Oh, Deer

There has been much to-do about the deer herd in Shawnee Mission Park and making it smaller, since it is having a negative impact on the park. Some organization called The Bite Club has emerged to protest the deer culling.

Now, I enter into this with fear and trembling: people involved on both sides have felt threatened and unsafe. Alonzo Washington has a email stalker who has introduced himself/herself into the situation. So feelings run high. Which is pretty typical for the upper middle class suburban folk who inhabit most of Johnson County. Most of them don't hunt, have never hunted, have never fired a gun, and just don't understand. The state I regard as my roots, Vermont, has had strategic extensions of hunting season and doe seasons to keep the deer herd at the correct size for years. All Vermonters, including my animal loving non-hunting parents understood this. You see, my parents would fit right in in Johnson County, culturally and by education and income. But they always understood: there is finite space, so for the health of the deer and the environment, the herd needs to be kept at a certain size. It really benefits the deer for there not to be too many of them. And it keeps the environment from being stripped by hungry deer herds. Not to mention fewer vehicle-deer encounters, which always end badly for the deer and often badly for the vehicle. So The Bite Club has understandable but misguided concerns about the culling of the deer herd. I say let the culling begin--the deer will be healthier in the long run and there will be venison for the homeless and poor. Also deer meat makes great jerky...