An Assessment of Deer Hunting in New Jersey
Sent to the Journal News - 12/25/03
letters@thejournalnews.com
250 words or less.
12/25/03
In his "In Reply" article, hunter Peter J. Dronzek speaks
glowingly about hunting, but despite his claim that "bow hunting is
extraordinarily efficient," the truth is that most of the deer shot by bow
hunters are wounded and never retrieved.
In its report, "An Assessment of Deer Hunting in New
Jersey," the NJ Division of Fish and Game documented the percentage of deer
that bow hunters shoot but do not eventually find: "Langenau (1986) found
that archery deer hunters were estimated to have retrieved 43% of the deer
hit by arrows..."
This state's hunting agency is openly admitting that bow
hunters wound 57% of the deer they hit with arrows. What will happen to
these deer? It would surprise no one to learn that many of them run into
roadways where they are hit by cars.
In fact, deer/car collisions increase when hunting season
opens. Hunters "driving" deer may inadvertently scare the animals into the
face of oncoming traffic, while other deer who are running for their lives
away from hunters meet a similar fate. State game agencies artificially
manipulate deer herds for maximum sustainable yield so they can reap the
profits from the sale of hunting licenses, weapons and ammunition.
The New York Bureau of Wildlife is to blame for the
frequency of deer/car accidents today.
To learn what you can do to stop the spread of the awful
disease of sport hunting, contact the Committee to Abolish Sport Hunting at
845-256-1400 or see our website at
http://www.all-creatures.org/cash/
Joe Miele, Vice President
The Committee to Abolish Sport Hunting
Box 562
New Paltz, NY 12561