The C.A.S.H. Courier

We are writing on behalf of our xxx members in [municipality, state] who protest the plan to kill the deer at [place] in the strongest possible terms. Killing wild animals is a decision that should and can be avoided with the diligent use of non-lethal means.

Culling is brutal and ignorant of the causes of deer overpopulation. It amounts to applying a band-aid to the deep-rooted problem of deer management in [your state ]. The game agency manages deer populations for hunters, without regard for most of the stakeholders who are non-hunters.

Below are the many reasons that hunting should not be used to control deer populations:

Bow-hunting will exacerbate an overpopulation problem.

Deer density is not the sole factor in the diminishing of the understory of the forest. There are other known causes, such as canopies of mature trees inhibiting sun from penetrating to the understory. The diminishing understory is not an aberrant phenomenon; it is a natural occurrence. It is part of normal ecological succession.

Bow hunting exacerbates deer-car collisions.

The density of the black-legged Lyme-tick depends primarily on the density of rodents, not deer; further, deer do not carry the ticks in the stage of life that promotes the disease.

Immunocontraception is relatively inexpensive and has worked successfully in parks and urban/suburban settings.

Bow hunting is ineffective and cruel; the crippling rate exceeds 50%. Wounded deer suffer for days before they die.

Rather than taking your vengeance out on the deer, you should be requiring your State [game agency: DEC, DNR, etc.], [Head of the game agency for the state], or your state legislators, to stop the management of deer for hunting – any kind of hunting.

The public and the deer will continue to lose while the alleged “sportsmen” and the game agents continue to win so they may pump vast amounts of lead into living beings, the environment and water supply; and threaten the safety of residents. Additionally, they are threatening the food banks. The deer meat will not be inspected, and in many cases will be ground up with lead that is in them from having been shot in non-vital organs in prior hunting seasons. Further, the deer have fed on lawns treated with pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides that bio-accumulate in the muscle-tissue of animals. For example, the only time “culled” deer were inspected in NY was in Irondequoit, NY, where the deer carcasses were going to be donated to Attica Prisoners. All 22 carcasses were rejected as “unfit for human consumption.” Let’s not cynically turn this despicable deed into altruism.

We hold out hope that at some point, before this brutish act is committed, that some of the decision-makers involved will break ranks with those who voted for a cull and deliver the community and the deer from the fruitless plan. Culling will only have to be continued year after year due to its inability to succeed. Culling can be likened to trying to keep a rising river from overflowing its banks during torrential rains with a few paper towels. The game agencies must be the focus – they must be stopped from managing deer for the sake of sport hunting. By following their plan, you are aiding and abetting deer mismanagement that is bringing strife to the community.