Friday, February 4, 2011

On Wasting Deer

This morning's news carried a story on new research of how the version of CWD (Chronic Wasting Disease) in White Tailed Deer, could "jump" the specie barrier to humans (not probable at this point, but possible). I would like to write a few words on the ultimate "why" of the deer CWD problem.
That problem is inefficient predation.
Human's are the main predator of the White Tail, but their method is biologically inefficient. What i mean by efficient in this context is hunting that selects for the injured, sick, old, slow etc. Efficient hunting makes for healthier, fitter prey.
Certainly on our ancestral landscape we where efficient hunters during alot of our history, and the Kalahari Bushmen still do it the old fashioned way (Google around on Kalahari Bushmen persistence hunting ).
The traditional top predator of the White Tail Deer was of course, the Wolf. Wolf and their prey co-evolved. Wolves can read by scent and sight the slightest signs of which deer in a group has an injury or sickness, therefore, is easier to take down. In a sense they are the ultimate meat inspector for deer. The predator prey relationship is all about energetics. From a wolf's instinctual "point of view", what food can i get with the least expenditure of energy?
We use projectile weapons of various types. This, and all the bait piles, cameras etc. creates a "hunt" wherein being able to pick out the biologically "easy" deer irrelevant. So, why should we be suprised, or concerned about the rise of CWD? We have created a White Tail population which is the perfect home for disease growth. There are lots of them, mostly not as "fit" as their ancestors, and they tend to clump together more during rest periods due to our control of the landscape. Duh? Ya Think?
So what can we do? Probably nothing.
Obviously the easy, direct way is to make sure there are alot more wolves. Unpaid meat inspectors that do not need labs to spot and take out the sick. But our antipathy towards non-human top predators will probably make that not likely.
A long term solution (it would take along time to get to efficiency)

So if we wanna be the top deer predator, we have change, if we want to be efficient. No seasons, no bag limits. Year around hunting. No traps, bait piles, cameras etc. And most importantly, no projectile weapons. Handheld weapons only. Think of it as a well, a sport. Knives, clubs, spears etc. Run them down. Fitter deer, fitter hunters. Hunt, not harvest.
After many, many years, perhaps we would regain the sight hunting of our ancestors, or at least that of the Kalahari Bushmen.

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