Pros And Cons Of Deer

Nicholas Kristof’s article “For Environmental Balance, Pick up a Rifle,” which appeared in The New York Times, attempts to convince the American people that deer pose a danger to humans by taking more lives each year than any other American mammal. He states that deer populations, unchecked by predators, are increasing in a way that is unnatural and are destroying the ecosystem in many parts of the country. The suggestion he makes to his readers is that we must kill deer to bring the population down in order to prevent so many human deaths. Kristof appears to advocate hunting without much concern for other alternatives. While he does include statistical data to strengthen his point, other types of support he provides could be considered

In my opinion, Mr. Kristof’s tone is inappropriate for this issue. Although I do agree with the author, in my opinion taking a serious tone would go further in conveying his view. Many individuals take this topic close to heart and would not appreciate the light hatred jokes. I personally already believed that hunting animals to balance out the ecosystem and should be a modern practice. Some specific statements in the article did stick out at me; one example of the statements was when Kristof stated that the human killed the predator but did not take over the role of hunter. One implicit assumption Kristof makes in this article is when he sais it is estimated that one hundred fifty people a year in car crashes. I agree with Kristof if

Hunting is a common activity all around the world, and if performed properly, can have many benefits to us and the rest of the planet. The art of hunting has been around since the beginning of time. Living off of the land used to be a necessity across the world, until the mass production of food came along. In America, people do not usually need to hunt to survive. However, the population of animal species needs to be controlled. Too many of one type of animal can cause a drastic change to any ecosystem. Food supplies decline quickly, leaving many animals without food. Hunting can help keep the population of a group of animals at a good number, making the lives of the other

“Hunting is good for the environment because one it helps keep down on the deer herd and other animals that are hunted.”(Smith) ”When you hunt you help herds of animals from getting to over populated. When the deer herds are kept to a lower number there is less likely of a chance for diseases to start to get spread around in return killing off a lot of the deer herd. Hunting to keep down on the deer herd also helps prevent interbreeding. When there gets to be too many deer in one herd there is a good possibility that interbreeding can occur and then birth defects could occur as well as health problems. When deer herds are kept to a low number there is not as much of a chance for deer and vehicle crashes to happen. When there is smaller deer herds that are controlled by hunting the

In America, deer are an animal hunted widely throughout our country. Each winter citizens have mixed emotions about the sport. Some say its barbaric and cruel, while others argue that it’s beneficial and useful. Although people may say hunting is cruel and barbaric, have they ever thought about the upsides to be gained from hunting? While this is a topic that can be argued viciously back and forth, I believe hunters win the argument. Deer hunting keeps the population down, protects farmers’ crops, boosts economic sales, betters a person’s mental health, and teaches lifelong lessons on respect. These are just a few of the amazing benefits that can be gained from hunting.

Predators, hunters, and habitat contribute to the increasing densities of whitetail deer in some locations. The populations of predators, wolves and cougars, have greatly declined in suburban areas. This declination has helped with the increase of the deer population. Since the 1970’s the number of hunters has been declining. This may be because of the number of people that do not believe in recreational, or sport hunting. For some hunting has become a hobby to show off and brag about causing others to be turned off to the whole idea of hunting. Although hunting can be popular it is prohibited in parks,

Squirrel hunting has long been an American tradition and a tradition that many hunters grew up with. Squirrel hunting has just the right amount of action to keep a young hunter interested and more often than not that young hunter will choose to pursue other game eventually. Squirrels are getting a break from hunters as more and more people are hunting deer and turkey or unfortunately not at all. I remember when opening day of squirrel season was almost like Christmas. I couldn't wait to walk the hardwood ridges and fencerows to hunt a few squirrels and it was as exciting to me then as any deer hunt could be. I have to admit that I do a lot more deer hunting these days but once I tag out or the deer season ends I like to grab my grandfather’s old Stevens .22 rifle and hit the woods for a day of relaxation and an old school squirrel hunt.

Hunting has become a staple of American traditions since the beginning of the first hunter/gatherers, to the Native Americans who have lived in the U.S for millennia, even all the way until present day. Much of today’s society looks at hunting as a cruel activity when in reality it has more of a positive effect on the environment than it does harm. There are an abundance of benefits that come from hunting. Some of the benefits of hunting are: it is the biggest contribution to conserving wildlife, the meat is healthier than commercially produced meat, many jobs are being supported out of hunting, and every hunter wants “to bag” the trophy animal; however, there are a few cons to this, which include poaching and interference by the activist

Hunting deer with dogs should be banned because it decreases the population. Hunters who hunt with dogs, commonly known as dog hunters, shoot any deer seen to provide food for their family. These hunters may use this method as the only way to provide meat on the table for their families. The dog hunters shoot young deer that other hunters who do not use this method would have waited to shoot until they have become mature enough. If dog hunters harvest any deer no matter the age or size, then the deer population will decrease because the deer will not be able to express the full maturity needed to reproduce. For instance, John Hay Rabb explains the

There is no other big-game animal in North America like the white-tailed deer. The whitetails habitat is so widespread that it covers just about all of North America and parts of Central America. The white-tailed deer is the most commonly hunted big game animal ever. Before the settlers arrived, an estimated 30 million whitetails inhabited what is now the United States and Canada. But as settlers pursued them for food and market hunters slaughtered them with snares, traps, and set guns, the deer population underwent a disastrous decline. By 1900, only 400,000 whitetails remained.

A lot of people think that it is wrong to hunt animals especially deer because they are so innocent. What they don't know is that if there is an overpopulation of deer like there has been in a lot of the counties in South Dakota. Diseases like blue tongue will infect the deer herds and thin them down killing a large amount of them. It is almost worse because the disease nearly wipes out the herds in the counties and then the next year hunters have a tough time finding deer and want to fill their freezers with meat so they shoot more doe rather than

The author states “According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, deer-vehicle collisions in the U.S. cause about 200 fatalities each year. The average damage to a car or truck is $3,103” (“SCOTT MAYEROWITZ”).

When people talk about deer, they are commonly talking about the North American Whitetail. That is because they are so prevalent in this country. They can be found in every state in the US. The only place where you will not find any whitetails is in parts of Arizona and California. In most states the whitetail is very prevalent, especially in the northeast. They are one of the most hunted animals in this area, particularly in Pennsylvania and Michigan. Despite the amount they are hunted, both in and out of season, you can not drive more than a few miles out of the towns without seeing one that was hit by a car. The deer population in this area just keeps growing. It is unclear what

The deer and elk population is growing at an alarming rate. According to Outdoor Life, the "Whitetail deer population grew from 29.8 million in 1994 to 32.7 million today." According to Garth Kidd, the solution to this overgrowth problem is hunting. If we were to get rid of hunting,

In addition a study of 80 radio-collared white-tailed deer found that of the 22 deer who had been shot with “traditional archery equipment,” 11 were wounded but not recovered by hunters (Dicthkoff). Twenty percent of foxes who have been wounded by hunters are shot again. Just 10 percent manage to escape, but “starvation is a likely fate” for them, according to one veterinarian (Renny). A South Dakota Department of