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Deer problem in Rochester News
Resources for Deer Problem
Blasting Deer
Essay
by Frank J. Regan
There are times, admittedly, when a chronic
problem is solved by a perfect solution--a clever, easy answer costing almost
nothing and profitable to boot. The Expanded Bottle bill (A.3922/s.1696) is an
example. It seeks to keep water and juice containers off the roadside and out of
the landfills. Providing a return on these items and reconstituting spent
containers into raw materials for new products is an incentive to make our
economy work for our environment. Elegant. The only ones against this proposal
are the companies that are presently reaping a windfall on containers not
returned. That loophole would end with the new bill.
Another seemingly perfect solution, as suggested
in an article in this paper (Deer Dilemma
-- Farmers in Monroe County say that deer
destroy up to 80 percent of their crops. Now, Clifford Crouch--a state
assemblyman from Binghamton--has proposed a year-round deer hunting season
to alleviate the state-wide problem. (April 2, 2004)
WOKR-TV 13 || ROCHESTER),
is solving the deer problem by instituting the year-round hunting of deer. Neat.
It grabs many as the perfect solution to a major nuisance. I've hit a couple of
deer myself driving in the county late into the night. Think of it: We still the
problem of deer by allowing hunters to hunt their favorite quarry all year long,
which would add to the state coffers in license fees and guns and bullets and
save the farming industry that might (as the article suggests) metamorphose into
shopping malls.
But, if you think about it, year-round hunting
is as dubious an answer to the deer problem as the
crow shoot is outside of Syracuse (from an article in
City Newspaper: For the birds). There a tavern hosts a yearly crow
shoot outside the city to stem the city crow population.
Yet, however satisfying to the shooters, blasting country crows does not
reduce the city crows numbers. It is just a lame excuse to have fun.
Unfortunately, there is a practical problem with
year-round deer hunting, an ethical qualm and a major environmental drawback
with this idea. First, spring and summer hikers and campers (paying tourists)
are not going to feel comfortable having to compete with forest space with armed
hunters. Secondly, The sleazy ethics of kidding oneself that killing deer all
year round is fulfilling a higher goal of saving the environment is so
transparent as to be self-evident. Let's be honest, hunting is a sport--we don't
need the meat. From the animal activist’s view, deer mean us no harm, and there
is a case to be made that we demean ourselves pleasuring in the slaughtering of
a harmless creature.
Then, there is the problem of trying to control
our environmental with a bullet. The destruction of farm produce by deer (
"Farmers in
Monroe County say that deer destroy up to 80 percent of their crops." 80%
--Deer Dilemma)
and other problems related to deer have to be placed in the context of a
complete environmental profile. In other words, the species in question has
shaped and been shaped by our environment It has played a vital role in our
environment, animals and plant life, or it wouldn't have flourished so well in
it for so many thousands of years. Deer, because of what they ate, where they
roamed, and what predators befell them defined our environment long before we
came upon the scene. Before blasting them into extinction like we did many other
species we targeted for removal, we ought to gain a complete picture of their
role in the very surroundings that keep us alive.
"Historically, the majority of the car-deer
accidents happen between 5:30 and 7:30 a.m. or between 5:30 and 8 p.m. — the
hours that coincide with dawn and dusk as well as the times the most
cars are on the road." --DEC.
Find out about the new deer disease moving across New York
State:
Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease
in New York State - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation "Epizootic
Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) is the most important infectious viral disease among
white-tailed deer. The landmark outbreak of the virus was identified and
described in New Jersey in 1955. It occurs every year in many southeastern
states and has been recently reported throughout the mid-Atlantic. In states
where the disease has been detected, it has not had a significant negative
impact on the long-term health of the deer herd. It tends to infect only
localized pockets of animals within a geographic area."
Current
Situation Regarding Chronic Wasting Disease
The state Departments of Environmental Conservation (DEC),
Agriculture and Markets (DAM), and Health (DOH), together
with the United States Department of Agriculture's Animal
and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) are
cooperating to develop a comprehensive statewide response to
the threat of CWD. These agencies are actively participating
together with other agencies and organizations in nationwide
efforts to learn more about this disease and to prevent its
spread.
--from
New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation - Protecting NY's Environment and Managing its
Natural Resources
Chronic Wasting Disease:
1. Chronic Wasting Disease
--from Cornell Cooperative Extension
2.Chronic Wasting Disease
- The mission of the CWD Alliance is to promote responsible
and accurate communications regarding CWD, and to support
strategies that effectively control CWD to minimize its
impact on wild, free-ranging deer and elk populations
NYS DEC Deer
Management Program New Yorkers greatly
appreciate white-tailed deer. People enjoy them in many ways. However, deer
often cause problems for farmers, homeowners and foresters and can cause road
hazards. If not properly managed, deer numbers can increase dramatically. This
increases problems for people and impairs the condition of the deer. It also
damages the habitat of deer and other wildlife. The Department of Environmental
Conservation tries to manage deer numbers. The goal is to balance deer with
their habitat, human land uses and recreational interests. Ecological concerns
and the needs of landowners, hunters, and other interest groups must be
considered. How does DEC manage deer? How are decisions made about how many deer
there should be? This website gives some basics on New York's deer management
program.
Deer News--from
Daily Messenger: Venison coalition seeks donations
-The Venison Donation Coalition needs money to pay processors, so
donating venison can remain free for hunters. Send donations to: Sullivan Trail
RC & D Council, 415 W. Morris St. Bath, N.Y. 14810. Attn.: Venison Donation
Coalition. For more information, call 1-866-862-3337 or visit
www.VenisonDonation.com
Deer hunting licenses are on sale now. Doe permits are available over
the counter until Oct. 1. Bag limits for antlerless deer have been expanded in
western New York. Venison Donation Coalition flyers are available where licenses
are sold. A list of participating processors are noted in the flyer. Hunters
must call ahead for free processing of any deer they want to donate. For more
information on deer hunting facts, visit the DEC Web site at
www.DEC.state.NY.US
Deer
Venison Donation Program You've heard the story, more
deer every year, fewer hunters, more crop damage, more car-deer collisions . . .
and even more needy. Yes, more needy.
Venison
Donation Coalition A conservative estimate of more
than 1,000,000 whitetail deer, roam New York State, according to the NYS
Department of Environmental Conservation's' Bureau of Wildlife. We count on
hunters’ harvest to maintain healthy herds and to minimize the amount of annual
deer damage. The deer hunter’s and farmers harvest can be donated, processed and
distributed to help feed the hungry throughout New York State. Because donated
deer must be professionally processed, the Venison Donation Coalition has
coordinated a program where legally tagged and properly field-dressed deer can
be taken to participating processors...at no cost to the hunter or farmer.
The
DEC strongly advises motorists to
take the following precautions to prevent deer-vehicle collisions:
- Use extreme caution when driving at dawn or dusk, especially from late
October through December and when visibility is poor;
- Slow down when approaching deer are standing near the roadside, since they
may bolt at the last minute as a car comes closer, often sprinting onto the
road;
- If you see a deer cross the road, be alert for others that may follow;
- Use flashers of a headlight signal to warn other drivers when you spot
deer near the road; and
- Be alert and use extreme caution when traveling through deer crossing
areas, which are usually marked with road signs.
Deer in the Rochester-area News
(Please note, links below open in a new window.)
-
The
Future of Deer Hunting In New York State Summary of Meetings DEC's
Bureau of Wildlife initiated an effort in Spring 2000 to consider changes to
help maintain an effective deer management program. --NYS DEC
- AN EVALUATION OF
DEER MANAGEMENT OPTIONS
- The Deer Management
Simulator or DMS is a general, yet powerful simulation tool developed
for the National Park Service by Ken L. Risenhoover and H. Brian Underwood (USGS)
and was specifically designed to assist natural resource specialists
attempting to manage problems relating to overabundant ungulate populations.
- Whitetails on the Web The
white-tailed deer is the most popular big game animal in North America. This
page is dedicated to those who spend countless hours in the field, year
after year, in a lifetime of study of these cunning masters of elusiveness.
-
Keys for
Successful Policy by Daniel J. Decker and Lisa C. Chase. "Problems addressed in
white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginiamus) management have changed dramatically during the
twentieth century. The need for protection and restoration has passed, as white-tailed
deer have emerged from scarcity to achieve overabundance. Wildlife managers now commonly
attempt to reduce conflicts between people and deer inhabiting areas where deer were
scarce a decade or two ago.
- Deer Search is a private
organization that tracks wounded deer and bear with leashed
tracking dogs. Most of us are hunters and our goal is to reduce crippling losses during
hunting season. The majority of us live in New York State and are members of one of the
two New York chapters of Deer Search. We also have out of state members who track under
licenses and rules issued by their own state.
-
Deer_Paper Submitted for publication by the
VA/WV Horticultural Society. Presented at the Annual Meeting in Roanoke,
Virginia on January 12, 1999 by: Jonathan S. Kays, Regional Extension
Specialist-Natural Resources, University of Maryland Cooperative Extension
When deer significantly damage crops, forests, or vehicles, they are
considered to be a nuisance. The best approach to control deer damage is an
integrated pest management (IPM) plan, which includes careful monitoring of
any one, or combination of, the following strategies: population management,
fencing, repellents, or vegetation management. Although nonlethal techniques
can help minimize damage caused by deer in any one area, the lack of any
population control will likely result in an increasing population and the
problems associated with this increase. Controlling deer damage requires a
comprehensive program.
- Chronic Waste
Disease Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a
transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) of deer and elk. To date, this
disease has been found only in cervids (members of the deer family) in North
America. First recognized as a clinical "wasting" syndrome in 1967 in mule
deer in a wildlife research facility in northern Colorado, it was identified
as a TSE in 1978. CWD is typified by chronic weight loss leading to death.
There is no known relationship between CWD and any other TSE of animals or
people --from USDA. United States Department of
Agriculture's Home Page
-
Chronic
Wasting Disease Information Center - NGPC
- Chronic
Wasting Disease This site is a joint project of the
Boone and Crockett Club, Mule Deer Foundation, and Rocky
Mountain Elk Foundation. These non-profit wildlife
conservation organizations formed the Chronic Wasting
Disease Alliance in January 2002 to address CWD. Other
organizations have since joined the Alliance.
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