2009-11-19

Wild game paradox

There are more wild game mortalities on the roads than are being harvested by hunters every hunting season nationwide.

As a hunter and a long time member of the National Rifle Association (NRA), I’ve done much walking or scouting if you may, around on country roads, trails, creeks, dry rivers and in wooded areas. I apologize if every once in a while I walked on private land.

What scares me was the sign I’ve seen in Lakehills that says “No trespassing. Violators will be shot. Survivors will be shot again.”
The efforts and sincerity of wild life management seems to fall short. Human activities constitute most of the problem.

It’s obvious that vehicles cause most of the mortalities of wild game. It happens every day as compared to hunting which is seasonal. Every highway close to wooded areas is a potential killing field for wild game.

Ironically, most people say that wild game is encroaching on their neighborhoods. I disagree. On the contrary, it’s the people who have encroached into wild game habitats which are getting smaller and smaller every day. These habitats are being replaced by asphalt, concrete, building subdivisions, shopping centers, etc.

I used to live in Denver, Colorado. In that state, they reduce wild game fatalities by building underpasses along established game trails that crossed the highways . Of course, every once in a while, some deer would wander off the trails and get killed by vehicles, but for the most part wild game were allowed to have a means to cross the highway. Less wild game fatalities and less danger for the vehicles too.

Ben C. Jose
San Antonio