by Rebecca Sunshine
The Town of Aurora’s plan to implement a targeted “bait and shoot” of white-tailed deer is wrong and misguided for many reasons:
- Bow hunting is not a humane, safe or effective means of deer management. And of all hunting, bow hunting is particularly cruel. Deer shot that are not recovered may suffer for days, weeks or months before dying. The Humane Society of the United States said, “We believe bow hunting is both ineffective and inhumane, and we strongly oppose its use as an urban deer management tool. Numerous studies reveal that for every animal struck and killed by an arrow, there is one animal struck and unretrieved. That’s a wounding loss of 50 percent.”
- Baiting and luring unsuspecting deer to their deaths is especially malicious.
- Studies by The Humane Society of the United States have shown, and as cited by the New York State Humane Association, hunting does not control the number of deer, but results in the females becoming more fertile to compensate for the diminished herd. It increases the availability of browse and the likelihood of multiple births. It may only have temporary results before other deer move into the area and reproduction increases. The advantage of fertility control projects over culling is that you don’t contend with the continual bounce-back in deer numbers.
- Why deer killing programs don’t solve conflicts with deer | The Humane Society of the United States.
- Studies have shown that the Lyme carrying tick is the black-legged tick which will attach to what-ever host is available to them. White-footed mice, not deer are the primary carriers of Lyme disease. Deer density has no measurable effect on the number of these ticks. Eliminating deer does not eliminate ticks or reduce the risk of Lyme disease for people.
https://www.earth.com/animals/lyme-disease-risk-acorns-mice/
Deer are not the real drivers of Lyme risk. White-footed mice are. | LymeDisease.org - While deer are made the scapegoats, studies by the Humane Society of the United Stated and the Cary Institute have shown that deer density is not a leading factor in the loss of flora, mature trees, or a decline in tree regeneration; rather pollutants, insect damage, climatic changes and canopies of mature trees blocking the sun, and more play a major role.
- Studies by the Director of the Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies found that in Rock Creek Park in MD forests are self-thinning regardless of the presence of deer as a comparison was made be-tween fenced and non-fenced areas.
http://www.caryinstitute.org/newsroom/new-york-hotbed-damaging-forest-pests
https://www.caryinstitute.org/news-insights/media-coverage/invasive-insect-eating-away-americas-forests - Culling is very costly to taxpayers.
- Deer are not a significant cause of car-related accidents. According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), the four most common causes of accidents are speeding, distracted driving, impaired driving, and not wearing seat belts. Deer are not included as a main risk factor and should not be targeted in the name of protecting drivers.
I strongly urge the Town of Aurora to take the smart, safe and compassionate route and abandon plans for this inhumane, ineffective, and dangerous bow hunt.
If you believe that deer management is truly needed, please seriously explore the humane and safe alternatives available such as female contraception, deer repellents, fencing and tree cages before you needlessly inflict misery on harmless animals.
Rebecca Sunshine is a staunch protector of wildlife. Here, she presents arguments against killing deer in the Town of Aurora in Westchester County. These arguments can be used by our readers if faced with a similar local nightmare. Becky works with Humane Westchester and the League of Humane Voters, NY (LOHV/NY).