Deerest

I live on the edge of the woods. As a result, my backyard is frequented by enough woodland critters to clean Snow White's house eleven times over.  We get chubby raccoons, birds, the occasional coyote and deer. I must admit I'm partial to the deer. I like the bucks, their antlers rising like crowns out of their heads and the does with their big, communicative eyes and white tails; deer are pretty swell creatures to look at.
The rest of my household disagrees.
When I see deer with their faces smashed against the side of our bird-feeder, their long tongues flicking the seeds out of the slots made for jays and robins, I think "how clever!" My Mother thinks "Now I have to fill the feeder again." Then, when I catch them nibbling on the foliage in the makeshift-garden we have, I think "aww how cute!" The dog barks, and my mother comes running, trying to shoo them from the flowers. We're essentially torn on the deer issue in our house.
However, there is one component of the situation that we all agree on. Most of the deer in my area are tagged and collared. Why? Who knows. Population control? Scientific study? The reason is unclear. But whomever is doing the tagging has successfully united and horrified my entire household. Just yesterday, my mother and I saw a doe with not one, but both ears tagged, and a massive radio collar around her neck, thunking her head as she bent to munch on my mother's precious hosta. No one tried to shoo her.
I cannot understand why such excessive and cruel procedures need be taken. What is being learned from this? That deer have trouble running, eating and generally being deer when you punch holes in them and weigh them down with machinery?  There is no information of any kind on the township website, nor on any other site I've checked.
Though more research, I may one day find out by whom and for what the deer are suffering. For now, though, I'll be refilling the bird-feeder.