![Predator Impact: Whitetail Populations on the Decline]( "Predator Impact: Whitetail Populations on the Decline")
Fawn recruitment rates are dropping at alarming rates. This occurrence correlates with booming predator numbers. (Honeycutt Creative photo)
Those who don't have their heads under rocks can see how impactful predation is on whitetails. Deer numbers are declining rapidly, especially in key areas of the East. According to recent research, the issue might be more dire than some are willing to accept.
"This research began, in part, because of deer hunters," says Adam C. Edge, an associate wildlife biologist and Ph.D. candidate with the Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources at the University of Georgia. "Steep declines in both deer...