Which option below would you be most likely to choose for managing the overpopulation of deer? (poll 4406214)

Which option below would you be most likely to choose for managing the overpopulation of deer?

Nothing. Deer have a right to be on the landscape just as much as we do.

Nothing, there is no deer overpopulation problem/there is not enough deer

Manage as much land as is feasible in parks, forests, and nature preserves as interior forest habitat

Reintroduce wolves to agricultural and suburban areas.

There is nothing we can do/the deer problem is hopeless.

Hire sharpshooters and ease hunting limits on deer.

Vote View Results

See this poll on: https://poll.fm/4406214/embed

Brandon - 13 years ago

I believe that managing deer is a multifaceted issue that does not have one right answer. On one hand, we can say there is deer overpopulation (which there is in most areas)...but on the other, once populations get so low, many times still higher than there would have been historically, the hunting portion of the population becomes more vocal and the state(s) are pressured to reduce hunting pressure to allow populations to "rebound". Ultimately, hunters are declining in number and our ability to use them as a viable option for population reduction can be hindered in some areas, especially since many hunters will give up easier or stop hunting once populations hit a level that they deem to be too hard to hunt (more effort than benefits). On the other hand, if the hunters can't do it, I don't know how to do it without interfering with nature. I like the option of keeping keystone predators in the population, I love wolves, cougars, etc...but they are often times seen as "dangerous" to ones health despite statistics to the contrary. In the end...it's a very difficult issue with lots of slippery slopes....