Today in our country there are roughly 20 million deer roaming the lands. Most of these deer reside in the Midwest. In the state of Kansas on November 17, 2003 there were over 700 accidents reported due to deer. This clearly shows that there is an overpopulation issue in the United States. In fact, the problem is getting so bad in Kansas City, Missouri that they are proposing to reimburse drivers $250 if they have a collision with a deer. But do you really think $250 is going to cover the damage done to your vehicle by deer? Most deer hunting seasons are restricted to one or two weeks long. In this short 107 day time period, one is only allowed to shoot seven or eight deer, and only one of those can be a buck. I see this as a limit that helps to cause the problem of overpopulation.
We are being smothered by the infestation of deer in our country. Because deer have very high reproductive potential, and they have few natural predators, deer herds can double in size over one year. This quick and severe change can cause a giant drain on the habitat in which the deer live, causing lack of food for all the animals in their environment. Deer looking for food can cause devastation to crops and to gardens, they are also a hazard to motorists.
Sometimes nature is on our side though. Deer suffer from many different diseases, like Chronic Wasting Disease. CWD attacks the brains and nerves on the deer, causing them to display abnormal behavior, lose body functions and die. It is not certain how CWD is transmitted between members of the herd. Deer can also be infested with Lyme disease by ticks. In turn they can spread it to other members of their herd and possibly pass the disease to humans. Another disease that can be received by deer is Necrobacillosis. It is a bacteria that can be contagious between deer. It causes mutations in the deer itself and any offspring it gives birth to. Deer can die from any one of these ailments.
