Question

Deer are eating the crops of local farms. Farm owners are asking wildlife managers to increase the bag limits for deer in the state park adjacent to their farms. Bag limits are the number of deer hunters can kill per season. What environmental factors should wildlife manager investigate before making a decision? Please provide supporting details for your answer.

Answer 1

Well if bag limits are increased, how will it affect the deer population?

Answer 2

they will decrease

Answer 3

Exactly. Now consider the effects which changes in the deer population would have on the species which interact with deer.

What effect would fewer deer have on species which deer eat like grass? What effect would changes in their populations have on the local ecosystem, like other animals which live in grasses? As grass roots prevent runoff, what effect would it have on local streams?

What effect would it have on species which depend directly on deer, like ticks? What effect would it have on species which depend indirectly on deer, like birds which eat ticks? What effect would it have on animals like bears and coyotes which depend on deer for food?