To the editor:

We would like to respond to Tom Yager's letter concerning white tailed deer, published in the May 11th issue of the Sullivan County Democrat.

Mr. Yager views the deer population solely through the lens of the deer hunter. He understandably would like deer to be sufficiently abundant to allow hunters to readily shoot deer. He does not take into account the destructive impact that the current excess deer population has on the forests they inhabit, including on the commercial and environmental interests of New York forest landowners.

There are far too many white tailed deer in New York State to sustainably support a healthy forest and field environment. Contrary to Mr. Yager's assertions, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is not doing enough to manage the deer population and mitigate their destructive impact on the lands they inhabit.

The New York Forest Owners Association agrees, viewing white tailed deer overpopulation as “Problem #1” for New York State forest regeneration. https://www.nyfoa.org/initiatives/restore-new-york-woodlands/what-are-problems

We own nearly 400 acres of forests and fields in Sullivan County. We have numerous hunters - including an entire hunt club - using our properties every year during hunting season, with all the hunting permits that can be obtained from New York State, including landowner permits. That yearly culling doesn't even dent the deer population on our lands.

The devastation from deer browse in our forests is dramatic, and appalling. The deer devour native hardwood tree seedlings, as well as everything else that isn't from China or Japan - the forest understory is barren of nearly everything native to this country. In the absence of effective deer control, the only way to try to avoid complete failure of forest succession is literally to fence out the deer - a task that is impossible for hundreds of acres, let alone the many millions of forested acres throughout our state.

Mr. Yager suggests that coyotes, bears and fishers are a significant factor in fawn mortality rates. We would be very interested to see his “statistics” supporting that proposition - the deer population levels on our properties certainly don't. The primary food source for coyotes is small animals, such as rabbits, mice and voles.

For black bears, it is grasses, roots, berries and insects. For fishers - which are about the size of a house cat - it is small and mid-sized mammals. We are happy to have all of these animals on our properties, and wish they would do more to reduce the overpopulation of rabbits, mice and voles. The bears candidly seem far more interested in the wild blueberries and blackberries growing on our properties than in taking down deer.

Respectfully, Mr. Yager is looking at the deer population issue through an entirely too small lens. The issues presented by the white tailed deer overpopulation for forest regeneration are far larger. We commend the DEC for beginning to recognize the mistakes of the past.

Much more needs to be done to rescue our forests and fields from the devastating impact of deer depredation. At stake is the survival of our forests - our oaks, maples, cherry, walnut and other valuable hardwoods - as well as the other plants and wildlife that our forests and fields support.