Post-crash, eliminating deer makes sense

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To the Editor:

This week I had the misfortune of striking a deer with my car. It was a lateral hit; the deer collided with the driver’s side of the automobile, eliminating any possibility of applying the brakes and avoiding the hit.

Fortunately, neither the passengers nor I were injured, though the vehicle sustained significant damage. I am grateful to the hunters in the area who were able to put the animal out of its misery.

A few weeks ago an individual wrote a Letter to the Editor suggesting eradicating the Island’s deer population with an extensive hunting campaign. At the time I thought the idea excessive, but after this incident, I wholeheartedly support this concept. Deer populations are exploding across the Northeast, so the Island’s herd is hardly a bulwark against species extinction.

For the record, I am not a hunter and tend to lean toward the “Don’t Shoot Bambi” crowd, but this recent collision has driven home the liability an excessive deer population poses to the Island.

Eliminating the deer herd, donating the excess meat to food pantries, and enjoying safer roads and a decrease in tick-borne illnesses is starting to make a lot of sense.

Julian Wise

Chilmark