DC Deer Overpopulation Yields Disastrous Results

A world with deer (left) versus a world without them (right). The difference is stark and extends from the ground to the canopy -- birds, mice, and chipmunks are more abundant without deer.

In recent years deer overpopulation in Washington DC has become an epidemic and increasingly difficult problem to manage.  While deer are peaceful and beautiful creatures, the fact is that they are doing a lot of damage in the Washington DC area.  DC deer overpopulation is resulting in damage to the forests, damage to private property, and even in potentially fatal car accidents.  The recent explosion in deer population is largely due to conservation efforts that were intended to repopulate a depleted deer population.  While the re-population was successful, the problem we have run into now is that the deer have no natural predators.  As a result now there is nothing to keep their population in check.  With deer overpopulation in Washington DC now such a pressing concern it’s important that steps are taken immediately to control their population.

One of the most telling signs of the deer overpopulation problem is the state of the forest. The forests in the Washington DC area are not being given the chance to recover and as a result there is very little new growth. Over time this will lead to the loss of forests, which will have a major impact upon local wildlife.

In addition to causing damage to forests, the large number of deer are also becoming a real concern for people.  They are destructive and often damage property and have a habit of destroying gardens as well.  One of the more serious concerns though is the increasing number of deer related car accidents.  It’s become a simple numbers game, with more deer the chances of one being struck by a car increases.  An accident involving a deer and a car is not only nearly always fatal for the deer, it is often deadly for the people involved as well. Take a drive down the Clara Barton Parkway at dusk one day. Stare the deer in the face as you drive by them grazing only a couple feet from the road and you know that one of them is going to pop out in front of a motorist on regular basis. In the past two years personally I have had deer on my street, deer in my backyard, had a deer jump over my vehicle while moving, and a deer strike a trailer that my wife was pulling for her business with a couple thousand pound load going 50+ miles per hour. The wounded deer was nowhere to be found, the trailer was badly damaged with hunks of deer hair stuck in the wreckage that are still there today.

Although it is an unpopular choice among animal rights advocates, the only viable solution to controlling the deer population is through organized hunting.  Without hunting the deer population will continue to grow resulting in a greater strain placed on both the environment, and the people who live in the Washington DC area. A recent idea we recently overheard on the radio seemed to make way too much sense. So why not have organized hunters reduce the venison population, and have their prey cut up and donated to the homeless and hungry in the DC area.

With no natural predators, and a limited habitat, the deer in the Washington DC area are a growing problem that must be taken car of as soon as possible.  The damage to the forests, personal property, and risk of fatal deer related car accidents now make the deer overpopulation a very pressing issue.

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