The same reason they don't control the population in other suburban areas, they don't like people.

People are there 24x7x365, right? Whoops, maybe you better lay your eyes on this: :woot::lmao:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqVE9qfg7yI

Yano,I'm opretty sure they have yotes in the area.That comes back to what I've been saying,take the herd down far enough in numbers and the predators will start having a negative eaffect.There's enough deer at VF the coyotes don't put a dent in the population.Having said that there's no bear or bobcat.You bring up a good point.


BT,I agree with the age factor but you would still think malnutrition would be more of a factor.It seems with your experience at the park age over rides that.

Now here's another question I raise.The habitat in the VF park according to what they say has been depleted for years.Yet evidently with populations so high those deer are still giving birth and having decent survival rates.
I think it proves hunting and predators are the first two factors in her reductions.Of course habitat is important but I think the other two come in first.I know this is the case in our area in Clearfield.

I'll say again that I don't know the park in question but if we assume that a park and a developed suburban area are fairly similar in having a makeup of woods, edge and grasses, maybe I can offer a possible answer. First, grasses and other plants that grow in open areas do provide far more forage per acre than timber or brushy areas and parks and suburban areas have plenty of that. The deer could be surviving on that stuff but still wiping out anything that sprouts in the woods. I havent personally seen what 200+ DPSM does but at 160+ Stevie Wonder could see the overbrowsing everywhere in our situation and the majority of the deer deer were definitely undersize for their age.
Just my $.02 based on experience with a somewhat similar situation.

At 200 dpsm even the bird might be able to stumble into one, given the length of our season.

Thats what we like about you Jim!

Always the optimist!!:biggrin:

I see myself as a "glass half full" sorta guy.:s3:

One stumbled into me this year with a density of less than 20 DPSM.

And , the PGC hasn't assigned any habitat value or carrying capacity to that type of habitat since 1980. If they had they never would have assigned a density goal of 6 DPSM in 5C and 5 DPSM in 5B.

Thats great, congrats, can you imagine 10 X as many deer, that would almost be like hunting at my deer farm.:biggrin: