Deer

I  had an email this week from a reader who spotted two deer crossing Roland Avenue near Lake Avenue at about 10:30 at night. Only a few cars were on the street. Bright lights made the deer easy to spot as they crossed Roland and strolled into yards on the east side of the street.   She wrote trying to reach someone in the neighborhood association for that area. After emailing friends in north Roland Park, I learned these deer were not an unusual occurrence. One friend on St. George's Road said her munched-on garden is proof of their regular prowling.

In answer to Dr. Camay Woodall's concern about the deer population in and around Towson ("Deer problem around Towson is threat to property, and safety" April 18) and his question, "Can archers help with this?" the answer is a resounding, "NO. " Does he want novice, or even "experienced" bow hunters, shooting arrows in the Towson area? Bowhunters have already taken over the recreational activities of hikers, bikers, nature watchers, etc., at Loch Raven by being allowed to hunt for an unbelievable five months out of the year, even when there is full foliage on the trees.

A TV helicopter buzzing overhead. Baltimore County firefighters and Maryland Natural Resources Police officers on the scene. Defying a police order, two men in an inflatable boat braved the elements on the icy Patapsco River. Last week's much-publicized incident in Linthicum had all the elements of a daring rescue, except the victim was no capsized fisherman or stranded swimmer. It was a deer — as in a wild animal. You know, the kind that live out there , where they take their chances with cold weather and rivers and other of Mother Nature's challenges.

I am writing concerning the letter by Dr. Camay Woodall in the April 18 edition of the Towson Times ("Deer problem around Towson is threat to property, and safety"), concerning the number of deer in the Towson area. I fully agree with Dr. Woodall that the deer population is too large and presents hazards to people's health and the environment. While allowing a limited hunting season in order to cull the population is a good idea, I think there is better, more environmentally-friendly alternative to bring the deer population to a manageable level.

The Sun's editorial on the rescue of a deer from the Patapsco River was so one-sided and closed-minded, I couldn't believe it ("Oh, deer!" Dec. 21). Whatever happened to compassion for living creatures? Instead, The Sun upheld the fines given to the two men who decided to rescue a deer stuck in the ice — unlike the people whose job it was to do this. I feel the Department of Natural Resources could have made more of an effort, particularly seeing how a pair of deer were rescued in Minnesota.

I wholeheartedly applaud the efforts of the deer spaying experiment ( "Loch Raven area becomes test site for deer spaying experiment," Feb. 13). For too long the Band-Aid has been to kill (and the killing never stops, year after year). I suggest this experiment add a tangent: Stop development and removal of habitat. The "overpopulation" is what it is because of humans, not deer. So it is high time we give a little to make it right, and this spaying experiment (which isn't burdening the Maryland taxpayer)

As tens of thousands of deer hunters prepare for the busiest part of the season Saturday, it's hard to believe there was a time during the early days of the last century when deer were nearly extinct in Maryland and hunting them was banned. It also might be hard to believe that the population explosion started in the 1930s, when six deer were released by state wildlife managers at Aberdeen Proving Ground. "There is no other native species in North America that's demonstrated this kind of decline and recovery," said Paul Peditto, head of the Department of Natural Resources Wildlife and Heritage Service.

When is the value of the life of one animal not the same as that of another animal? I guess it is when one is a dog and one is a deer. Apparently it is "the right thing to do" according to one rescuer and "it would have been the wrong thing for anyone to turn their back" according to another rescuer, when talking about the rescue of a dog who ended up in the water in the Inner Harbor ( "Baltimore Police officers rescue dog from Inner Harbor," ...

Some motorists in the area apparently have had a close encounter with a deer, according to callers to SUNDIAL.Of 445 callers yesterday, 319, or 72 percent, said that they either have struck a deer or have had a close call. Only 126 said they had not."It's Your Call" represents a sampling of opinions from certain segments of the community, but it is not balanced demographically, as would be done in a scientific public opinion poll.@

Government sharpshooters are taking aim at hundreds of white-tailed deer in the national park surrounding the Camp David presidential retreat in Western Maryland. The move to reduce the deer population comes after nearly three decades of research and opposition from animal-rights advocates. Acting Park Superintendent Sean Denniston said shooting in Catoctin Mountain Park near Thurmont began Monday afternoon and will continue most weekday afternoons and nights through mid-March. Large sections of the park will be periodically closed, he said.

I would like to remind Dr. Camay Woodall that there are deer resistant plants. Look it up, and I'm sure you will find some that you like. Your rant about the deer only shows that you have plants that they like - so you are contributing to the problem. As far as vegetables, etc., put a higher cage around them so that they may not be able to get to them. Remember that we have built developments where deer used to live.. How would you like it if your territory was suddenly taken over by someone else?

I would like to reiterate comments I made some years ago, since the problem has only become worse. When are we going to get serious about the deer problem in Towson? The deer have reproduced out of all proportion, precisely because we feed them so well. They would not be having multiple births if they were not well-nourished. They destroy not only our gardens, but the important understory trees in our parks that would replace existing trees when they die or are lost to storms.

Back in the good old days, so goes a common lament, Harford County was country. Then came suburban sprawl and things just haven't been the same. Well, certainly it's true things aren't the way they were 20 or 30 or 40 years ago, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're worse. A case in point is the photograph snapped recently by Bill Olfson of a bald eagle feasting on a deer carcass. Mr. Olfson sent us the picture and we published it Wednesday. For those who missed it, the shot shows a spectacular and majestic example of our national symbol doing what such creatures do in the wild: taking advantage of an easy meal.

Ashley Bates nearly missed the first day of this year's Junior Deer Hunt. The 12-year-old from Catonsville, who took a safety class last spring in order to hunt, was supposed to be practicing with her club field hockey team Nov. 12. But when Ken Bates got word the night before that his daughter's practice had been canceled, he packed up the truck, picked up his father, Ken Sr., and took his daughter to a Worchester County property the family has...

Editor: I was reluctant to read the article on luring deer because I have an aversion to hunting and killing. However, curiosity made me read it to see how hunters lure innocent deer into their sight. So I learned about scenting, rattling antlers and grunt calling. But it was the last sentence, "Learning to call the deer in can be as much fun as shooting them," that went straight to my heart. I've heard most of the reasons for hunting deer — thinning the population, lessening car accidents, relieving the starvation of deer in winter, and protecting the farmer's livelihood — so I am prepared to be chided for my naivete.

I  had an email this week from a reader who spotted two deer crossing Roland Avenue near Lake Avenue at about 10:30 at night. Only a few cars were on the street. Bright lights made the deer easy to spot as they crossed Roland and strolled into yards on the east side of the street.   She wrote trying to reach someone in the neighborhood association for that area. After emailing friends in north Roland Park, I learned these deer were not an unusual occurrence. One friend on St. George's Road said her munched-on garden is proof of their regular prowling.

I would like to reiterate comments I made some years ago, since the problem has only become worse. When are we going to get serious about the deer problem in Towson? The deer have reproduced out of all proportion, precisely because we feed them so well. They would not be having multiple births if they were not well-nourished. They destroy not only our gardens, but the important understory trees in our parks that would replace existing trees when they die or are lost to storms.

Ron Schuk started his work day Monday with some unexpected company. When he arrived at the Randallstown auto repair shop about 7:45 a.m., several Baltimore County Police cars were on the lot. "I thought maybe the alarm had gone off," he said. "But, no! I saw the front window smashed in and a deer in the shop. Those big Bambi eyes were looking right at me. " A vehicle had struck the animal in the 9300 block of Liberty Road shortly before 7 a.m. The deer ran from the highway and crashed through a front bay window at Auto Masters.

Madonna Road at Deer Creek in northern Harford County is closed to through traffic for approximately six weeks, the county government announced Friday. The bridge deck and the approach road were damaged during Tropical Storm Lee last month, necessitating repairs, the county said in a news release. The closure took effect Friday morning and effects a road that links Jarresttsville Pike (Route 146) with Route 136. The county said questions regarding this project should be addressed to Dan Svrjcek at Harford County DPW at 410-638-3299.