On Wed, 13 Aug 2003 00:50:34 GMT, "Jimmy"
wrote:

Only one bad thing about sending hunters out with guns for animal population
control. They dont take out the weak and those of poor genetic quality. They
tend to take those from the top of the herd. Only restoring the balance of
predatory animals will really solve the problem. BTW I am a deer hunter.

That's one of those ...well, yah, kinda, sorta, almost, ....things.
Nature is going to take care of the genetic problems. Without
predators the genetic errors don't usually last long.

As for the weak, reducing the size of the heard leaves more food for
them to get stronger. So even with harvesting the strong the herd
will get stronger.

Yet there is no real, or at least perfect answer...even with predatory
animals. That solution also cycles.

For instance the Fox population cycles greatly from a few healthy
animals to a great many when food is plentiful. Then Mange sweeps
through the fox population decimating it (if you haven't seen it, it
looks something like a terminal case of very painful dandruff). The
heard will drop from over population to almost a rarity in a year or
two. Then the rabbit and varmint populations explode. OTOH "as I
recall" it takes the Fox population about eight to ten years to
recover and then the cycle begins again

Here in the metropolitan area we have a huge coyote population, or at
least far more than most people realize. They prey on deer,
particularly the weak in infirm. They are also good at keeping the
stray cat population down..

Cats who run loose all the time, don't last long around here...nor do
dogs. We also have Bobcats and even this far south in the more highly
populated areas the occasional black bear waders into town.

Roger Halstead (K8RI EN73 & ARRL Life Member)
www.rogerhalstead.com
N833R World's oldest Debonair? (S# CD-2)


"Roger Halstead" wrote in message
.. .
On Sun, 10 Aug 2003 09:29:49 -0400, "WB3FUP \(Mike Hall\)"
wrote:

Take a trip though Fairmont Park in Philly. Nothing green below 4 of 5
foot. Overpopulation is as much a problem as over hunting, a potentially
more serious to humans as diseased animals die..


Here they even have limited hunts in park areas and the city forrest
to reduce the over populations. Every time they do it's a battle with
the environmentalists. I guess they figure starving to death, or the
deer being killed by dogs or coyotes is more humane.

At least for the time being herd management and common sense is
prevailing.

I've not had any problems with squirrels getting into the coax...yet.
Maybe it's my cat chasing them (and the stray dogs) out of the yard.
Big cat. Hates dogs. Loves kids. Chased every dog in the
neighborhood home except one. They ever meet and I'll probably be
looking for a new cat, although he did get into a fight (attacked) a
full grown black lab that came in to the yard...and won.

The dog walked up behind the little neighbor girl and the cat went
ballistic.

When he was much younger he took in after a squirrel. The squirrel
went up a tree with the car right behind it. The squirrel bailed from
something like 25-30 feet up. The cat never slowed and went right
after him. However when the squirrel went up the next tree the cat
stopped at the bottom and just looked up.... I think he learned
something that day. :-)) driveways are pretty hard when hit from 30
feet up.

Roger Halstead (K8RI EN73 & ARRL Life Member)
www.rogerhalstead.com
N833R World's oldest Debonair? (S# CD-2)