Deer
In the United States, Whitetail deer in the east and Mule deer in the west are losing habitat by the minute due to human encroachment. In Florida, the small Key deer are endangered. Nevertheless, in Pennsylvania alone, between a third and a half of the Whitetail deer are killed each year by “sportsmen.” This slaughter takes place primarily because hunters want trophies (heads with antlers). Despite the large number of deer killings, complaints regarding shrubbery damage and deer-car collisions continue to mount.
Why are deer numbers increasing despite the killing?
Simple sport (or recreational) hunting kills males (bucks) for their large antlers. This lethal process skews the ratio of females to males to unnatural levels that favor females. Based on estimates, the ratio of females to males in heavily hunted states such as Pennsylvania may be as high as 30-1. A small number of bucks is enough to impregnate the large number of female deer (does) in the herd. One buck can impregnate up to 15 does in a single female cycle.
|
|
A statewide deer herd that is 75-90% female becomes a virtual baby factory for deer. Another factor that increases deer numbers is population rebound. This population dynamic supports the cliché that “nature abhors a vacuum.” After a number of deer are killed in a hunt, there is more food available for the surviving pregnant does. This allows more baby deer (fawns) to be born and gives them a higher survival rate.
In a 1990 report from the New Jersey Fish and Game agency, research showed that the females who survived a hunt had enough offspring not only to replace those killed but to increase the size of the herd by the next year. Even though these lethal methods of controlling deer population fail, they continue due to pressure from the hunting, trapping and gun lobbyists.
 |
The solution for deer overpopulation is contraception. Research conducted over the past ten years has shown that PZP contraception produces significant and long term reductions in deer populations.
On Fire Island in New York, deer numbers have been reduced by 60 percent over six years with this method. Deer numbers have been reduced by more than one third after four years of contraception at the National Institute of Standards and Technology campus in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The contraceptive vaccine costs only $20 or less. Labor costs are additional. The development of a “one shot” vaccine that is effective for multiple years, has simplified deer contraception.
|
With a new one-shot dart that will last for years, deer only have to be vaccinated once to achieve sterility. To date, deer contraception programs have been free. They are funded by non-profit organizations such as NOA, foundations and individual donors — not the taxpayers.
If deer numbers are an issue in your community, contact your government representatives and demand that deer be contracepted — not killed. And contact NOA, we can help.
