deer and 1 CWD positive deer it makes more sense to me to just let it run its course than to randomly select and kill 5 of the deer.
You may very well kill your resistant deer and virtually destroy them all.
The more deer you have the more resistant deer you have, the more resistant deer you have the better.
I get where you are coming from, but maybe instead of extended season, maybe a targeted thinning of the herd. Just an idea.
Just a off the cuff idea would be to harvest heavily in the yearling category. Relieving some of the population and culling the adult herd if needed. The Prion disease seems to be largely latent, often with a long gestation period or it takes a long time for the prion load to multiply to the point it actually causes issues.
Sounds reasonable, but many hunters would have to rethink their entire strategy. Instead of hunting for that trophy and bragging rights,hunt for the younger, often better tasting Deer. Culled Deer (obvious defects) and sick Deer would have to become the new trophy. Competition to be the first, the biggest or the best, would have to be replaced by good judgement and what is good for the herd. Hunt more like natural predators, the young, the slow, the stupid, the weak or feeble and let the the best and healthiest animals go. Pretty much the way I've been hunting for decades. I read somewhere, that few Deer under around 18 months, show any detectable prion load (I may be a bit off here but close).
Just a side note, I haven't shot anything with more than spikes or yearling Doe in many years. They are better eating and you can let more Deer mature to see what they will turn into without over populating. In nature most of the attrition is in the younger animals anyway. If I scope it I own it, I don't have to kill it. My trophy is the memory of that trophy Buck in my scope.
Just a pipe dream, can you imagine trying to tell Oldtmer or Topgun that they may be doing it wrong?
The DNR paints with a broad brush and still has trouble policing that. Changing someones outlook on the way they hunt is going to be difficult if not impossible.