" I don't know about any sick deer but there's a squirrel with a cough in my oak tree that's been keeping me up at nights. "

" So there is another sickness out there in addition to chronic wasting disease caused by overpopulation? Such a disease could possibly mutate, to cross over into our cattle, or might be something as dangerous as mad cow disease. It really is time to lessen the deer population. And oh, yes, I've seen many sick deer sightings - their bodies left in pieces, strung all over the highway - sick! I one time hit a deer, and it broke his hind legs, so that he struggled and suffered for nearly a half hour before someone came along who had a gun in his pickup, to put it out of its misery. Everyone in our family has hit at least one deer, but my sister says it could be worse. In Craig, Colorado, people hit elk often, and that's even more scary an experience. I long for the good old days, when the only road kill were possums and raccoons. "

" Mine had an open sore with significant blood loss where I shot him, Do I need to report that "

" I'm a little concerned about the deer population myself, having nearly hit one this weekend while riding my motorcycle. Now, I'm a responsible biker; I realize that if I ride in the country during this time of year, encountering deer is something to be expected. This, however, was on Van Dorn Street, well within the city limits. It's a worry. "

" What if it's the cattle making the deer sick? All the antibiotics crammed into our beef could have caused something to mutate to make the deer sick. "

" This is why I don't eat deer "

" I agree the deer population is getting out of control, so why don't we give the rifle hunters what they really want, 3 years with no limits. Sure they will say that they cannot afford to process any more deer, but maybe it's time to start letting them just shoot them and let them lie. "

" Then if they can't pay to have their deer processed, process it your self. We skin ours, debone all the meat and then take nothing but meat to the lockers. Save yourselves some money, it really is much less if you take MEAT ONLY into get it processed. "

" We should go out and shoot deer and just leave them lying there? That sounds an awful lot like the bison slaughter that occured when whites started taking over the Plains. How are deer carcasses left to rot all over good for anyone? The vultures have migrated by now. Are you willing to let the coyote, wolf and cougar populations rise to take care of the overabundance of prey animals? I didn't think so. "

" To Huh!!! What do you think happens with the deers that get hit by a car and take off running? The end up dying about 50 yrds away from the accident. They lay out there for the other animals. "

" Apparently 'Just a thought' hasn't heard that midwestern America's meat supply is the safest in the world. The only deer sickness identified thus far is that from overpopulation of the species. This overpopulation naturally means they lose their fear of humans. That's why you encounter them in the city, coming through picture windows, wandering onto porches, standing at roadside or in the road, quietly watching traffic instead of bolting. I even became afraid to take a walk in the country after I met a big buck coming out of the cornfield who shook his head and pawed the dirt at me, much like a bull getting ready to charge. I'm glad we have both bowhunters and gun hunters in our family, and they're glad that their venison supplies a good share of their family's meat. It's excellent ground and mixed half and half with beef. This makes great hamburger that no one would guess contains venison; it's leaner than all beef, and cheap when you get the deer yourself. "

" It appears that I am in possession of two deer who are suffering from fatal cases if lead poisoning. Their breathing is not measurable, their eyes are glassy and their tongues are sticking out. For the last couple hours, I've been noticing they look rather gutless. Any ideas? "

" Maybe G and P could get off their butts and do their jobs and "figure it out". Oh wait, they are too busy issuing statements disparaging citizens who have spotted mountain lions. If not that they are busy putting on their fish costumes and appearing on local TV. Nebraska's Travel and Tourism and Game and Parks at one time were top of the line organizations, among the elite in the Nation. But just like our Health and Human services agencies they have declined to the state of laughability. I drive about 40 miles a day, on average I see 30 to 50 deer a week, every week 52 weeks out of the year and I'm not even TRYING to find them. I would think a couple of G and P employees taking 50 hours a year each during their work schedule could probably find all of the sick deer they wanted. This is very lame. Help, I'm chained to my desk and the coffee cup and can't get up. "

" City people know everything. No hunter I know would shoot a deer and let it lay. For the size of our state our deer herd is tiny. Wisconsin for example has a heard of nearly a million with far less land and a higher human population. I hunt and drive country roads and highways all the time and have never hit a deer, came close but I pay enough attention to whats going on around me to notice the eyes in the ditch BEFORE it is to late. Besides I thought everyone wants to ban all the guns? Oh but when you need them someone driving with one in the truck is perfectly acceptable? Guns are a tool, when used right they have a purpose. Try drivng a nail with some pliers. "

" Over-crowed and not enough excellent public land and farmers that say NO are reasons why I've given up hunting here in NE.

Farmers say deer eat their crops and they want the state and feds to pay them for crop damage due to deer damage yet they won't let people hunt. Here's a solution. When a hunter wants to hunt.....let them.

The bottom line is this. We have a huge problem with a lack of land access for people to hunt. It's this lack of access which is a leading factor in people not hunting, a decline in license sales, and the huge growth in the deer population. The state says we have too many, farmers say we have too many deer, and the insurance comanies are saying we have too many deer yet very little or nothing is being done to let more people/ hunters have access to more land. If people want to limit the number of those hunting, then how can those same people honestly complain of too many deer or too much crop damage due to deer? "

" Geez! What's your point?? Are you saying Game & Parks desk employees need to go out and shoot deer? I'm not following. And I'm not sure where you get your info. I have a couple of friends who work there, granted they do IT work and so forth, and they say there's no dispute about mountain lion sightings, so GET OVER IT. If you sound like an angry crackpot when you call them up, you're not gonna get very far. ANYWHERE. "

" To "I just want to hunt"...there is usually a reason most farmers don't let hunters have access to their land. Most land owners do not appreciate hunters coming up to their door on opening day and asking permission to hunt on their land. Plan ahead, if you want to hunt on a certain piece of land. Do your research, find out who ownes the land and give them a call ahead of time. Another reason most farmers do not let hunters use their land is because of the waste hunters leave behind. Trash, cut fences, ruined field markers are all things that generally tend to irritate land owners.

Also just and FYI, there are no state or federal programs that pay out for "deer damage" alone. "

" Whitney, how wrong can one person be?


First off, hunters don't leave behind trash, cut fences, ruin field markers or do anything else destructive to land because if they did they know they would lose access to the land.

Right now there are no laws to pay land owners for crop damage due to deer, but some law makers have tried to push those forward. Thank God they were rejected.

Whether a hunter askes for permission on opening morning or 6 months in advance they are at least asking permission.

What I Just Want To Hunt wrote is correct. We have too many deer here in eastern NE without enough access to help reduce the population. In letting hunters hunt the land all we are doing is helping to reduce the number of deer on their land in their area.


Since more farmers are saying NO more than they are saying YES, it must be their opinion there isn't an issue with too many deer in eastern NE. With that said they need to stop complaining about the deer numbers because them saying NO to hunters is the root of the problem. "

" I've talked directly in person to G and P officials and they are very upfront in their denial of mountain lions in Southeast Nebraska. I'm not talking about "sighting reports" they simply don't believe them and believe anyone that "sights" one is a crackpot. And G and P officials are demonstrating their lack of ability to go in the field when they issue statements like this. Go and do some fieldwork. Deer aren't hard to find and a motivated employee wouldn't have a problem personally sighting a 1,000 in a 40 hour week if they were in the field. G and P at one time had a good rapport with citizens that simply doesn't exist anymore. They dictate we are to obey they'll let us know what to think and believe. "