PROBABLE CAUSES OF THE RECENT DECLINE OF MULE DEER
I N WESTERN U.S.--A
SUMMARY
W. L e s l i e P e n g e l l y
Wildlife Biologist
W i l d l i f e Biology Program
U n i v e r s i t y of Montana
Missoula, Montana 59801
Abstract
The s o l u t i o n s t o mule d e e r management seem s i m p l e
t o many people. However, i n r e a l i t y t h i s i s n o t t h e
case.
I n f a c t , d e e r management i s s t i l l i n i t s i n f a n c y
and i s understood only i n p a r t by even t h e b e s t b i o l o g i s t s . Perhaps t h e most c h e e r f u l way t o look a t low
mule d e e r numbers is t o look back a t p o p u l a t i o n s i n
1900. This makes present-day mule d e e r numbers look
g r e a t . Winter "die-offs" a s a r e s u l t of poor ranges
and o v e r p o p u l a t i o n s i n i t i a t e d i n c r e a s e s i n h a r v e s t s t o
reduce mule d e e r numbers. These i n c r e a s e d h a r v e s t s
have r e s u l t e d i n a k i l l of over s i x m i l l i o n d e e r i n
r e c e n t y e a r s . Except f o r t h e e f f e c t of h u n t i n g , i n d i c a t i o n s a r e t h a t when d e e r a r e on a h i g h q u a l i t y d i e t ,
o t h e r environmental f a c t o r s a r e n o t a s important.
I approach t h i s assignment of summarizing t h e
f a c t and t h e f i c t i o n a s s o c i a t e d w i t h t h e a l l e g e d dec l i n e of mule d e e r w i t h t h e same enthusiasm t h a t
Marie A n t o i n e t t e approached t h e s c a f f o l d . I f i t
w e r e n ' t f o r t h e honor of i t , I t h i n k I ' d d e c l i n e t h e
t r i p . Other t i t l e s f o r s u c h a summary could b e
e q u a l l y appropriate--"A Pooling of Ignorance" o r
"What Do We Know For Sure?"--because we seem t o b e
d i s c u s s i n g more of what we d o n ' t know than what we
do. I f I were t o p a r a p h r a s e t h i s s i t u a t i o n , I would
s a y t h a t l e a r n i n g a n y t h i n g about t h e mule d e e r dec l i n e a t t h i s conference i s l i k e l e a r n i n g about l o v e
i n a b r o t h e l . The l e s s o n s a r e c l e a r b u t oversimplified.
i s t o w r i t e your r e p o r t on a magic s l a t e . Then
you can r i p i t o f f i f you s e e anybody approaching.
As you can s e e , I ' m i n a g r e a t mood f o r t h i s
I ' m n o t even s u r e a t t h e end of t h e s e
assignment.
two days whether t h e mule d e e r a r e d e c l i n i n g o r n o t .
A f t e r l i s t e n i n g t o Bruce G i l l , one may wonder i f
t h i s meeting was even n e c e s s a r y . We could s a y ,
w i t h o u t t o o much f e a r of c o n t r a d i c t i o n , t h a t t h e r e
probably were fewer d e e r i n 1975 t h a n t h e r e were i n
t h e 1 9 6 0 t s , and t h e n we can s a y t h a t t h e r e a r e a l o t
more d e e r now t h a n t h e r e were i n 1900. I n s t e a d of
t e l l i n g t h e p u b l i c about t h e h i g h d e e r numbers i n
1960, we ought t o compare today's p o p u l a t i o n s w i t h
t h e 1900 e s t i m a t e s and t h e n c o n d i t i o n s wouldn't
appear s o gloomy.
Anyone a t t e m p t i n g t o summarize t h i s conference
i n 30 minutes h a s t o b e f o o l h a r d y , and i t j u s t
occurred t o me why I was asked t o do t h i s . As one
wag s a y s , " I f h e seems l o s t i n t h o u g h t , i t ' s becuase
i t ' s such unfamiliar t e r r i t o r y . "
I tried t o anticip a t e what would b e s a i d a t s t h i s conference by n o t
w r i t i n g t o any of t h e s p e a k e r s . They a n t i c i p a t e d it
by n o t s e n d i n g me any advance c o p i e s . Everything
I ' v e had t o do h e r e i s what any one of you could
have done, and t h a t i s a s k your n e i g h b o r s , r e a d t h e
T r a n s a c t i o n s and v a r i o u s j o u r n a l s , and go through t h e
p o p u l a r l i t e r a t u r e . I even thought about going i n t o
t h e a i r p o r t newsstand on t h e way down t o s e e i f t h e
l a t e s t Outdoor L i f e had t h e problem s o l v e d . T h a t ' s
probably where i t w i l l f i r s t come o u t . My s u g g e s t i o n
f o r anybody working on such a t o p i c i n t h e f u t u r e ,
I f the deer a r e actually declining, I think the
answer i s q u i t e simple. I t ' s only because m o r t a l i t y
i s exceeding n a t a l i t y , s o now we can a l l go home.
What w e ' r e r e a l l y t r y i n g t o d o , though, i s determine
i f t h i s is t h e c a s e s o we can proceed w i t h t h e a u d i t
and f i n d o u t who tapped t h e buckskin till. How
about t h a t f o r mixing metaphors? Our p r o f e s s i o n h a s
been d e s c r i b e d by some of i t s d e t r a c t o r s a s a form
of s l i p s h o d animal husbandry. T h i s i s something I
t h i n k we should c o n s i d e r . I n a r e c e n t Audubon
a r t i c l e describing the g r i z z l y bear controversy,
B i l l G i l b e r t w r o t e down a l l t h e c o n f l i c t i n g arguments
i n embarrassing d e t a i l . A t one p o i n t he paused and
129
Probable Causes of the Recent Decline
s a i d , "So much f o r t h e a r t of w i l d l i f e management."
What a p u t down.
t h i n g , and t h e y wrote i t down. I t h i n k we have i n s t i t u t i o n a l i z e d i t and i t ' s probably t r u e .
The p a t t e r n of t h e a l l e g e d d e c l i n e , whatever i t
i s , seems t o have been r e p e a t e d i n a l l t h e s t a t e s
s i m u l t a n e o u s l y . S i n c e a l l t h e workers i n a l l t h e
d e e r s t a t e s involved seem t o w r i t e t o e a c h o t h e r , and
t h e n average o u t t h e r e s u l t s , t h i s i s n o t s u r p r i s i n g .
But l e t ' s assume t h a t mule d e e r numbers a r e down from
t h e peak p o p u l a t i o n s of twenty y e a r s ago, and t h e n
s e e k t h e probable answers. Bud Phelps gave us one
when he s a i d , " I n Utah we i n t e n d e d t o knock d e e r
numbers down--we had t o o many." We t e l l them t h a t
I t ' s analogous t o t h e b e a r a t
i n Montana, too.
Yellowstone Park. When t h e t o u r i s t s complain about
n o t s e e i n g any b e a r s t h e y a r e t o l d t h a t t h e y ' r e up
i n t h e h i l l s p i c k i n g h u c k l e b e r r i e s . We need an
e q u i v a l e n t of t h a t when t h e p u b l i c a s k s us where t h e
deer are.
The r e a s o n most o f t e n quoted f o r t h e a l l e g e d dec l i n e is o v e r h u n t i n g , but i t ' s by no means uniformly
t r u e . A unique, and probably odd, c h a r a c t e r i s t i c of
t h i s two-day conference h a s been t h a t t h e r e h a s n ' t
been one s p e a k e r d i s c u s s i n g t h e removal of mule d e e r
by t h e gun. Approximately 6 m i l l i o n d e e r have been
h a r v e s t e d i n t h e l l w e s t e r n s t a t e s i n t h e l a s t 10
I f 6 m i l l i o n d e e r have been removed by huntyears.
i n g , i n c l u d i n g many females, i t i s probable t h a t we
have had some e f f e c t on t h e s l o p e of t h e p o p u l a t i o n
curve. Game departments t h e n s a y , 'We i n t e n d e d t o
reduce t h e p o p u l a t i o n s " ; b u t s i m u l t a n e o u s l y t h e y seem
t o r e j e c t the notion t h a t hunting is a s i g n i f i c a n t
m o r t a l i t y f a c t o r . T h i s l a t t e r n o t i o n seems t o be
changing r e c e n t l y .
On t h e o t h e r s i d e of t h e q u e s t i o n , we use t h a t
same theme of h u n t e r removal by t a l k i n g about t h e
e f f e c t s of e a r l y market h u n t i n g . They o v e r h a r v e s t e d
d e e r i n many c a s e s , t o t h e p o i n t of e x t i n c t i o n i n
some a r e a s . The h i s t o r y of d e e r management always
includes reference that predator reduction, creation
of game r e f u g e s , and reduced l e g a l and i l l e g a l h a r v e s t s , coupled w i t h "bucks only'' s e a s o n s , helped
b r i n g back t h e d e e r . You can f i n d t h i s sequence i n
almost everybody's summary. So, we've g o t some
s t r o n g c a s e s f o r a wide v a r i e t y of p o q s i b i l i t i e s f o r
t h e decline, excluding sunspots, aerosol sprays, or
something t h a t somebody i s p u t t i n g i n t h e w a t e r i n
t h e n a t u r e o f an a n t i - f e r t i l i t y s u b s t a n c e . I d o n ' t
t h i n k we ought t o be s u r p r i s e d t h a t some f a c t o r s a r e
compensatory.
Our job i s t o u n r a v e l t h e s e complexi t i e s . Low and J u l a n d e r p o i n t e d o u t t h a t t h e d e c l i n e
began i n Utah approximately 10 y e a r s ago, b u t i t
v a r i e s i n states--some e a r l i e r , some l a t e r , and some
unsure.
The 1940's was t h e t u r n i n g p o i n t i n mule d e e r
numbers, w i t h n o t a b l e i n c r e a s e s recorded i n most of
t h e w e s t e r n s t a t e s . We can show t h a t t h e d e e r have
d e c l i n e d s i n c e then i n d i r e c t p r o p o r t i o n t o t h e i n c r e a s e i n p r o f e s s i o n a l w i l d l i f e managers. T h i s i s
c a l l e d a nonsense c o r r e l a t i o n . When i t i s shown
t h a t 90 p e r c e n t of a l l t h e t r a i n wrecks i n v o l v e t h e
caboose, t h e s o l u t i o n i s t o t a k e o f f t h e caboose.
We're doing s i m i l a r t h i n g s , I t h i n k , i n t h e f i e l d of
w i l d l i f e management.
We d i d h i r e a l o t of p r o f e s s i o n a l l y t r a i n e d
w i l d l i f e b i o l o g i s t s w i t h t h e newly a v a i l a b l e PR funds.
S i m u l t a n e o u s l y , we had some tremendous deer d i e - o f f s
i n t h e w i n t e r s of 1948 and 1950, which made a l o t of
h e a d l i n e s a l l over t h e West. Hay and p e l l e t s were
a i r l i f t e d i n t o l i v e s t o c k , a s w e l l a s d e e r , and t h e
new game managers dove r i g h t i n t o t h e f r a y . They
p u t on p r e s s u r e t o i n c r e a s e t h e h a r v e s t i n o r d e r t o
o f f s e t t h e twin c a l a m i t i e s of s t a r v a t i o n and land
d e p r e d a t i o n . About t h e same t i m e , t h e ranching
i n t e r e s t s were a t t e m p t i n g t o f o r c e t h e s a l e of
p u b l i c g r a z i n g l a n d . The s i g n i f i c a n c e of t h a t w i l l
come a l i t t l e b i t l a t e r . The a v a i l a b l e h a r v e s t rec o r d s i n d i c a t e a r a p i d i n c r e a s e i n d e e r numbers i n
t h e p a s t 25 y e a r s . We've a l s o i n c r e a s e d t h e h u n t e r
numbers, l i b e r a l i z e d t h e s e a s o n s , and i n c r e a s e d
a c c e s s by p u t t i n g many more roads i n t o formerly
i n a c c e s s i b l e a r e a s . I n o t h e r words, game management
has been c h a r a c t e r i z e d by an u l t r a l i b e r a l approach-"a 20-year b l o o d - l e t t i n g " according t o some--and how
w e ' r e having withdrawal symptoms.
I f we have removed about 6 m i l l i o n d e e r by l e g a l
h u n t i n g , I ' d l i k e t o know why i t h a s n ' t been ment i o n e d h e r e . The 1972 proceedings of t h e Western
A s s o c i a t i o n , which d e a l s w i t h t h e h a r v e s t i n 1972,
l i s t e d approximately a h a l f a m i l l i o n d e e r t a k e n i n
1972-73.
The y e a r s 1974-76 a r e n o t l i s t e d , b u t i f
s o , an a d d i t i o n a l e s t i m a t e d 2 m i l l i o n h a r v e s t e d d e e r
have n o t been accounted f o r . We've had p l e n t y of
time t o double t h o s e e x i s t i n g h e r d s i f h u n t i n g p r e s Of t h e 11 w e s t e r n
s u r e were t h e major d e p r e s s a n t .
s t a t e s r e p o r t i n g i n 1972 on t h e mule d e e r d e c l i n e ,
t h e f o l l o w i n g s t a t e s i n d i c a t e d t h a t t h e i r d e e r were
i n c r e a s i n g . Utah s a i d t h e y were up 10 p e r c e n t ; Mont a n a passed on t h e i s s u e ; Colorado was up 10%; I d a h o ,
down; Wyoming, down 20%; C a l i f o r n i a , down 1 5 % ; New
Mexico, down 5%; Oregon, down 37%; Nevada, up 5%;
Arizona, down 39%; and Washington, down 30%. I t i s
h a r d t o t e l l what h a s happened i n t h e l a s t few y e a r s .
Prom a v a r i e t y of s o u r c e s , I found mule d e e r h a r v e s t
f i g u r e s e s t i m a t e d f o r 1946 f o r t h e w e s t e r n s t a t e s
t h a t t o t a l l e d 275,000.
By 1959, h a r v e s t had jumped
t o 688,000; by 1962, i t was 770,000; 1967, down t o
588,000; and 1972--507,000.
There were some s i g n s
of r e c o v e r y i n a few p l a c e s , b u t n o t t o o many. Then
I began t o look a t t h e way t h e d a t a were c o l l e c t e d
and l i s t e d t h e c a t e g o r i e s t h a t we ought t o have i f
we're going t o d i s c u s s t h e s e t h i n g s .
Many of t h e s p e a k e r s a t t h i s conference have
p o i n t e d out t h e m u l t i p l e game bags and t h e v a r i o u s
combinations of s e a s o n s t h a t have evolved d u r i n g t h i s
p e r i o d , mostly t r i a l and e r r o r , w i t h new r e s e a r c h
f i n d i n g s b e i n g a p p l i e d a s f a s t a s t h e p u b l i c would
a c c e p t them. Each s t a t e h a s i t s own p e c u l i a r h i s t o r y
w i t h n o n - r e s i d e n t s , l i c e n s e f e e s , and landownersportsman problems. Now we a r e a l l f a c i n g a p u b l i c
r e a c t i o n t o reduce t h i s l i b e r a l management program,
and most s t a t e a g e n c i e s t a c i t l y admit t h a t d e e r numb e r s may be lower t h a n we c a r e t o admit. Wolfe and
o t h e r s have commented upon how t h e v a r i o u s s t a t e s
a r r i v e a t t h e i r p o p u l a t i o n d a t a . The i n c r e a s e s and
d e c r e a s e s can be due t o a h o s t of t h i n g s t h a t have
n o t h i n g t o do w i t h t h e t o t a l number of animals. The
f i r s t t h i n g any s t u d e n t l e a r n s i n w i l d l i f e management
i s t h a t a t o t a l census i s probably something t h a t h e
won't be a b l e t o do. I remember w r i t i n g t h a t down a s
a s t u d e n t i n 1946. L a s t week I t o l d a c l a s s t h e same
Pi3obabZe Causes o f the Recent Decline
I l i s t e d each s t a t e ' s response t o h a r v e s t , t o
number of h u n t e r s , t o c r i p p l e and i l l e g a l k i l l s , t o
p r e d a t o r s , t o range c o n d i t i o n , t o c o m p e t i t i o n w i t h
livestock, t o competition with other w i l d l i f e , t o
130
d i s e a s e , t o h a b i t a t l o s s , and t h e n t o miscellaneous
f a c t o r s . Each of t h e 11 s t a t e s r e p o r t i n g was t a l l i e d
by c a t e g o r y w i t h many going unreported. The only
t h i n g common t o a l l s t a t e s were h a r v e s t f i g u r e s ,
h u n t e r f i g u r e s , and a few random o b s e r v a t i o n s , t h e
kind you can g e t down a t t h e l o c a l pub, and probably
w i t h more enthusiasm.
So t h a t was n o t v e r y u s e f u l .
Almost no two s t a t e s used t h e same systems f o r harv e s t c o l l e c t i o n ; no s t a t e h a s used i t s own system
w i t h o u t change f o r more than a b r i e f p e r i o d of time;
a few s t a t e s lumped t h e s p e c i e s t o g e t h e r and t h e n
guessed how many of them were mule deer. Every s t a t e
h a s a c o n t i n u a l l y e v o l v i n g system of s e x , a g e , t i m e ,
and a r e a r e s t r i c t i o n s , changing l i c e n s e f e e s t r u c t u r e ,
and changing non-resident q u o t a s .
There a r e s o many
v a r i a b l e s t h a t i t makes you wonder i f you'd blow
e v e r y f u s e i n town i f you p u t t h i s through t h e computer.
The h u n t e r h a r v e s t d a t a a r e almost always a
y e a r l a t e , t h e y a r r i v e a f t e p t h e s e a s o n s a r e s e t , and
may r e f l e c t p o l i t i c a l p r e s s u r e a s much a s h e r d cond i t i o n . Colorado and Utah have good mule d e e r habit a t , and both of t h e s e s t a t e s recorded i n c r e a s e s i n
1972. Utah i s 1 1 t h i n a r e a , w i t h about 85,000 s q u a r e
m i l e s ; Colorado i s 8 t h l a r g e s t , w i t h 104,000 s q u a r e
m i l e s , and y e t t h e y a r e among t h e l e a d i n g p r o d u c e r s
of mule d e e r y e a r a f t e r y e a r . An i n s p e c t i o n of a
v e g e t a t i o n map of Colorado r e v e a l s t h a t only h a l f
t h e s t a t e would q u a l i f y a s h a b i t a t f o r mule d e e r .
From t h a t h a l f , you s t a r t e l i m i n a t i n g poor d e e r
h a b i t a t , and you end up w i t h s c a t t e r e d remnants of
d e e r range. My c o n c l u s i o n , from t h i s c u r s o r y l o o k ,
i s t h a t Colorado, w i t h a l i m i t e d a c r e a g e and a v e r y
good d e e r h a b i t a t , h a s c o n s i s t e n t l y produced h i g h
numbers p e r u n i t , even i n t h e f a c e of o i l s h a l e development and s u b d i v i s i o n s . Utah i s a l s o probably
producing about a s many d e e r a s i t c a n , c o n s i d e r i n g
t h e l a n d use changes of t h e r e c e n t p a s t . Montana i s
t h e 4 t h l a r g e s t s t a t e (147,000 s q u a r e m i l e s ) and
second i n t h e d e e r h a r v e s t e d i n 1972. It h a s experi e n c e d d e c l i n e s s i n c e then and s o i s now l a g g i n g beh i n d Utah and Colorado. Montana h a s mule d e e r over
t h e e n t i r e s t a t e b u t n o t uniformly s p r e a d . Mule d e e r
a r e found i n t h e f o r e s t e d a r e a s of t h e w e s t e r n p a r t
of t h e s t a t e , where l o g g i n g o p e r a t i o n s produce s e r a 1
s h r u b s . I n o t h e r r e g i o n s of t h e s t a t e , mule d e e r
a r e found i n f o o t h i l l r a n g e s combining f o r e s t e d and
g r a z i n g a r e a s . The h i g h p l a i n s g r a s s l a n d c o u n t r y i n
t h e Glasgow a r e a i s n o t a s p r o d u c t i v e f o r mule d e e r
a s i s t h e M i l e s C i t y r e g i o n , b u t i t s t i l l outproduces
t h e f o r e s t e d d i s t r i c t of w e s t e r n Montana.
L a s t n i g h t Dan Poole s u g g e s t e d t h a t we should
develop some k i n d of a uniform breakdown by h a b i t a t
q u a l i t y i n v o l v i n g c o o p e r a t i o n between s t a t e s where
ecosystems o v e r l a p . It i s n ' t l i k e l y t o occur because
of one f a i l i n g , and t h a t i s human i n e r t i a . We
probably j u s t won't g e t around t o i t . The demand f o r
h u n t a b l e d e e r , however, i s going t o c o n t i n u e . W
e
a r e n ' t going t o slow t h a t down.
Free-lance w r i t e r s a r e sending l e n g t h y q u e s t i o n n a i r e s t o s t a t e game a g e n c i e s a s k i n g f o r a l l s o r t s of
i n f o r m a t i o n on t h e d e e r s i t u a t i o n and u s u a l l y conc l u d e by s a y i n g , "We c e r t a i n l y a p p r e c i a t e your h e l p . "
We could spend many months e a c h y e a r answering t h e s e
r e q u e s t s which a r e only exceeded i n t h e i r demands by
t h o s e coming from t h e a g e n c i e s o r o r g a n i z a t i o n s t h a t
e can s e e t h a t t h i s form
a r e about t o w r i t e a book. W
of d a t a c o l l e c t i o n and r e p o r t i n g r e s u l t s i s a haphazard system. We d o n ' t have any uniform manner of
c o l l e c t i n g d a t a , and some s t a t e s a r e n o t even botheri n g . The s t a t e of Washington d e r i v e s i t s h a r v e s t
d a t a from a c a r d q u e s t i o n n a i r e . Managers e s t i m a t e
t h a t the s t a t e has deer populations i n three d i f f e r e n t d e n s i t i e s : medium, heavy, and low. The h a r v e s t
d a t a a r e d e r i v e d from t h i s , and t h e y e x t r a p o l a t e
backwards t o c a l c u l a t e how many d e e r t h e y e s t i m a t e
f o r a g i v e n a r e a , Washington a l s o s o l v e s i t s game
damage problems and w i n t e r range s h o r t a g e s w i t h
f e n c e s and a r t i f i c i a l f e e d i n g i n some a r e a s .
Another s u b j e c t r e c e i v i n g s c a n t a t t e n t i o n a t
this conference i s t h e e x t e n t of wounding l o s s e s .
Colorado u s e s a 5 p e r c e n t a d d i t i o n a l f i g u r e f o r
wounding l o s s on bucks-only h u n t s and a 10 p e r c e n t
w i t h e i t h e r - s e x h u n t s . A r e c e n t New Mexico s t u d y
showed 92 p e r c e n t one y e a r , and 93 p e r c e n t two y e a r s
I n o t h e r words,
l a t e r of c r i p p l e and i l l e g a l l o s s e s .
non-legal mortality by t h e gun may b e n e a r l y matching the harvest.
I f we took 6-8 m i l l i o n d e e r o u t of
t h i s 11 w e s t e r n s t a t e complex by h u n t i n g , a r e we
w i l l i n g t o add a n o t h e r 6-8 m i l l i o n f o r c r i p p l e and
i l l e g a l l o s s ? I t h i n k t h a t a s we s t a r t adding t h e s e
l o s s e s up, we can probably show t h a t somebody owes
us deer.
The p o l i t i c a l a s p e c t s of d e e r management a r e
worth a comnent o r two. I have s p e n t t h e l a s t t h r e e
and a h a l f y e a r s on t h e Montana F i s h and Game Comm i s s i o n , and now s i t on t h e o t h e r s i d e of t h e t a b l e
l i s t e n i n g t o slogans, jargon, c l i c h e s , p l a t i t u d e s ,
Collectively it's called s c i e n t i f i c
and t a u t o l o g i e s .
management. Biology i s only one f a c e t of management.
The o t h e r c o n s i d e r a t i o n s i n c l u d e t h e p o l i t i c a l , l e g a l ,
s o c i a l , c u l t u r a l , economic, and whatever. L e t me
r e a d you two s e n t e n c e s o u t of a p o l i t i c a l l y o r i e n t e d
s t a t e m e n t from a Nevada Game Commission member
s h o r t l y a f t e r t h e D i r e c t o r of t h e Bureau o f Land
Management s a i d , "We're going t o improve t h e ranges
I t ' s two pages long, b u t I ' l l only read
i n Nevada."
t h e s e two paragraphs.
It s a y s :
"Today you c o u l d remove a l l
l i v e s t o c k from Nevada r a n g e s and
n e v e r h u n t d e e r again. Without
doing a n y t h i n g more, i n a s h o r t
p e r i o d of t i m e t h e ranges would b e
i n a worse c o n d i t i o n , and t h e d e e r
h e r d s would c o n t i n u e t o dwindle."
"In closing, I ' d l i k e t o say
t h a t n o t o n l y i s i t proven t h a t
l i v e s t o c k and w i l d l i f e a r e compati b l e , but t h a t they a r e desirable.
We, t h e r e f o r e , defend t h e l i v e stock industry i n the s t a t e of
Nevada and f e e l t h a t i s t h e wildl i f e and t h e sportsman e v e r had a
f r i e n d , i t would b e a rancher.''
Dick Mackie missed t h a t p o i n t y e s t e r d a y i n h i s
l i t e r a t u r e survey. He s a i d he d i d n ' t know i t had
been proven t h a t c a t t l e and d e e r were good f o r each
o t h e r , b u t h e r e we have i t . I t ' s a p o l i t i c a l p r o o f ,
b u t i t ' s one t h a t w e ' l l probably h e a r more o f . Dean
Thad Box t a l k e d t o you y e s t e r d a y about more people
on t h e same amount of land w i t h i n c r e a s i n g p r e s s u r e s ,
and he s a i d t h e answer i s a l l o c a t i o n . A l l o c a t i o n s
may be based on s t r o n g e r p o l i t i c a l t h a n b i o l o g i c a l
r a t i o n a l e , b u t I ' m s u r e t h e proponents w i l l s t r e s s
t h e need f o r c o o p e r a t i o n . T h e r e ' s a n o l d anecdote
131
Probable Causes of the Recent Decline
about c o o p e r a t i o n t h a t s a y s : "There's room enough
f o r one of us on t h i s p i a n o bench i f y o u ' l l g e t off.''
A t t h e r e c e n t (1976) N.A. W i l d l i f e and N a t u r a l
Resources Conference i n Washington D . C . , a f i s h and
game b i o l o g i s t , S t e v e G a l l i z i o l i , s t a t e d t h a t , " I n
Arizona, t h e s i n g l e most i m p o r t a n t range management
problem which l i m i t s t h e a t t a i n m e n t of p o t e n t i a l f i s h
I
and w i l d l i f e b e n e f i t s i s overgrazing by l i v e s t o c k .
b e l i e v e t h e problem i s n o t unique t o our s t a t e . "
Speakers a t t h i s conference (Mackie, Urness, T u e l l e r )
seemed r e l u c t a n t t o confirm t h i s o b s e r v a t i o n .
Enough of t h i s s h o r t c o u r s e on p u b l i c r e l a t i o n s
on p u b l i c l a n d s . When we g e t t o t h e p o i n t where we've
g o t enough feed f o r e i t h e r t h e cow o r t h e d e e r , b u t
n o t enough f o r b o t h , I t h i n k w e ' l l f i n d out how much
c o o p e r a t i o n i s going t o t a k e p l a c e . The s t a t e m e n t
from t h e Nevada Conmission shows t h a t when t h e pol i t i c a l p r e s s u r e s a r e on, a l l t h o s e g r e a t s t o c h a s t i c
p e r t u r b a t i o n s t h a t s t a t i s t i c i a n s a l a r m me w i t h r e a l l y
d o n ' t count f o r much i n t h e management d e c i s i o n .
L e t ' s move on t o some of t h e o t h e r s u b j e c t s .
Dick Denney got i n t o t h e q u e s t i o n of p o p u l a t i o n regul a t i o n s and r a i s e d t h e q u e s t i o n , "Is t h e d e e r d e c l i n e
a s i g n of ecosystem d e t e r i o r a t i o n ? " P r a c t i c a l l y
e v e r y t h i n g we've heard a t t h i s conference i n d i c a t e s
t h a t when d e e r a r e on a high q u a l i t y d i e t , o t h e r env i r o n m e n t a l f a c t o r s a r e not a s i m p o r t a n t . Speakers
d i s c u s s i n g p r e d a t i o n and w i n t e r s u r v i v a l have a l s o
s t r e s s e d t h e o v e r r i d i n g importance of good n u t r i t i o n .
Zwank s t r e s s e d t h e importance of n u t r i t i o n i n fawn
survival.
Hornocker and Knowlton reviewed much of t h e same
Hornocker p o i n t e d
m a t e r i a l t h a t 1 d i d on p r e d a t i o n .
o u t t h a t no c o r r e l a t i o n e x i s t s between d e e r numbers
and l i o n s i n most a r e a s . There has t o be some o t h e r
correlation.
He t a l k e d about t h e importance of t h e
e f f e c t , n o t t h e f a c t , of p r e d a t i o n , and I t h i n k t h e
same i d e a was s t r e s s e d by Knowlton.
Hornocker missed
t h e b e s t q u o t e from Durward A l l e n , whose grandmother
watched h i s dog run t h e c a t up t h e t r e e . She s a i d ,
"Oh, Lord, why c a n ' t t h e y be n i c e . "
P r e d a t o r s have
a poor p r e s s , and I t h i n k t h a t when we g e t i n t o
p u b l i c r e l a t i o n s , t h a t ' s probably how we ought t o
approach i t . Knowlton was q u i t e candid when he s a i d
"maybe" i n r e g a r d t o whether p r e d a t i o n was a s i g n i f i c a n t l i m i t i n g f a c t o r . The n u t r i t i o n a l a s p e c t i s
obvious i n h i s work--healthy d e e r can w i t h s t a n d more
p r e d a t i o n by compensatory r e p r o d u c t i o n t h a n can d e e r
on low q u a l i t y ranges. N e i t h e r Hornocker n o r Knowlton
s a i d t h a t t h e removal of t h e coyote o r t h e l i o n could
be proven t o h e l p deer. The a v e r a g e w i l d l i f e b i o l o g i s t i s p o o r l y equipped t o e v a l u a t e n u t r i t i o n a l fact o r s . He s h i p s p l a n t s t o somebody e l s e f o r proximate
a n a l y s i s . Then we f i n d o u t t h a t t h a t ' s only t h e beginning. V o l a t i l e o i l s t h a t a r e b a c t e r i c i d a l and
f u n g i c i d a l u p s e t a l l t h e c a l c u l a t i o n s based on prot e i n l e v e l s . S y n e r g i s t i c e f f e c t s cause f o o d s t u f f s t o
a c t d i f f e r e n t l y i n combinations.
J u s t switching the
combinations on two s p e c i e s i n e i g h t d i f f e r e n t combin a t i o n s would blow your mind, and some of t h e animals
e a t a s many a s 20 d i f f e r e n t k i n d s of p l a n t s . You can
a p p r e c i a t e what Nagy and h i s c o l l e a g u e t a l k e d about
today--the need f o r more b a s i c r e s e a r c h of h i g h q u a l i t y . S e v e r a l s p e a k e r s quoted t h e Kaibab c a s e i n t h e
f a c e of a r t i c l e s i n BioScience, Ecology, and v a r i o u s
N a t i o n a l P a r k r e l e a s e s p o i n t i n g o u t t h a t t h e Kaibab
d e e r i r r u p t i o n r e a l l y n e v e r o c c u r r e d , t h a t i t was a
figment of someone's i m a g i n a t i o n , o r a c l e r i c a l e r r o r .
Probak Ze Causes o f the Recent Dee l i n e
No one i n t h i s audience c h a l l e n g e d i t , a l t h o u g h
T u e l l e r from Nevada d i d comment on i t . T h i s d e b a t e
needs t o be continued.
Wolfe was t e l l i n g u s , i n e f f e c t , t o c h a l l e n g e
assumptions. The computer c a n ' t overcome poor i n p u t s . I ' v e g o t a hunch t h a t maybe w e ' l l have t o
admit t h a t t h e r e a r e some t h i n g s we j u s t c a n ' t do,
l i k e n a i l i n g j e l l o on t h e w a l l , o r p u t t i n g t h e t o o t h p a s t e back i n t h e tube. Wamlmo, Reid, and C a r p e n t e r
analyzed e x i s t i n g d a t a i n Colorado t o p r o v i d e c l u e s
f o r t h e d e c l i n e , and t h e y concluded t h a t t h e i r meager
d a t a f a i l e d t o support t h e hypothesis t h a t a l l these
t h i n g s , s i n g l y o r i n combination, could be h e l d
r e s p o n s i b l e . T h a t ' s t h e approach t h e Chamber of
Commerce uses when you t e l l them t h a t a i r p o l l u t i o n
I would l i k e t o have heard
i s causing a problem.
them s a y t h a t t h e meager d a t a f a i l e d t o s u p p o r t t h e
hypothesis t h a t a l l these things a r e not responsible.
If
There a r e some pragmatic a s p e c t s t o c o n s i d e r .
d e e r a r e n o t i n e v i d e n c e , something must have happened t o them. Longhurst s a i d t h a t t h e s h i f t t o
c a t t l e from sheep i n C a l i f o r n i a was d e t r i m e n t a l t o
mule d e e r , and on a n n u a l g r a s s ranges t h a t may w e l l
be.
Sheep can b e f a r more e a s i l y manipulated on
ranges t h a n l i v e s t o c k . That may be what h e had i n
mind when h e s a i d t h a t t h e i n c r e a s e i n c a t t l e and
d e c l i n e of sheep was d e t r i m e n t a l t o d e e r ranges.
, r u e l l e r made t h e o b s e r v a t i o n t h a t d e e r numbers
decline i n proportion t o lack of vegetative divers i t y . T h a t ' s i n e v e r y b a s i c t e x t on ecology I ' v e
e v e r seen. We t a l k about t h e s t a b i l i t y of d i v e r s i t y ,
and y e t b i o l o g i s t s have been g u i l t y of a i d i n g and
a b e t t i n g e c o l o g i c a l i n s u l t s . We s p r a y r a n g e s , we
poison ponds w i t h toxaphene, we've s u g g e s t e d mass
burning of f o r e s t s t o produce monocultures, and
w e ' r e probably g u i l t y of o t h e r e c o l o g i c a l i n s u l t s
on a l a r g e s c a l e w i t h o u t r e a l l y knowing what t h e
consequences a r e .
Another p o i n t t h a t T u e l l e r made t h a t ' s worth
r e p e a t i n g i s t h a t n o t a l l f o r a g e produced can b e
shown t o d i r e c t l y i n f l u e n c e p r o d u c t i v i t y .
We f e e l
t h a t food i s i m p o r t a n t , b u t i t may n o t be t h e only
l i m i t i n g f a c t o r . There a r e many c a s e s where we've
i n c r e a s e d f o r a g e s u p p l i e s w i t h o u t i n c r e a s i n g t h e ani m a l numbers. The f a c t t h a t d e e r a r e s e e n i n a n
a r e a d o e s n ' t mean t h a t t h e y a r e produced t h e r e . We
may be s h i f t i n g them o r drawing them from one a r e a
t o another.
I want t o comment on t h e use o f j a r g o n i n o u r
p r o f e s s i o n . We smirk when a s o c i o l o g i s t d e f i n e s
murder a s a c c e l e r a t e d , i n t e r p e r s o n a l a l t e r c a t i o n ,
b u t w i l d l i f e r s a r e n ' t above doing t h e i r b i t t o i n c r e a s e t h e fog i n d e x e i t h e r . Here's an example from
t h e Master P l a n f o r Grand Teton N a t i o n a l Park. "New
i n s i g h t s gleaned from r e c e n t problem-oriented r e s e a r c h w i t h i n t h e p a r k s s u g g e s t t h a t environmentally
r e g u l a t e d ecosystems can u l t i m a t e l y be r e e s t a b l i s h e d .
For example, r e s e a r c h h a s s u g g e s t e d t h a t t h e popul a t i o n may tend t o b e s e l f - r e g u l a t i n g w i t h o u t t h e
In the
p r e s e n c e of s i g n i f i c a n t p r e d a t o r p o p u l a t i o n s .
c o n t e x t of i n c r e a s i n g knowledge of t h e s e f a c t o r s ,
p a r k management w i l l c o n t i n u e t o work toward t h e
e l i m i n a t i o n of h u n t i n g i n t h e park." The s t a t e of
Wyoming responded more s u c c i n c t l y s a y i n g , "To h e l l
you w i l l . "
I ' d l i k e t o make a b r i e f comment on t h e w i l d l i f e
d i s e a s e p a p e r . I t was of i n t e r e s t t o me because i n
13?
our z e a l t o r i d t h e ranges of t h e p r e d a t o r s , we f e e l
w e ' r e h e l p i n g t h e h e r b i v o r e s . Now w e ' r e f i n d i n g o u t
i n some c a s e s t h a t c a r n i v o r e s and h e r b i v o r e s a r e vect o r s f o r o t h e r d i s e a s e s . I f we do have t h e s e r e s e r v o i r s of i n f e c t i o n w i t h l i v e s t o c k and w i l d l i f e i n t e r changing, we've g o t some r e a l problems: B r u c e l l o s i s
i s found i n t h e b i s o n i n Yellowstone and every time a
Park b i s o n c r o s s e s t h e Montana l i n e , by law we have t o
k i l l i t due t o stockmen's f e a r s . I t h i n k you c a n s e e
t h e consequences. We've taken a n animal t h a t evolved
from a n c i e n t times and juxtaposed i t w i t h a domestic
animal. S i n c e s i c k animals a r e p r e d i s p o s e d t o l o s s e s
by p r e d a t i o n and a c c i d e n t s , i t i s d i f f i c u l t t o a s s e s s
t h e n a t u r e and e x t e n t of t h e l o s s e s .
THE FUTURE
R o b i n e t t e t o l d us t h a t i t would have been g r e a t
i f we c o u l d have c u t t h e d e e r numbers down b e f o r e t h e
range was damaged s o s e v e r a l y , and many a u t h o r s have
p o i n t e d o u t p r e v i o u s l y t h a t when d e e r e x i s t on secondc l a s s f o r a g e , p e r i o d i c d i e - o f f s can b e expected i n
s e v e r e w i n t e r s . We need f a r more e x p e r i m e n t a l e v i dence of t h a t f a c t . Looking i n t o t h e f u t u r e , I t h i n k
t h a t we can a g r e e t h a t simple minds s e e k simple s o l u t i o n s . Some of you a r e going t o go home d i s a p p o i n t e d
because I d i d n ' t t e l l you t h e s o l u t i o n t o t h e mystery
of t h e d e e r d e c l i n e . The conference s p e a k e r s d i d n ' t
t e l l me t h e answer e i t h e r . The answer may b e t h a t we
should c h a l l e n g e t h e b a s i c assumptions under which we
have been managing d e e r t h e s e p a s t 30 y e a r s . The
demand f o r more h u n t i n g o p p o r t u n i t y can go no way b u t
up. It seems t o b e i n c r e a s i n g d e s p i t e a l l t h e handicaps we've imposed upon t h e h u n t e r s , and t h e r a t e of
increase is s t i l l as rapid as the increases i n the
60's.
The h u n t e r h i m s e l f appears t o b e becoming l e s s
s k i l l f u l , more r e l i a n t on equipment, more r e l i a n t on
somebody e l s e t o w r i t e him a book on how t o h u n t , how
t o b u i l d a f i r e , and how t o d r e s s o u t a d e e r . I t h i n k
h e ' s going t o b e s u b j e c t t o f a r more r e g i m e n t a t i o n ,
more r e s t r i c t i o n s , q u o t a s , p e r m i t s , p l a c e s , l i m i t e d
a c c e s s , a l l t h e s e t h i n g s . Hunters a r e a l s o going t o
b e s u b j e c t t o t h e whims and v a g a r i e s of p o l i t i c a l
p r e s s u r e , which t h e y may n o t b e a p a r t o f , and t h e y
may n o t understand t h e r e a s o n s . There i s going t o b e
more p r e s s u r e on l a n d managers t o produce q u a l i t y
h u n t i n g e x p e r i e n c e s , and t o p r o v i d e b e t t e r number d i s t r i b u t i o n . There w i l l b e more a n t i - n o n r e s i d e n t s e n t i ment. The p r o v i n c i a l i s m i n our own s t a t e i s p r e t t y
obvious. Simultaneously, we're b e i n g c h a l l e n g e d by
c o u r t c a s e s , which may c a u s e us t o repay a l l t h e nonr e s i d e n t l i c e n s e d i f f e r e n t i a l s back t o 1970. T h i s
would mean t h a t w e ' l l probably s e l l t h e p l a c e and go
i n t o a n o t h e r l i n e of work.
The a n t i - h u n t e r p r e s s u r e i s e x p e c t e d t o i n c r e a s e
everywhere, which may s h i f t t h e d e e r h a r v e s t from t h e
h u n t e r t o t h e coyote. C a l i f o r n i a ' s r e c e n t r e p o r t by
Longhurst and h i s c o l l e a g u e s s a i d r a t h e r gloomily, "We
don't t h i n k we can s t e m t h e t i d e of h a b i t a t d e s t r u c t i o n and a n t i - h u n t e r p r e s s u r e s . "
California is kind
of a b e l l w e t h e r h e r e . They've had t h e problems l o n g e r
than other s t a t e s .
The game departments a r e f a c e d w i t h i n c r e a s i n g
c o s t s , and i n c r e a s i n g demands f o r more complex i n f o r mation, and s i m u l t a n e o u s l y they a r e f a c i n g a reduct i o n i n income. Even I can f i g u r e out what t h a t
means. We a r e probably going t o have t o put more
money i n t o non-game a c t i v i t i e s , and I d o n ' t t h i n k i t
w i l l come f a s t enough t o f i l l i n t h e gap between now
and when t h e l e g i s l a t u r e does i t . So we're having t o
133
put our funds i n t o o t h e r a r e a s because of t h e p u b l i c
r e l a t i o n s a s p e c t s . We have a need f o r more i n t e r n a l
c o s t a c c o u n t i n g and p l a n n i n g t o s e e where t h e money
h a s gone. We may b e s t a r t l e d by t h e amount of money
t h a t goes i n t o some r e s e a r c h p r o j e c t s when i t i s
f i n a l l y summarized. Game departments a r e now f a c e d
w i t h a r a s h of l e g i s l a t i v e i n t e r v e n t i o n s a f t e r many
I t seems t o b e
y e a r s of r e l a t i v e l y f r e e s a i l i n g .
our t u r n . Eisenhower once s a i d , "I d o n ' t t h i n k we
need e a s i e r problems, I t h i n k we need b e t t e r men.''
How s e l e c t i v e have we been i n o u r h i r i n g p r a c t i c e s
i n w i l d l i f e a g e n c i e s ? We've h i r e d a l o t of p e o p l e
i n t h e p a s t 30 y e a r s . Perhaps what I ' m s u g g e s t i n g i s
t h a t we've been g e t t i n g along i n a r a t h e r s l i p - s h o d
f a s h i o n which won't work now t h a t we're g e t t i n g i n t o
t h e b i g l e a g u e s . The r e s e a r c h h a s g o t t o b e b e t t e r
and d e e p e r , and I d o n ' t t h i n k t h e u n i v e r s i t i e s , a t
p r e s e n t , a r e p r e p a r i n g t h e p e r s o n n e l t o do i t . They
a r e r e f l e c t i n g t h e market. You c a n ' t g e t a job i n
some of t h e f e d e r a l a g e n c i e s i f t h e y ' r e i n a dec l i n i n g budget y e a r because they have t o do what t h e y
I f you've got t h e home o f f i c e
c a l l "GS averaging.''
f u l l of 15's and 1 6 ' s , you've g o t t o h i r e 3 ' s and
4 ' s s o y o u ' l l average o u t a t 12. Some of t h e agenc i e s have r e a l l y n o t made much of an e f f o r t t o i m prove t h e q u a l i t y of t h e i r people.
Thad Box p o i n t e d o u t t h a t 12 c r e d i t s i s t h e
minimum C i v i l S e r v i c e requirement t o b e a range
examiner. I submit t h a t 12 c r e d i t s i n range h a r d l y
q u a l i f i e s one t o go o u t and make d e c i s i o n s i n f l u encing t h e f u t u r e o f t h e p u b l i c l a n d s a s w e l l a s t h e
f i n a n c i a l w e l f a r e of many c i t i z e n s . Game damage
complaints a r e i n c r e a s i n g i n t h e w e s t e r n s t a t e s , and
i t h a s become a v e r y s e r i o u s i s s u e . F i s h and game
commissioners and t h e o t h e r p o l i t i c a l l y a p p o i n t e d
a d m i n i s t r a t i v e t y p e s d e a l w i t h a x e h a n d l e measurements, t h e game manager f o l l o w s along w i t h a yards t i c k , and t h e r e s e a r c h e r i s measuring s t u f f t o f o u r
decimal p l a c e s . T h i s i s p a r t i c u l a r l y i r o n i c when
we c a n ' t even make one s i m p l e breakdown, such as a r e
we g a i n i n g , l o s i n g , o r h o l d i n g our own on mule d e e r ?
I'm
Those a r e c l a s s i n t e v a l s of 33 1 1 3 p e r c e n t .
I'd like
n o t r e a l l y impressed w i t h decimal p o i n t s .
t o know i f we have such a t h i n g a s a " l a c k of conf idence" i n t e r v a l ?
Tha l a n d i t s e l f is obviously under c o n t i n u a l l y
i n c r e a s i n g p r e s s u r e . Land i s f i n i t e and r e c r e a t i o n a l
pressures a r e i n addition t o a l l the t r a d i t i o n a l
e c a n ' t buy a l l t h e needed game ranges and
uses. W
a r e going t o have t o l e a r n t o g e t a l o n g w i t h what we
have. T h i s i s going t o i n v o l v e a d e g r e e of cooperat i o n , which h a s h e r e t o f o r e been unknown between t h e
a g e n c i e s . Arizona charges an e x t r a f e e t o h u n t on
I t h i n k i t ' s a good
l a n d s t h a t t h e y have improved.
i d e a . A $5 f e e t o hunt on t h e Kaibab might b e t h e
r i g h t way t o f i n a n c e t h e s t u d i e s , because we may soon
run o u t of d o l l a r s . The demand f o r t h e d e e r i s
o b v i o u s l y going t o exceed t h e supply. More buck
h u n t i n g and l e s s trophy h u n t i n g w i l l b e t h e r u l e .
Colorado i s a l r e a d y going f o r l e s s trophy h u n t i n g and
more meat. T h i s is j u s t t h e o p p o s i t e of what t h e y " r e
f i n d i n g on A f r i c a n game ranges where they s h o o t bucks
and fawns. They d o n ' t s h o o t t h e i r p r o d u c t i v e herd
segments. Why t h e d i f f e r e n c e ? I t h i n k t h e t r a d e o f f s between t h e d e e r o r e l k and l i v e s t o c k a r e going
t o b e h a r d fought. Remember t h a t some game d e p a r t ments, under p o l i t i c a l p r e s s u r e , d o n ' t p r o v i d e much
of a f i g h t when t h e l i v e s t o c k i n t e r e s t s remind them
of t h e i r l o y a l t i e s .
Probable Causes of t h e Recent Decline
C r i p p l i n g l o s s e s w i l l probably i n c r e a s e . Longrange s h o o t i n g , f e a r of f i n e s (abandonment of does
and y e a r l i n g b u c k s ) , more i l l e g a l h u n t i n g because
more r e s t r i c t i o n s make i t more p o s s i b l e t o h u n t
i l l e g a l l y , and a p r o b a b l e i n c r e a s e i n poaching can
be expected. W i l d l i f e d i s e a s e s w i l l probably i n c r e a s e , a s D r . Hayes mentioned, w i t h t h e i n c r e a s e i n
s t o c k i n g on p u b l i c l a n d s and w i t h r e s u l t a n t poor
n u t r i t i o n . The s a d t h i n g i s t h a t t h e r e a r e probably
very few w i l d l i f e r s and probably no h u n t e r s t h a t know
a n y t h i n g about w i l d l i f e d i s e a s e s . We g e n e r a l l y n o t e
i n our r e p o r t s t h a t d i s e a s e d i d n o t seem t o b e a
problem, perhaps because we don't recognize i t . An
o l d Ozark h i l l b i l l y s a i d , "We're g e n e r a l l y down on
what we a i n ' t up on." P r e d a t i o n w i l l probably inc r e a s e a s t h e h a b i t a t s h r i n k s , o r d e g e n e r a t e s , and
i t may d e c r e a s e i f t h e p u b l i c demands more p r e d a t o r
c o n t r o l . T h a t ' s a toss-up.
S t a r v a t i o n can b e cont r o l l e d by r e d u c i n g d e e r numbers i f o t h e r forms of
range c o m p e t i t i o n do n o t e x i s t , o r i t may b e brought
about by changes i n t h e w e a t h e r , which we c a n ' t do
a n y t h i n g about. We can improve t h e ranges a t g r e a t
c o s t , and d i s c o v e r t h a t i t h e l p s c a t t l e a t t h e expense of d e e r . The p u b l i c may end up i n s i s t i n g on
an a r t i f i c i a l f e e d i n g program l i k e t h a t a t Jackson
Hole where t h e s t a t e p l u s t h e f e d e r a l government p u t
o u t $700,0000+ a n n u a l l y f o r supplemental f e e d f o r e l k .
ProbabZe Causes of the Recent Decline
J u s t c o n s i d e r what $700,000 could b e used f o r i n
o t h e r p r o j e c t s . I f you don't have a w i n t e r r a n g e ,
you go t o t h e s u b s t i t u t e .
Deer l o s s e s t o a c c i d e n t s a r e v e r y l i k e l y going
t o i n c r e a s e w i t h more r o a d s , more f e n c e s , more r e s e r I don't s e e how we can prev o i r s , and more d i t c h e s .
d i c t t h e f u t u r e of d e e r h a b i t a t e x c e p t t h a t w e ' l l
c o n t i n u e t o l o s e more of i t . What h a b i t a t we do have
can b e manipulated w i t h t h e use of f i r e , and t h e cont r o l of f i r e . But I t h i n k t h e q u a l i t a t i v e l o s s e s ,
s u c h a s from o v e r u s e , a r e bound t o i n c r e a s e . The
q u a n t i t a t i v e a s p e c t s of h a b i t a t l o s s pose a n e n d l e s s ,
one-way a t t r i t i o n . Twenty thousand a c r e s a y e a r a r e
converted from one kind of a g r i c u l t u r a l use t o
a n o t h e r , and a m i l l i o n a c r e s a y e a r i s l o s t under t h e
freeways.
It t a k e s 60 a c r e s t o b u i l d a n i n t e r c h a n g e .
The new n a t i o n a l p l a n t w i l l probably b e a c l o v e r l e a f .
We'll b e lucky t o l e v e l o f f t h e mule d e e r l o s s e s
and t h e n f i g h t t o h o l d our own i n t h e f a c e of t h e s e
e n d l e s s problems.
I n c l o s i n g , I ' d l i k e t o q u o t e from Santayana,
who s a i d , " A l l problems a r e d i v i d e d i n t o two c l a s s e s .
S o l u b l e q u e s t i o n s , which a r e t r i v i a l ; and i m p o r t a n t
Thank you.
q u e s t i o n s , which a r e i n s o l u b l e . "