Patrick Durkin: Researchers say ‘feds’ should manage deer herd

Three researchers from Cornell University and UW-Madison think the federal government should take the lead on managing the nation’s deer and elk, arguing that hunters and state wildlife agencies aren’t controlling the herds’ impacts on society, forests, and other wildlife.
In a report published April 3 in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Conservation Science, the researchers charge state wildlife agencies are catering to recreational hunters. Their paper – “Where have all the Flowers Gone? A call for federal leadership in deer management in the United States” – claims state-agency deference to less than 10% of the population (hunters) lets deer herds overpopulate, thus neglecting the states’ obligations to manage wildlife for all citizens.