—
My wife said she heard people talking about the article I wrote concerning — in her words — family planning for deer.
Sandy was speaking of a page one May 14 article about the Maryland Wildlife & Heritage Service making us the first state to approve the use of GonaCon.
GonaCon is a deer birth control chemical that has the approval of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. So that makes it OK to stick the stuff in a female deer in an effort to keep her from having baby deers. These Bambi creatures have a nasty way of eating expensive ornamental plants and denting Lexus grills in Suburbiana, Md.
I’m guessing the name, GonaCon, could be loosely translated into Gonads-Not; the ‘gona’ part deriving from gonads and ‘con’ meaning contrary or ain't gonna happen. But what do I know?
That's a good question, actually.
I know this. Our state wildlife agency is not about to spend up to $1,000 of hunting license revenue or Pittman-Robertson kickback funds per deer to keep the venison herds controlled. A hunter will continue to be the No. 1 player in the thinning-dragging-eating-mounting (in the taxidermy sense) of Maryland’s bucks and does.
Paul Peditto is director of the Maryland wildlife agency because he knows a lot about our deer. Either that or he knows a lot about our deer because he is the director.
Either way, Peditto says for a female deer’s reproductive capabilities to be altered she must be shot with a tranquilizer dart, captured, injected by hand with GonaCon and tagged twice, once to identify her for future injections and another to warn that, for a while anyway, the meat shouldn't be consumed by humans.
The contraceptive works 80 percent of the time, but one year later there is an even greater chance that doe will become pregnant if the expensive process is not repeated.
All of this adds up to not only substantial use of manpower, but of money. Peditto estimates the cost per deer can reach up to $1K.
This kind of thing could only be applied in an enclosed or otherwise restricted and small area where the deer can’t escape and even then the state won’t pay for it.
Any use of Gonads-Not in Maryland would be paid for by other sources, say a homeowners association whose million-dollar dwellings and the deer that are eating ornamental pants are in some sort of enclosed setting.
Maryland will continue to rely on another form of deer family planning and it is much less expensive.
A box of 30-06 shells costs, let’s say, $20. There are 20 shells in a box. The math is pretty easy, even for me. Using this form of ungulate family planning, birth control can be applied permanently at $1 a pop... unless the operator is a bad shot.
Contact Outdoor Editor Mike Sawyers at msawyers@times-news.com
Mike Sawyers' Blog
Related Photos
-
MIKE SAWYERS
Family planning for deer
- Mike Sawyers' Blog
-
-
The hook & bullet writers
Recently, there were a couple heartwarming incidents that took place in regard to the Outdoors page.
-
Senior hunt license to be required in West Virginia
The first thing you need to know about the new West Virginia hunting licenses for resident seniors is that they won’t be required until the 2012 license year. In fact, they won’t even be for sale until mid-December or so.
-
Bedwetting info, tips for parents
CUMBERLAND — By the time they are 5 years old, 80 percent of children are able to sleep through the night without urinating.
-
Family planning for deer
My wife said she heard people talking about the article I wrote concerning — in her words — family planning for deer.
-
Growl! Snarl! Meow!
As best we can, let’s try to sort out this mountain lion thing that has flashed before our eyes during the past week or three.
-
Johnny, on the spot, delivers for CCC
There likely are few things in life that could drag someone away from a relaxing soak in the hot tub on a cool, autumn Saturday morning.
- May 24, 2007
- February 21, 2007
- December 12, 2006
- October 18, 2006
- More Mike Sawyers' Blog Headlines
-
The hook & bullet writers
