[Danzig]

the whitetail deer population is actually larger now than when the first settlers arrived. deer are incredibly adaptable...also, after the first year, most does give birth to twins or often-times, triplets.

no telling how many accidents including fatalities are caused by car/deer accidents. plenty, just ask any insurance agent. birth control has been tried in many areas where urban sprawl has occurred. many think deer are cute until they become a nuisance animal...or when they attack you early in the morning. a buck during the rut is no fun to be around, and people have been killed.
regrettably (or at least to some) most natural predators of deer no longer exist, allowing deer herds to increase to unsustainable levels.

also, for those who just don't want to read a hunter/fishermans viewpoint...most state public land, as well as nat'l wildlife refuges are largely supported by hunters. it's a voluntary 'tax' by those who buy licenses every year. my husband and i are also members of the national wild turkey federation. (we've never killed our first turkey btw) but by supporting this organization, we and turkey hunters nationwide have returned the population to its former, much higher numbers! hunters didn't decimate the flocks, human encroachment among other things did.

by no means am i trying to convert anyone. but much like being a horse racing fan, i'm attacked for being a hunter, or for fishing, by those who consider all three as being 'cruel'. i'm just asking to be allowed to do what i do, i'm not trying to force anyone to live by what i think, i beg the same respect in return.
think about the sport you follow....how many of you have had to try to explain your love of this game to someone who dismissed everything you say out of hand, only saying how cruel it is to the horses we love.