Deer and Humans Relationship
Deer are very loyal to their territory and that creates problems for them and humans all the time. People are building homes and establishing farms in the areas where these animals used to freely live. Now they are being expected to just up and relocate so that the humans aren’t bothered by them.
In many areas there are major roads being built right between the areas where these animals live. What often happens is that they are struck by vehicles during crossing areas. This can result in death or serious injury to the people in those vehicles. The cost of vehicle repairs annually due to these accidents is very high.
Putting up fencing in some areas is possible, but you have to remember that many species of deer are very agile. They are able to easy jump of fencing and it isn’t practical to build it too high for them to be kept in. Such fencing can also be very expensive if you are talking about a very large area to cover too. In some areas where people have fancy fencing with iron spikes at the top, dead deer have been found perched on them. They simply weren’t able to clear the top of them and it resulted in a very gruesome death.
In some area the idea of using products that will prevent successful reproduction efforts have been experimented with. That way the current population isn’t’ growing. Yet this method of managing deer is very expensive and it is playing with the natural role of things. Many experts worry about the overall genetics of deer species being harmed through this type of control.
Some people actually have deer that are their pets though. They may have found an orphan fawn and raised it. They leave food out for it and that keeps the animal coming back. Most of them feature orange collars too which is an indicator for any hunters that see them that this is a pet and not a wild animal.
Deer can create huge losses for farmers due to the fact that they will consume both corn and soy beans. Keeping these animals out of such crops can prove to be extremely difficult. Deer are very smart animals and they will return to the location where they know that they can find food.
This is why so many farmers hunt for deer on their property. They even go as far as to rent out their land for other people to be able to hunt on them too. This creates a winning situation for them – they make money and they get rid of the deer problem. Yet as the natural habit for these animals continues to be stripped away they will move into the same areas as humans for both food and shelter.
Many people feel that hunting deer isn’t right but they don’t have all of the facts. If the populations aren’t kept under control there will be too many of them fighting for the same area to live in and the same food. Then they will start to die due to starvation. The problems with disease can increase too which will kill off a large number of them.
Hunting is a humane way to keep the population in check. The number of bucks and does that can be killed is limited for that very reason. This process also allows for a great deal of money to be generated for the Department of Wildlife as people have to apply for deer hunting tags and pay fees to do so.
Hunting also brings lots of money to communities that normally wouldn’t see it. People often travel for great hunting locations so they are paying for lodging, food, and gas when they do so.
