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The Problem
Due to massive land development and the whitetail deer's incredible ability to adapt to new environments, the suburban deer population has grown exponentially over the last couple of decades.
A mature doe (one or two years old) will give birth to one to three fawns yearly ∞. Over the course of five years, five males and five females have the potential to produce up to 200 deer ∞. When these high numbers of deer are confined to small areas, people start feeling the effect in many different ways. |
Home Gardens and Landscaping
A single deer will eat four to eight pounds of food over the course of a day ∞. In overpopulated areas you'll start to notice "browse lines" similar to this picture ∞. The deer will eat from the ground up to what they can reach. The result is as if a giant vacuum cleaner swept through your backyard sucking off every twig, blossom, leaf, and low-hanging branch in sight. It leads to a very undesireable sight. There are a number of ways to stop deer from destroying your backyard landscaping (fencing, trapping, etc), but all are either very expensive or time consuming.
Car Accidents
Deer related car accidents have been on the rise for years now due to deer overpopulation. In 2005 there were more than 1.5 million deer related accidents nationwide resulting in over $1.1 billion in damage. At least 29,000 people sustained injuries and 150 people actually died ∞. Maybe you have even been in one yourself. Whether you've hit a deer, swerved to miss a deer, or have been hit by a car swerving to avoid a deer, all have the potential to end fatally.
Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is spread by deer ticks. Deer ticks are dependent on white-tailed deer for successful reproduction ∞. They are tiny creatures that latch on to hosts (deer, dogs, cats, mice, humans, etc) and dig underneath the skin. Deer are not susceptible to Lyme disease, but they are primary hosts in the woods. The fact is that the more deer there are in an area, the more ticks there will be ∞. The higher number of ticks in an area increases human chances of aquiring lyme disease.
Predators
Increased deer populations bring deer predators -- coyotes, bobcats, etc. Have you or your neighbors cats or dogs gone missing? It has been documented in Massachusetts that coyotes will wait for people to leave home for work before they enter the backyard and kill pet dogs and cats ∞. Coyotes will not hesitate to pass up a meal whether it be a cat, small dog, sheep, or goat ∞. Fawns are typically the prime target for coyotes. When deer populations are high, so is the fawn population. This will lure increased numbers of coyotes to the area.
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