Wildlife culls are not a solution to address deer population concerns.
Contrary to popular belief, culling is not a viable solution for reducing deer numbers. The deer reproductive strategy is prolific and quickly compensates for population declines. If there is less competition for existing food sources, does will bear more offspring that same year. Thus, culling merely recreates and even exacerbates the very problem it purports to solve: hunting results in more deer being born, which then necessitates increased hunting, which in turn leads to still more deer.
Bow hunting does not offer a humane solution – for people or animals.
Dozens of studies show that bow hunting causes an unacceptably high “crippling rate”—close to 50%—among deer. When deer are struck by an arrow and are wounded but not killed, they tend to flee, often leaving the area where they were hunted. Part of the “sport” of bow and arrow hunting involves following a blood trail to track the wounded animal. Wounded deer may flee onto private property, so hunters may be forced to trespass to put the animal out of its misery. Alternatively, some hunters may abandon their tracking efforts at a property line and leave the animal to die slowly from its wound. These abandoned deer endure prolonged suffering, and passersby, hikers, and others simply trying to recreate outdoors are subject to viewing the remains of the animal when it finally succumbs to its injuries.
Hunting does not reduce Lyme disease.
The MSPCA recognizes the widespread concern regarding Lyme disease and the need for more information and education on the issue. The pervasive misnomer, “deer tick,” suggests a correlation between deer and tick-borne Lyme disease, leading many communities to increase deer in an attempt to reduce disease incidence. Yet according to leading Lyme disease experts, human risk of exposure to Lyme disease is correlated more so with the abundance of immature rodent hosts and other factors, rather than deer numbers. Ticks do not require a specific host and can thrive, for example, by feeding on white-footed mice and other small animals.
Recent studies report, for example, “Although deer may play a role in the tick life cycle, studies point to a limited association of deer populations with human TBD risk.” Also, “Overabundance of deer is also found in areas of low LD risk.”Additionally, despite major health organizations such as the NIH having conducted studies to identify a possible deer-Lyme disease link, no major health organization has identified hunting as an effective means of addressing Lyme disease.
