There are an estimated 30 million white-tailed deer in this country 100 times more than a century ago, and in states like Virginia, predators that used to control their populations are gone. That leaves humans to manage herds of deer and the Commonwealth is trying to come up with a new plan to do that. Native Americans and early settlers depended on deer to supply them with meat and clothing, so there was probably not much objection to hunting them, but in the 20th century, as many Americans moved to cities, another force shaped our perception of deer Walt Disney. Today, millions of people are thrilled to see deer in their parks and neighborhoods, and theyve disliked hunters since the day one of them shot Bambis mother. But the truth is that hunting is our main means of controlling deer populations and scientists say they must be controlled. Deer are good at two things eating and making more deer, says Al Cambronne, author of a new book called Deerland. In it, he points out that
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