When I was in college, there was a family who owned a little over 1000 acre near the University. The family managed it as a nature preserve and for years wouldn't allow hunters to hunt deer. Then one year a wildlife and fisheries science professor did a study on their property with their permission by constructing several 10 acre enclosures that kept the deer out. There was an enclosure that had been closed off to deer for 37 years. A couple more were more than 20 years old.
The comparison between the forest floor that had deer browsing and those areas that were enclosed was amazing! The diversity of plant life was incredible inside the enclosure. Needless to say, the family decided to allow deer hunting. As much as they loved the deer, they realized they were not managing a natural ecosystem. That man needed to step in to control the deer herd. Hunting was not done for trophy bucks. It was done to manage the deer. The vast majority of the deer killed were adult does. Illinois, just like Virginia doesn't have wolves anymore. We don't have mountain lions either. Forest fires are not allowed to burn uncontrolled but are put out long before they can have the effect they once did, that was keeping prairies grass and not trees.
Opossums are not native to Illinois. They migrated north as food opportunities and warmer climates prevailed. Raccoon numbers were much lower back then, wolves are major predators on raccoons and keep their numbers in check. Trapping WHEN done ethically and responsibly rarely affects non target species negatively.
The hunters that I hunt with and myself would love to shoot a wall hanger buck. However, we all shoot far more adult does than we do bucks. We do our part to keep the deer herd in check and balanced. I can't say all hunters are that way though. If you do continue to allow trapping and consider allowing people to hunt on your property, just make sure you set guidelines you want followed on your property... It is your place and you set the rules. If the rules are broken, those who break them will no longer be welcome. I hunt on about 20 different pieces of private property each year. Each owner has their own set of rules and desires and I follow them to a tee. It is a great privilege for someone to trust you enough to allow you to hunt on their land. I always ask first and make sure I follow the property owner's wishes.
