Deer me…

By CONNIE MERTZ

I was sitting for turkeys. Hunkered down under pines, my distant view was limited. I saw movement below a fencerow, and realized it was a deer. I wondered if it was a buck. A little while later, a doe popped up over the bank and I assumed it was the deer I had spotted. She stood broadside unaware of a camouflaged hunter nearby. She finally caught wind of me, and off she went. Instantly, a buck followed pursuit, stopping only a few yards from me. I watched him sniff the air, again unaware of my presence. I tried to count the points on his antlers, but the pines and underbrush blocked my view. I laughed to myself because my daughter and husband were on the other side of the farm with their bows. I had seen the buck. Did they see the turkeys?

This is the breeding season for white-tails, and anyone who enjoys hunting Pennsylvania’s state animal is fully aware of it. This year, the two-week season, which had been for antlered deer only, now includes does. There is a mixed feeling among hunters combining the two sexes, but reports are Pennsylvania is over-populated with deer.

According to the Penn State Outdoor News Service, more than 40,000 deer each year cause car accidents with another $76 million in crop damage, not to mention the consumption of shrubbery and plants for homeowners. Not only is flora affected, but Gary San Julian, professor of wildlife resources at Penn State, claims that habitats for birds and small animals are also being affected. “The only practical way to reduce the deer population is by harvesting more does,” Julian claims.

Time will tell if he is correct.