Hi wimbi,

re: "eating deer and chickens"

Something I've wondered about...

The agricultural system is supported by a cadre of soil scientists and other specialists who can advise farmers on both organic and commercial farming.

When it comes to hunting and fishing, (and poultry-raising) there's a similar issue, in the sense of the health of wildlife populations - that they need to be monitored, and also, someone(s) have to understand how to do this.

This is a quote from an undated article on the problem of information.

“While humans have places such as the National Center for Infectious Diseases and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, biologists aren't as fortunate. Organizations such as The American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians, the National Wildlife Health Center and Wildlife Diseases Association exist to help monitor wildlife diseases. But the weak link in the chain is getting reliable, consistent, quality data to these organizations.”

http://www.createstrat.com/muledeerinthewest/diseases.html

And here are some links on the subject, more generally.

http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/cwd/gametrails.htm
http://www.cws-scf.ec.gc.ca/cnwds/ann2_e.cfm
http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/FW/2ColumnSubPage/STEL02_168752.html

So, the question then becomes: How does "peak oil" and the economic consequences of same affect our ability to feed ourselves, eg., specifically, in this case, how do we maintain our ability to apply the benefits of science to our food supply?