High deer numbers present many problems
[Aldo Leopold] planted 30,000 pine trees on his Sand County farm in Wisconsin. So many pines were eaten by deer that he concluded the cut-over lands of northern Wisconsin could never grow back their original white pine forests so long as high deer numbers eliminated any species of tree seedling that...
Saved in:
| Published in | News-gazette (Champaign, Ill.) |
|---|---|
| Main Author | |
| Format | Newspaper Article |
| Language | English |
| Published |
Champaign, Ill
News Gazette
01.03.2015
|
| Online Access | Get full text |
Cover
Loading…
| Summary: | [Aldo Leopold] planted 30,000 pine trees on his Sand County farm in Wisconsin. So many pines were eaten by deer that he concluded the cut-over lands of northern Wisconsin could never grow back their original white pine forests so long as high deer numbers eliminated any species of tree seedling that deer liked to eat. Deer cost farmers money. One farmer estimated deer ate 10 bushels an acre, about a $50 an acre loss in soybean yields. An adult deer eats about 3,000 pounds of forage per year. They love young soybeans and knock down cornstalks. Farm crops subsidize deer, allowing numbers far higher than prehistoric populations. A book called "Deerland" by Al Cambronne reviews the difficulties of managing deer at the urban-rural boundary. We love to see wild deer, they are beautiful, graceful animals. Most Americans have seen Walt Disney's shamelessly anthropomorphized movie "Bambi." ("Run Bambi run!" Bang. "Mother? Mother?" The mean hunters kill Bambi's mom and all the kids cry.) |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1042-3354 |