Overpopulation of Bambi in my area

[ThrottleJunkie]

Several years ago, the state of Ohio had to extend hunting season due to an overpopulation of deer frolicking around. Industrialization and the constant need for more housing/developing, especially in Cleveland suburbs, is doing a number on the wildife out here. Even areas that were once considered "boonie" now have shopping malls, restaurants, etc.

Problem is we're leaving these deer nowhere to go so they wander around suburbia and it's legitimately becoming dangerous. Every night on my 15 minute drive home I'm guaranteed to have to check my brakes to avoid a deer running across the street and I often see cars stopped with their front end smashed in and blood sporadically spattered around the fenders and such. Hell before mating season I have to buy new pads to keep em from rolling up my hood. Ok not really but you get the point.

It also doesn't help that hunting with rifles in the state of Ohio is strictly forbidden which makes no sense considering 80% of the state still lacks any sort of civilization. Muzzleloaders and bows it is!!!

Anyways, I'm looking for the proper channels to speak with regarding this issue but I'm absolutely clueless as to where to start. Anyone have any sort of experience with this?

 

[slowr w/o blowr]

You can still hunt with Shotguns and slugs. Sabots will get a clean kill at 200 yards without much shooter skill. I live right off the state line between Indiana and Ohio. From what i've seen, if you guys had a firearms season that was longer than a week and allowed you to hunt on Sundays, you wouldn't be in such a predicament.

 

[BLK03SVT10TH]

My buddy went to Colorado and saw this.

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrqUPIZl6oU"]YouTube- Elk Herd Near Dolores and Telluride Colorado[/nomedia]



How the hell do you Embed a Youtube Video?

 

[CobraBob]

We have a similar problem around here as well. The deer are populating and have nowhere to go as their habitat shrinks. Unfortunately it becomes a safety issue for drivers. I see deer crossing roads all the time. My wife hit a deer (small one fortunately) a couple of weeks ago and although she wasn't hurt it did $2,000. worth of damage to her 2009 Hyundai Azera. Fortunately Allstate has no deductible for an animal accident so there is no out of pocket expense for us, but it could have been much more serious had the deer been a full grown adult. I am convinced that part of the problem is, like you said, the inability for hunters to hunt and thereby control the numbers. Being that there is so much residential property around here I guess it would be somewhat dangerous for hunters to be out there culling herds of deer. The population does need to be controlled for the safety of drivers, but the biggest problem is that the deer have nowhere to go as their habitat shrinks.