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How does hunting impact the deer/forest interaction?
Hunting has been a tradition in the United States and around the world for thousands if not tens of thousands of years. Hunting deer and other animals in the Eastern United States has been undertaken for a variety of reasons including food, sport, and deer herd management.
Wildlife managers including the great conservationist Aldo Leopold have long advocated the use of hunting to control deer populations. In certain parts of the country, deer populations exceed food, cover, water and other habitat needs. If deer populations are not controlled, serious disease and death has resulted.
In addition to implications for deer, overpopulation of deer in a given area is noticeable by overbrowsing and damage to the forest stand. In addition to overbrowsing stump sprouts, seedlings, saplings and desirable forest plant species, deer can begin to strip bark and damage mature trees. Other aspects of overpopulation include potential damage to soil and water resources as well as habitat for other desirable wildlife.
Introducing hunting into these areas has had the impact of reducing the deer population. This in turn results in less damage to the forest stand and future forest renewal. Stump sprouts, seedlings and saplings are allowed to grow naturally which results in a healthier forest.