Shrub-Chomping Deer Need State Control

In ``Deer, the Bane of Suburban Lawns,'' Nov. 9, the director of the Fund For Animals asks: ``Why should a deer lose its life because it chose to eat a marigold?'' She also says that property owners should not grow plants that attract deer. Ridiculous! Our resident deer horde will not touch the pungent marigold, but will cheerfully chomp on a $40 shrub. We had to build a seven-foot fence to protect our vegetable garden from these overly loved invaders. We shouldn't have to. As the article tells us, state game programs expect the landowner to provide fun for sports hunters. It is unjust. If a neighbor's cows escape and forage in our garden, the neighbor pays with no argument. But if the state's deer do the same, there is no recourse except to apply for a kill permit. ``To educate people about deer'' is not the answer. The solution is for the state to control its livestock. Norman Walter, Red House, W. Va.

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