Why do pro-cull advocates say that compensatory rebound only applies to starving deer?
Pro-cull advocates in Fairfield County claim that “at this point in our region’s deer population, the herd is not considered stressed and the reproductive rates are normal (usually twins) so the rebound effect does not occur if deer numbers are reduced by hunting.” This statement conflicts with the claims the same pro-cull advocates make about Connecticut deer herds being at historically high rates and that hunting is necessary to prevent deer from starving. Moreover, it is not an empirically based answer to the studies discussed above concerning the compensatory rebound effect.
