New York, NY -Outdoor Life
takes a nationwide look at the health of deer populations in its September issue
and predicts a dire situation unless outdoorsman take action. The article, “Deer
Depression” by Andrew McKean highlights decreases in the deer population and
access risk factors. For the complete article see the September issue of Outdoor
Life, on newsstands now, or visit OutdoorLife.com.
“A number of leading
indicators suggest that whitetail numbers are heading towards a game-changing
decline,” says Andrew McKean, Executive Editor of Outdoor Life. “Hunters have
had a great run the last few years with a massive population of deer, record
setting bucks and multiple doe tags but without intervention that could be
coming to halt. Habitat loss, an ever increasing and unmanaged predator
population and a number of other factors are contributing to a nationwide
crash.”
“Deer Depression” highlights eight identified threats to the
whitetail population, assigning habitat loss and intolerance from many suburban
residents who view deer as a nuisance as the biggest threats. Experts
interviewed by the magazine are predicting a drop in deer populations between
10-25% in the next few years. Maturing forests, which can not provide the same
amount of wildlife forage and cover as they used to and predators, are also
leading factors contributing to the decline.
“I hope this assessment
serves as a wakeup call,” says McKean. “I think more active deer management on a
nationwide level is necessary to stem the tide in this building storm. This
doesn’t have to be an eventuality if we take the steps to preserve whitetail
including aggressive predator control; better disease monitoring; and habitat
conservation. This is a situation that we can fix.”
For the complete
article, see the October issue of Outdoor Life, on newsstands now or visit
OutdoorLife.com
Outdoor Life (OutdoorLife.com) is the source for hunting
and fishing adventure. Outdoor Life provides technical information and insight
to the more experienced outdoorsman, including field reports and gear guides to
supply hands-on hunters and anglers with the most current knowledge about their
passion, supplemented with the latest techniques, tactics and tips. Outdoor Life
achieves this by featuring how-to articles written by experts in the field, the
best and most captivating adventure stories from the woods or on the water,
comprehensive regional coverage of the best hunting and fishing opportunities in
specific areas, and annual gear tests conducted by the Outdoor Life editors.
Outdoor Life is published 10 times a year by the Bonnier Corporation. The
Bonnier Corporation (bonniercorp.com) is one of the largest consumer-publishing
groups in America and the leading media company serving passionate, highly
engaged audiences through more than 40 special-interest magazines and related
multimedia projects and events.
