Three researchers from Cornell University and UW-Madison believe the federal government should take a leading role in managing the nation’s deer and elk populations, arguing that hunters and state wildlife agencies fail to control the herds’ impact on society, forests and other wildlife .
In a report published April 3 in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Conservation Science, researchers blame state wildlife agencies for serving recreational hunters. Their article – “Where Have All the Flowers Gone? A Call for Federal Leadership in Deer Management in the United States” – claims that state agency deference to less than 10% of the population (hunters) allows deer herds to overpopulate, thereby neglecting states’ responsibilities to manage wildlife on behalf of all citizens.
Patrick Durkin: Scientists say deer herd should be managed by ‘federals’.
