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I recently received a letter via email from a reader who somewhat took me to task for my support of deer hunting.
The writer, who acknowledged that he is not a hunter but said that he is not “antihunting,” did not question the legality of hunting or the ethics of the sport. The complaint seemed to hinge on my reference to deer hunting as a conservation and game management tool.
“I enjoy seeing deer around my house,” he wrote. “I DON’T need them MANAGED by hunters.”
Actually, sir, you do. We all do.
Conservation is a word that cuts a wide usage swath, but Webster’s (Definition 1) defines it succinctly: “a careful preservation and protection of something, especially: planned management of a natural resource to prevent exploitation, destruction, or neglect.”
OK. But what does that have to do with hunters or hunting?
Most hunters also are conservationists in that they generally place the care and protection of the wildlife resource (including needed habitat for that resource) above their own desire to tag a deer or bag a grouse or down a duck. Granted, not everyone who wields a rifle, shotgun or bow adheres to the rules or takes the ethical high road. The hunting community has its share of poachers and other wildlife thugs. Hunters are an opinionated and often vocal bunch, but, overall, we also follow game laws that are designed to first, protect wildlife, and second, provide sporting opportunities. You can’t hunt, or enjoying viewing, deer (or ducks, geese, grouse, quail, rabbits, etc.) if there are none.
Whitetail deer are the critters you often see grazing at or near the edge of soybean, corn and other crop fields but also are commonly seen munching on suburban plantings. Their return is the overwhelming conservation success story of the last century across Kentucky and beyond. Hunters and hunting are part of that story.
During the early and middle years of the 20th century, deer and other game numbers plummeted. Part of the decline was a result of unregulated hunting, but the main culprit was habitat loss.
Changes—powered and backed by some farsighted, conservation-minded political victories and supported by sportsmen and sportswomen—eventually led to habitat improvements. Critter numbers began to rebound, boosted by conservation and game management measures funded and supported by hunters and hunting.
Today, the Kentucky deer pendulum has swung to the land of plenty. No one knows how many deer we have in the Commonwealth. The statewide herd generally is estimated at around 1 million animals—a healthy and manageable size. But if the herd were not hunted for three consecutive years, it likely would double. The results: malnourished deer, an increase in crop and property damage, a spike in deer and automobile collisions, and no reasonable means of trimming the herd to a manageable size. No one wants that.
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources separates the state into four deer-hunting zones. About half the counties, including Jefferson, are Zone 1, which—unofficially—means they hold more deer than people want. Biologists refer to this as the “social carrying capacity.” The habitat would support more deer than the public will happily tolerate. The only realistic method of controlling deer numbers is by hunting, and hunters are the primary management tool employed by state game managers. In some counties, game managers would like for hunters to take more deer than they do.
A handful of counties, designated Zone 4 and located in the southeastern block of the state, could use a boost in deer numbers. There, hunting is again employed as a management tool to help control and balance the numbers. In these counties, hunters are limited to two deer per season, and only one can be a doe (anterless). No does can be taken during the modern gun hunt, and doe kills are restricted during most of the designated special muzzleloader seasons. It’s conservation and game management at work.
Perfect? No.
Functional and reasonably efficient? Yes.
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Kentucky’s deer season is in full swing. Archery season opened Sept. 3 and runs through Jan. 16. Crossbow season is currently open through Jan. 16.
The youth-only modern gun season is Oct. 8-9. Muzzleloader season is Oct. 15-16 and Dec. 10-18. Modern gun season is Nov. 12-27.
During the 2020-2021 season, hunters checked 141,631 deer. Most are tagged during the November modern gun hunt.
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Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), a neurodegenerative disease that is always fatal to elk and deer, has been discovered in west Tennessee. The disease has not been detected in Kentucky’s deer or elk, but, as a precaution, state game managers have established a CWD Surveillance Zone in Calloway, Fulton, Graves, Hickman and Marshall (all Zone 1) counties. Season dates and bag limits within the five-county zone adhere to statewide and county zone regulations, but the following special regulations apply:
- No feeding or baiting of deer is allowed within the zone.
- Deer taken within the zone must be checked at a physical check station. Thirteen check stations have been established across the zone.
- No deer taken from within the zone can be taken out of the five-county area.
For more information, check page 13 of the current Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Guide, go to www.fw.ky.gov/cwd or call the state game agency at 1.800.858.1549.
Readers may contact Gary Garth at editor@kentuckymonthly.com