Reader disagrees with deer culling

Reader disagrees with deer culling

Letters to the editor are opinion editorials submitted by readers. Letters to the editor are a long tradition in American journalism. The views and opinions of the writer do not necessarily reflect those of Mason County Press, its staff or its parent company. For more information, please refer to MCP’s Op/Ed policy.

Dear Editor:

Cattle ranchers near the Serengeti have learned to live with lions. Some people in Ludington think deer are too dangerous to co-exist with. What does that say about them? In any case your position should be based on facts, not fear.

The white-tailed deer is immune to Lyme disease so obviously cannot spread it. A tick may hitch a ride but if the deer is alive, you will not get close enough to it for the tick to jump onto you.

There has never been a case of chronic wasting disease in Mason County and very few anywhere in Michigan (the last count I could find was 18) most of these are farm raised deer in southeast Michigan, not in a wild heard. According to the CDC there has never been a case of a human having it.

The only way to get an accurate count of the deer population in an area is a fly over, using infrared equipment. Grand Haven did this a few years ago because of claims of hundreds of deer in the city and they counted fewer than sixty. You cannot accurately calculate the number of deer in an area.

Comparing crop damage to flower damage is not valid, a yard can be protected by a $50 motion sensor sprinkler. Crops are a farmer’s livelihood, yet many will not kill the deer. Hazing works much better for farmers and would for the city but does require some work.

Of course, the current deer in Ludington were not here before us, they only live five or six years in the wild, but historical photographs show many deer taken around here over a hundred years ago. And I have seen these photos and that is more than I can say about other photos referred to. When I requested them, I was told there were none.

Culls are expensive and do not result in fewer deer, once started they last forever so your tax dollars will be paying for this year after year while the streets and sidewalks continue to deteriorate. 

Terry Grams

Ludington