Indiana deer hunting rates jump in 2010 season

In 1951, the Department of Natural Resources experimented with its first sanctioned hunting season.

In its inaugural season, approximately 16,000 hunters paid for a $5 license and reported taking 1,590 deer from more than 17 counties, according to the DNR 2010-11 Deer Hunting Guide.

In the 2010 deer hunting seasons, 134,004 deer were reported taken, according to a DNR press release.

Licenses were given out in 92 counties. More than a quarter of a million licenses are sold annually, according to the DNR 2010-11 Deer Hunting Guide.

The jump in numbers and third record-breaking season in a row have some Indiana residents questioning if this is a good or bad thing.

IU sophomore Justin Budash said he was unhappy with the high number of deer deaths.

“It’s sad that we are forcing these animals from just trying to live normal lives,” he said. “The whole notion of deer overpopulation is foreign to me. They are not bothering my way of life, so why should we interrupt theirs?”

However, President of the Indiana Deer Hunter’s Association Joe Bacon said there is a limited number of Indiana rural residents that do not enjoy deer on their land.

“Some citizens are unhappy with deer herds on private property,” he said. “People move to areas to be out in the wildlife, then the wildlife overtake their land and it isn’t what they thought it would be.”

Bacon used Bloomington as an example, stating that the city could have a deer problem because it is an edge community.

“Most wildlife are edge community animals, they thrive on open space and agriculture in the rural areas,” he said.

Beth Reinke, co-president of Revitalizing Animal Well-being, an animal rights group based in IU, said although there are risks involved, hunting is not completely bad.

“There are of course risks with hunting seasons, especially in urban zones, but those are risks that come with any gun-related issue,” she said.  “But there are also risks associated with an overpopulation of deer in urban areas: crop and plant destruction, increase in car accidents and the incidence of Lyme disease.”

Reinke said as long as hunting is as cruelty- and stress-free as possible for the animal then it is a much more ethical and environmentally friendly practice than most other methods of obtaining meat.

“Hunters that respect nature, support conservation and most importantly, use what they kill are being more responsible than the average grocery shopper,” she said.

The DNR not only focuses on safety and regulation, but it also seeks for ways hunting can give back to the community.

The DNR works with Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry, which organizes distribution of deer meat to area food banks.

The DNR also stated in the guide that hunting license revenue goes directly into conservation funds.

“For each hunting license sold in Indiana, the DNR received an additional 30 dollars in Wildlife Restoration Program funds,” according to the hunting guide.

Reinke said this a good idea.

“It makes sense for hunting license revenue to go back into wildlife protection,” Reinke said.