For years ,decades I 've been saying blaming deer for the lack of under story in Forrest is BS! It's a lack of light,poor management. Let my tell you I've taken some real ****e over this stance... Especially on a particular site. Now I have my own opinion on why ,being a woman . Today I open the NYODN to read on pg. 8 "Researcher : Whitetails not changing forests much " " Indeed deer can be thought of as an agent slowing down the densification problem. " ( too thick a canopy) This is a Penn State study... So if you live long enough you sometimes get vindication.
TOO many deer can and WILL cause damage to a wooded area. I take " studies" with a grain of scheptical salt.
As we all should, though having spent many years in the woods daily with a dang good knowledge of plants both native and invasive, plus the other animals deer share the land with I have a clear understanding of deer impact. That impact is not the drastic impact that has been stated for years. BTW let us not forget the bugs as well. Anyone watching several years of heavy tent and gypsy moth hatches understand my statement. I have also lived long enough to see the impact that a lack of small game hunting has had in forests . I laugh at the fact a person can walk through a snow covered area and notice a road map of snow tunnels not realizing every rodent that make these and exactly what they are eating all winter including the girdling of young trees. Walk past a "den" hole and not know it's woodchucks that eat all winter. Get a snow pack and you'll have dead saplings within a 30 yrd circle of said den...girdling. Flocks of turkey walking through a spring woods flush with maple sprouts Turkey don't just eat Bugs, open a crop it will be stuffed with greens. stripped tender maple leaf. Secession and the flush of growth after a timber cut. The light and water needs of plants in such areas and the time to die back thus the stages of sucession. Now lets not forget state and federal managed forests with public input. Unfortunately the public likes the wonderful old forest " look" So managers have spent years walking that proper verses public line in managing cuts. Which hasn't worked,so blame the deer. Hell I could really go on and on and delve into the financial and yes political rabbit hole in all this but people believe the things they are conditioned to believe thus it would be pointless.
Hey hubby brought me home a double commercial fridg. Done that and it is the most tender deer you'd hope to eat. Cut off legs at joints remove selves holds 3 deer.
