It's a shame that the species that is most over-populated on this planet decides what is the "right" population for the other species.
32
@Zara1234
"It's a shame that the species that is most over-populated on this planet decides what is the "right" population for the other species."
Not meant as a troll, but seriously, why is it a shame? What would be the best way for those decisions to be made?
If you want to get rid of the deer, let trump's EPA take over. They are great at thinning and weakening populations.
1
Just what this world doesn't need--more mindless cruelty.
18
@theresa
So I guess it's not cruel to let deer starve to death in harsh winters. How cruel is it to slam into a deer with your car? How cruel is it for someone to suffer through the agony of Lyme disease? And do you think it's cruel to donate venison to the poor and hungry as well?
Who are you calling "mindless"?
3
Great article. Very interesting to read about the interaction between humans and wildlife in rural NY.
12
The science is indisputable. Humans need to kill a lot of whitetail deer in the northeast in order to maintain ecological balance. This isn't about too many deer eating the flowers off of McMansion lawns. Allowing the deer population to explode, to the point where they starve in the winter, are forced to range across distances that include multiple dangerous road-crossings, herd with such density that horrible diseases spread rapidly is far more cruel to the deer than letting licensed hunters kill some of them.
27
I wonder if your readers who oppose hunting have taken a walk in the woods lately.
Where are the sugar maple saplings? The replacements for large oak trees, the Trillium and other wildflowers that once carpeted the forest floor?
We are losing forest biodiversity --- and replacement of essential forest trees due to deer overpopulation. Say nothing of high levels of deer ticks and horrid illness they carry ....
It's NOT just about vehicles and home landscaping! It's about how we are allowing destruction of forest health by permitting large populations.
35
One lesson here is the fact that game animals such deer,waterfowl and upland game are generally not endangered, but thrive. In the case of waterfowl the managed habitats which hunters pay for are home to multitudes of other species.
Those critics of African big hunting should realize the income from hunters provide protection for rare species also as brave game wardens guard habitats from ruthless poachers.
Before condemning hunting find a way to replace the funding hunters now provide. $250000 some pay for the hunt goes a long way and is difficult to replace.
5
@Lane Every five years the US Fish and Wildlife Service publishes its survey of hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation. The last survey I reviewed was from 2016. According to the data supplied from the pro-hunting USFWS, non-consumptive wildlife watchers out numbered hunters 86 million to 11.5 million, and outspent hunters $75.9-billion to $25.6-billion in 2016. Hunters can try to spin this however they like, but the USFWS data is as accurate as you're going to get regarding wildlife-related expenditures.
When the value of federal land programs are put into the mix of wildlife conservation today, hunters contributions diminish to a mere 6 percent of funding nationwide. The 10 largest non-profit conservation organizations contribute $2.5 billion annually to habitat and wildlife conservation; of this, 12.3 percent comes from hunters and 87.7 percent from the non-hunting public. Yes, hunters do contribute to the Pittman-Roberts Fund, an archaic program that taxes all private firearm and ammunition, as well as archery (as well fishing) equipment, with the money being divided up between the states based, partially, on hunting license sales. The problem is that hunters make up a small percentage of those who buy the taxed items. There is over 100 million (and expanding) gun owners nationwide compared to the 12.5 (and dwindling) hunters.
3
@Geo Your right,hunters are a diminishing funding source for wildlife habitats in the US. In Africa though wildlife tourism is not sufficient yet to fund protection of rare species and habitats. Game wardens there must be armed and some have died in shoot outs with poachers who put heavy pressure on wildlife sanctuaries.
3
Contrary to assertions of some other commenters, it is definitely possible to control deer population by hunting. This was proved empirically when whitetail deer were hunted nearly to extinction by 1900, when the total US population was estimated at 300,000. When I was hunting in the mid 1960’s, you could still go an entire season without seeing one. Of course, I wasn’t a very good hunter either. Nowadays the US population is over 30 million. There is a significant problem with overpopulation, with its attendant problems of disease (Lyme dz and chronic wasting dz) and traffic accidents, not to mention crop depredations. I have heard Iowa farmers refer the them as “rats with antlers”. Ethical hunting is a reasonable solution, but hunters should always have the meat tested for wasting disease.
11
State wildlife agencies (game commissions) are running state sponsored blood "sport" businesses masquerading under the guise of conservation. These agencies artificially propagates the deer population to attain maximum sustained yield (M.S.Y.) for their hunter constituents.
“Deer are [artificially] managed on a Maximum Sustained Yield (M.S.Y.) principle to produce surpluses for hunter recreation. One M.S.Y. method is to kill excesses of bucks in order to alter the natural 1 to 1 male/female sex ratio, leaving 5 to 15 females for each male. This maximizes fawn production. Another M.S.Y. method is habitat manipulation. For example, the Wildlife Division of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in Michigan increased the deer herd from 400,000 to one million by clear cutting 1.3 million acres of state forest to create deer browse. According to officials, this was done “because a forest managed by nature cannot produce a fraction of the deer needed by half a million hunters.” (The American Hunting Myth, Ron Baker, 1985)
These state wildlife agencies are run by hunters for hunters. This entire paradigm has to change. It’s time for this antiquated agency and deer management hunting paradigm to evolve from a game commission into a real conservation agency where all public stake holders hold seats on the management board.
2
Back in the '60 s on Shelter Island you rarely--if ever--saw a deer during daylight hours. Every once in a while you'd see one crossing the road at night. Now they are ubiquitous--there are literally herds of them grazing in fields in broad daylight.
Back in the '60s I would walk around all summer without shoes or spayed with Off! and maybe once a summer would find a dog tick crawling on my leg. Though the Lyme disease virus existed, there would be no reason to identify and name it for years.
Now there are multiple tick-borne diseases--some untreatable and potentially fatal--and a deer herd that is disproportionately large for a relatively small island.
I suppose everybody on Shelter Island could pack up and move and leave the deer and their population issues alone. No one is suggesting completely eliminating the deer population, which would be impractical and impractically expense. Culling the herd to a manageable size so it can peacefully and healthfully coexist with the Island's humans is not an unreasonable goal.
16
There is nothing wrong with ethical hunting. If one chooses not to hunt or live a vegan lifestyle, that's fine too.
23
Hunting usually has negative connotations for me, based on photos of trophy hunters (like Trump’s sons) standing and grinning over a magnificent lion or elephant they killed for entertainment. But I have only respect for the women featured here, who are playing an important role in trying to bring down the deer population. As another commenter noted, deer overpopulation is a greater threat to forest/woodlands in the northeast than climate change.
13
DONATED VENISON IS NOT SAFE TO EAT
Hunters use this donating of venison as a "humanitarian ruse" to get public buy-in for hunting. Deer meat is uninspected meat with the high probabiliy of disease and bacterial contamination, and dangerous levels of lead and pesticides poisoning. At risk are low-income beneficiaries of venison donation. While the rich can choose between their USDA inspected meats, the poor are being fed uninspected meats with the high probabiliy of disease and bacterial contamination, and dangerous levels of lead and pesticides poisoning. In addition, Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) - is a type of brain damaging disease (similar to Mad Cow disease) known as a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) or prion disease. While it's believed that CWD primarily affect deer, the question of the potential transmission to humans if an infected deer is eaten is still unknown.
7
WHY KILLING DEER DOESN’T WORK
While it may seem counter intuitive, killing deer actually triggers an increase in deer reproduction and population. When the deer herd is temporarily reduced through hunting, there is reduced competition for food, and the number of twins and triplets born actually increases. This phenomenon (compensatory reproduction) explains why hunting as a management tool has resulted in an ever-increasing number of deer in this country. For example, a study conducted by the Dept of Wildlife and Range Sciences, School of Forest Resources and Conservation at the University of Florida sampled deer from five separate sites: three hunted and two nonhunted. The study found that the incidence of twins being born to a pregnant doe was higher on hunted land than on non hunted land. The study found the incidence of twinning was 38% on hunted sites and 14% on nonhunted sites. No twinning was observed among pregnant fawns or yearlings from nonhunted areas, whereas…18% of the pregnant yearlings and…33% of the pregnant fawns from hunted areas carried twins.” (Reproductive Dynamics Among Disjunct White-tailed Deer Herds in Florida”, Journal of Wildlife Management [1985]). Studies have shown that after a hunt surviving females produced enough offspring to not only replace those killed, but enough to actually increase the size of the herd. Killing deer is not a solution to a problem, but a commitment to a permanent problem.
9
@Geo
The explosion in the whitetail population in the NE US is due to changes in the landscape. There is simply more suitable whitetail habitat to occupy now than ever before.
The fact that whitetails produce more twins and trips w hunting pressure doesn't mean all those extra animals survive to reproduce. The pop can't exceed the available food base otherwise they end up starving.
7
I shot big 7 does this season in NJ. Gave away most of the meat. That's about 300 lbs of protein consumed that wasn't factory farmed. At 1,799 gallons of water to produce 1 lb of red meat, I saved about a half million gallons of water. I also paid around $300 in license fees to goes to support public access to open space. I spent around 30 hours in the woods, that's 30 hours I wasn't consuming fossil fuels i.e.driving, using electricity, natural gas, etc. I also saw many rare birds, including a pilated woodpecker and a bald eagle, foxes, wild turkeys, and other wildlife most NJ suburb dwellers never see. Every deer I harvested, I waited for the perfect shot so as to kill it within seconds. I let dozens of deer I could have shot walk away because the shot opportunity wasn't perfect. I have biologists with PhDs monitoring the herd that I hunt who are elated at I can put the time in to do this each season, and people who spend little time outdoors and have zero scientific knowledge about deer carrying capacity viciously criticizing me.
32
This is really cool that people are recognizing the value of hunting.. I do find the camo uniforms a bit pretentious. Deer are color blind, they look for motion, and use their noses. The best color to wear while hunting is orange (required in many states during the regular season when hunters have rifles). The deer wont see you any better, but other hunters will.
7
@Steve G
Flo pink is less visible to deer and more visible to humans than hunter orange and flo pink meets the requirement to wear hunter orange in WA.
Deer can recognize the shape of humans so camo does help break up the human silhouette.
5
I have a couple of friends who hunt. The idea appeals to me. The biggest hurdle I think would be learning to field dress the animals. But eating what you kill, if you are a meat eater, seems like the most honest approach to feeding oneself.
I also like the idea of the physical and mental challenges involved. I look around and think that we've all gone a little soft.
https://youtu.be/zIyF79yfWkk?t=123
7
Glad to see women breaking into a type of cruelty that had previously been a boy's club.
So inspiring. Girl Power!
6
If our taxpayer-funded government agencies weren't killing off keystone species, there wouldn't be an "overpopulation" of deer and humans wouldn't be plagued with being overrun with deer preying on their gardens. Let our predator species do their job in maintaining a balance in the web of life. There will still be deer for hunters.
8
Interesting comments from who I assume are all Vegans
9
the only species that's causing serious harm with its number is human being. it's amazing to what lengths these "lionesses" go to justify their bloodlust for a sentient being who cannot defend itself.
14
Deer are destroying our forests by eating all the seedlings, saplings and understory. This is having a disastrous impact on the overall ecosystem. If you care about animal welfare you should support significantly lowering the deer population.
23
Why the Bow & Arrow - a little compassion should be in order. Try some EMPATHY!
11
It's great the deer are being culled, and it's great the somebody might be eating them as well. Still, I have no understanding, whatsoever, of what makes people enjoy killing (anything). I find an enjoyment over killing to be literally stomach-turning. I cannot relate in any way to people who enjoy killing animals. In all honesty, I can understand Trump people more than I can understand people who get enjoyment out of hunting.
7
Do you eat meat or animal products? I assure you if so, that the animals you consume lived a more brutal existence than any deer I’ve killed. The deer die free, bounding (or standing more like) through the woods. Even expensive free tangle cattle don’t exactly have pleasant freee lives.
11
I simply don’t know a hunter who enjoys the killing part. We enjoy being in the woods and being a part of nature. The biological imperative of eating necessitates the killing part of the experience. Eating meat products without confronting the reality of death does’t make one a better person. But learning first hand about the complex tapestry of life and death is a first step towards living a more responsible life. It saddens me to read the angry reactions to this well written story - there is a strong tendency to ascribe awful motives to what you don’t understand. Best to simply admit that you are removed enough from nature to not understand, and try to keep and open mind and learn.
8
@AT I'm not removed from nature. I'm a biologist.
3
As a trail runner, am scared of hunters, gun or bow. Friend had an arrow zip pass him once, that is not fun...
Also could never understand the fun of killing. Shoot with a camera instead. As for the deer, bring back the natural predators instead!!
16
If you brought wolves back to Long Island, you couldn’t trail run at all.
15
My home in Hunterdon County, NJ backs up to a small woods where deer hunting is allowed. Well...I really wouldn't call it hunting since the it appears the standard mode of operation is to put out corn, erect a deer stand and then wait for the deer to appear. Not much skill needed there. Two years ago, I saw a beautiful buck lying dead several yards beyond my property. Obviously he had been wounded and had not died immediately. I can't image his suffering. The next day I looked out and saw that his head and neck had been removed. He had a beautiful "rack". The rest of his body was left to rot. How this is considered a sport is beyond my comprehension.
14
The deer probably think that human overpopulation is the real problem.
20
The problem, really, is an over-population of homo sapiens, not deer.
15
I find this disingenuous. Those who really believe this, rather than those asserting a controversial point, are more than welcome to help solve the problem. It is clear when they complain of human overpopulation they aren’t all that serious about doing something. They would rather make others do something.
3
I want to comment, but I almost too busy watching my back, but because being of the opposite sex, there there could be a lot of sharpshooter's out there — that are not even my future ex-(fill in honorific) — that are going to be, if not already, drawing down, aiming at body-mass, after they read this comment — especially after they read this comment!
1
Please come to Ramsey, NJ, the place has been overrun with deer!
2
I spoke to a deer hunter once, from Shelter Island, Greenport, told me when the deer is skinned...it’s crawling with tics....tics equal Lyme disease...Bon appétit!
3
It is indeed hilarious that this article praising the virtues of hunting, as long as it is done by Americans, has appeared at this time. Read any article on the epidemic in China, and you will find the comments section filled with self righteous Americans condemning the barbaric Chinese for eating wild animals. I guess Bambi doesn't count.
6
Human overpopulation is a greater problem. When does the shooting start?
11
What do we do about human overpopulation?
15
The housewives of New Jersey are now armed?
5
Gotta love The NY Times. When men hunt they’re terrible but when women hunt they’re “inspiring”. Why does gender change the status of someone who kills animals with guns?
11
Like most problems of modern life, there are no simple answers that don't upset one group or another. Yes, hunting is a legal right. Yes, there are often too many deer. And yes, this is due to increased development/lack of natural predators. Yes, deer carry Lyme disease, and it has terrible effects on children and adults. We can't simply remove all the deer, nor remove development. Have people died from deer jumping onto the road at night in front of cars going the speed limit on rural roads, killing the driver/occupants of the front seats? Yes. I've seen it myself, having lived in a rural state for 10 years.
Deer hunting is cruel, but living in a city is not? All our urban pleasures come at the expense of the environment. Let's not kid ourselves that just because we don't hunt we are better than the hunters. The trucks that carry our urban goods arrive on roads built to supply urban areas, and those roads encourage development. There are no "right or wrong" people in this equation.
7
A total of 566 motorists on Long Island — 555 in Suffolk and 11 in Nassau County — struck a deer in 2016, according to state Department of Motor Vehicle crash data analyzed by AAA. The majority of these animals likely died a gradual and grueling death. Will the anti-hunters stop driving as a result?
Also, I encourage everyone to research the North American Model of Conservation: http://wildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/North-American-model-of-Wildlife-Conservation.pdf. Hunters by far are the largest contributors to conservation in North America.
10
No back country hicks but women who live on Long Island find killing and butchering an animal to be an event as described in their own words a “liberating” experience. Hunting and slaughtering animals for any purpose other than to avoid starvation disrespects the sanctity of life, is primitive and unconscionable in a 21st century world. These women don’t stand as exemplary figures but a shameful demonstration of appropriating what has traditionally stood as one signifier of male dominance in patriarchal society.
7
So glad to see women making up for the decline of men as hunters.
Not only is it cruel to let deer starve to death, we can all do without driving into one, not to mention preventing the spread of Lyme disease or damage to our gardens and backyards.
And for all you haters out there, there is a Venison Donation Coalition in New York state that feeds the hungry and poor with the generous help of deer hunters.
4
This article and many of the comments praising it goes to great lengths to make what these women, and most hunters, are doing sound like more than it is: killing animals for fun. Do you really think these women are solemnly dragging themselves into the woods to perform some grim but noble duty of controlling deer overpopulation or providing sustenance to survive? If you want to hunt, go ahead and hunt. It's legal and anyone's place to tell you you can't. But accept that you are killing for fun and don't try to pretend that you're doing it instead for some noble reason or because you're carrying on the traditions of our ancestors who hunted out of necessity.
I suppose the woman in the article who has deer heads and skulls mounted as decorations all over her $100,000 kitchen put them up there with the greatest respect for and to honor the animals she kill, too. Give me a break.
8
Bring back wolves. The problem is not only deer overpopulation is a human one as well.
6
Just once, I would like one of these articles to ask hunters about their training on "humane" hunting (if that even exists) and their knowledge of a lethal shot. It is not an easy death to be hit by a bullet or a crossbow in a non-lethal fashion. How many of these newbie hunters (men or women) can land a lethal shot without making these animals bleed to death and suffer unnecessarily? Why are these questions never asked? I seriously doubt hunters can achieve a humane death in the wild and for that reason, I doubt the reality of "ethical" or "humane" hunting. We need to develop more feasible alternatives to overpopulation by focusing on habitat and birth control rather than relying on wannabe sharp-shooters. In Texas, you would not believe the number of for-profit "canned" shooting activities where you are guaranteed a kill. The industry hardly cares about overpopulation -it's just a convenient excuse to legitimate a cruel and anachronistic tradition.
6
@RP
When one takes the mandatory archery hunter ed class in NY state, which I did, one must prove they are competent w a bow and are taught about shot placement, etc.
High fence operations(canned hunts) on private land raise their own game to be harvested by hunters. Kind of like cutting your own Christmas tree at a tree farm or picking apples at a farm. It's not for me.
3
Mass media demonizes gun ownership and hunting as a bastion of psychotic behavior, so how could one be surprised that the pastime is dying? The gender balance among hunters might be equalizing, but overall hunter numbers are WAY down.
Proportional to the US population, there are only about half as many hunters today as there were 30 years ago (source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife 2016 report).
Good luck with all prey and nuisance populations, America. Here in Chicago my only option is repel (to somebody else's yard, I guess) these animals via fence or other agents, or trap and release (again, to somebody else's yard). God forbid I harm a coyote.
3
Deer are rats with horns. And they're not going to be reduced in number by a few people running around in camo with shotguns, and bows and arrows.
In addition, these amateurs are putting themselves and others at risk. Reminds me of the macho men who always score 100% on body mass targets, but would faint if confronted by the threat of another human being.
1
I really loath hypocrisy - like taking the recycling to the trash, then driving to work in the car, one’s conscience clear. Like talking about how the Oscars are too male, then deciding on the man for the promotion because he has clear leadership potential, while the female candidate (her behavior the same) is labeled pushy, abrasive and ‘not a team player.’
If you’re vegan, I suppose you are entitled to view modern hunting in starkly negative terms. But for everyone else, the supposed difference in “cruelty to animals” between the standard meat business and “humanely raised and harvested” meat is really just about assuaging your conscience. As above, its hypocrisy.
Humans eat meat. Now, should we still be doing this? Probably not. But we shouldn’t be doing a whole wagon train of stuff. From burning fossil fuels, to insecticides, to the entire idea of nations, to building nuclear bombs.
Hunters are just low-hanging fruit, easy targets. While I am not a hunter, for years I have enjoyed the venison and other meat taken by friends who are hunters. I also love that many hunters are advocates of nature preservation efforts.
Now, are there bad hunters? Of course. Getting drunk while sitting in a tree stand with deer-bait and your shotgun is hardly ‘mighty hunter’ material. Trespassing on private land, littering, and other bad behavior need to be policed, but hunters also need to police themselves and each other.
.
6
I'm not a hunter, nor am interested in hunting, but in my lifetime, deer have gone from a rare and magical site to becoming real pests. Surveys say there are more deer now in NJ than there were at the time of the Revolution. Our suburban neighborhood has at least one family that has made their home here, eating our expensive shrubbery and bringing an influx of deer ticks and Lyme Disease, which affects people and dogs alike. One of our dogs had it prior to our adopting it, and now as she is deep in her golden years, her gait is much stiffer than it would have been for her breed. People who get Lymes suffer terribly as it's very resistant to treatment, requiring course after course of anti-biotics over months to clear.
Unless you're a vegetarian, all of your meat comes from some animal that died, whether it's your grilled salmon steak, your Yankee Stadium hot dog, or your grandmother's treasured chicken soup! Even your spaghetti and meatballs means some animal died. And no more humanely than these hunters.
I have no desire to hunt but I detest hypocrisy.
5
I grew up in Bucks County, PA which perhaps not surprisingly has a serious deer problem.
I recognize the value in culling their population, but man did I hate this headline. I get that some people enjoy killing animals for "sport" or food. But the rah, rah tone of women slaughtering our fellow mammals strikes me as beyond tone deaf.
4
As Alice Kramden once said, "Men work from sun to sun but woman's work is never done."
1
I could buy the whole "ethical hunter" thing if the people who do it didn't seem to enjoy it so much. They are not thinning the deer population with a sense of grim duty and solemnity. They're killing for fun.
4
This is just a great article. Thank you so much to Charity & Sarah. No one, even here in the heart of liberalism, NY, objects to hunting. Even us left wingers realize there is a place for this. I’m as pretty much far to the left as politics go and was a deer hunter myself (but a woeful deer hunter) and would like our fellow hunters across the country to understand: we, left wingers, are NOT trying to take your guns away. On the contrary, go out and cull those white tails & Canada geese. God knows there’s too many of them and the abundance of them is not good for the species. But an AR15 is not a hunting weapon. Not for any species other than humans. Of that there can be no argument.
1
Women who hunt...just like men, killing animals who have no clue what is going on. I used to hunt with my father when I was a girl, never gave it a second thought. I realize now I went with him because he enjoyed it. Then he quit because he realized he didn't like killing wild life. Me neither. Women just won't give up on competing with men, when the fact is we are different from men and don't need to compete. As for the deer over population, that is due to men killing off their natural predators so they have more to kill. Where is the joy in killing? Where? I feel sorry for women who feel they must out do men, what a shallow way to feel about yourself. As for the innocent gentle creatures grazing in someone's yard about to be shot, now THAT is hunting.
3
When the untreatable, sometimes fatal, often brain-damaging tick-borne illness Powassan becomes more prevalent (and it will), will those who oppose culling the deer herds in eastern Long Island change their tune? Geez, I hope so.
https://www.cdc.gov/powassan/index.html
3
As one who came to hunting late in life, and still hasn't harvested his first venison, I am thrilled that women are getting to enjoy this amazing experience, and at the same time, help feed their family, help provide food to the needy, and perform a necessary service to the community; beat coffee klatching, eh ladies? And to those of the liberal persuasion, who judge things they've never seen, and have opinions about something they know nothing about, spend a day alone in the woods, with a weapon. So gals, enjoy your pink bows, arrows and guns, and as has been just shown, a girl can hunt, and still be all girl!
Bambi: What happened, Mother? Why did we all run?
Bambi's Mother: Woman was in the forest.
9
Congratulations. Last season was my 56th for deer opener and my wife's 35th. We both got our venison in the freezer again and the size of the horns or no horns does not matter. A zero carbon source of food since we got ours in the woods out back and do all our own processing of truly natural meat. Along the way in all those years, we have mentored and taught any number of youth, women and men to hunt, hunt safely, respect the quarry and the land where it lives as well as how to process it correctly from field to table. We have also introduced any number of both hunters and non hunters to wild game cooking techniques and not surprisingly, made some converts to both hunting and cooking. Check with your state game and fish department for mentoring programs.
74
I live North of Seattle in a wooded area heavy with deer. The picture in this article of deer on Shelter Island looks like here, except here no hunting is allowed. The deer and the people here seem to live together without too much problem. Traffic stopping to let them cross the roads is common. I have deer that graze just off my deck and lay around my yard in the summer. I even had a fawn born last year just outside my living room in some bushes. I occasionally hear a complaint from someone about deer eating their plants. I myself have had deer come right up on my porch and eat flowers from my containers. No one here thinks the deer are such a big deal. They live here. We live here. I've never heard anyone say they wanted to kill them. It seems strange that these gentle animals are so hated.
69
@Ms. Pea
Yes, but you don't have Lyme disease out there on the west coast, which makes a big difference. Lyme disease is a serious problem here, and it spreads via deer ticks. It's hard to check every inch of your kids' bodies every day, looking for a tick the size of a pepper flake, to prevent them from getting a debilitating and incurable disease that causes joint inflammation and affects your central nervous system. The more deer in the woods, the more deer ticks. Every time my kids go into the woods and the temperature is above freezing, I need to thoroughly check them for ticks. It's exhausting, and I don't even live near the woods, we just visit for camping trips and hiking.
42
@Sylvia
Killing all the deer as a solution to tick-borne Lyme disease?
Humans have over populated the East Coast, Long Island, the whole planet, destroying natural habitat, and building houses in areas that wildlife live(d) in. Then we say animal populations are too high? What’s the plan here? Eradicate all other species?
32
But Shelter Island is an island. For that matter, Long Island is an island and in some parts a skinny one at that. Too many deer.
(And too many vinyl-sided capes built cheek by jowl on what used to be potato farms and woodlands.)
I'd prefer that hunters, male or female, shoot birth control into the deer, but that's unlikely. It would be great if hunters could go out and hunt raccoons and shoot rabies vaccines into them.
As for ticks, we'll never have enough guinea fowl and possums to eat them all, so I'd like them annihilated. Can we invent something that hunters of all sexes could shoot at them?
10
I grew up in a suburb of Cleveland Ohio and NEVER once saw a deer anywhere. Fifty years later, I visit my mom and almost every time there is a whole herd lounging in her backyard, demolishing her bushes, trees and eating all her food out of her garden. This deer explosion is a result of a lack of predators and humans encroaching into the woods where these animals once thrived and lived and building single family subdivisions, upsetting the eco balance.
141
This article is talking about overpopulation; which is as unhealthy for the animals as it is for humans. If you don't live in an area with that problem you can't possibly know what that entails. Deer showing up in places they never used to go, in great numbers . Lyme is rampant where I live because the deer numbers have exploded where I live, and so the number of people with Lyme. I know too many young people that are forever handicapped from Lyme. There is a major American health issue with tick-borne illnesses in areas where rural and urban areas meet, and natural predators of the deer no longer exist. There has to be a rational approach to wildlife management - no one is talking about eradicating a species.
61
@Isabel The overpopulation of deer is also bad for the whole ecosystem, changing the character of the woods so that only invasive species like buckthorn can thrive, even as we are losing so many native species such as ash. Deer need to be declared vermin and all restrictions removed. Allow techniques like bait and allow hunting them year round with no license required and no bag limit.
8
Well, I don't see overbuilding going on in Lyme or Hadlyme, or in western Massachusetts for that matter, and yet ticks make outdoor life unbearable -- and hazardous.
7
@Robert David South Thank you for your comment. I could not agree more.
It is so refreshing to see an article that normalizes an activity that humans have pursued basically forever. Hunting is not for everyone. Harvesting the animal you and your family are going to eat is uncomfortable for many people.
Some people associate hunting with the cinematic tropes of drunken buffoons stumbling through the woods endangering each other more than their prey. There are many responsible hunters, male and female, that take stewardship and conservation very seriously. While it is not the way I choose to commune with the outdoors, for many, hunting gives them a greater appreciation and respect for the natural world.
Earlier this week an article was published that stated the downward trend in hunting and the resulting loss of license revenue is actually hurting conservation and environmental causes. When hunting is pursued with the right spirit and respect for animals and nature it can, in its way, contribute to our appreciation of the wonder that is planet Earth.
88
@Michael Unsure what the price of the kitchen has to do with it but while some people find taxidermy distasteful others do no. I have no issue with it as long as the animals are utilized as fully as possible and not harvested simple for trophies. Trophy hunting is not something I am in favor of or the hunting of rare and endangered species. Deer need to be culled.
10
@Ted The price of the kitchen illustrates how far this is from killing for sustenance. Your equating these well-off women who are clearly killing deer for fun, as a hobby, with the role that hunting has played throughout human history is a distortion of reality. Yes, deer may need to be culled, but these women, and most hunters, are not performing a social service. They are doing it because they enjoy it. Hunting is legal and anyone in America is free to do it, but don't try to make it sound like in modern day America, there is some kind of nobility and honor in it. Unless you're hunting to provide for your family in spite of the sadness you feel over taking something's life, there is not.
9
Micheal, I believe that’s a gross generalization.
7
When it comes to animal over-populations, are communities diligent in exploring the options for TNR (similar to what is done for feral cats) or otherwise adding some type of safe birth control or similar, to food left out for the animals, etc.? I just find it disturbing, that so many like the idea of 'hunting to kill' animals, when there may in fact be less violent ways to control the population.
On a related note, humans never cease to amaze me with their ability to see wild animals as 'problems', who inflict 'damage' to their gardens, their precious vehicles, etc. We are the ones who are the problem...not these beautiful creatures.
44
@Lisa
Obviously you've never had Lyme disease or one of the many tick borne diseases rampant in the area.
11
Whether a human hunter is female or male has no importance for me at all. None. Killing animals for sport or vanity should be a crime and is a disgrace. It is even worse when done with weapons such as arrows that routinely inflict needless, prolonged suffering and agony.
It is not a progress for women to take up cowardly or sadistic practices previously performed only by men.
No woman should ever find herself deprived of opportunities or subjected to discriminatory treatment because she is a woman. We should all recognize those rights and honor them. Women's rights should never be understood to mean that everything all women do is naturally wonderful and should be exalted. That is a bridge too far and no better than a new kind of harmful discrimination.
I am also skeptical that hunters must cull any deer at all, given their small numbers and our ever worsening encroachments on the scant space left for them. Regardless, they are the gentlest creatures imaginable, and if people do not like seeing deer they should not move to the an area where they roam free.
81
@Zola Respectfully, I believe your perspective on hunting is uninformed and naieve. Perhaps deer are not overpopulated in your San Diego home, but in much of the east and midwest deer are at unsustainable levels. Sometimes 200 deer per square mile. Healthy numbers are 20/mile.
I work as an ecologist. I survey vegetation. In places with high deer densities there is no regeneration happening in the forest. Without hunting we are going to lose the trees.
I respect your love for animals. But there is a broader picture to consider: the trees, the plants, the ticks, and the health of deer themselves. Deer evolved as prey animals. This isn’t about killing for vanity it is about respecting the timeless order of nature, humans included. I don’t hunt but I’m really glad these women do and hope my 4yo daughter does one day as well.
279
@Zola Perhaps in San Diego the numbers of deer are small, but where I live in rural Maryland they have reached pest proportions. The roads are littered with the carcasses of deer that have been killed in run-ins with vehicles. The vulture population has soared because of the available carrion from such encounters.
I have dealt with Lyme's disease carried by deer ticks, and fight a constant battle to keep them from devouring our shrubbery.
If humans don't take action to thin overpopulations of deer, nature will, in the form of chronic wasting disease where the deer die horribly from the deer equivalent of made cow disease.
105
@Zola Deer are prey animals; as such, they breed like prey. Without predators, they overpopulate. Disease and starvation are real possibilities, as are deer/car interactions, which never end well for either party.
I have had a deer walk right through an intersection, straight at my vehicle. They graze at the side of interstates in broad daylight, roughly 5 yards from the shoulder. This in the city of Columbus.
There are different ways to hunt, and I'm not talking about choice of weaponry. Ethical hunting takes skill, patience, and discipline. It means NOT taking shots, quite often. One does not grab a bow or a gun two days before opening day, but practices steadily, so that one knows how well one can target various angles and distances. A deer should drop within a few minutes, and a few yards, of being shot.
This hunting is not about ego, or trophies, or dominance. It is about need, and balance. Killing deer isn't "fun" in the usual sense, although it can be both somber and satisfying at the same time.
Also, male deer during rut are not the gentlest animal imaginable. They carry a rack of spears on their head; don't cross them.
107
Hunting for your own food is touted as much more legitimate hunting than trophy hunting. Gross to me and many others. They’re one in the same. Nobody needs to hunt for their food in the year 2020. Folks that justify their passion for taking lives like to pretend they’re a 17th century settler and at the same time pretend to be animal-loving conservationists. Humans do not need to control animal populations. This is just gross, taking an animal’s life with a weapon and bragging about it. How is that a fair fight? Quite upset with this piece.
22
@JM Animals hunt each other all over the world, and we humans are animals (though we like to think we're elevated somehow). Hunting helps maintain balance in the ecosystem. The deer on Long Island have no natural predators other than humans, and their population has exploded out of control. That imbalance is bad for the vegetation, but it's also bad for the deer and for other animals whose habitats are being destroyed by the deer. I'm a vegetarian and I don't have the stomach for hunting, but I'm thankful for those who hunt responsibly.
43
@JM
Hunting is a natural part of the ecosystem. Animals do it without hesitation, and so did humans for tens of thousands of years. Hunters generally don’t claim to be animal-lovers, but rather nature-lovers.
And yes, humans do need to control animal populations a lot of the time. Otherwise you get severe ecological imbalance.
14
@JM If you are a Vegan and disagree with consuming any animal products, that's fine and I respect your view. But buying meat that has been raised in pens, killed via industrial slaughter and wrapped in cellophane at your local grocery store is far less humane than hunting and consuming that meat. It seems that if you choose to consume meat, outsourcing the killing is way worse than hunting.
29
Deer "overpopulation'' is not a scientific term and does not mean that the deer have exceeded their biological carrying capacity. The term is often used to justify the killing of deer. Hunting is a crime against nature. This criminal activity must be recognized for what it truly is - vicious, indefensible and ineffective. The longer this hellish cycle of violence continues, the more it's accepted. It's unacceptable.
2
@Bridget
Laughable at best, another science denier.
2
Fish and Game managers take note. Also, if the deer are really overpopulating it would make sense to have a season on does rather than bucks. Fewer deer would mean bigger and healthier ones.
I admit that what they are doing is probably ecologically beneficial. But this doesn't seem to be the reason they are doing it.
Rather, I find the fact they get pleasure out of taking something's life disturbing.
9
@Seb
The pleasure is in the hunt and the resulting meat produced. It is fun to make an awesome shot on a big game animal though. At least they don't leave their killing to others, btw.
@Paul No, I'm pretty sure they are getting a kick of out the death part of it...hunters sure do seem happier when their day out ends in a kill than they do with an unsuccessful chase followed by a meaty meal from the supermarket.
I do agree with you that there is something equally or more unsavory about people who shift their killing onto others though.
If only there was a way to eat and still be kind...
1
Wow! What a great article. And, bravo to all of the women who take up bow hunting. It is as not as easy as using a rifle or shotgun but more challenging and rewarding in the process.
I used to belong to the NRA many years ago when the focus was on hunting, education, and care of the land and ecology. Now it primarily supports gun manufacturers. It has totally lost its purpose and has become a danger to hunters, citizens and families alike. There is a difference to hunting with a compound bow, or a shotgun with a slug, as compared to using an AK 47 or Assault weapons. Assault weapons should be reserved for the military in my opinion.
Our town in Oregon is overrun by deer as well. It's a common problem throughout the country and bow hunting provides an ideal opportunity for correcting the imbalance. It's so great to see women rising to the challenge.
8
Thank you for your input. What you say about the NRA makes sense and I think people need to hear it. Even the NRA is bad for hunters, who would’ve thunk it? An experienced hunter that’s who.
2
When mountain lions were extirpated in the Kaibab National Forest on the north rim of the Grand Canyon in the 40s or 50s, the winter kills of deer were so great, that stench of the rotten meat could be detected on the south rim. Hominids have been predators for over a million years and are part of the ecological balance. Birth control for deer might be possible, but at what cost? Like Grizzly bears, we are meat loving omnivores, and hunting was an important part of what made us modern humans.
1
I do not agree with their belief that deer are overpopulated. I think that humans have cleared land (destroying their habitat) to build houses and strip malls and eliminated the natural predators of deer. This simply means there are too many humans running around messing with nature and the environment.
15
@Rogue 1303
Human population has created the perfect habitat for deer. They prefer the edges of forest where bushes, small trees, grass grow. Suburbia creates one giant edge of a forest, allowing for a much greater population.
5
@Rogue 1303 I grew up on the Eastern North Fork and in the 1970's Shelter Island was already overpopulated. There are no predators on the lovely island, so it's easy to overpopulate it with deer. These women are performing a service.
3
@Rogue 1303 Yes, they are overpopulated. I live in a very rural area upstate. In the last 1/2 mile to my home I've counted up to 30 deer grazing in pastures and hay fields. That is NOT a natural deer population. Whether we like it or not, whether it makes is queasy or not the lack of apex predators makes the situation untenable. The coyote and coy wolf populations are growing but that's also impacting the sheep and goat herds near me. One farmer lost EVERY spring lamb to a pack of coyotes. This is a herd largely managed for fiber, not meat. Whether human apologists like it or not we're just as much a part of the landscape as any other animal.
1
I don't to hunt. I find it boring and would rather be backpacking or mountaineering. Used to hunt with my dad when I was a kid, but now my current family does not need the meat.
That said, I applaud deer hunters who go after these nuisance animals. We need more deer hunters.
8
@vbering
Bird hunting the Palouse was wonnderful back in the day.
Fabulous story -- thank you. Two observations:
1) The invention of the compound bow makes hunting more accessible to persons (male and female) who could not otherwise pull and hold a standard recurve bow.
2) Killing, dressing, and butchering an animal bigger than yourself is a powerful and humbling experience.
Keep it going, Outdoor Women! And come over to our house.
11
Come on, how is this "hunting" when most of the deer in these overpopulated area are unafraid of people? It's like shooting cows in a pasture.
I lived in an home where in the winter, I would find deer feeding on my lawn when I came home from work. They didn't mind if I got within 15 feet of them. I could have "taken" several a week while still wearing my suit.
Also, contrary to the multiple accounts, deer do have predators. Coyotes now inhabit urban areas all over the country and will pick off a fawn.
Perhaps, coyotes should be introduced in areas where wolves would be a bit scary.
15
Coyotes will eat whatever is easy. Your dachshund or poodle would be first before a deer. I was watching a friend’s dog which got out and we found him dead a day later (in urban San Francisco) in a park killed by a coyote.
So no. That won’t help. It was one of the most horrible experiences of my life to have to call one of my closest friends and tell him his dog was dead. ON CHRISTMAS.
3
@LV
The deer catch on quick once under hunting pressure.
1
Women who hunt are nothing new, so please don't try to make it so. Also, over populations of deer can result in an enhanced presence Lyme's Disease in humans from the deer ticks. Additionally, car insurance costs can soar in high deer population areas. We've addressed our deer overpopulation problem by making them part of our food cycle. We love deer, but mostly in a chili, a Queso con Carne, or a stroganoff.
6
For those who oppose deer hunting, would you prefer introducing wolves and mountain lions, the natural predators of deer, into your communities instead? In many places deer populations have exploded with increasing number of auto-deer collisions and destruction of crops and landscape.
When I lived in Minnesota a single cougar found its way into the Minneapolis suburbs and ate a lot of deer and geese (another overpopulated animal) before it moved on so this option may not be all bad. Just don't let your cats out at night.
5
@Dave yes. I would prefer that we restore the natural order between animal wildlife and re introduce wolves, mountain lions or coyotes. Small animals might be affected but we are long way from being helpless against wild animals
13
@Dave
Coyotes hunt and kill deer fawns and are already ubiquitous in many parts of the country.
It's not a coincidence that this article focuses on places like Long Island, which have many deer and no coyotes. Introducing coyotes would put a big dent in deer overpopulation without overly alarming the human residents. (Unfortunately, coyotes also kill domestic cats.)
https://www.mossyoak.com/our-obsession/blogs/predator/coyotes-impacting-deer-fawns
8
@Demian
Humans are part of the natural order.
Just ordered wild boar and venison from a company near San Antonio. The animals, killed and processed in the field, are both invasive species. Ethical hunting practices are used and the meat is FDA inspected. I think this is a lot more ethical than the meat I buy at the grocery store. I will never be a hunter myself, but I find this a great way to deal with the explosion of wild boar and non-native game species.
6
@TxnLady Mind sharing the website or name of the company? Been looking to source some good wild boar for a ragu.
About 10 years ago, in the winter, I had a wounded deer die in a very overgrown hedge. It was sometime before we finally located it and hauled it off but, when April rolled around the blooms on my nearby Azaleas were outstanding. Truly magnificent. Pretty much the entire deer is usable, not just the venison.
2
So much misinformation in the comments. Whitetails are far from "gentle" - they're very aggressive animals that are pushing out other species (mule deer) as their range expands. They are creatures of edges and subdivisions provide perfect habitat for them - their overpopulation is legion. Hunting is not a population control act so much as a relationship - an interaction with the living being on whose life you depend. Those of you who revile it are still killing animals - the number of animals who die when an acre of grain is harvested is mind-boggling. The God of death has many faces, no one escapes that cycle. With hunting, particularly archery, you enter into it deliberately with great care. It's far from an easy task but it creates balance when done with honor. There is no balance in a supermarket.
48
@Nnaiden there is no “great care” when killing is involved. Dead or alive that is all. Hunters have lost respect of and for living beings. Nothing more nothing less.
3
@Nnaiden Does hiding in a tree stand and shooting something that doesn't even know you're there count as "a relationship?" or "an interaction with a living being?" Are you saying that hunters are not hunting for fun? And where does using the heads of animals you kill as decorations (festooning them with bow ties and Christmas light as depicted in one of the photos in the article) in your luxury kitchen fit into your "honor" equation?
2
@Nnaiden: A very nice, thoughtful comment. I thought this was the best line: " There is no balance in a supermarket."
2
I live in Coralville, adjacent to Iowa City. The Iowa City council hires professional sharpshooters from White Buffalo Inc. in Massachusetts to thin the herd in the parks. The area is too built up to allow amateurs to do the job. I believe the meat is donated to shelters.
I don't know about the practicability of birth control for deer, but if I were a deer, I'd rather meet my end at the hands of a skilled hunter than be taken down by wolves.
11
If we could step back 200 years in time ..in the USA this article would not even be in the news. It would be about people getting food for their table. And it seems some places in the USA are overrun with food today. Maybe the article should be about natural predators being eliminated so humans are trying to bring back a balance in nature.
10
@john Exactly. When I was young, my mother and father hunted when the money ran low. My unemployed neighbor paid me in venison sausage when he needed childcare while going on interviews and attending "work retraining" during the massive Reagan recession. My grandmother also hunted during WW II because it supplemented rations. Women hunting is nothing new, and if hunting has become a joke in the hands of ammosexuals, this sort of hunting isn't that kind.
3
@john You nailed it! North American whitetails have lost their predators. Hunting is absolutely necessary to cull the herds. Without it, the food resources are overgrazed causing starvation and disease. In Texas and other places, feral pigs are destroying the natural habitat of many species. This wily creature, the feral pig, is what really needs extreme hunting and trapping pressure to control this evasive species.
1
Maybe the introduction or genesis of predators above Homo sapien in Mother natures pyramid —super predators like lions, tigers and bears — that can gobble up a person in one or two gulps, would be divine justice
1
I watch my deer from my windows !! Have been doing it for years. Sometimes I see them sitting peacefully on the grass in the early morning. In mid afternoon a crowd shows up. It is especially touching when I see the babies!!
No hunting on my property!! Please and thank you. But the way the Shelter Island people are thinning the heard and not wasting the food supply is full circle nature! Good article
11
Modern day lionesses.
Being part of the circle of life and providing food to the needy, while doing something you love and being in nature?
Win win.
18
"Women, in fact, are the fastest growing demographic in hunting,,,"
Regardless of whether you like it, I'm pleased to see women get into hunting in greater numbers. Most every profession, hobby or sport benefits when women get in the game. It wasn't too long ago when they were denied the right to vote and were considered men's property with few legal rights.
6
Remember how white-tailed deer were extirpated from eastern North America in the 20th century due to overhunting. They are not overpopulated now. It’s funny how hunters use that excuse. Such a self-serving crowd. Leave deer populations alone so that a natural balance can develop. Hunters love to think they are helping but really they cause far more harm.
24
@Chris McClure In many areas since their are no large predators, deer are overpopulated and if there hunting didn't exist, the deer would starve in the winter. When the large predators come back: wolves, mountain lions etc you might see less deer.
43
@Chris McClure
You are dead wrong on this issue. Overpopulation results in stunted growth and disease. Without hunting or other means of controlled growth, the deer population would disappear.
As a kid in Iowa in the 40s and 50s, seeing a deer was akin to seeing Big Foot, as it was a rare occasion. Today in the same state, deer populations are large even as the State has a generously long bow season coupled with a December shotgun hunt. Neither have harmed the deer population in the State. To the contrary, as I traveled in that part of the State in the Fall of 2018, there were numerous dead deer on the roadsides, dead from collisions with automobiles.
11
We currently have a mountain lion in my suburban neighborhood. Predators will reproduce and hunt to feed their young when food is abundant. People have destroyed the natural order of things. Yet the mountain lion will be the one eventually killed.
8
I see deer whenever I walk in the woods with my dog. And I am always struck by their physical beauty and gentle demeanor. They also stare straight at me trying to gage whether I am friend or foe. Fortunately I am the former. But it makes me so sad to think that many women (and of course men) are the latter. It’s no sport to kill defenseless deer.
“Hunting is not a sport. In a sport, both sides should know they're in the game.” — Paul Rodriguez
36
Are you aware of how stressed deer get in the presence of dogs and how the energy they expend fleeing dogs can easily upset the balance between starvation and survival? I guess not. That’s what is really sad.
4
My dog never even looks their way so she doesn’t frighten them. They’re staring at me since they know humans are by far the most dangerous predatory animals on Planet Earth. Thanks for showing your concern for the deer, though. I’m sure you’re not a hunter, right?
1
@Zareen
They know they're in the game you said so yourself.
1
Animal lovers, consider the alternatives: Birth control, or letting things be "natural". That means wolves. Should State conservationists introduce wolves to Shelter and Fire Islands?
When you consider that their ticks make Suffolk County an epicenter of Lyme disease, all of a sudden they don't look so cute.
25
@Chris Hawkins So because we have encroached on the habitat of the wild it’s their fault that we get Lyme disease, which is part of nature. I don’t think so.
1
@Chris Hawkins Wolves or people trashing up and destroying functioning ecosystems??? I'll take the wolves.
1
Ethical hunters, those who fully use the carcass, are to be applauded. I have lived in western MA, where deer populations are similarly too large for their supporting winter browse. I have had my experience of doe vs my car. In a season with poor mast production, deer will starve, and certainly they will feed off any ornamental plant and shrub in gardens. I wish towns would rethink their stances on hunting, especially bow hunting, which might be conducted safely in areas of major woods belting open areas, such as golf courses. For deer populating a limited reserve, such as an island, it may be necessary to use professional hunters to perform a major cull. Many years ago, that was the solutions for deer overpopulation on Monhegan Island in ME.
The alternatives to hunting are difficult or poorly achieved. Feeding stations for birth control don't work. Tranquilization for implantation of birth control is difficult and costly. An attractive option is to encourage apex predators to repopulation the woods, but people have not lost their fear of wolves and catamounts.
It is interesting that people will criticize hunting for deer, when at the same time climate change and human preferences have led to an explosion of non-migratory Canada geese populations, which are also a nuisance for many towns.
34
@Jeff Does fully using the carcass include mounting the heads of these beautiful animals as decorations in their $100,000 kitchens? These "ethical hunters" aren't societal do-gooders, killing deer to solve the overpopulation issue. They are killing for fun. That may or may not be fine, depending on one's religious, ethical, and moral values. But don't try to portray these women, or 99 percent of hunters in general, as doing what they do with a sense of grim determination because of a commitment to the greater good.
4
@Michael
Yes, by definition they are using that part of the carcass. Humans have been using animal parts in this way since prehistory. Based on your tone, I'm guessing you don't accept that as a legitimate use of the animal, but you didn't clarify your definition so my reply stands.
You also refer to the deer as "beautiful animals", something that I and probably the folks hanging mounts agree with. There is not much you can do with a bit of skin, hair, and bones, so why not use them to preserve the image of a beautiful creature?
Also, their kitchen is a small corner of a larger room, I think you may have overestimated it's cost. More importantly, the cost of a kitchen has nothing to do with this discussion and shows that you have underlying bias and that you argue in bad faith.
6
@Michael
Isn't the head a part of the carcass? I have two skull mounts on my walls - they remind me of the hunting and are magnificent examples of their species. I also ate every scrap of meat and returned what was inedible back to the wild for the scavengers and eventually the earth. The oldest of these two was over 8 years old. His teeth were worn below the gum line - he would not have survived the winter. I just shot him before the coyotes pulled him down. But they still got his entrails and bones. Am I wrong? By the way - my whole house cost $100K.....
1
In the late 90s, Fire Island, the 40-mile long barrier island off of Long Island’s south shore began a birth control program on the hundreds-strong deer population: two dart shots six weeks apart targeting the does, delivered by sharpshooters on ATVs. Seven years after its initiation annual fawn drops began to dwindle down to single digits. Then, the state pulled the funds and opened up hunting, which now culls about 400 deer a season. Every summer we notice that many of the ones that came by for a slice of bread or carrot every morning are no longer with us. As far as the tick problem, we have a strong island-wide tick prevention program of insecticide soaked cotton in small tubes that are distributed four or five to a property, providing white footed-mice bedding for their nests that kills the deer ticks during this part of their life cycle. Our Lyme Disease infections have plummeted since the launch of this program. Those who personally kill their own food are also part of the natural system, even as they provide revenue to the state, and jobs for the hunting industry. But I no longer hunt or fish the beautiful and fascinating creatures that share my space and bring natural harmony to my life.
13
Longtime vegan, here. I just don't get how anyone, male or female, can look at these stunningly beautiful, gentle and defenseless free-living animals and decide "I'm going to shoot them in cold blood."
26
It’s fun! No other reason required.
11
@Catherine
First - we do it for food. Vegans like to think they don't kill anything, but they most certainly do kill animals indirectly thru the production of fresh vegetables that must be shipped via air (fossil fuels) to arrive fresh to the market so vegans can buy them. Sorry - thats the truth. And there is no cold blood - its very warm and very, very real. Unlike the distant deaths in the vegetable fields covering the desert where vegetables are not supposed to grow. I don't know how you sleep at nite.
9
@Catherine Yes, and hunters always use the excuse of doing it 'for conservation and overpopulation,' and call themselves 'ethical hunters' but then pose with the dead animal in mocking/boastful ways or turn their heads into decor for their homes. Of course, the real problem is human overpopulation, not that of deer. And to all those comments from people saying "Would you rather they were hunted by wolves than being shot with a hunting rifle?" Yes. Yes I would.
7
What are the training requirements for bow and arrow hunting, if at all? I walk, frequently, through a beautiful forest/designated park with my dogs and have come upon deer with an arrow who have died a miserable death because of the inexperience of the hunters. Their corpses are left for coyotes and other animals to dismember.
16
@Cooker
Tracking a deer that ca run 100 yds. through heavy brush/ forest with an arrow through its lungs is not a simple thing to do. Admittedly, some are better at it than others.
4
Requires full day Hunters Education course. Followed by paper test, and target test on range. You don’t just buy a license and start shooting.
Without the original top predators, large cats and wolves, these women are the top of the food chain.
25
“ It was very emotional “. More so for the Deer.
Shame on you.
22
We destroy our echo system and woodlands with our modern conveniences then use the consequences of our selfishness to excuse our cruel behavior. That pretty much sums up humans; selfish and cruel. One day humanity will be extinct and humans will be no more and the universe will be better a place for the absence of our truly disgusting, thoughtless species.
15
@L. Nelson
Humans are definitely cruel, but we're also adaptable and we number close to eight billion. I doubt we're going anywhere for a long time. Worst case scenario, all it takes for a community to survive is an acre of grain or two and some chickens. We may find ourselves in another dark age in the coming future. We'll probably have to deal with plague and famine, but it would hardly be the first time.
@L. Nelson
You think hunting a deer that has had a free, healthy life is cruel? See where McDonalds' beef is grown and slaughter for cruelty.
No one, no thing lives forever. Better that families be fed than these animals take life by getting hit with the kids in the sports van.
A herd of deer was running on a collision course with my car. I slowed down as much as I could (to lower the impact/couldn't stop because of the car behind me was going 60)) and hit the horn repeatably to warn/scare them. They turned away, but very scary for me. There are too many deer in Connecticut. Period. Those ladies can come and hunt up here anytime.
22
@sjs Or too many cars.
1
I've always thought of Long Island women as especially savvy. Let's hope they're better shots than the guys who can't hit a barn door.
For those of us in “flyover country” women and girls hunting is no big deal. They have been bagging deer for generations. But I do wonder about those who favor deer over other animal and plant life. When you see wooded areas clear of undergrowth as far as a deer can reach there is a real habitat imbalance. Birds, insects, native plants are crowded out. Hunting is the only practical way to control deer overpopulation. Kudos to these NY women for embracing the hunt.
31
There is a real distinction between someone hunting “for food” because they and their family are food insecure and someone who simply eats what they kill.
If you can afford all the gear displayed by these hunters you are obviously not food insecure. You simply take some pleasure in killing another sentient being.
However, I’m not an absolutist on the question of hunting. Culling a herd to prevent disease or starvation is more humane than allowing these creatures to suffer. But I wonder why these women seem to take pleasure in the killing?
It’s an odd result for equality between the sexes.
9
@Drspock the hunters I know take no pleasure in killing, but they do take pride in ethically harvesting quality, organic, free range protein for their families. Amongst hunters the saying goes, 'the work begins after you harvest a deer.' Why? Field dressing, skinning, butchering and packing out a deer is not easy. It is extremely hard work and the high quality protein is the reward.
Earning what we eat puts things in perspective. It is easy to walk into a grocery store and buy a piece of cellophane wrapped meat off the shelf--meat that was most likely produced by a large factory farming operation where the animals do not experience any sort of quality of life. Hunting is an option for those who wish to eat only ethically raised and sourced meat.
Just a few thoughts from a person who, in middle age, took up hunting as a vote against factory farming. I respect your point of view and hope that my reply helps put some context around what it is to be a hunter and why some of us do it.
Best,
20
Hmmm......very lean, no hormones, no antibiotics, no dyes, tasty....can’t imagine why somebody might prefer venison over store bought meat when they are not destitute.
@Drspock Hunters will always tell you they don't take pleasure in the killing. It's the stalking and the finding that gives them such pleasure. But if that were true, they'd be out there with cameras. I'm not saying the herds don't need to be culled, what with the human incursion into most of the land, but I do wonder about that pleasure in violence. How would you feel about someone who enjoyed their work in a slaughterhouse?
1
The deer hunting seasons in NY should be lengthened. Especially the bow and arrow season.
8
Great article. In Northern California, hunters are complaining because protections for the mountain lion have resulted in deer populations dropping (an average lion takes down 50 to 75 deer per year, according to studies), especially in prime hunting zones. But in urban areas, and in open space areas around our cities, the population of deer has skyrocketed. Urban hunting just makes sense, and I applaud communities that recognize this problem and take practical steps to solve it. There are too many deer-lovers in my town for urban hunting to realistically happen anytime soon--I just wish they would realize their love for deer is making conditions for other flora and fauna much worse.
17
@Bryan Foolish! The deer aren't overpopulating. Humans are! Less room for them and reduction of their predators (both due to humans!) means a RELATIVE increase in deer population. People that hunt in todays world do not NEED the food. Hunting is ridiculous and it supports conservation efforts through the paying of licensing only because the government has become twisted enough to not out right support parks and reserves. It's like having free entrance to national and state parks. It is possible if we're willing to support government enough through taxes so they don't have to find alternative means for support of our lands. And no. I don't buy my meat. I don't eat meat.
2
I come from a family of avid deer hunters, and our deer-hunting ancestors go back to the nation's founding. Best hunter in our family is my cousin, a woman whose wrong side you don't want to get on.
9
I am a vegetarian. But I applaud these women. As a feminist, I have always argued that we women don’t have to be better, kinder, more “nurturing” than men. We are human beings and have the same rights and privileges, the same virtues and flaws as male human beings. Every time a woman proves she can be as aggressive, as driven, as smart and as cold-blooded as men, she advances the feminist cause. And here the female hunters are doing nature’s bidding as well. Deer overpopulation is a real problem and these women simply step into the empty ecological niche of predation. The comments that decry the “cruelty” of it don’t understand evolution, ecological balance or nature in general. You go, ladies!
41
@Mor
Don't forget Don Jr!
The hunting of deer on Eastern Long Island is completely inadequate, unfortunately. You report the deer kill on Shelter Island at around 400-odd, yet more than 750 (estimates vary) would likely have to be taken each year to provide meaningful population control. This imbalance is seen throughout the East End.
You can now see deep into the woods by late August, due to the extreme defoliation. Giant vines choke trees, rabbit populations are thinned while squirrels over-populate (as do deer mice). These are some of my observations of the East End now vs the 1970s.
Hunting alone won't do it, yet the locals are notoriously tax-averse in Eastern Suffolk. They also don't want government-hire yahoos running around shooting up the place. Yet, only a massive cull will thin the population of deer adequately.
Still, I wonder if spaying and neutering (or other birth control) wouldn't actually be a practical measure for controlling the deer population? It gets dismissed out of hand, in this article and others, but it may yet be the most cost-effective solution. I mean, there are now neighborhood herds of the beasts around the East End. The four-post feeders used to administer insecticide to deer (to control ticks) would be excellent places for stake outs, with tranquilizing and birth control administered. These hunters could even be enlisted in the effort. What a wonderful -- and non-lethal -- use of their skills.
1
Great article. In parts of Salt Lake City near the mountains, deer often roam in the neighborhoods, for food and also to get a break from the cougars. Cougars don't often follow the deer but sometimes do. People only started seeing the cougars as security systems became more common and started catching them on video.
2
You go ladies! I don't hunt and grew up on Staten Island were hunting was not a thing for most but my family hunted at a family camp in the Adirondacks. The hunters in my family and the hunters, including my husband, I know here in MN, where hunting is big, are some of the most ardent environmentalist I know. They take the stewardship of the land very seriously. And for many in high stress professions like law and medicine hunting is a great practice. (Um and yeah liberals hunt here too.) While I have yet to pick up a gun or a bow myself, I do love looking game and recommend Julia Child's recipe for beef braised in onions and beer (Belgian style.) Enjoy!
9
Great article. It's interesting that the Washington Post also recently published an article explaining that the decline of hunting is posing a danger to environmental conservation not only due to animal overpopulation issues, but also a lack of funding from loss of hunters. It's refreshing to know that more women are joining the sport, and passing on their (likely) more ethical mentalities. My mom has been an avid hunter for over two decades and has taught me how to hunt along the way, passing on ethical practices. Not to mention my sister who has also gained an interest in hunting the past few years, and even got a 10 pt buck in South Jersey that won her an article in Field & Stream. We need more women to join the sport, and I happily welcome them.
13
@Dominic Ciarlante - We don't need more hunters, especially the low lifes that appear to be quite common these days, but we do need more funding for wildlife. Conservation of biodiversity should be the central organizing principle of wildlife management, not maximizing hunting opportunities. Support general funds for wildlife conservation and management - the best thing you could do for wildlife.
4
@cascadian12
Deer overpopulation is a direct threat to biodiversity. The damage they do to vulnerable populations of plants can be catastrophic. Other species that depend on those plants for food and shelter are similarly affected.
@Max - True, but I support culls performed by hunters in a professional capacity. I don't want these necessary culls to have any resemblance to "killing games" of the kind promoted all over the country to kill predators. Reverence for (wild)life needs to be restored.
At 75 years old, I have not hunted for 30 years or so...but I did dearly love it for the same reasons these amazing ladies do...everyone is welcome to their own opinions. I was affected by anti-hunters years ago, and regret letting them get to me...ethical, legal hunting should be a personal choice. Feeding your family is the best choice ever ..I feel proud of these ladies and wish I knew them all.....Dave M. SW FL
13
The key to controlling the herd is limiting the doe population as bucks can inseminate many a doe. I am a never hunter and a nature photographer. Grew up outside the (Pitts)'burgh in an area that still had woods when I was a child and where the suburbs around still had many more. Never saw a deer and I was always out in the woods- a free range kid. And never had a tick, not a clue what they were till late adulthood. My sister (RIP) told me that deer were a major problem there a few years back. By then there were no more undeveloped areas around in that suburb. She watched an impaled doe, dying on the neighbor's decorative fence that tried to jump it till the police came to shoot it. For many reasons the US herd has to shrink. But remember Pennsylvania's experience when all that the hunters then wanted was a rack. The population exploded, the forest suffered. The unethical and limited knowledge hunters around here just seem to want a rack as well. I am told this by my MS conservation officer friend and stories told me by patients of headless carcasses just off the roads. This story fortunately does not emphasize that goal... And I will never hunt.
4
Headless carcasses on the side of the road are usually roadkill whose racks were salvaged for mounts...although many take the whole deer if they are able to to arrive quick enough to safely utilize the meat.
2
@Seth , harvesting roadkill is illegal in many states. My own home state, Texas, is one of them. Some states require a permit, and others require that you give notice to some state authority.
@Grant
Idaho made collecting roadkill legal in the last year or 2.
Great article and photos, I hope it encourages more women to take up hunting. And since deer have multiplied like rats, we sure need the help.
8
Bow hunting is a wonderfully safe alternative to gun hunting.
Bow Hunting requires more skill, and drawing and aiming the bow is more deliberative experience than firing a gun. Fewer mistakes!!
Hard for your toddler to kill himself with an arrow.
And yes human hunters must replace other predators to keep deer herds at reasonable and healthy levels. Unless you want wolves in your neighborhood.
10
@memosyne Bow hunting is not "wonderfully safe" for humans, and especially for deer. Deer do not deserve the slaughter that is happening on Long Island. This article obviously written by a hunter, as you likely are as well.
It's what has to be be, and I suppose woman's work is never done.
I'd much rather see the restoration towards other natural predators as well. That of course would be too much to ask from their ~8 Million humans.
6
There may not be a deer overpopulation as much as a human overpopulation and the
humans are encroaching on the deer territories.
35
@Anne T
False. It’s deer overpopulation, they’re completely stripping areas of all their foliage. Humans don’t eat shrubs and saplings. This isn’t an issue of people seeing too many dear, it’s an issue of deer eating through their own food supply.
4
@Anne T. Wars, famine and plagues used to keep the human population under control. Too many people- the real problem. The deer were here first.
9
@Anne T nope. There are no predators, so the deer multiply.
4
Its a human overdevelopment problem, not a deer overpopulation program-- especially here on LI. Let the animals be, they have no place left to go.
35
You Go Girls!!! It's great that you are out there doing this. And out in Long Island it's much needed.
7
This is not trophy hunting which is barbaric. At the same time, I just wish there was a way to tranquilize deer, neuter them so they can not reproduce - which will cull the herds - and deer can die off naturally.
7
@kkm that's a really interesting statement because your use of "naturally" really does clarify differing viewpoints. Hunters believe their hunt is part of a larger natural system akin to the predator/prey dynamic in all ecosystems and would argue that tranquilizing deer and surgically altering them so they can die of disease (which is more likely than old age) is very unnatural. I am not questioning your love of the individual animals and your post raises some good points for discussion.
@kkm there is a way to do that and it is extremely expensive. Staten Island spent $4.1 million and they reduced the population by about 15%, which came out to about $12k per deer. Think about that. More politically feasible for the same city (where thousands sleep on the streets every night) to spend 4 million... rather than let hunters who PAY the government to let them shoot deer do the same task.
This is grotesque. How about if the deer suddenly decided people are the problem (as they are) and grabbed some weapons.
19
The deer would no doubt win, and completely take over. I don't think they can afford the property taxes, though.
4
@Duncan
And kind of hard for them to pull the trigger or pull back on the arrow, don't you think?
1
Interesting that this article talks about "record numbers" when a story in the Washington Post today says hunting is "slowly dying off"...
4
@Stan Brothers
Nation-wide it is dying off. This story deals with one area.
1
I notice none of these able hunters are wearing pink camo, despite the efforts of the fashion industry to sell it to females. Pink camouflage is an oxymoron unless you live on a pink planet. Just another way our culture trivializes and infantalizes women as a class.
1
@Amy Luna
"Now, blaze pink may have the chance to not only be a fashion statement, but also a viable option for hunters to wear in the woods. ... Additionally, pink is even harder for a deer to see because it's further from the color yellow (a color deer can see) on the color spectrum."
"they both learned to scroll past negative comments from hunters who were skeptical about their posts in a deer hunting group."
Oh, fragile male egos. Your consistency never fails to disappoint.
6
Great read, really enjoyed it, though I longer have the time requred to be a sucessful bow hunter.
I echo the comments of the rest of the Suffolk County residents here...deer have become a real issue. The increase in the deer population coupled with climate change has led to an explosion in the tick population. I can't send my dog out into the woods behind my house anymore without having her return with at least a few ticks, both deer and dog. We need a decrease in the deer population along with a return of prolonged periods where night temps drop below freezing to help bring the tick population back under control!
9
We have a deer problem because we have invaded their land and killed off their predators. Natural predators culled deer herds efficiently while increasing their health. The problem with human hunting is that bullets and arrows often maim and cause undo suffering. I have had wounded animals wander into my property and die. It’s too easy to sit in a tree and shoot a projectile at a passing healthy, 6 point buck for a trophy. Try running after it and see if you can take it down down like a wolf. That would really be ethical hunting.
49
@J-F This is a serious and complex issue . On Eastern Long Island we have an environmental crisis. A U.S. botanist has named our dying woods on L.I. "ECO SLUMS" due to over grazing by too many of one species- deer. Until the 1980's there were few deer on Long Island and no predators except hunters. Our woods were healthy. To protect our natural environment and have the healthy woodland understory that our native wildlife depends on it experts tell us we need to have not more than 10 deer per square mile. We now have 100 per square mile. Look at the list f the wildlife that are now missing in our woods . The Nature Conservancy has written that "Deer overpopulation is more damaging to the woods of the Northeast than climate change."
31
@J-F if you are mistaken. It isn't easy. All it takes is the slightest noise, a shift in the wind, and that deer is gone. Whitetail deer have amazing hearing and sense of smell. They also have an uncanny ability to know the difference between some person in their yard and a person hunting them. They have been outwitting hunters for thousands of years. I started hunting in my mid-thirties and it took me 5 years to get my first deer. I get why a person would jump to the conclusion that it's a simple task when you see them everywhere, but it's not. And letting the arrow fly is just one part of a larger effort. It can take weeks of scouting locations, hours and hours of practicing with the bow, hours freezing in the trees stand, making a good shot, tracking the shot deer, skinning and field dressing the deer, and butchering to get that venison meal. TV hunting isn't real. Tag along for a real hunt and see for yourself. https://www.backcountryhunters.org/new_jersey_bha
15
J-F I teach beginners from NYC to hunt for a living, and I can tell you that even with beginners, death by arrow or gun is far more kind to the deer than a wolf, lion, coyote, or bear. It’s true that hunters sometimes make mistakes that lead to a deer suffering, but a majority of the time, they’re unconscious in a matter of seconds due to massive blood loss. This is because hunters take very seriously the responsibility to kill as humanely as possible. The romantic idea that wild predators are better for deer is ridiculous. Wild predators do not have a care in the world for the suffering of their prey. It is common for wolves and coyotes to begin eating a captured deer alive with no regard for its screams of pain.
These animals evolved in relationship to natural predators, of which we are one. They need a predator to keep them in balance. Why spend millions of dollars of taxpayer money to try and solve a problem that hunters will pay for the privilege of handling for the good of both the pubic and the ecosystem? We have so many humans who need all kinds of support, but cities like NYC are choosing misguided feelings about deer over the welfare of human beings when they pay for sterilization programs. Not to mention that these programs aren’t going to work. All it takes is one buck to swim out to the island after vasectomies have ceased and in no time you have the same problem all over again.
10
Deer hunting with a shotgun?
Probably safer in a populated area than a .270, but what a mess that makes of the animal!
2
@Captain Nemo
A shotgun with slugs, not pellets. These travel much shorter distances than a rifle bullet.
6
They use rifled slugs. Shotguns are preferable in areas with higher population densities as their range is much shorter than centerfire rifles.
4
@Captain Nemo There are 10 states that are shotgun only for deer. As @Teal and @Ross Johnson point out they use slugs (usually with a rifled shotgun barrel to give the slug some stabilizing spin,) which don't have near the range of a .270 which can travel a mile or more if you miss.
3
EXCELLENT ARTICLE! We've taken too much of the deer's habitat away from them and replaced it with an urban/suburban/rural mix of habitats that is in many cases more attractive to them than their original habitat, with more food. This has created the overpopulation problem we now see in many areas of the country. Archery deer hunting is a safe, ethical way to keep deer numbers in balance with the carrying capacity of available and while providing high-protein, low-fat, locally-sourced, sustainable food to hunters, their families, and homeless shelters and soup kitchens. The North American model of wildlife conservation - with licensed, legal hunting at its core - is scientifically proven to help maintain healthy ecosystems. It's working, and I applaud these women, and programs like BOW, for creating one of the few demographics where hunting numbers are actually on the rise. Excellent article, NYT - I'm surprised and impressed that you did such an in-depth piece on this topic!
24
@Hunter Dan --Bow hunting ethical? Do you have any idea of the number of deer that are just wounded by an arrow and stagger off to bleed to death? That's ethical? It's very difficult to hit a target with a bow, especially for a novice. If you plan to kill something, at least do it quickly with a gun. The idea that anyone can pick up a bow and go get a deer is crazy.
4
@Hunter Dan - The North American Model promotes ethical hunting, but is not adequate for ecosystem health. Natural (non-human) predators need to be restored to the landscape, as well, and much more habitat protection and connectivity is required. We've got a long way to go.
1
@Ms. Pea Please cite where I said that I thought "anyone cane pick up a bow and go get a deer." I've bowhunted for almost 30 years and I've shot my share of deer with a bow. They've all died within 90 yards except for one, and I've only wounded one that I didn't recover and that was a non-lethal shot and I have trail camera as well as visual proof with my own eyes from subsequent years that this animal survived just fine. I'm not saying archery is for everyone. But all the archery hunters I know - myself included - practice year-round or at least a majority of months out of the year to maintain proper shooting form and accuracy, and do not take shots beyond their effective range. All the "archery hunting is cruel" talk is propaganda.
1
One reason for deer overpopulation, the elimination of coyotes. They prey on baby deer. Coyotes certainly pose little to no threat to people. Let them exist as part of the suburban and exurban ecosystem.
20
@Teal Coyotes have not been eliminated . They are thriving and their range is expanding. They are there in suburban Boston (they took a turkey in my son's yard) and Central Park in Manhattan. The professional literature finds that hunting coyotes just puts breeding pressure on them and increases population. They fill the vacuum left by the extirpation of wolves, cougars and bears and, unlike those apex predators, they can live successfully around humans.
Whether the coyote expansion is good or bad is open to discussion, but it is a fact.
3
@Teal
I think you meant to say "Little to no threat to adults." Just as coyotes prey on young deer, they also potentially prey on young humans.
As for the last part of your comment, I don't think we have much choice but to let them exist as part of the suburban and exurban ecosystem. Heck, they're even part of the urban park ecosystem these days. The park in Lincoln Park, where a coyote attack occurred recently, is smack dab in the middle of Chicago.
1
I live in Maryland. Deer are giant pests. Any gardener will tell you that deer will eat almost anything. I had to pull up hundreds of day lilies because I never saw them bloom. The deer devoured the buds as if they were petit fours. Hydrangeas? Forget it! Can’t grow them. Deer think they are Hershey bars. And let’s talk about the deer ticks. Both my husband and I have had deer tick bites requiring an antibiotic. I have the ticks in a jar if anyone dares to question were they really deer ticks. I have to worry about my grandkids playing in the grass. Oh, and when we first moved here we did not have deer. I have tried every brand of repellant spray (the spray does keep the elk away—oh, wait, we don’t have elk in this area!), every old wive’s tale remedy, and every internet suggestion. Once you have deer, you will always have deer. And they totally ignore me when I yell at them to leave. I was thinking of bringing back a mountain lion on my next visit to Colorado, but now I can call the LI women to take care of my ongoing nightmare of dealing with deer. I grew up on LI. You go, girls!
22
@Alison Anne Alison, I find your premise that people should kill animals because they eat your garden, quite frankly, reprehensible. I don't understand how a decent person could think something like this. I'm beyond words.
1
@Frank
If you haven’t had thousands dollars of damage done to your backyard or suffered through the ravages of Lyme disease, then maybe you should be at a loss for words.
1
Great article, great sense of purpose. I know some places where the fish are stunted because there are too many of them, and.....
4
I encourage anyone to hunt, male or female. It's good for the environment to cull the overpopulation, and it's some of the best meat.
Venison hits all the buzzwords: local, low fat, organic, free range, growth hormone and antibiotic free. etc.
As for those who find hunting primitive, well, yes it is if primitive means providing your family with protein you've harvested. Don't be hypocritical, meat does not come down from heaven in styrofoam and plastic wrap, someone had to slaughter and process it.
I applaud these women for taking necessary action to help control deer overpopulation and their own food supply.
54
Is there evidence this hunting actually reduces the deer population? From what I've read it may stimulate reproduction, so over the long term the population may remain steady or even grow. It would be nice to see any data supporting the claim that the deer overpopulation is being reduced. Without data the claim shouldn't be made.
7
@T In a geographic area as limited and enclosed as the north fork of Long Island, hunters can have a very strong depopulating effect on the herd especially if culling continues over multiple seasons. In a large area with more population efflux/influx there would be the reproduction cycle you are referring to.
22
@R According to this article about one-third of the deer were culled last year. An article called "Methods for Managing Deer in Populated Areas" by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies says "Typically, to curb population growth, at least 60% of the deer must be removed annually". So it seems they still have a way to go.
4
@T Data show that coyotes increase birth rate and pup survival rate when hunting pressure is higher. Therefore, reducing coyote population through hunting alone is not effective unless a large scale effort is made. Deer have not shown the ability to increase their birth rate as a result of increased hunting pressure. Fawn survival may increase however as competition for food goes down, but those effects are small and come years after the forest has had time to regenerate.
4
Excellent article - and what a good idea to make sure everyone who wants meat can get it. The over-populated deer herd is a sickly herd and responsible culling is the most practical solution - I'm looking at you Staten Island.
31
@Salix Staten Island would be a prime choice for this kind of hunting, but I don't think the local (human) population would get too behind it. I've seen deer grazing along the south shore and it's not pretty. Sickly, undersized, and waaaay too accustomed to humans. Normally, I would say let's eliminate human intrusion into their habitat but the ship sailed on that one about 300 years ago for SI.
6
@R Agreed that hunting with firearms would just not be appropriate for an area as densely populated as Staten Island, but what about bow hunting?
6
@R Grew up on SI and deer were not an issue in the 70s and 80s - Nor were turkeys for that matter. . Nor were they an issue when my Mom grew up in Tottenville in the 30s and 40s. This is a recent phenomenon.
2
"Becoming an Outdoor Woman" (BOW) is so patronizing I'm cringing in my chair. The assumption seems to be that woman are, by their very delicate natures, creatures of the safe indoors and need special programs to help them put down their knitting and step out the front door. And naturally the first photo had to feature pink arrows. Women are not a different species of animal. Sure, a lot of women in these parts are clueless about the outdoors, but so are most men. Do they also offer classes for "Becoming an Outdoor Man?" Regular classes for men and women should work fine so long as any male teachers and students are being respectful. If women are being turned off by coed classes, then maybe there is an issue with guys being jerks in the classes.
7
@Teresa Gallagher
Yes, the usual term has been "outdoorsman."
And since BOW has been quite a success, there must be something to it.
PS Back in the day when I took my hunter safety class it was NOT a pleasant environment. Just sayin'.
10
@Teresa Gallagher BOW is there because women often have no woman mentors and lets be honest, a lot of guys still don't want women in the field and won't do much to help them. It shouldn't be needed but it is very much needed.
4
@Teresa Gallagher
Obviously you don't have any experience in taking these classes or being a victim of harassment-which makes it easy for you to pass judgement.
BOW is an excellent program and allows women to learn in a welcome environment without harassment. As an ardent feminist and hunter, the program and its female hunters are to be applauded.
Takes little energy to sneer at other women and find fault.
2
Wow. I am impressed. I wish these women success. Maybe I can get them to drop some venison off at my house.
My experience is that women are much more attuned to firearms safety than your average male - another reason to support these women. Maybe their common sense in that regard will influence some of the men I see out in the woods with firearms.
20
Just a quick comment about deer hunting in general with regard to taking bucks versus does. With repeated passages such “took her first buck” and “6-point buck,” this article, perhaps inadvertently, emphasizes the traditional notion that real deer hunting means bucks only...the bigger the rack, the better. But when the overarching wildlife management goal is to reduce herd size while maintaining herd health through genetic diversity, the hunt should focus on taking does by about 2 to 1. If the buck population is decimated while does are left behind, the few remaining bucks will still impregnate all or most of the does, leaving the overall deer population unchanged, but critically younger and far less genetically diverse. A few years of this management approach can quickly lead to a sickly herd of half siblings and close cousins that is as large, or larger than ever. Connecticut, as one example, has understood this reality and encouraged balanced hunting for decades through its permitting and tagging process that emphasizes the taking of antlerless deer. Every state should follow suit if it hasn’t already.
94
Anyone who lives in Suffolk County, Long Island would have a difficult if not impossible time saying there is not a deer overpopulation problem getting worse.
The only real question is what to do to control it? I’m not a hunter, never have, never will. I’m unconvinced hunting is the only solution because deer are increasingly roaming populated areas. Hunting in neighborhoods is a non-starter. Their natural habitat is disappearing. We can bemoan it but can’t ignore the problem.
There are not enough natural predators to control deer populations. Sterilization feed may help. Acting as if there is no issue harms everyone, including the deer. I don’t care if you are for/against hunting, PETA, etc. A solution to this problem needs to be found.
10
@ArtM
"Their natural habitat is disappearing. "
Actually it isn't. Over a hundred years ago Suffolk Co was agricultural. There were far fewer stands of trees and heavy brush (except in the Pine Barrens of course), and humans were out in the fields daily which also discouraged deer. Now those fields have houses with 1/4 and 1/2 acre lots, trees, shrubs and all sorts of cover. Only the kids are in the yard and then only after school a bit when they're not on their screens. There is far less disruption for the deer and far more cover and food. With no major predators the deer population has boomed to levels not seen in almost 200 years.
As for "sterilization feed" will you target the bucks or the does? And what will the endocrine disruptors do to other species? Not an easy - or cheap - solution.
18
@ArtM
I'm not sure sterilization via feed, particularly involving hormones, is a good idea . We have already polluted many of our bodies of water (in essence, our drinking water) with hormones (mostly estrogen) such that it has, in some places, had the effect of changing the behavior (and sex) of fish, amphibians, and possibly puberty in humans. I think loose hormones in our environment are a serious problem.
5
@ArtM So basic ecology lesson: there are no natural predators of deer on Long Island. There are actually no natural predators of deer east of the Rockies. We do have coyotes but deer are usually too much work for them unless the quarry is particularly easy to take down, ie, very young, very sick, or very old.
7
As a lifelong hunter I loved reading this. Hunting is a special activity and experience. There is a peace when in the woods. And if you can find a hunter partner or two there is a camaraderie and memories that will form that will last a lifetime. Kudo's to all these women.
16
I'm all for the culling of excess deer, and it's nice to see women taking part, but as a lifelong meat eater all I got to say is, eating venison ain't for me. Lots of my deer hunting friends have tried to change my tastes when it comes to red meat, but there is just no way that I find deer meat to be enjoyable to eat. To each his own they say.
10
@Fred Rodgers I guess it's an acquired taste, but as part of a family of hunters I acquired it at an early enough age that it's one of my favorite foods. I might suggest trying mixing it up with other meats (beef for burgers, pork for sausage).
1
@Fred Rodgers look up Hank Shaw who has a series called "Hunter, Angler, Gardner, Cook". He's got recipes that would make boot leather taste amazing.
@Fred Rogers - venison isn’t marbled with fat, so it dries out quickly while cooking. Our family has learned to cook venison medium rare, and we hunt does only because we find bucks are tougher.
Marinating venison in milk will remove gamey flavor as well - something to do with enzymes.
We’ve made such a mess of the environment that there are now more deer than at anytime in history. Get rid of the competition (wolves and other predators) plant lawns and shrubs and stand back. Of coarse the deer and the ticks who live on them and their related diseases are having the last laugh with things so unbalanced. Too bad there is no one left in this country who has any idea what it was like before 330 plus million humans and their “civilization” showed up. Another example of far we’ve taken this continent from where it was.
56
Hunting reduces car deer collisions thereby holding down or slowing increases in automobile insurance costs.
16
The timing of this article hits home for me.
Just last night, driving home from work in the dark, a deer ran into the driver’s side of my husband’s trusty ancient SUV. This happened on a well traveled, busy, mixed use area and he was driving at a brisk clip with the traffic. The damage to the car was significant.
It is simply a miracle from God that he wasn’t severely injured or killed. If the deer hit the car 1/2 second later, it would have been directly next to the driver’s seat.
I also know that my boss’s very young nephew died from complications of Lyme’s disease a phew years ago. Where I sit today, I applaud these women. Come to Connecticut!
89
Hi, I got run down by a woman driving an SUV. There were no deer in the area. Most deadly diseases are spread by humans. Give the deer a break.
13
So it happened while he was driving on a road that cut through the deer's home? Maybe the deer should start walking through your home and then they can get upset when you bump into them, that would be ok right?
3
@Jon
That darn deer should have crossed at a deer crossing sign! What was it thinking?
2
Interesting, but girls; never take more than you need because someday you may need. Nice to see some confidence in woman. I always admire that.
8
@PATRICK
In a Thoughtless State
There are not "girls"; they are women. Women have plenty of confidence and need no "admiration" of the fact.
1
Glad to see the resurgence of female hunters. I grew up in western Pennsylvania in the sixties, and hunting was a family affair for virtually all of our neighborhood. My mother helped me field dress my first deer. The love of nature and family bonds remain with me to this day, and my rural cousins continue the tradition.
45
@kingfisher1950
I'm sure glad I grew up in eastern Pennsylvania in the sixties, where nobody in my neighborhood went hunting and many were committed to wildlife conservation. The love of nature (alive, not dead) remains with me to this day, and my cousins continue the tradition.
10
So many deer, so few hunters. It is good to see an article like this that encourages women to join the “fraternity” of hunters. Hunting can be a wonderfully rewarding and lifelong challenge.
47
It's only a challenge if we give the deer guns and train them how to use them to defend themselves against humans. Killing what have basically become domesticated animals is not a challenge, it's murder, it's no better than slaughtering helpless cows on a factory farm.
9
Nothing wrong with hunting your own food and venison is very lean and healthy meat. Much more satisfying than buying it at the supermarket. I despise all forms of trophy hunting though. That's just plain wrong.
161
Cars's kitchen appears to be filled with both venison and mounted trophies. @Mark Crozier
I appreciate The New York Times showing Jackie Arthur breaking down a field-dressed deer. It's easy to hide from animal death and it took journalistic courage to show those images. Wild game lives a life any captive cattle would die for. Given environmental concerns regarding meat production, harvesting manageable populations of wild game appear the most ethical choice.
116
@Mark Crozier I've known plenty of deer hunters who mount antlers in their homes, and of all of those I never knew one who couldn't be bothered to dress their deer and get a freezer full of meat. You can do both.
12
The most ethical choice is not killing or eating any animals at all. Period.
8