Game Management Criteria used to extend deer Season

Rulo

Senior Member
Show me where the DNR staff members are pushing for the season to continue to the end of January. Don't believe you can.

I would but don't want to name specific GON Forum Members on here and turn this into a bannable conversation/moment.

Now about the criteria used to extend the deer season........
 

C.Killmaster

Georgia Deer Biologist
Wow, I just saw this. Since I don't directly manage WMAs anymore, I don't frequent the public land section as much.

Rulo I know you're talking about me, don't ever worry about calling me out by name. I respect your opinion just like anyone else, but I can't always make everyone happy.

Personally, I could care less about when deer season ends as it's plenty long enough as it is. However, for years a substantial number of folks complained about the southern zone getting 2 extra weeks of deer season. Looking back at the last few season extensions, there was no significant increase in deer harvest and the average number of days people deer hunted did not increase. Because there was a majority support for the change and there were no negative biological implications, a change was needed. To seek a compromise between both zones, the decision was made to end the season the second Sunday in January. Each year the season would end between January 8th and 14th. In doing so, a contingent of hunters in deep southwest Georgia felt like there ability to hunt the rut, which is later than the rest of the state, was impacted by that decision. As such, they contacted their representatives and a bill was introduced to extend the season. This was totally independent of me and I had zero involvement or discussion on the subject with those legislators.

I know some of you think that I only care about deer hunters, which is far from the truth, but it really is the simple fact that a majority of hunters supported it and there was no biological justification to not do it.

Meat Hunter, I'm sorry, but I can't address your concerns on individual WMAs. I recommend you call the region office and speak with the biologists for those areas to see why the changes were made.

Consider this an open invitation to have a one-on-one conversation about these issues. Shoot me a PM and I am more than happy to chat on the phone or you can come by my office. You may realize we have a lot more in common than you think.
 
You know I feel like trying to get things changed in this state i.e. from the department of natural resources or legislators is like yelling into the wind! For instance Charlie, Redland's WMA or even Cedar Creek both of which had great deer populations twenty years ago, and both through gross mismanagement from both the US forest Service and the Georgia department of Natural resources are mere shadows of what they once were. I know I have have complained about both for years. Now I don't even hunt them anymore. And no we really don't have much in common, if we did we would see you out there in the weeks of the rut deer hunting in these WMA's but If I had to guess you probably hunt private land and not these dismal WMA-s in this state. Tell me how we can re direct the budget of your massive Department to get back to having Game Wardens and Wildlife resources officers who were assigned to individual WMA-s who knew the hunter and bad guys and knew their WMA's. Guys like Coley Paskel, Mallory or even Carl Deletorre. But I guess like a lot of things in life, all good thing must come to end. For you young guys who never saw a covey of quail flushing, the rustle of a flushing Ruff Grouse in the Georgia Mountains, or seeing white tails darting across the forest service roads at almost every bend. The days when Game wardens that would help you drag a deer out from the forest and were glad to see a father and his sons in the hunting tradition and not looking at you like you were some one they could check out for a possible violation, Oh those were the days.
 
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C.Killmaster

Georgia Deer Biologist
You know I feel like trying to get things changed in this state i.e. from the department of natural resources or legislators is like yelling into the wind! For instance Charlie, Redland's WMA or even Cedar Creek both of which had great deer populations twenty years ago, and both through gross mismanagement from both the US forest Service and the Georgia department of Natural resources are mere shadows of what they once were. I know I have have complained about both for years. Now I don't even hunt them anymore. And no we really don't have much in common, if we did we would see you out there in the weeks of the rut deer hunting in these WMA's but If I had to guess you probably hunt private land and not these dismal WMA-s in this state. Tell me how we can re direct the budget of your massive Department to get back to having Game Wardens and Wildlife resources officers who were assigned to individual WMA-s who knew the hunter and bad guys and knew their WMA's. Guys like Coley Paskel, Mallory or even Carl Deletorre. But I guess like a lot of things in life, all good thing must come to end. For you young guys who never saw a covey of quail flushing, the rustle of a flushing Ruff Grouse in the Georgia Mountains, or seeing white tails darting across the forest service roads at almost every bend. The days when Game wardens that would help you drag a deer out from the forest and were glad to see a father and his sons in the hunting tradition and not looking at you like you were some one they could check out for a possible violation, Oh those were the days.

Actually I hunt both public and private land, the private I hunt shares a border with Cedar Creek. I killed a buck on Cedar Creek a couple of years ago and turkey hunt on several areas, so I am out in the woods on WMAs. Cedar Creek and Redlands have deer populations that are commensurate with the habitat conditions, both could be much better with more active timber harvest. Regarding the technicians, it's a staffing issue. We have fewer technicians than we had then and considerably more land to manage.

Prior to the license fee increase that happened mid last year, we were operating on the same level of funding as the mid-1990s. The value of the dollar today is worth almost half of what it was back then. You were basically seeing the budget gradually decrease by almost half over that time period. You should start seeing an improvement across the state as we start to hire some more folks over the next couple of years.

I was there when we transitioned from one man, one area to the team concept. No one liked it, but what else can you do when you're steadily losing positions?
 

DAVE

Senior Member
I started hunting deer in Ga. in the sixties, I think the season was 1 maybe 2 weeks at the most, buck only. The deer population was only a small percentage of what it is today. From the efforts of the DNR game managers the herd grew out of control and had to be reduced, now thanks to the managers at DNR, Georgia has a million plus deer herd, a very long season, liberal limits and plenty of opportunity public and private for hunters regardless if they work or not or even if handicapped. A big Thanks goes out to all the DNR biologists, technicians, office staff and enforcement officials.
 

Rulo

Senior Member
Maybe if your only outdoor interest is DEER HUNTING. Otherwise,,,,,,Nope, I disagree. DNR has failed miserably. DNRs whole focus is one species.......whitetail deer. The deer season is 4 1/2 months long. DNR has done little to nothing to promote anything but DEER HUNTING.

Theres more to game management and public relations than simply setting regulations, more to public land management than posting little yellow signs on trees with "wma" on them and doing nothing more.

DNR leaves a lot to be desired.
 
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