To the editor,

In the state of Florida, there are limits as to how many deer you are allowed to have in your possession. Specifically, these are two deer per person per day and four per household per week. This maintains the birth and death rates of the favorite game in Florida, the whitetail deer. There are people around my area who are dissatisfied with the limitation and believe it should be raised. This irrational thinking could lead to action that can be destructive both  to nature and out future posterity. The limitation on the amount of deer one hunter can harvest in a season is present to protect the population of animals, and should not be raised by even one. Should it be raised, the quality of game would fall, the population of deer would be depleted completely, and probably the worst outcome, our children will not be able to enjoy the hunt as we have.

The limit on the amount of deer one can harvest should not be increased because the quality of animals will fall. Studies have shown that to harvest trophy size and age deer, the population must be in perfect balance in terms of genetics. “Desirable genetics” depend on the heredity of a specific deer’s parents. For example, if a male fawn’s father was large in body size and had exquisite antlers, the fawn will more than likely develop these same desirable traits. The out come of increasing the harvesting limit on deer would make it much harder for these animals to survive and reproduce with deer to have favorable fathers.

If the adults of the “limit raised” generation couldn’t reproduce with favorable traits, then their offspring would not have the genes for “trophy qualities”. Because of this possible outcome, it is imperative to not raise the limitation of the harvesting of whitetail.

Yet another reason not to increase the limitation on harvestable deer is that the population of animals will eventually completely die out. It is illegal in the state of Florida to sell deer meat publicly for consumption. Why is this so? The answer this question is because the population of our deer is too delicate to slaughter for public sale like cattle. The limitation deer is extent for a reason. That reason being to protect the overall population from thinning and depleting altogether.

Over hunting, which is exactly what this would become, would take over because of the trigger happy people who believe “if it’s brown, it’s down.” The only way to prevent the population of deer from burning out is to keep the limit of the harvestable deer from increasing.

Probably the most important reason for not increasing the “limit” is that our children will not be able to enjoy the hunt as we have. I am an avid and passionate hunter. Ever since I could walk, my grandpa has been taking me into the woods to teach me to hunt, fish and track. He always told me, “Son, never take more than you need, and leave only your footprints.”

Even during those early learning years I understood why my Pa was telling me this. If you took more than you needed, you were no respecting nature and causing it to hurt too. This same attitude must be taken in this situation. To increase the limit on deer would be condemning the overall population to destruction. And if the deer are gone, then how can out children ever learn to love and respect the hunt as we have? They can’t! They cannot enjoy what they do not have. To raise the limit on deer would be to condemn our future posterity to disrespect the hunt.

If you want the quality of deer to fall, the overall population to die out, and our children to disrespect the hunt, then by all means raises the limit on deer hunting. However, if you are a fellow hunter who respects the woods, loves the hunt, and also believes in conservation for the good of the great wood lands, then I’m sure you’ll join with me in saying this. The limitation on the amount of whitetail deer harvestable in a season is there for conserving of the deer and the environment around it, and this limitation should never be increased by even one. 

Nic Bell

Holmes County High School Junior