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CONSERVATION CORNER
(For the week of November 9, 2009)
What If Hunting Was Banned? - Part 1
by James L. Cummins

Over the past year, there has been a major controversy to ban hunting on some public lands and protesting against hunting in general.

Let's take a hypothetical situation to show what would happen in Mississippi if, in fact, hunting was banned. As of today, it is illegal to hunt deer in Mississippi. In other words, hunting is now a thing of the past. By July of 2010, Mississippi's deer herd has increased from 1.7 million animals to 3.5 million animals. That is about 1.8 million animals greater than the current habitat can support. So how will the surplus deer herd be reduced? Remember, hunting is now illegal.

The Delta is the hardest hit. In counties bordering the Mississippi River, the deer herd is totally out of control. Farming, the lifeblood of the Delta economy, is virtually impossible. Regeneration of timber along the Mississippi River ceases because young seedlings are being eaten by the deer population. The thousands of acres that have been planted in bottomland hardwoods through the Wetlands Reserve Program are now bare of vegetation.

Even our urban areas are accruing damage from deer. The number of collisions with automobiles has climbed to 40,000 statewide. Human have fatalities increased to 400. Automobile insurance rates have increased 30 percent. Highway 49 between Magee and Hattiesburg has become a deer dodging region. An afternoon drive is hazardous to one's health. On Interstates 10, 20 and 55, interstate commerce has lessened because truckers fear traveling through the state. Because hunting is illegal, there are no funds to support the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks or the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science. The signs on their doors say "Out of Business." We have no biologists or conservation officers. The loss in license revenue alone is $16.4 million. Federal aid through Pittman-Robertson funds generated by the sale of hunting equipment has been also lost. That total is $4 million dollars. State sales tax and income tax dollars lost to Mississippi amount to $93 million. Retail sales drop. The ripple effect on the economy is a $1.3 billion loss.

Wildlife management areas close and revert back to private ownership. Sporting goods stores close. Our restaurants and motels in rural areas cease to exist. Hunting lodges close. Over 17,000 people have lost their jobs. Some wildlife populations in Mississippi decrease because hunters are not providing the dollars to support them. Many private, non-profit conservation organizations have also closed their doors.

Next week, we will continue with this hypothetical scenario to further show what might happen if hunting in the Magnolia State was banned.