hi Pat, could you add that to the FoD permanent links area?
i cant seem to get the link to work, but will try it again, from the
DSL at work, after Monday.

(btw, the idea alone is worth a chuckle, as usual.)

best, da imp

...


>
> http://us.video.aol.com/video.index.adp?mode=1
> <http://us.video.aol.com/video.index.adp?mode=1&pmmsid=1633860>
> &pmmsid=1633860
>

the 2nd AOL media player linked works just fine.

"Jest Fahn"

Go Buck!

(now if i can only save this to Windows Media Player as a simple MPEG,
i can repost it elsewhere.
AOL wont host this kind of fine art forever.
copy and re-post while ya can!)

...

At Last - a friendly educational presentation on deer!



Museum offers talk on the white tailed deer





White tailed deer. (Photo by Michael Carr)

Cornwall - The Museum of the Hudson Highlands will present "Nature of the
Highlands: Experiences on the Land" at 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 13, and at 10
a.m. on Saturday, May 20, at Ogden Gallery on The Boulevard in
Cornwall-on-Hudson.

Mary and Gary Bell, New York State licensed wildlife rehabilitators, will
talk about one of the largest mammals in the state, the white tailed deer.
Find out why baby deer are safest when their mothers leave them alone, and
search for signs of deer in the woods. There will be also a craft for
children, ages five and older.

Admission for children is $5, or $2 for members, and for adults is $7, or $3
for members. For more information, call 534-5506 ext. 204.

The museum will also offer "A Party in the Garden" from 4 to 6:30 p.m. on
Sunday, May 21, at the Kenridge Farm on Route 9W in Cornwall. During an
afternoon of food and drink, participants can bid on one-of-a-kind goods and
services donated by Hudson Valley merchants and museum friends. The cost is
$50, or $40 for members. Childcare will be offered by reservation only.
Reservations are required by Tuesday, May 16.

















  <http://www.strausnews.com/articles/2006/05/12/the_chronicle/news/21ch.prt>
Print this story





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Why doesn't someone open a "season" to "bag" sick bastards?



Man pleads guilty in deer's death

21-year-old says he was accomplice to Greenmount shooting, beheading

May 13, 2006

By Shane Benjamin | Herald Staff Writer

A 21-year-old Mancos man pleaded guilty Friday to being an accomplice to a
deer shooting and beheading in Greenmount Cemetery.

In an agreement with the District Attorney's Office, Keith E. Alexander
pleaded guilty to four counts: willful destruction of wildlife, a felony,
and illegal possession of wildlife, hunting from a motor vehicle, and use of
artificial light while hunting, all misdemeanors.

According to the plea agreement, Alexander will be on probation for two
years, during which time he must complete 50 hours of useful public service
at Greenmount Cemetery, cannot possess firearms or hunt and must abstain
from alcohol. He also must pay a $10,000 fine for the illegal killing of a
large trophy-class animal.

District Judge David Dickinson is expected to accept the plea agreement and
formally sentence Alexander on June 30.

The charges stem from an incident in November in which a 17-year-old youth
shot and beheaded a mule deer with Alexander at his side. A woman also was
charged in the incident for lying to police.

Alexander's lawyer, Joel Fry, declined to comment until after sentencing.

Patt Dorsey, area manager for the Colorado Division of Wildlife in Durango,
called the sentence fair, and one that takes into account the community and
the defendant.

"This was a crime that outraged a lot of people in Durango," Dorsey said.
"We have a District Attorney who is passionate about wildlife and the law
and, at the same time, was able to show compassion to the defendant. This
guy was given a bit of a break, and it's an opportunity for him to turn his
life around.

"The final message" she said, "is that wildlife crimes, like any other
crime, don't pay. The fines are really high because wildlife is so valued by
our society."

shane@...





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The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries is soliciting opinions and ideas
from the public and from deer managers to revise the state's deer management
plan, first developed in 1999. The revised plan will be in effect through
2015.



The plan describes the history of white-tailed deer management, the current
status of supply and demand, and the future of deer management. The plan
identifies goals for the deer population, deer habitat, deer damage and
deer-related recreation.



The draft plan is at http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/draftdeerplan. Submit
comments online to Deer Management Plan, VDGIF, P.O. Box 996, Verona, VA
24482 by June 16.







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By WHITNEY ROYSTER
Star-Tribune environmental reporter








[oas:casperstartribune.net/news/wyoming:Middle1]

JACKSON -- One of the crucial pieces authorizing energy development on the
Pinedale Anticline has been the concept of "adaptive management" --
adjusting drilling and other plans based on impacts observed as development
progresses.

But with mule deer numbers dropping and no dramatic steps being taken to
correct the problem, some wonder if adaptive management will ever be seen.

Studies show mule deer numbers on the Pinedale Anticline have dropped by 46
percent in recent years, coinciding with the natural gas extraction boom.
Pinedale Anticline Working Group members submitted a recommendation to the
Bureau of Land Management that no additional losses of mule deer or deer
habitat be accepted.

But BLM officials rejected that recommendation, and said they will work with
the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and industry to maintain and enhance
mule deer habitat. A letter from BLM field manager Dennis Stenger also said
the agency would work to "manage existing, functional winter habitat for
mule deer on the (Mesa) through an appropriate program of habitat management
and mitigation..."

There was no mention of the BLM working with the PAWG.

Stenger said in an interview the BLM has to take into account the entire
deer herd in the area, whereas PAWG focuses exclusively on the Mesa.

He also said mule deer populations in the area have declined overall, and at
this point officials are still trying to determine the exact reasons for the
decline.

"The PAWG's charge is the Anticline, and the picture is bigger than the
Anticline," Stenger said. He also said the BLM would continue to work with
the PAWG, and the group would stay "in the loop."

Rollin Sparrowe of Daniel, who has served on several of the PAWG's wildlife
task groups, said the BLM has failed.

"The BLM has rejected a responsible attempt to bring people to the table to
continue to consider what can be done to alleviate the pressures on mule
deer that we all are seeing," he said. "What they're saying is they will
take care of things with operators and Game and Fish, and show no particular
interest in having the public involved at all."

PAWG members, in a scathing letter sent to several newspapers, said
monitoring has never reached levels it should have, and the BLM is not
committed to adaptive management. Criticism has also surrounded the BLM,
with some saying the agency doesn't want to hear about problems as they
arise, but rather hides behind studies saying research is "ongoing" to
determine if certain things are problems.

"Only a small fraction of the monitoring recommendations ... has been acted
upon by the agency," the PAWG representatives said in a letter. "Monitoring
funding has been but a trickle compared to what is needed to adequately
understand the full impacts of development on the wildlife-rich Mesa and in
the surrounding watersheds, airsheds, and human communities."

In recent years the Wyoming Game and Fish Department has carefully eyed
development around Pinedale. Officials have said they would like to see no
winter drilling to protect wintering wildlife, but industry has said that
creates a boom-and-bust seasonal cycle, making it more difficult for workers
and communities and overall more expensive for industry.

Game and Fish, then, has tried to maintain certain winter use restrictions,
and has worked with industry to minimize activity on winter ranges.

Diana Hoff with Questar said the company -- one of the main operators on the
Mesa -- is expanding its mule deer study to "try to understand better the
role of things like surface disturbance versus human activity."

She said the company wants to understand why deer are avoiding these areas,
to "make sure we're not inadvertently doing something that's worse because
we didn't take the time to figure out what is going on."

Hoff said she understands it is frustrating to people, as they think "we're
studying it to death."

Environmental reporter Whitney Royster can be reached at (307) 734-0260 or
at royster@....





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BY LAUREN O. KIDD
GANNETT STATE BUREAU

TRENTON -- The intentional feeding of deer would be banned in New Jersey,
under a bill discussed in the Senate Environment Committee today.

Violators would be subject to fines of up to $1,000 per offense, and
residents who incur property damage from deer could seek repair costs from
neighbors who feed the animals, under the legislation.

The bill, which was on the agenda but wasn't scheduled for a vote, includes
exemptions for hunting as well as management and research purposes.

Sen. Bob Smith, D-Middlesex, the committee chairman, urged those concerned
about how the bill would be enforced or how it would be determined someone
was "intentionally" feeding the animals to "send suggestions in."

"What if I am feeding squirrels or birds?" asked retired teacher Jerome
Mandel, 61, of Newton. "Want me to put up a sign -- `This is not for deer,
this is only for squirrels'?"

Mandel, who testified against the measure, told the committee "you are going
to be pitting neighbor against neighbor."

"Who will determine the value of your hosta versus your day lily versus
whatever else happens to be eaten?" asked Paulette Nelson of the Division of
Fish and Wildlife, which supports the bill.

The measure would have to be approved by multiple committees, the Senate and
the Assembly and signed by Gov. Jon S. Corzine before becoming law.





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05/18/2006


A Deer Fencing program will be run cooperatively by the New Jersey
Department of Agriculture (NJDA) and Rutgers Cooperative Research and
Extension, according to a release by State Secretary of Agriculture Charles
M. Kuperus .



The cost-share program will provide fencing material, plus up to 30 percent
of the line posts at no cost to qualified farmers, who were not awarded
fencing in the 2004/2005 program.



"The deer fencing program is part of our effort to partner with the
agricultural community to ensure the viability of New Jersey's farms," said
Secretary Kuperus. "The fencing is an effective tool in keeping deer from
damaging crops and allows farmers to benefit from higher yields."



This is the second year of the Department's deer fencing program. In 2005,
fence, accompanying wire and posts were distributed to 100 farmers
throughout the state.

A Rutgers Cooperative Research and Extension survey of farmers who
participated in previous deer fencing programs indicated that nearly 70
percent of wildlife crop loss is attributable to deer. The New Jersey
Agricultural Experiment Station estimates the economic loss to farmers to be

between $5 million and $10 million annually.



To participate in the program, farmers must meet these eligibility criteria:



. Farmers who were awarded fencing and materials in the 2004/2005 program
are not eligible to participate



. Must be a New Jersey farmer having documented proof of a minimum of
$40,000 in sales of agricultural commodities produced by the applicant on a
New Jersey farm



. Must be a New Jersey certified organic farmer having documented proof of a

minimum of $20,000 in sales of agricultural commodities produced by the
applicant on a New Jersey farm



. Must be the owner of the land or have documented proof of renting
preserved farmland or farmland that is enrolled in an Eight-Year Farmland
Preservation Program



. Complete a mandatory deer fence installation workshop sponsored by the
NJDA and Rutgers Cooperative Research and Extension



Farmers who receive fencing and materials will be required to use the
material solely for the purpose of keeping deer off their land and are
prohibited from using the fence to contain equine, livestock, poultry, or
other animals. Any unused fence will have to be returned to NJDA and cannot
be sold.



Applications for deer fencing will be available to farmers through the New
Jersey Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Districts and Rutgers
Research and Extension offices. Applications must be postmarked by
Wednesday, May 31. Farmers also may call (609) 292-5532 for more information

or go to the NJDA website www





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For more information, contact Doris at groovier@...

****Please forward and cross-post****

Speak out against the deer hunt!

Monday, May 22 at 7pm
Tatum Park
Red Hill Activity Center
251 Red Hill Road
Middletown, NJ
http://www.monmouthcountyparks.com/parks/tatum.asp

The Monmouth County Park System has more deer hunts planned for 2006/2007,
in the same 11 parks where they had hunting last year. They are using the
same "Category" system as last year:

Category 1 parks: Hunting will be allowed at the same time that the parks
are open to the general public.
Category 2 parks: Parks will be closed to everyone except hunters during the
hunt.

The plan and the reports are available online:
http://www.monmouthcountyparks.com/deer/deer_management_main.asp

If you cannot attend the meeting, please be sure to submit public comments
by phone, email or regular mail.  Deadline for public comments Friday June
2, 2006.

Questions and comments about the program should be directed to the Park
System by telephone at 732-842-4000, ext. 4237; by electronic mail at
wildlife@... <mailto:wildlifet@...>
; or by mail at:

Monmouth County Park System
ATTN: Public Information Office
805 Newman Springs Road
Lincroft, NJ 07738



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Go get'em, Daniel



Deer-feeding ban would be waste




By the headline, "Lawmakers mull deer-feeding ban" in the Courier News (May
17) it would first appear things must be getting slow on the New Jersey
Legislature floor. But this is just more of the same from our "esteemed
representatives" in Trenton.

While violent crime is going through the roof, and our taxes are following
that path, one of our esteemed senators (Bob Smith of Piscataway) had the
brilliant idea of pressing for legislation to penalize with prejudice those
New Jersey citizens suspected of having the temerity of feeding the last of
the wild herd that still persevere and wander our land.

Now we can have another state bureaucracy to drain more taxes and that will
administer the "Bambi Patrol" and the "White Tail Gestapo" ready and willing
to pounce on grandma suspected of feeding the deer or some other wild
beastie (even if the deer did not recognize that that food may have been
meant for some yellow belly sap sucker or a hungry chipmunk and a vigilant
"friendly neighbor" spotted and reported this horrible misdeed). I wonder if
the newly created "Bambi Patrols" will interfere with burglaries or the
violent beatings and shootings that are now rapidly becoming the new New
Jersey landscape.

I further respectfully propose that lawmakers in the Senate should mull new
legislation that will severely limit the feeding of those legislators in
Trenton such as Mr. Smith. The state of our great state at present indicates
a palpable increase in fat with those legislatures ... especially between
the ears.

DANIEL W. FRASCELLA

Lebanon





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Thank you, thank you Daniel.

Anna & Blossom


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Anna,

Do you still have the little buck?

Pat


-----Original Message-----
From: friendsofdeer@yahoogroups.com [mailto:friendsofdeer@yahoogroups.com]
On Behalf Of unicornlim@...
Sent: Wednesday, May 24, 2006 1:28 PM
To: friendsofdeer@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Friends of Deer] Letter - Courier News - New Jersey

Thank you, thank you Daniel.

Anna & Blossom


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Yahoo! Groups Links

Warning about deer rescue efforts








Wildlife experts are warning well-meaning walkers not to 'rescue' newborn
fawns who look abandoned, but are actually waiting for their mums.



A centre in Surrey has had a record three tiny roe deer handed in over the
bank holiday weekend. Bonnie, Clyde and Bambi, who are just days old, are
all doing well but it's thought they didn't need rescuing as their mums were
nearby finding food.

Now it's unlikely the fawns will ever be reunited with their mothers.



Managing trustee Simon Cowell said: "These fawns are healthy and should all
have been left where they were."






The deer need 24 hour care and will be looked after at the centre for the
next few months and then hopefully released back into the wild.

Elsewhere, an adult deer had to be rescued on Sunday after falling into the
Leeds and Liverpool canal near Wakefield.



The animal, named Thumper after it gave one of its rescuers a kick, has
nasty wounds to its legs and is being cared for at a dog rescue home.













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Oh, deer! Doe attacks woman, dog at Whitney Point lake
DEC says such encounters are rare





By Brian Liberatore <mailto:BLiberatore@...>
Press & Sun-Bulletin

WHITNEY POINT -- The deer came out of nowhere, said April Christian of
Greene.

She was walking her 9-month-old dog, Malcolm, along Dorchester Lake in
Whitney Point on Thursday afternoon, she said, when a deer ambushed her.

"All of sudden this deer comes flying out of the woods after us with her
ears back," Christian said. "Never in my entire life had I seen anything
like that."

Deer attacks are rare but not unheard of, said Diane Carlton, spokeswoman
for the state Department of Environmental Conservation: "It usually only
happens when people get near their fawns."

Last month, deer were blamed for attacks on three people on the Southern
Illinois University campus. Illinois officials blamed the attacks on does
trying to defend their young. Last June, three attacks on the campus sent
four people to the hospital.

In Whitney Point, the animal charged Christian and her dog, a 75-pound
retriever mix. Christian climbed a small tree and wedged her foot in the
crook of a broken limb. The deer, she said, ran at the dog, got up on its
hind legs and kicked Malcolm with its front hooves.

"I thought she had broken his back," Christian said. "She (the deer) had
blood in her eyes."

The dog fell back, rolled over and got up. Malcolm, Christian said, ran into
the lake and swam in circles to escape the deer. "I kept thinking, 'Go away
deer; go away,'" Christian said. But the animal stayed near the shore
stomping its hooves on the wet ground.

Christian yelled for help.

Frank Sokalski, 15, of Whitney Point, was fishing on the lake when he heard
Christian scream. "I ran over to her and she said, 'I need your help,'"
Sokalski said. "She was up in a tree."

He thought the deer was gone.

After Sokalski helped Christian out of the tree, the angry doe bounded out
of the woods.

"She looked a little peeved," Sokalski said of the deer. "The tail was
flapping and everything."

The deer chased after Malcolm and both disappeared in the woods.

Christian didn't find her dog until the next day. Malcolm, she said, was
frightened but unhurt.

"Usually you don't have aggressive behavior of this sort," Carlton said.
"But people need to be aware that this is springtime. A lot of animals have
young at this time of year."

The best policy with wildlife, Carlton said, is to leave them alone --
something Christian said she would have gladly done.

"I never saw her coming," Christian said. "It was just awful."






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

----- Original Message -----

From: Joe Miele jmmiele@...

Sent: Saturday, June 17, 2006 7:26 AM

Subject: UT - Utahn banned for life from any hunting



http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_3944065



Article Last Updated: 6/16/2006 01:01 AM



Utahn banned for life from any hunting



The Associated Press

Salt Lake Tribune



POCATELLO , Idaho - A Utah man who killed four deer has been sentenced to 16
years of probation, received a $9,660 fine and had his hunting, fishing and
trapping privileges revoked for life in Idaho as well as 20 other states.



    Tyler Trujillo, 21, of Layton , Utah , also received a 240-day jail
sentence that was suspended, along with $3,200 of his fine if he
successfully completes his probation.



    Trujillo pleaded guilty in May to four counts of killing deer out of
season and four counts of waste. He was sentenced Tuesday by Magistrate Rick
Carnaroli in 6th District Court.



    ''In my opinion it's a fairly significant sentence,'' Tom Lucia, a Fish
and Game regional conservation officer and one of the investigators who
responded, told the Idaho State Journal. ''It should send a fairly clear
message that this kind of behavior is not acceptable to the public and
judicial system as well.''



    Because the incident was deemed a flagrant violation, Trujillo lost his
hunting and fishing privileges for life in the 21 states under the
Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact.



    Trujillo used a spotlight about 2:40 a.m. on March 25 to shoot two
pregnant does, one bearing triplets, and two yearling bucks that were
feeding about 200 yards from the home of Larry Bull of Inkom. Bull leaves
feed in the field to attract deer, and the field has become a popular place
for people to take children and view wildlife.



    ''The judge had a really difficult time understanding what motivated him
to do this,'' said Lucia. ''It seemed to him, and to me as well, that there
was just no logic, and it was totally and completely senseless.''



    A reward of $5,500 pledged by sportsmen and businessman led to Trujillo .




    ''It just kind of showed the outrage by the local community for such a
thing,'' Lucia said. ''Neither the defendant nor his attorney tried to make
excuses. I thought that was commendable. Every bit [of the sentence] was
appropriate.''











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Boys rescue fawns - Brothers help save deer after mother dies

By NANCY SCHAAR, T-R Staff Correspondent



CARROLLTON - Newborn fawns, orphaned Wednesday, have a safe home and a good
chance of survival thanks to two Carrollton boys, who discovered the
helpless babies shortly after their mother died.

Brothers Mike and Quintin Shuman of Park Ave., Carrollton, were playing in
the woods at Ann Green Park when they discovered a dead deer Wednesday
afternoon about 4.

Then they heard a funny crying sound.

Ten-year-old Quintin said when he first saw the twins snuggled together in
the woods, he thought they were lawn ornaments.

But his 6-year-old brother, Mike, knew they were very real.

Since the curious boys had touched the mother in an effort to wake what they
initially thought was an injured animal, they had her scent on them and the
babies recognized it. The little ones licked their new guardians and pawed
at the boys' chests with their front hooves.

The boys said they didn't know what to do next, so they went home.

The fawns followed, wobbling along beside and behind them.

"I named mine Buck," said Quintin. "He has a fuzzier head."

"Mine was named Bucky," Mike added. "He had a smaller head."

Delores Shuman, mother of the boys, said she didn't know what to think when
she saw the boys coming down the street with the babies behind them, though
she said she suspects the fawns may have been carried part of the way. She
said she knew the fawns had to eat, so she went to a drugstore and bought
some goat's milk, diluted it and tried to feed them. She couldn't get them
to take very much.

She called police for help.

When Officer Paul Miller of the Carrollton Police Department arrived, he
called his sister-in-law, Alisha Davis of near Roswell, for assistance.
Davis runs a rehabilitation center for animals, and Miller knew she would
know where to take them for proper care.

Miller said usually at this time of year fawns are old enough that they can
fend for themselves in the wild if they become orphaned, but this pair was
especially young. Miller believes the mother died while giving birth and
estimates the babies were not even a day old when the Shuman boys found
them.

Neither boy wanted the deer to go, but Miller took a picture of their new
friends so they could remember them.

"I was crying two times in a row," said Mike.

Miller loaded the babies in a box and a carrier and took them to Davis.

She kept them through the night, noting they did sleep and she was able to
get them to eat.

Dan Troyer of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources offered his
assistance with the orphans, and on Thursday morning they were transported
to a farm in Medina that specializes in orphaned wildlife.

Buck and Bucky will be raised with no human contact. Special gloves and
outfits will be worn by caretakers to keep the deer from learning to accept
the human scent, according to Davis. They will be released back into the
wild when they're old enough to care for themselves.









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Article published Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Deer poachers pay the price


Five Meigs County men have been convicted and fined more than $4,600 for
poaching white-tailed buck deer following an 18-month investigation in
southern Ohio.

The poachers - including a grandfather, father, and son - were charged with
37 misdemeanor violations, including spotlighting deer, hunting deer with a
rifle, and improper tagging, all from two townships in their home county,
the Ohio Division of Wildlife said.



Charles B. Williamson, 40, of Rutland, Ohio, was found guilty of 18
violations and was fined $2,320 and assessed $1,260 in court costs. He also
was sentenced to 90 days in jail, with 76 days suspended, had hunting
privileges suspended for five years, and was ordered by Meigs County Court
judge Steven Story to complete 150 hours of community service and to serve
five years probation.



A son, Charles B. Williamson Jr., 20, of Rutland, was found guilty of 10
violations and ordered to pay $1,000 fines and $700 court costs. He also was
ordered jailed for 90 days, with 80 days suspended pending five years
probation. He was ordered to perform 150 hours of community service.



Danny Gheen, 35, of Long Bottom, Ohio, paid $365 in fines for three tagging
violations.



Ryan Rowe, 29, of Rutland, paid $370 in fines and court costs on two
violations.



Charles E. Williamson, 63, of Rutland, the grandfather in the family
poaching clan, had to pay $590 in fines and costs on four violations.



State wildlife investigator Charles Stone and state wildlife officer Keith
Wood started receiving tips on the poaching gang's activities in January,
2005, according to the Ohio Division of Wildlife.



The lawmen found 17 illegally killed bucks, nine of which had been
spotlighted and shot with a rifle. The rest were improperly tagged or taken
with a hunting arm not legal for the particular season.



Three mounted bucks and 13 sets of antlers seized as part of the case were
ordered forfeited by the court. With two exceptions the poached bucks were
at least 2 1/2-years-old and all carried antlers having eight points or
more.



Commentary: The thoroughly disgusting, crass activity of these slobs goes
beyond the pale. Such piggish behavior is inexcusable. It is a pity that
these low-lifes were not banned from the field forever. You hear of stuff
like this, call 1-800-POACHER.

ˇü



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Doe, a deer, 3 female deer

A&M scientists marvel at trio of healthy fawns

By ARENA WELCH
Eagle Staff Writer

Texas A&M researchers recently bred Dewey, the world's first cloned
white-tailed deer, in hopes of studying whether his large antlers would be
inherited by his offspring.

But even though his triplet fawns were born last Wednesday - giving
researchers three shots at exploration - they're going to have to wait for
the next round.

Born at the Texas A&M Wildlife and Exotic Center, Sandy, Debbie and Gavi are
happy, healthy and a little big for their age, experts said.

And, as each name suggests, they are female.

"We'll have to see what it does in the next generation," said Alice
Blue-McLendon, who oversees their care at the center.

Blue-McLendon said re-searchers weren't disappointed. They will keep
breeding Dewey and eventually study his sons to see if the offspring of a
clone will inherit his large antlers, just like the offspring of a natural
buck would.

Scientists now have no knowledge about antler inheritance in the offspring
of a clone, the clinical veterinarian said.

Sandy and Debbie each weighed 5 1/2 pounds at birth, while Gavi weighed
about 3 1/4 pounds.

The trio's mother, Heidi, is 10 years old. Dewey was born in May 2003 and is
the only cloned deer at the center. He was cloned using skin tissue from a
slain deer - another first, Blue-McLendon said. The buck whose cells were
used was described as "larger than average," which makes Dewey, his genetic
equal, the ideal source of large antlers.

Since 1999, Texas A&M researchers have cloned six other species not
including Dewey. Second Chance, a bull, was born in August 1999. A
disease-resistant calf named 86 Squared was cloned in November 2000. In
2001, three cloned species were born - a Boer goat named Second Addition in
March, a litter of piglets in August and a cat named cc, short for carbon
copy or copy cat, in December. In March 2005, Paris Texas, the first cloned
horse in North America, was born.

Triplet fawns are rare, and the center never has had a set, Blue-McLendon
said. A doe usually will have only one fawn at a time when she is young, and
she can birth twins several years later, she said.

"It's hard for them to raise three," she said. "That's a lot of little
mouths to feed."

The trio recently was separated from their mother and are being
"hand-raised," meaning they are fed and handled by humans, so they will be
tamer and able to handle life at the center around people, Blue-McLendon
said.

"They're still wild animals, but they're much better suited for captivity,"
she said.

Texas A&M students assist the center's staff in feeding and caring for the
fawns, Blue-McLendon said.

"They're excellent teaching tools for students who are learning to care for
baby livestock," Blue-McLendon said, adding that many students who work at
the center want to be veterinarians and zookeepers.

The triplets will remain at the center for life, Blue-McLendon said. In the
future, the fawns likely will be studied in reproductive research, she said.

"When they're this young, we don't really know exactly what kind of research
projects they'll be used for," she said.

. Arena Welch's e-mail address is arena.welch@ theeagle.com.





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Part leaf, part shade,

They stand beside the road,

And we are foreign.  Out there

At the edge of the clearing,

Some drift into the sun,

Faces lowered to crop clover,

Backs flecked with light.



In deer country, they live

In their own time; even running,

Their limbs flow softly into grass,

Their bodies weave like water.

They are the old way

Of moving on the Earth.



PENNY HARTER







[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

July 13, 2006

  <http://www.caller.com/ccct/columnist/0,1641,CCCT_868_2897,00.html> A
tenuous notion that deer are a public resource will be challenged in a
lawsuit filed against Texas Parks & Wildlife, asking a Travis County
District court to declare scientific breeder deer held in pens as private
property.

This pending legal battle is sure to pit Texas private property rights and
business interests against what's known as the Public Trust Doctrine, an
ancient universal principle, which holds that fish and wildlife belong to
the people of the state. The Wildlife Society and the Izaac Walton League of
America have joined the lawsuit on the side of TPW and in support of this
doctrine.















While many Texans still cling to this notion, it would be difficult to
ignore growing evidence that, at least in practice, the question of deer
ownership in Texas already has been decided in favor of privatization for
deer within high fences. Anyone could have predicted that a legal
declaration of ownership would someday transfer these deer from public
resource to private livestock.

Agree or disagree, the plaintiffs in this case have a valid point.
Commodities that are purchased, nurtured and improved usually become the
property of the investor. Unfortunately for them, the deer ranchers in this
lawsuit enrolled in a program that clearly designated them as caretakers of
a public resource and assigned ultimate authority over the animals to TPW
and absolute ownership to the people of Texas. This is the state's defense.

A judge will decide.

Without this, the argument for ownership seems to exist in the form of
game-proof fences, state permitted scientific breeding practices and the
buying and selling of bucks by the antler inch. TPW has helped bring us to
this point while maintaining what many consider a thread of authority over
deer behind high fences. This lawsuit threatens to cut that thread.

The more romantic among us could be left to lament the way hunting once was,
knowing it would never return.

But in addition to the emotional and philosophical aspects of this issue,
what might be the practical consequences of deer privatization? I've
discussed this with several people on both sides of the debate as well as a
handful of neutral parties. Some of the possibilities I did not see coming.

One fellow told me that without ownership he couldn't protect his wildstock
investments with an insurance policy. Unlikely, according to a friend in the
insurance business who said that with clear and proper identification and
documentation, it should not be difficult to find a company willing to write
a deer policy against specific perils.

The most obvious motivation behind privatization involves commercial
autonomy. Who could blame a businessman for this desire? While most
businesses are subject to government oversight, few are denied ownership of
the commodities they trade. Obviously, deer ownership would loosen the
bureaucratic grip TPW has on deer breeding and deer hunting businesses.

But would deer farms be trading one bureaucracy for another? The U.S.
Department of Agriculture regulates livestock to some degree.

While the lawsuit only involves deer that are permitted under the state's
scientific breeder program, it would be a short leap to someday include
their offspring that roam high fence ranches. Expect subsequent lawsuits to
address this next step in the privatization process.

Currently, TPW dedicates a substantial amount of time, energy and manpower
to deer management and its breeder programs through oversight, technical or
biological assistance. Breeders question the logic behind some of the rules.
Though much of this effort involves habitat and herd enhancement on private
lands the department could not justify the taxpayer expense if deer on these
properties were not a public resource. Scientific breeders would welcome
this change.

Privately owned deer, I suppose, would then be subject to the same liberal
hunting regulations that exotics enjoy. I guess this would mean we could
hunt private deer at night and with dogs. Landowners who subscribe to the
state's Managed Land Deer program already enjoy extended seasons and
expanded harvest caps. So private deer could eliminate some of the paperwork
and oversight attached to state programs.

Here's one I hadn't heard. In some states where wildstock ownership is
allowed, government agents destroy animals that have come in contact with
private deer or elk infected with certain diseases. And then they compensate
the rancher. But Texas scientific breeders in the same situation would
receive no such payment to offset their loss, according to the breeders I
spoke with. Also, if the current ban on bringing deer into Texas were
lifted, under existing law an animal purchased in another state would become
public property when it enters Texas. These are the kinds of situations
breeders hope to avoid through privatization.

But what about high fence ranchers who decline ownership of their deer?
Would they have this option? Could they still participate in state-funded
programs? Would they be required to maintain their herd's public status long
after they take advantage of such aid? Would this promise transfer to the
new owner if the ranch were sold?

And if the high-fence deer of Texas suddenly become private property, would
they be taxed like cattle? And would this free up the 140 or so TPW field
biologists to focus on and enhance public lands and wildlife?

What about escaped wildstock? If one of these ear-tagged or branded deer
collides with my truck, could I collect for damages from its owner?

Outdoors writer David Sikes' column appears Thursdays and Sundays. Contact
him at 886-3616 or HYPERLINK mailto:sikesd@... sikesd@...





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

----- Original Message -----

From: Verizon <mailto:hasla1@...>  hasla1@...

Sent: Saturday, July 15, 2006 12:18 PM

Subject: Net & bolt In Millburn, NJ- URGENT



Since last fall, we assumed that Millburn's [NJ] township committee would
continue to actively pursue netting & bolting Millburn deer.   A few weeks
ago, it was confirmed by a committee member that net & bolt was "on the
table."   We  expect the worse.



A three year   net & bolt website has been created and reserved just for
this issue.  Please visit:  www.netandboltcruelty.net

This website will be redesigned for generic use after Millburn's vote so
that it can be shared by all communities fighting this heinous issue.  Cost
was about $400.



An  quarter-page AD was placed in The Item on July 13th, at a cost of $511.
We hired Princeton Attorney, Carl Mayers to speak to the township committee
on July 18th about all the negative issues in Princeton regarding net &
bolt.  Mr. Mayers' reduced fee is $350.



Now, a direct-mail piece is planned to 4,000 to 6,000 residents and a full
or half-page AD with the names of businesses and residents who oppose net &
bolt.  These two campaigns, unabbreviated,  will cost about an additional
$4,000.   But we will NOT let Millburn easily get away with its heinous
plan.   A public AD will expose the number of residents opposed to net &
bolt .....something that the township committee  may be hesitant to ignore
since it will be a vast, large and public appeal.......they may not want to
risk alienating so many constituents.



A 10 ft. net & bolt puppet has been created, complete with two new life-like
deer decoys.  This graphic demonstration will help expose the egregious
nature of the net & bolt method and the township committee persons who
support it.  This campaign cost $315.



This is an appeal for donations to help move the net & bolt campaign
further.  Without donations, it will not be possible to complete  all these
campaigns.  Your ideas for new campaigns are  needed and appreciated---



We have approximately six weeks left before the vote, expected on Sept. 5th.



No donation is too small and will be profusely appreciated.  Please make
your  tax deductible donation payable to:



Coalition For Animals

(note:  net & bolt- Millburn in memo)

c/o Janet Piszar, Treasurer

186 Main Street

Millburn, NJ  07041



Thank you profusely.   You will be kept abreast of the issue and outcomes.



Janet Piszar







[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Deer's carcass found at Ukiah High




  <mailto:udjbb@...> By BEN BROWN/The Daily Journal







Janitors working at the Ukiah High School were in for a rude shock Thursday,
when they discovered a small deer carcass hanging from the flagpole.

"It was skinned, gutted and hung from the flagpole," said Ukiah Animal
Control Officer Brien Jones.

The animal was found by janitors about 6 a.m. Thursday hung approximately 7
feet up on the flagpole. They took down the carcass and placed it in a
garbage bag to be retrieved by Animal Control, which disposed of it. Jones
said he didn't know how long the deer might have been dead.

Jones said he had never seen anything like this before because he most
commonly deals with domesticated animals. He said he didn't know why someone
would do such a thing.

"It's just weird," he said.

The animal weighed approximately 40 pounds and was about the size of a
German shepherd, Jones

said. One gunshot wound was evident on the carcass.

There was no evidence the deer had been killed or skinned at the high
school. Jones said it was likely that work was done elsewhere before the
carcass was brought to the high school.

Jones said there is an open file on the case and that Fish and Game has been
notified because it is not deer season and whoever killed the deer could be
charged with poaching.

Ben Brown can be reached at udjbb@....





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Wednesday, July 26, 2006 -



The Daily Review (Towanda, Pa.) reported that Andrew Matthews, 30, of 201
Stevenson St. has been charged by Sayre Police with Simple Assault;
aggravated assault; resisting arrest; disorderly conduct; corruption of a
minor; endangering the welfare of a child; trespassing on private property;
unlawful possession of a loaded firearm in a moving vehicle; unlawful use of
lights while hunting; and unlawfully taking or possession of game or
wildlife.



The charges stem from Matthews, Sandy Wolcott of Sayre and her 3 children
riding to an area to go "spot lighting" which is hunting wildlife after dark
with a spot light.  It is not unusual to see poachers hunting after dark in
this area and a call to the Police do not usually yield results.  However,
the hunting occurred in Athens Township which has local police and strict
laws regarding discharging fire arms within the township.  So, when an
Athens homeowner reported the car and a dead deer the police responded to
the home owner who also took the vehicle's license plate number.



When the police arrived at Matthew's residence they observed a large amount
of blood on his clothing.  During the investigation Matthews became violent
with the police; two police officers suffered injuries in the altercation.



Sandy Wolcott gave police permission to search the premises.  Items seized
during the search included: nine sets of antlers not properly marked
(including three 8-point sets and two 7-point sets), one Remington 87-
express shotfun and one .22 caliber Keystone Sporting Arms Rifle.



Hopefully all the charges against Matthews will result in a few that will
"stick."



This violent imbecile belongs behind bars.











[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

,,,



More deer killing should not need to occur when a nonlethal wildlife
management solution, such as the long-awaited immunocontraception trial on
Giralda Farms, is being conducted. There is growing support for federal
funding and necessary FDA approval. Enlightenment, patience and fortitude
surround legislative efforts, recognizing the need for unbiased wildlife
management. Evolving technology cannot exclude numerous possibilities for
also managing different-size deer herds, where and when necessary depending
upon which "experts" are consulted.

The deer contraception over time is the only method that will work to
stabilize the deer population, because fewer deer in an environment can
become healthier and well-nourished, but not able to proliferate. There is
much documented on how hunting/culling causes accelerated proliferation via
multiple estrous and multiple births.

The deer contraception, Gona Con or GnRH, developed by the U.S. Department
of Agriculture Wildlife Science, should be on the open market in 2007. Its
application was scheduled to go to the Environmental Protection Agency this
spring/summer. It does not need to go to the Federal Drug Administration
because it is not considered to be disease control, rather "vertebrate pest
control" -- thus the EPA approval.

On the USDA Wildlife Science's Web site, they report that their mission is
to "resolve wildlife conflicts effectively and humanely, using state-of-the
art science and technology."

The effects of contraception will become more and more noticeable in future
years. When elder deer pass away there are no younger ones to replace them
and the population drops significantly. Immunocontraception is
noncontroversial and will not polarize communities.

ROSE REINA-ROSENBAUM

Hillsborough

from the Courier News website www.c-n.com





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Biologists fear fire may doom Nev. deer

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

RENO, Nev. -- Wildlife biologists fear last week's Verdi fire that burned
6,000 acres west of Reno could be a last straw for the area's struggling
deer herd.

Combined with a human population boom that has encroached into the critical
winter habitat area, experts said the fire will further strain the herd that
has dwindled from thousands to a few hundred in the past quarter century.

"Human encroachment is one thing, and then you get the fires on top of it,"
said Mike Dobel, a supervising biologist with the Nevada Department of
Wildlife.

"This sounds very pessimistic, but that deer herd is just done," he said.
"There will probably always be deer in that area, but in terms of the big
numbers, with the loss of the migration corridors, it's done."

The fire started Friday near Boomtown and quickly spread north and east
along Peavine Peak in northwest Reno, devouring grass, sagebrush,
bitterbrush and timber.

It is the sagebrush and bitterbrush that are especially important to deer in
the winter months, providing both food and shelter.

"They'll eat the sagebrush during the winter months and they also use it for
thermal cover," said Carl Lackey, another biologist with the state wildlife
agency. "From all the video I've seen of where the fire was, it's definitely
not going to do any good for the deer. They can't afford to lose any more
winter range up there."

Historically, the Loyalton-Truckee deer herd migrates from near Lake Tahoe
north along the Carson Range, over Peavine Peak and into California. In
summer, the deer stay in the high elevations. In winter, however, they're
squeezed into the narrowing band between the snow line and the edge of
civilization.

In 1980, the herd was made up of about 4,100 animals. Lackey said that
number is about 1,000 today.

Human encroachment is the main culprit for the decline, officials said.

"When we do our surveys, I'll be looking out of one window at bulldozers and
looking out the other side and counting deer," Lackey said of the surveys
conducted by airplane. "That's how close they are. Those deer are getting
pushed further and further up that mountain.

"The same types of things are happening to their habitat on the California
side where they have their summer range," he added. "This herd is getting
hit on both ends."

Though efforts are made to rehabilitate the terrain, it's a slow, costly
endeavor.

"You have to start with grasses just to stabilize the soil and you need
something other than cheat grass," Lackey said.

"You want different grasses that won't out-compete the brush that we want to
come back. Those brush species can take five to 10 years before they're
productive."

---

Information from: Reno Gazette-Journal, http://www.rgj.com





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ahh, so many graphic portrayals of clinical insanity... where to
begin?

...

Critics Take Aim at Plan for "Nonfatal" Deer Hunt
Maryann Mott
for National Geographic News

August 16, 2006

The World Hunting Association (WHA) recently announced that it is
moving forward with plans for "nonfatal" hunting tournaments where
white-tailed deer will be shot for cash prizes with tranquilizer
darts and arrows instead of bullets.

David Farbman, the real estate executive who founded the professional
sports league in June, believes the competitions will enhance the
image of hunters and attract more youth to the sport.

"People don't think of hunters as being skillful, tactful, respectful
people," Farbman said.

(jeez - ya think so, Mr Developer-guy... really? ..aw shucks.)

"They look at hunters as guys who run up north and have a party and
shoot the first thing that comes along. But in reality it's not what
hunting is at all."

(righto - ya fergit ta mention they also shoot the 2nd, 3rd and purty
much EVERYTHING that comes along. generally sadly excluding
themselves or their ass-hat-ociates, but it does happen on joyful
occasion.)

But the tournaments, scheduled to be held this October in Michigan,
are facing fierce opposition from animal welfare groups, who say that
WHA's methods might cause the deer undue suffering.

Other professional hunting associations have also publicly condemned
the idea on the grounds that this manner of competitive hunting for
money lessens the seriousness of the sport.

"Hunting requires, by its very nature, the taking of the life of the
animal, and as such it is definitely not a game. It is not baseball
or tennis or poker," Rich Walton, an editor for the online archery
magazine Bowhunting.net, wrote on an Internet forum.

Possibly because of the unique nature of this tournament, the
Michigan Department of Natural Resources, which oversees hunting
regulations, has asked the state's attorney general to determine if
the competitions are legal.

This week state officials are meeting with WHA representatives to
gather information before reaching a verdict, says attorney general
spokesperson Rusty Hills.

Thrill of the Hunt

WHA first announced its plan in June to hold two 16-day tournaments
at Lost Arrow Ranch, a fully fenced 1,000-acre (405-hectare) wooded
property in Gladwin, Michigan.

Eight hunters armed with tranquilizer guns and special bows and
arrows that deliver tranquilizer will compete for points and $250,000
(U.S.) in prize money.

Farbman has already filled seven of the eight spots.

But almost as soon as plans were announced, several pro-hunting
organizations — including the National Rifle Association, Women
Hunters, and the North American Bow Hunting Coalition — cried foul.

Rick Story of the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance in Columbus, Ohio, says
he hopes Farbman doesn't go forward with his plans.

"If he does, I think he's going to encounter a great deal more
friction from among the sportsmen and conservation communities," he
said.

Farbman disagrees with the notion that his tournament is an insult to
hunting.

"The ultimate insult to hunting is someone who would say that hunting
is all about the killing," he said. Instead, the competitions will
focus on the patience, strategy, and skill of the hunt.

Even with the wave of opposition, Farbman is confident attitudes
about the sports league will change for the better.

He is in talks with various hunting and outdoor groups in hopes of
finding a middle ground.

"Unfortunately there's a bit of a herding mentality within some of
the hunting industry [groups], and people made knee-jerk reactions
without knowing the facts," he said. "And it's really too bad."

Drug Use

At the same time, WHA's plan is being condemned by veterinarians and
animal-welfare groups for potentially harmful use of tranquilizers.

Terry Kreeger is a wildlife veterinarian in Wyoming and author of the
Handbook of Wildlife Chemical Immobilization.

Kreeger, who is opposed to WHA's tournament, emphasizes that bows and
arrows are never used by professional wildlife workers to dart deer,
because of the risk of injuring the animals.

What's more, he says, the prescription drugs WHA plans on using—
Telazol and Xylazine—are only intended for medical or research
purposes.

"These drugs are not there to make this guy money," Kreeger
said. "They are there to help animals."

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) agrees.

Even though federal law gives veterinarians freedom to prescribe
drugs for uses not listed on the label, there are some key
constraints.

"Extra-label use is limited to treatment modalities when the health
of an animal is threatened or suffering or death may result from
failure to treat," FDA wrote in an email to National Geographic News.

The federal agency also raises concerns that deer injected with the
tranquilizers could end up in the human food supply.

WHA says it has hired a veterinarian to provide the prescription
drugs and to be present during the tournaments.

A Michigan state official says there are no regulations to prevent a
veterinarian from providing such services.

Karlene Belyea, executive director of the Michigan Veterinary Medical
Association, says that veterinarians are deeply committed to
supporting and protecting animal health and welfare.

But, she says, vets "are also obligated as a profession to provide
society with the veterinary services they request for any legal
purpose."

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/08/060816-hunting.html

...

When people complain about accidents, I send this:

Town officials often complain about deer-car accidents, but they seemingly
forgot that it is usually humans responsible for accidents!

In fact, most traffic accidents are caused by speeding and reckless driving.
A transportation advocates group called on Gov. Corzine for a zero-tolerance
policy against drivers who break traffic laws.

From the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) public
affairs department, I received statistics for a 10-year period regarding
Driver Related Factors involved In Fatal Crashes.  Of 663,771 deaths, only
1,233, were due to Animal in Road. (That included all animals.)

BUT, of 663,771 deaths, 662,538 were due to Humans in their cars.  The
highest in number as a cause of fatal accidents (had nothing to do with
animals): Driving too Fast, Erratic/Reckless, Inattentive, Failure to Yield,
Failure to Obey, Drowsy, Asleep, Water, Snow, and Oil, Physical/Mental
Condition, and Potential for Distraction (Such as cellular telephone).

Yes, deer-vehicle collisions do occur.  But, according to statistics from
the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, most deer/car collisions
happen during hunting season.  Deer head for the roads when their natural
habitat is disturbed by hunters.  Hunting only increases deer/car
collisions.

The Erie Insurance Group, Pennsylvania's second largest insurer, recently
observed, "Erie Insurance receives an average of 34 claims a day. That
number rises nearly five times on the first day of buck season and doe
season for 157 and 160 deer losses, respectively."

Scientists have proven that sleep-deprived, multi-tasking drivers --
clutching cell phones, fiddling with their radios or applying lipstick
apparently are involved in huge number of crashes.

Distracted drivers were involved in nearly eight out of 10 collisions or
near-crashes, says a study released in August 2006 by the government.

Researchers reviewed thousands of hours of video and data from sensor
monitors linked to drivers, and pinpointed examples of what keeps drivers
from paying close attention to the roadway safety agency.

People were watched on the roadways talking on the phone, checking their
stocks, checking scores, fussing with their MP3 players, reading e-mails,
all while driving 40, 50, 60, 70 miles per hour and sometimes even faster.

A driver's reaching for a moving object such as a child or pet increased the
risk of a crash or potential collision by nine times, according to
researchers at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the
Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.

On every road,  drivers must remember to wear seatbelts, to drive slowly,
and to scan the roadways for animals, especially at dusk and during the
night.  The drivers themselves need to assume responsibility and drive
defensively!!!!!

Fred  <mailto:bmetzler@...> & Barbara Metzler bmetzler@...







[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Mother deer cannot recognize the calls of their own offspring but sheep and
reindeer can


   _____




   _____



   _____

In a new study from The American Naturalist, researchers from the University
of Zurich studied vocal communication between fallow deer mothers and their
offspring. They found that only adult females have individually distinctive
calls, meaning that fawns are able to distinguish their mother's calls from
those of other females, but mothers are not able to distinguish between the
calls of their own offspring and other fawns. This is in contrast to
previous studies and provides a novel insight into parent-offspring
recognition mechanisms.


   _____



   _____



   _____

"Newborn fawns lie concealed and silent in vegetation away from their
mothers to avoid detection by predators, and mothers return intermittently
to feed them," write Marco Torriani, Elisabetta Vannoni, and Alan
McElligott. "Vocal communication is very important for ungulate hider
species because mothers and offspring rely on contact calls for reunions to
occur."

The researchers tested vocal recognition on Swiss fallow deer farms using
recordings and playback experiments. Similar research on domestic sheep and
reindeer has shown that both mothers and offspring are able to recognize
each other based on individually distinctive contact calls. However,
reindeer and sheep tend to populate open habitats lacking cover, and the
researchers argue that the recognition system employed by deer evolved in
habitats providing abundant cover for newborns. While sheep and reindeer are
mobile soon after birth - and thus remain in constant close contact with the
mother - mother-offspring contact for deer is limited during the first few
weeks of life to when nursing occurs.

"Our results show that different environmental conditions influence predator
avoidance strategies and also effect the evolution of different parental
recognition mechanisms," says McElligott. "This appears to be independent of
phylogenesis because although fallow deer and reindeer are more closely
related than reindeer and sheep, the mother-offspring recognition system of
reindeer and sheep is more similar."

###





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Officials don't aim to reduce deer population



Scientific data, and not a spinning of the facts by hunters, is what the
public needs to be informed.



It is not difficult to see how the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife
works to keep the deer inventory high. The state needs to keep a high deer
inventory for economic reasons. It is the deer-inventory restoration
projects that ultimately harm New Jersey 's suburban communities.



For many decades, the Game Code was constructed for "maximum sustainable
deer population." Buck season was the focus because deer are polygamist
creatures. Even a few remaining bucks could continue to impregnate the
remaining does. Thus, hunting the bucks would have little impact on the deer
population.



How about the 1963 "Doe Day" that started the antlerless deer controversy in
New Jersey ? It revealed how the farmers wanted deer management to genuinely
lower deer numbers, because of crop depredation. The hunters opposed it --
they wanted deer managed for maximum replenishing for hunting.



Farmers lease wildlife management areas with the caveat that they leave 15
percent of their crops unharvested as deer/wildlife food. They are creating
an artificial food supply to keep deer optimally healthy, well-nourished and
proliferating at maximum capacity. There is a special use permit/letter of
agreement with the policies.



Indeed, we actually seem to want to increase our deer population. A
Hunterdon County freeholder and a New Jersey assemblywoman was recently
quoted in the Hunterdon County Democrat as saying, "The state Department of
Environmental Protection has twice imported deer from other states to
increase the white-tailed deer herd here."



It has been said that immunocontraception is not an effective tool for
wildlife management, but recent studies with white-tail deer, free-ranging
California ground squirrels, captive Norway rats, domestic and feral swine
and wild horses have demonstrated the efficacy of the single-shot GnRH
vaccine as a contraceptive agent. Infertility among treated female swine and
white-tailed deer, for example, lasted up to two years without requiring a
booster vaccination. Ongoing studies are examining the practicality of
administering GonaCon to free-ranging white-tailed deer as well as the
efficacy, toxicity and safety of the vaccine.



Pivotal field studies under way in Maryland and New Jersey are evaluating
the efficacy of GonaCon as a contraceptive agent for free-ranging female
white-tailed deer under field conditions.



Twenty-eight does were captured, marked, vaccinated with GonaCon and
released. Fifteen additional does were captured, marked and released without
vaccination as untreated control animals. Scientists returned to Silver
Spring during July 2005 to help Maryland personnel locate fawns and identify
their mothers. The reproductive success of untreated does was 83 percent
while that of treated does was only 12 percent, showing that the GonaCon
vaccine is an effective wildlife infertility agent. The Silver Spring study
will continue through this summer and will provide deer reproductive data
for two breeding seasons after the does were vaccinated with GonaCon.



The cost of GonaCon is coupled with the time and money required to inject or
dart the deer, which can vary. A recent newspaper article reported that an
immunocontraception study found the vaccine has 30 percent failure rate, but
a 30 percent failure rate means a 70 percent success rate. Most FDA-approved
drugs on the market only have an efficacy rate of 70-80 percent, so a 70
percent success rate is right within an expected range. Indeed, cancer drugs
can have an efficacy rate as low as 25 percent.



Yes, there are residents who are greatly annoyed by deer. But those
residents would be best served by directing their anger toward the New
Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife.



The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife has been totally ineffective at
reducing the population of deer in this state because, frankly, it doesn't
want to.



ROSE REINA-ROSENBAUM



Hillsborough



from the Courier News website www.c-n.com





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Sept. 13, 2006, 11:36PM




Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

West of Eden, deer are dying. And state wildlife specialists are scrambling
to figure out why.

West Texas landowners, in a rough triangle around San Angelo encompassed by
the towns of Eden to the east, Ozona to the south and Sterling City to the
northwest, have reported an unusual number of dead deer, said Don Davis, a
Texas Agricultural Experiment Station veterinary pathobiologist.

"While some level of deer mortality is not newsworthy, it looks like we have
a hot spot developing for epizootic hemorrhagic disease," said Texas
Cooperative Extension wildlife specialist Dale Rollins.

The flyborne disease is similar to an ailment called bluetongue that affects
sheep and cattle, but Rollins said it's most common in white-tailed deer.





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