Student’s Last Name1
Student’s Name
Ms. Morris-Bauer
Honors English 10
1 Dec 2017
Tyler Park Deer Hunt
I can hear the birds singing their songs, and I feel the wind nipping at my nose. The sun is just beginning to peak above the horizon, and I can see the squirrels prancing around from tree to tree. I am 20 feet above the ground sitting silently in my tree stand, trying to blend in with the trees. In my mind, I am hoping that today I might be able to harvest a white-tailed deer. Similar to my hunting experience, outdoorsmen and women gather inside Tyler State Park for the annual deer hunt. I am curious to find out more about this hunt and why it occurs each year.
From what I have heard, the Tyler Park hunt occurs once every year, but I am not sure exactly why this hunt occurs. I know that, unlike Nockamixon State Park, Tyler Park does not have public game lands, meaning thatpeople are not permitted to partake in any form of hunting on park property. I am curious why the Game Commission opens up the park for hunting once a year. From previously driving past Tylerduring the day of the hunt, I know that the park is closed to the public for the hunt, which I am assuming is to protect people fromgunfire. In addition, there are people who protestagainst the hunt every year by standing outside the entrance of the park with signs discouraging the hunt. Taking all of this into account, should the Tyler Park deer hunt be eliminated?
Hunting has been around since the very beginning of life. The concept of the predator chasing the prey has driven and shaped all of life. Just like a fox or a coyote, humans have innate predator instincts. From the primitive styles of living, to the pioneer life, and eventually to modern living, the concept of hunting has always been around. However, just because society has evolved to the point where hunting is no longer needed in order to survive, this does not mean that the principles of hunting should be abandoned. Therefore, the Tyler Park deer hunt should not be eliminated. Hunting white-tailed deer in Pennsylvania immensely benefits the conservation effort for deer and wildlife as a whole. Furthermore, overpopulation of white-tailed deer causes a great deal of damage to our state’s diverse forests, showing that the population needs to be kept in check by way of the hunt. Similarly, whitetails create a dangerous traffic hazard which can cause a large number of injuries and financial damage. Not to mention, hunting has many benefits to humans. Thus, the Tyler Park hunt should not be eliminated.
The Tyler Park deer hunt should not be eliminated because hunting benefits the wildlife conservation effort through the management of the deer population. As many years passed and the environment changed,“Major predators such as the gray wolf and cougar have been extirpated from much of the deer’srange,” causing thedeer population to increases. This population increase isdue to the fact that there are very few factors to keep the population balanced (Rawinski). Deer overpopulation then causesdamage to the environment and depletes many natural vegetation and food sources. If the population then rises too high, a number of deer will die off due to starvation (Council 77). To prevent this from happening, deer removal must occur in order to manage the health and size of the deer herd (Wildlife 35). Some people argue that hunting is not the most effective way to limit overpopulation, hence many parks have tried both birth control and relocation.These strategies turn out to be an impractical way to manage population sizes, so park managers resort back to hunting (Kuznik). This failure proves that the Tyler Park deer hunt should not be eliminated. Furthermore, the strategy of hunting to limit the population size of deer is very effective. Bag limits and regulations on the number of deer legally harvested are put in place by professional wildlife biologists to ensure that the annual number of deer harvested can be sustained by the deer population (Council 76). In the case of Tyler Park, only 150 permits are sold for the hunt.By doing this, overpopulation will be eliminated and the problem of removing too many deer for the environment is avoided. These regulations have proven to be effective, because in the United States regulated recreational hunting, such as the hunting done in Tyler, has never caused any wildlife species to become threatened, endangered, or extinct (Council 83). The population is kept in balance, thus the Tyler Park deer benefits wildlife conservation.
Not only is it the mechanism of conservation, but the Tyler Park deer hunt also createseconomic funds for the wildlife conservation effort. Each year, license fees alone provide 900 million dollars for the state fish and game commission (Council 9). This money is used to support “thousands of people [in the Game Commission] working for the well-being of hundreds of species of birds, animals and fish, game and non-game species alike, on millions of acres of land and water” (Council 9).Without these funds, the game commission would not be able to protect parks, such as Tyler State Park, which would result in damage to the environment and wildlife. If the hunt continues, a large number of people will still be purchasing tags and licenses, helping fund the conservation of the park and its wildlife.Furthermore, taxes on firearms provide economic funds crucial to the conservation effort. Passed in 1937 and revised in 1970, the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act, or Pittman–Robertson Act, uses an 11 percent tax on firearms, ammunition, and archery equipmentto help with wildlife conservation (Schneck). In 2015 alone, Pennsylvania received around 38 million dollars which was used to fund hunter education programs, wildlife conservation, wildlife research, andhabitat management (Schneck). If the hunt was banned, many people would not be buying the firearms, ammunition, and archery equipment that they regularly use for the Tyler Park hunt. This decrease would then cause the revenue created from the Pittman–Robertson Act tax to decrease, consequentially hindering the wildlife conservation effort. Therefore, the Tyler Park hunt should not be eliminated because it creates much needed revenue for conservation.
Unlike conservation, the overpopulation of white-tailed deer damages the forest through overbrowsing, which is another reason why the hunt must occur. A white-tailed deer’s diet consists mostly of leaves, twigs, corn, nuts, and any other type of vegetation (Johnson 22). When the deer population is too high in a specific area, such as Tyler Park, deer will overbrowse the vegetation. This can result in a decrease in plant diversity, plant density, tree reproduction, and vegetation cover (Wildlife 10). However, the Tyler Park hunt will help prevent these effectsfrom occurring, as demonstrated in other parks:
After a series of annual deer removals, mean percent ground cover, mean plant height, and number of plant indicator species had a considerable positive response.This response was the result of cumulative deer harvests and a subsequent decline in deer populations. (Wildlife 11)
As a result, the hunt environmentally and cosmetically benefitsTyler for non-hunters who enjoy the park throughout the year. In addition to vegetation,if the deer population is not kept in check it willaffect many species of birds. Foliage that songbirds need for escape cover, nesting, and forging surfaces are eaten due to deer overbrowsing, putting the birds in danger. If the deer population rises above 38.1 deer/mi ², it is shown that 5 species of birds disappear (Wildlife 10). If the hunt is banned and the deer population is not kept in check, the park could likely lose many beautiful species of birds. Thus, the overpopulation of white-tailed deer creates forest damage due to overbrowsing
Just as white-tailed deer overpopulation causes damage to the forests, it also creates a traffic hazard.As the hunting season approaches each year, so does the rut, the period of time when the deer mate. This period causes the deer to be very active, resulting in a higher chance for a road collision (“Deer”).In PA during 2013, there were 3,364 reported deer-vehicle collisions where injury or towing occurred, only a portion of the total number of collisions (Wildlife 8). This record shows that deer collisions are extremely frequent, thus there is a serious problem when it comes to roadkill. From my personal experience, I see more roadkill deer on Swamp Road, which borders Tyler Park, than any other road in the area.If the hunt was to end, there would be even more deer crossing the many busy roads surrounding the park, resulting in more injury to humans, injury to deer, and damage to vehicles. The deer that would normally be humanely and safely killed during the hunt would now have a greater chance of being smashed at high speeds by a vehicle.Not only does this hurt the deer, but it also affects an innocent person financially. Therefore, the hunt should not be eliminated because it helps reduce the traffic hazard that deer create.
Unlike the harm that the hunt will produce if it does not occur, the Tyler Park hunt has many benefits to humans, confirming that it should not be eliminated. Instead of being domestically raised, deer are free ranging animals and eat natural vegetation. It has been proven that wild game, such as venison, has less fat than domestically raised animals and has a higher nutrient and mineral content (Council 88). These attributesmake venison healthier than raised meat, improving the hunter’s physical health. The hunterswill then be able to enjoy their harvest with their friends and family, while feeling a sense of accomplishment. Not only does hunting help people physically, but it also benefits mental health: “Recreational hunting has been show to strengthen family bonds andfriendships”(Council 87). Hunting skills and knowledge are passed down from generation to generation, so older generations teach their children or grandchildren the skills that they have acquired. Without this hunt, fathers will lose a valuable opportunity to spend time with their children, teaching and sharing memories with them. Personally, many of my favorite childhood memories revolve around hunting. I feel that it would be wrong if the hunt is eliminated because many hunters would miss out on the valuable memories that could have been made during the hunt. It is proven that hunting is beneficial to participants, thus there is no reason that the Tyler Park hunt should be eliminated.
Hunting is often a controversial subject, and the annual Tyler Park deer hunt is no exception. However, the hunt should not be eliminated because it has many positive effects. The hunt helps with the conservation effort not only environmentally, but also economically, showing that the hunt should not be stopped. Moreover, the deer population must be kept in balance because the deer cause a lot of damage to Pennsylvania forests, such as Tyler Park, and they create a dangerous traffic hazard. Furthermore, the hunt benefits humans, both mentally and physically. Thus, the annual Tyler Park white-tailed deer hunt should not be eliminated. Instead, people should be grateful for the many ways hunters benefit Tyler Park.
Throughout this assignment, I have learned a great deal of valuable information, most of which expands my knowledge from what I knew before this project. For example, I knew that Tyler Park does not have any state game lands, so I figuredthat there was a specific reason that the park opened to hunting. However, I did not know exactly why the hunt occurred. After completing my research, I now know that the hunt occurs to help the park’s environment and the deer herd. Interestingly, I also learned that without the help of hunters, through license fees, taxes, and other funds, wildlife conservation would be struggling for economic support. I thought that this was remarkable because typically people think that hunters hurt wildlife conservation, however it is really the opposite. In terms of the research itself, I felt that it was easier to write my paper, since I am interested in the topic. One difficulty that I faced throughout my research was that my topic is very specific, so finding support was challenging. However, once I was able to apply hunting as a whole to the concept of the Tyler Park hunt, my research was considerably easier. Looking back, I am glad that I picked the topic that I did.
Works Cited
Council for Wildlife Conservation and Education, compiler. The Hunter in Conservation: A Collection of Studies and Reports Summarizing the Role of the Hunter. 11 Mile Hill Road, Newtown CT, The Council for Wildlife Conservation and Education, Inc.
"Deer on the Move, Motorists Use Caution." Pennsylvania Pressroom, 27 Oct. 2016,
Johnson, Sylvia A. Animals of the Temperate Forests. Illustrated by Alcuin C.Dornisch, Lerner Publications Company, 1976.f
Kuznik, Frank. “Eating Themselves out of House and Home.”National Wildlife, 1998, pp. 38-43 SIRS Issue Researcher,
Rawinski, Thomas J. "Impacts of White-Tailed Deer Overabundance in ForestEcosystems: An Overview." North Fork Deer Alliance, June 2008,
Schneck, Marcus. "Hunting and Fishing Gear Taxes Again Boosting Wildlife and Fish Conservation in Pennsylvania." PENN Live, 12 May 2015, blog.pennlive.com/pa-sportsman/2015/05/hunting_and_fishing_gear_taxes.html.
Wildlife Services, et al., compilers. Environmental Assessment: White-Tailed Deer Management in Pennsylvania. In Consultation with the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Jan. 2015, PA%20Deer%20Damage%20Management.pdf.