re: #66 dirkdigglerjr

The wildlife folks here in Western NC will tell you it is actually more humane for us to hunt the deer than it is to allow for overpopulation and starvation. The conflict comes when efforts are made to clear the old growth forests to allow for more food for the animals versus rich, non-hunter folks in the highlands who don’t want to lose their “view.”

This was a perennial issue when I lived in Bloomington, IN. There were so many deer that they were in the city itself. But the local State Parks had to resort to “hunt days” because the overstressed deer were doing so much damage to the flora in the parks nearby. Of course, animal rights groups threatened to take to stunts like “we will be wearing antler hats and run through the forest!” And the gov’t said: you will likely be killed. They backed down. It was a 2-kill limit with one going to a local food bank.