blaming deer for declining game bird populations sounds bizarre...
please provide link to studies that confirm such...
If deer were a major threat to game bird populations, then I'd think the decline in bird numbers would have coincided with past years when the deer population was much higher in my state. Not saying deer don't eat eggs, but other predators are much more likely to eat both the birds and their eggs and offspring. And coyotes are much more likely to affect small game populations than deer. As for ticks, mice are the primary host for them now in their nymph stage, and just about any warm blooded mammal will do nicely for an adult female tick's blood meal.
If climate change was causing the spread of Lyme disease,perhaps King can tell us why Lyme emerged in chilly New England rather than warmer areas? A recent article I read blamed the proliferation of ticks on the ever expanding amount of multiflora rose. The claim was that this invasive plant provided a near perfect habitat for ticks. I kill my share with the brush hog, and a little help from Monsanto. But I've seen no convincing explanation for either the spread of ticks, or the general declines in some species of game birds.
I do agree with those who feel that every coyote needs an injection of high velocity lead.
