2many, we've had bovine TB in Michigan since the 70s. Just when it is believed to be eradicated, it pops up again. The latest is a large cattle herd in Alcona county, which is nearly 200 miles from me, on the other side of the state. It's the 73rd cattle herd to be diagnosed since in the last 20 years, though, so it's a recurring problem that can quickly spread through a herd.

It's spread from cow to cow, but more frequently it's spread from deer to cattle herds. Herds of cattle are controlled by fencing, but deer can roam freely. So, your neighbor has an infected animal, the deer eat at that hay feeder, then they come to mine and infect my animals too.

Both TB and Chronic Wasting Disease (which is kind of the deer equivalent of Mad Cow Disease) are spread through bait piles or by people feeding the deer. More deer congregate at bait piles or deer feeders, so if one is sick they'll spread it to a lot more deer than if they were all foraging in a natural manner. CWD was found in the adjoining county, so deer must be tested after they are killed. The CWD didn't come from a wild deer, it was one of those deer farms where people pay to come and shoot big horns. It's about as much like hunting as shooting my cows but guys pay a LOT of money for the "privilege". Yeah...

So, in an effort to thin the deer herd, which is hugely overpopulated, our "Deer Management Unit" is allowing land owners to shoot up to 10 does per hunter this year, after buying the appropriate permits.

Of course, Elery went hunting the first day of bow season and didn't see a single deer. I went out behind the pole barn to pick raspberries that evening and a group of 4 deer came to watch me, followed by a group of 3 more. They were, of course, just waiting for their chance to eat the raspberry canes if I forgot to put the netting back over them (which I did NOT forget), and so I yelled at them and they walked off about 50 yards, then stopped and watched me some more. I told him that if it were easy it would be called "shooting" and not "Hunting".

Michigan has more than 45,000 car deer accidents last year, my county alone had more than 1,000. The deer ruin my fences, eat my hay, destroy the garden, decimate fields AND spread disease, and only because there are just so darned many.

Annie

Same with deer here, Annie. Waaaay too many. All increasing because of such good food from gardens, farms, and yards. Twins used to be so rare. Now they're common. And they breed so late into the winter that it's common to see fawns in spots in August! And all those people who don't get it and love the little Bambis.

"I told him that if it were easy it would be called "shooting" and not "Hunting"." Ha ha, yep! We've got similar issues with too many deer. I believe many areas do. I'm sorry the deer are spreading so much disease.

We live in the suburbs in TN and oddly, see both doe and buck walking through our populated area, our back yard. Overcrowding.

I understand what you mean about the "hunting farms." My dad used to hunt quail in Kansas and Okla, wild, after asking farmers for permission to hunt in their fields. We moved and no large empty fields, so one year he went to one of the places that raises 'wild quail'. He said they never flushed, even with the owner's dogs attempting to flush them. He left as he didn't call that hunting. I do miss plucking and cleaning, but mostly eating the quail.

I went to an interesting lecture series about deer at Longwood Gardens in Pa years ago. NJ and Pa have huge deer overpopulation problems.

One lecture was about a park in NJ that fenced in a bunch of small areas to allow the undergrowth to recover and the animals that inhabit it refuge.

Another was about how a lot of non-native weeds that stay green in winter provide winter forage for deer (especially pregnant does) fueling the population growth. I have been much more aware of which plants stay green in winter ever since...

I thought the deer population explosion was also related to the decline of predators, along with loss of natural habitat...?

Carol, loss of natural habitat doesn't contribute to the deer population, it just contributes to the deer living closer to and interacting more with the human population. We have a thriving coyote population and the DNR finally agrees that we have cougars here, but not the wolf packs. Bears never were predators of deer, they are scavengers. Humans are the most prevalent predators here. Hunting isn't as prevalent as it used to be either. People no longer HAVE to hunt to eat, they can just run off to the grocery store. Those who do hunt often want big horns to put on their walls and show off on social media, plus doe permits were not plentiful or easy to obtain.

The population explosion is caused by many factors, but like any livestock, if you have females and the females breed, you have more livestock. Those babies grow up and have babies, which is how I started with two cows and a bull 10 years ago and ended up with 7 cows and a bull last year, in spite of putting beef on the tables of my family members. If only the males are culled and the females remain, the breeding herd grows, doubling and then doubling again.

As humans feed the deer, the weak, inferior and/or sick deer that would have died due to natural selection survive. Those weak, inferior and/or sick animals then breed and have inferior offspring or they pass sickness on to the rest of the herd, thus weakening the genetics and the health of the entire herd (and sometimes the domestic livestock by association). The strong and healthy members of the herd also have offspring, but they have multiple births. Twins are now common and we have a big doe here that has had triplets for the last two years.

So, the way to reduce the herd is to reduce the breeding stock of females, which is why the state is allowing so many doe permits this year, the only way to control the spread of CWD is to control the size of the herd.

So, this morning early Elery woke me up to help him drag a deer out of the woods. Right now it's bow season . We won't be getting those 10 permits each because I was raised to believe that you don't shoot to just be shooting something, you only shoot it if you are going to eat it. Many local deer processing facilities will process deer at no charge if you donate the meat to local food pantries or the veteran's facilities but neither of us has the desire or the stomach to do a whole lot of killing, so he's done for this season. If Ashley is unsuccessful or can't hunt, he'll probably take another doe during rifle season to help fill her freezer but unless I hit another one with the car, that'll be all the venison we can use this year.

Annie

2Many, I know you're a go getter, but you miss cleaning and plucking quail?? Surely it's akin to chickens? I mean, the work has to be done, but I don't miss the dozen feathers that are no longer left on store bought birds and I can't wrap my head around the idea of missing it. Let alone the guts. Though quail do have pretty feathers. :)

2many, I'm assuming that's a typo, LOL, I don't know anyone who misses plucking birds! (grin)

I hate plucking, which is why Elery bought me a chicken plucker for my birthday a couple of years ago. Drop a couple of scalded birds in there and they're plucked clean in 18 seconds, handiest little device I've ever used. Cleaning them takes me about 2 minutes a bird, since I grew up with a Dad and a brother who hunted quail, pheasant, partridge, ducks, wild geese, pretty much anything edible.

Still, not my idea of a fun time, and the smell of scalded feathers kind of gets into your nose and lingers there, even after the birds are plucked.

Annie

Annie, wonderful explanation of the overpopulation of any wildlife : )

Ha! Ok, so I was a kid who was very enthusiastic, and loved learning and helping! I've always enjoyed hard work, although not as much physically taxing labor now that I'm longer in the tooth... I honestly think I'd enjoy it now though. My Grams had a saying "food you've seen to yourself is always better" (and she was referring to animals on their farm). Something about the labor of growing/raising, harvesting (plant and animal), prepping, and cooking what you've worked so hard on just gives a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction : )