WEBVTT 00:00.867 --> 00:01.868 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80% - [Baratunde] What comes to mind 00:01.868 --> 00:03.503 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80% when you think of the suburbs? 00:03.503 --> 00:05.271 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80% Is it the white picket fences, 00:05.271 --> 00:06.639 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% minivans, 00:06.639 --> 00:09.009 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% the perfectly pruned lawns? 00:09.009 --> 00:10.443 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% What about deer hunting? 00:13.413 --> 00:15.315 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% This is Jacqueline Molina, 00:15.315 --> 00:17.584 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% co-founder of Long Island Babes and Bucks, 00:17.584 --> 00:20.353 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% a group of women who share a love for the outdoors. 00:20.353 --> 00:23.423 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% She's been hunting deer for over 10 years, 00:23.423 --> 00:25.992 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% here in the backyards of Long Island, New York, 00:25.992 --> 00:28.661 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% home to America's first real suburb, 00:28.661 --> 00:30.830 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% where the deer are as thick as the accents 00:30.830 --> 00:34.100 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% and the population boom is a major bone of contention. 00:35.335 --> 00:36.836 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% - After I let my arrow fly, 00:36.836 --> 00:38.104 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% I'll probably just, like, 00:38.104 --> 00:39.205 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% stand there for, like, ten seconds. 00:39.205 --> 00:40.473 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% It's like a dance recital, 00:40.473 --> 00:42.075 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% when everything's executed perfectly, 00:42.075 --> 00:46.513 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% it's empowering and it shows the work that goes into it. 00:46.513 --> 00:48.081 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% - [Baratunde] Most folks agree 00:48.081 --> 00:51.418 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% the deer have become much more than just a nuisance. 00:51.418 --> 00:53.486 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% They're also co-related with ticks 00:53.486 --> 00:55.155 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% and the destruction of forests. 00:55.155 --> 00:57.857 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% And while this may sound counterintuitive to some, 00:57.857 --> 01:00.660 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% responsible hunting can actually keep them in check. 01:00.660 --> 01:02.095 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% It's a form of conservation 01:02.095 --> 01:04.364 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% to keep nature here in balance. 01:04.364 --> 01:06.599 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% But is hunting deer in the suburbs 01:06.599 --> 01:09.069 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% an effective way to control their numbers? 01:09.069 --> 01:10.970 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% Is it even necessary? 01:10.970 --> 01:12.639 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% And the women who come out here 01:12.639 --> 01:14.941 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% with their bows and their arrows, 01:14.941 --> 01:16.576 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% what are they really looking for? 01:23.149 --> 01:24.384 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70% I'll be real with you. 01:24.384 --> 01:26.386 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70% I associate deer hunting in America 01:26.386 --> 01:27.720 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80% with bright orange vests, 01:27.720 --> 01:29.589 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70% shotguns, camouflage, 01:29.589 --> 01:31.558 align:left position:40% line:5% size:50% and men. 01:31.558 --> 01:32.725 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% But these days, 01:32.725 --> 01:34.994 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% more women are taking to the scene. 01:34.994 --> 01:37.931 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% While there's been a decline in the overall number 01:37.931 --> 01:39.432 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% of hunters in the US, 01:39.432 --> 01:43.536 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% from 2000 to 2015, the number of first-time female hunters 01:43.536 --> 01:46.272 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% increased by 32%. 01:46.272 --> 01:49.075 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - I'm what you call an adult onset hunter. 01:49.075 --> 01:50.743 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% (Baratunde laughs) 01:50.743 --> 01:51.845 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% - It's like a disease. 01:51.845 --> 01:53.413 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% - Yes, yes. 01:53.413 --> 01:54.614 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% - An addiction. 01:54.614 --> 01:56.349 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - I mean, I'm a walking misconception. 01:56.349 --> 01:57.550 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% (Baratunde laughs) 01:57.550 --> 01:58.785 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50% - Yes! 01:58.785 --> 02:00.320 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Jacqueline] I mean, and I own it. 02:00.320 --> 02:02.155 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% Like, you know, I wear makeup, 02:02.155 --> 02:02.989 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% my hair's down, 02:02.989 --> 02:03.923 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% I'm wearing pink, 02:03.923 --> 02:05.458 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% you know, my bow is pink. 02:05.458 --> 02:06.993 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% I got nails on. 02:06.993 --> 02:08.394 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50% - Yeah. 02:08.394 --> 02:10.864 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% You sound like you enjoy undermining those misconceptions 02:10.864 --> 02:12.031 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% and doing it your way. 02:12.031 --> 02:13.266 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% - Like, when I have a pink bow, 02:13.266 --> 02:14.968 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% they're like, don't the deer see that? 02:14.968 --> 02:16.369 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% And I'm like, I don't know, 02:16.369 --> 02:17.604 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% why don't you ask my chest freezer? 02:19.005 --> 02:20.006 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50% - Ooh. 02:20.006 --> 02:21.274 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% Wow, shots fired. 02:21.274 --> 02:23.476 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% Literally shots fired. 02:23.476 --> 02:24.344 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% - Pun intended. 02:27.013 --> 02:29.149 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% You know, the best sunrises and sunsets 02:29.149 --> 02:32.418 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% I've ever seen in my life are in my treestand 02:32.418 --> 02:34.053 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and then, you know, once that sunlight hits 02:34.053 --> 02:35.822 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% and you're like ooh, what's gonna come walking through, 02:35.822 --> 02:36.990 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% what am I gonna see? 02:39.726 --> 02:40.927 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% In Long Island, 02:40.927 --> 02:43.663 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% I can hunt with my bow the entire season. 02:43.663 --> 02:46.533 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% I can get into the woods four or five times a week. 02:46.533 --> 02:48.568 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% Definitely it connects myself, 02:48.568 --> 02:49.802 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% it recharges me, 02:49.802 --> 02:51.304 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60% you know, it's a form of therapy, 02:51.304 --> 02:55.341 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% just sitting there and just being alone in solitude. 02:55.341 --> 02:58.278 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% There's hunts where you don't have any activity 02:58.278 --> 03:00.079 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and then there's hunts where I'll have deer 03:00.079 --> 03:01.548 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% walking right under my stand. 03:04.017 --> 03:05.318 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% - [Man] What do you think? 03:06.986 --> 03:08.454 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% - Pretty exciting. 03:08.454 --> 03:09.589 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% - [Man] She's big too. 03:11.324 --> 03:12.792 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% She's big. 03:12.792 --> 03:16.696 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - What have you learned about deer by hunting them? 03:16.696 --> 03:18.198 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - So just learning their patterns, 03:18.198 --> 03:19.599 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% learning where their food source is, 03:19.599 --> 03:21.501 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% learning where they bed down. 03:21.501 --> 03:23.102 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% Deer, I see them all the time, 03:23.102 --> 03:24.304 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% I see them on my trail cam, 03:24.304 --> 03:26.072 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% I see them driving everywhere. 03:27.207 --> 03:29.075 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Baratunde] Well, Jacqueline's not wrong. 03:29.075 --> 03:32.378 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% Long Island does have a booming deer population. 03:32.378 --> 03:34.547 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% Deer are everywhere. 03:34.547 --> 03:36.649 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60% (glass shatters) (woman screams) 03:36.649 --> 03:40.753 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% But how did the deer population get so out of control? 03:42.589 --> 03:43.723 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70% During the 19th century, 03:43.723 --> 03:45.325 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80% deforestation and overhunting 03:45.325 --> 03:48.228 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70% decimated over 95% of deer in the country. 03:48.228 --> 03:49.762 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80% New York was no exception. 03:49.762 --> 03:51.064 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70% And by the 20th century, 03:51.064 --> 03:53.032 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70% wildlife management shifted their focus 03:53.032 --> 03:55.134 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80% to restoring deer populations. 03:55.134 --> 03:58.538 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% Some might say New York was too successful. 03:58.538 --> 04:00.206 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% The farmlands and suburban areas 04:00.206 --> 04:01.708 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% of Long Island in particular 04:01.708 --> 04:04.877 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% became prime feeding and breeding grounds for deer, 04:04.877 --> 04:06.946 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% because as long as there's enough vegetation, 04:06.946 --> 04:08.514 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% and there definitely was, 04:08.514 --> 04:11.517 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% deer herds can double in size every few years. 04:11.517 --> 04:12.919 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% But too many deer, 04:12.919 --> 04:14.020 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% that's a problem. 04:14.020 --> 04:15.455 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% Not just for humans, 04:15.455 --> 04:17.690 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% but for the entire ecosystem. 04:17.690 --> 04:19.259 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Jacqueline] It's very normal if ever drive out 04:19.259 --> 04:20.793 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% on the Long Island expressway 04:20.793 --> 04:23.129 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% and see, like, a deer on the side of the road that's dead 04:23.129 --> 04:24.931 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and most likely was hit by a car. 04:24.931 --> 04:27.567 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% You know, there's no predators for deer on Long Island 04:27.567 --> 04:29.269 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% aside from a car. 04:29.269 --> 04:30.903 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Baratunde] Soaring deer populations 04:30.903 --> 04:33.006 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% have led to an increase in car accidents, 04:33.006 --> 04:34.574 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% damage to crops and gardens, 04:34.574 --> 04:36.609 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and the spread of tick-borne diseases. 04:36.609 --> 04:38.278 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% They've also altered forests 04:38.278 --> 04:40.613 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and reduced the biodiversity in the area 04:40.613 --> 04:43.750 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% by allowing invasive plants to outcompete native ones. 04:43.750 --> 04:45.952 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - [Jacqueline] So a lot of the properties that I hunt, 04:45.952 --> 04:47.787 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% they're like they're eating all my hostas, 04:47.787 --> 04:49.055 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% they're eating all my plants. 04:49.055 --> 04:52.091 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% I'm doing a favor for the homeowner 04:52.091 --> 04:55.528 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and I'm benefiting it by I consume the venison, 04:55.528 --> 04:57.130 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% I use the tails for fishing. 04:58.498 --> 04:59.666 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% I paint the heads. 04:59.666 --> 05:01.601 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% As much of the animal that I can use. 05:01.601 --> 05:02.735 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Baratunde] Do you see this as a role 05:02.735 --> 05:05.371 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% to restore the larger ecosystem? 05:05.371 --> 05:07.774 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% Is that any part of your motivation for hunting? 05:07.774 --> 05:09.609 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - We are taking out deer every year 05:09.609 --> 05:12.478 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% and it definitely helps in terms of conservation, 05:12.478 --> 05:14.814 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% you know, with the overpopulation. 05:14.814 --> 05:16.282 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% - [Baratunde] On Long Island, 05:16.282 --> 05:19.252 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% deer management is focused almost exclusively on hunting. 05:19.252 --> 05:20.987 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% But it hasn't been without opposition. 05:20.987 --> 05:23.656 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% Some residents have protested for alternative measures 05:23.656 --> 05:25.158 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% like sterilization, 05:25.158 --> 05:27.427 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% or to not eliminate deer and find ways to coexist, 05:27.427 --> 05:30.129 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% like upgrading fences to prevent deer from eating crops. 05:30.129 --> 05:32.332 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% The deer have a right to live. 05:32.332 --> 05:33.266 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% Stop the hunt. 05:34.434 --> 05:37.303 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% You're much closer to animals in certain ways 05:37.303 --> 05:38.938 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% and so I just wonder if 05:38.938 --> 05:42.909 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% hunting has changed your relationship with animals broadly. 05:42.909 --> 05:45.278 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - You know, I'm doing a service to the community. 05:45.278 --> 05:48.214 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% I'm not wiping out the population by any means. 05:48.214 --> 05:51.150 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% It doesn't devalue my appreciation 05:51.150 --> 05:53.353 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% or love and respect for animals. 05:53.353 --> 05:54.921 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% I think they're beautiful creatures, 05:54.921 --> 05:56.189 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% they're beautiful animals, 05:56.189 --> 05:58.124 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% but it's, you know, the circle of life. 05:58.124 --> 05:59.826 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - [Baratunde] Most conservation experts agree 05:59.826 --> 06:02.895 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% that hunting plays a role in managing deer populations, 06:02.895 --> 06:04.530 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% but what works in Long Island 06:04.530 --> 06:06.599 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% might not be right somewhere else. 06:06.599 --> 06:09.836 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% A 2020 study shows that communities need to monitor 06:09.836 --> 06:11.270 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% their own populations 06:11.270 --> 06:12.972 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% and that more research is needed 06:12.972 --> 06:15.475 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% to find other methods of control. 06:15.475 --> 06:16.743 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% But for Jacqueline, 06:16.743 --> 06:18.745 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% hunting isn't just about conservation. 06:21.547 --> 06:23.082 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Jacqueline] I'm a very ethical hunter, 06:23.082 --> 06:25.518 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% I'm not gonna take a shot unless I have a clean shot 06:25.518 --> 06:26.986 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% where I'm going to hit vitals, 06:26.986 --> 06:29.122 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% so it's the least amount of suffer. 06:29.122 --> 06:30.723 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% And every harvest that I have, 06:30.723 --> 06:31.924 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% I say a prayer. 06:31.924 --> 06:32.859 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% I call it harvest. 06:32.859 --> 06:33.860 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% That's the words that I use, 06:33.860 --> 06:35.094 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% a lot of hunters use that 06:35.094 --> 06:36.896 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% instead of just saying "shot," "killed." 06:36.896 --> 06:38.731 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% Everything that I harvest and fish for, 06:38.731 --> 06:40.266 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% I eat, it's in my chest freezer, 06:40.266 --> 06:42.068 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% the only meat that I buy is chicken. 06:43.536 --> 06:45.004 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - [Baratunde] Only during the Industrial Revolution 06:45.004 --> 06:47.673 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% did Americans start relying less on hunting 06:47.673 --> 06:50.143 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and raising our own livestock for food. 06:50.143 --> 06:52.712 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% Instead we started buying it. 06:52.712 --> 06:54.714 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - You know, even like when you grow your own tomatoes, 06:54.714 --> 06:56.182 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% or you grow your own something, 06:56.182 --> 06:57.183 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% you grew it, you did it. 06:57.183 --> 06:59.051 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% - I can identify with that. 06:59.051 --> 07:02.321 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% I started doing a lot more backyard gardening 07:02.321 --> 07:04.323 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% and I swear it tasted better. 07:04.323 --> 07:06.025 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% - You did, 'cause you grew it. 07:06.025 --> 07:07.527 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% Of course it tastes better. 07:07.527 --> 07:10.029 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% You're like, this is the best tomato I've ever had. 07:10.029 --> 07:12.131 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - [Baratunde] Anything she doesn't consume herself 07:12.131 --> 07:15.401 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% she donates to her local Venison Food Program. 07:15.401 --> 07:17.303 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% - When I'm giving venison or fish to people, 07:17.303 --> 07:18.704 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% nothing goes to waste. 07:18.704 --> 07:21.874 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - That labor and that story connected to it 07:21.874 --> 07:23.743 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% maybe makes the gift more meaningful. 07:23.743 --> 07:24.577 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50% - Yeah. 07:27.713 --> 07:28.948 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Baratunde] What's the most rewarding part 07:28.948 --> 07:30.216 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% of hunting for you? 07:30.216 --> 07:31.517 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% - [Jacqueline] Anytime I can be out in the woods, 07:31.517 --> 07:32.985 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% you know, is rewarding itself. 07:32.985 --> 07:36.122 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% It's just being able to do this, 07:36.122 --> 07:37.857 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60% being able to do what's been done 07:37.857 --> 07:40.193 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% for years and years and years, 07:40.193 --> 07:44.197 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and being able to do it ethically and properly 07:44.197 --> 07:45.698 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% to the best of my ability. 07:50.736 --> 07:51.571 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50% - Yo. 07:51.571 --> 07:52.638 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% I didn't expect it, 07:52.638 --> 07:54.006 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% I didn't see that coming. 07:54.006 --> 07:55.675 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% But I learned a lot from Jacqueline 07:55.675 --> 07:57.510 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70% about hunting as balance 07:57.510 --> 07:59.979 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80% for an overpopulated species 07:59.979 --> 08:03.115 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80% that's wreaking some form of havoc on the ecosystem. 08:03.115 --> 08:05.852 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% And the idea of ethical hunting, 08:05.852 --> 08:07.820 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% knowing where our food comes from 08:07.820 --> 08:09.455 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% and how it's harvested, 08:09.455 --> 08:10.990 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% there's a lot of power in that. 08:10.990 --> 08:13.259 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% I thoroughly enjoyed Jacqueline 08:13.259 --> 08:15.528 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% shattering people's expectations 08:15.528 --> 08:17.163 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% of women hunters, 08:17.163 --> 08:18.431 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% of people in pink, 08:18.431 --> 08:20.967 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% of people new to the activity. 08:20.967 --> 08:22.869 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% This has brought her closer to friends, 08:22.869 --> 08:24.103 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% closer to neighbors, 08:24.103 --> 08:25.471 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% closer to community, 08:25.471 --> 08:27.306 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% and closer to nature. 08:28.808 --> 08:29.909 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% - When you're country, 08:31.511 --> 08:32.745 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% but a little bougie.