From: achenbac@epcot.spdc.ti.com (Jeff Achenbach)
Subject: Re: Self Regulating Populations
Organization: TI Semiconductor Process and Design Center
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1992 19:27:16 GMT

In article <BtsAuy.A98@wpg.com> russ@wpg.com (Russell Lawrence) writes:
>Russell Lawrence writes:
>rl> It's true that hooved mammals may be incapacitated, not only on 
>rl> ice, but on crusted, windblown snow as well.  And it's also true 
>rl> that wolves will often attempt to drive vulnerable deer onto such 
>rl> terrain.  However, wolf-prey experts like Farley Mowat have pointed 
>rl> out that healthy prey animals will typically stand their ground rather 
>rl> than allow themselves to be driven into compromising positions.  
>rl> 
>rl> It seems to me that it takes a lot of courage for an animal to 
>rl> stand and kick rather than turn tail and run away.  Yet this same 
>rl> courage not to run away is regarded as a sign of stupidity among 
>rl> human hunters.  Why is it "courageous" for a deer to stay-put in 
>rl> confrontations with wolves, but "stupid" for a deer to stay-put 
>rl> in confrontations with humans?  
>
>In article <1992Aug28.221345.15367@spdc.ti.com>, achenbac@epcot.spdc.ti.com (Jeff Achenbach) writes:
>ja> Because he may win in a confrontation with a wolf.  He will most 
>ja> likely lose to a hunter.  This is probably learned behavior.  In 
>ja> a park with no hunting, a deer may walk right into your camp.  
>ja> They don't do that where I hunt.  I'd be glad to take you to both 
>ja> areas if you don't believe it.  Different situations call for 
>ja> different responses...  
>
>In an area where hunting is allowed, any deer that would have 
>walked into a human camp would have been killed at the outset.  
>Would you mind explaining the mechanism whereby survivors could 
>have learned vicariously from such experiences?  

I am not proposing this as an absolute answer, but since you asked I'll make
a stab at it. Deer are naturally wary. Most prey animals are. The only deer
I've personally seen that would walk into a camp were in very unnatural
environments such as parks, where they'd learned they were safe. Thinking 
about it now, I guess I should reverse the statement I made above. It seems 
more reasonable that the unwariness of park deer may be the learned behavior.
It doesn't really matter. The point is that they are capable of learning. Many
times deer, especially doe, travel in a group. Often you only see individuals,
but if you startle them you will hear others bounding off through the brush. 
Should you shoot one, the others will be off and running and will associate 
the smells of the camp and the sight of the hunter with danger. I am convinced
personally, through observation, that deer are very intelligent animals,
possibly on the order of a dog. How else to explain some of the largest racks
on record being found near suburban areas, and noone ever had seen the bearer?
IMO they are capable of learning that hunters are dangerous, and even retain 
this realization the following hunting season. That's my explanation why it
is so much easier to approach them in the summer than after the first few shots
are fired (not necessarily at deer, even small game hunters seem to put them 
on full alert) in the fall.

Russell,
  I feel like my answers are becoming awfully long in an attempt to make myself
perfectly clear? This is in response to some other comments from you. Am I over
doing it? How about some feedback. I don't want to bore everyone by becoming 
overly verbose.

Jeff Achenbach
achenbac@epcot.spdc.ti.com
        
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