My opinion on North Ga

[bigdawg25]

What North Georgia needs is to do away with all doe days on NF land and go back to the December break we use to have. Open back up for one week at the end of December. Also cut back to only one or two doe days for the northern counties.

exactly ! its actually not too bad at WMAs in N. GA mountains, not many days of open season; but in redlands wma, it looks like someone wants all the deer gone.....its open for deer season almost the entire season (except the traditional December break), and all open days are either sex days

 

[Nicodemus]

Nic, while I am not in area that is exclusive mountain habitat, even here in Walker and Catoosa counties, there is not an abundance of agriculture to serve as spring/summer browse. I am certain there are many other food items available but I have seen deer take advantage of the growth that you would expect: honeysuckle, blackberry, green-brier, summer grasses and weeds. I've seen them eat young maple leaves and sumac and they like kudzu (which, I hear is related to soybeans). Like anywhere else, they will hit folk's home gardens and landscape plantings, roses and various flowering annuals.

I have killed deer with privet in their stomachs, so I'm guessing they will eat that in summer as well.

It has been slim pickings for us up here as far as sightings go. During daylight hours, out of 23 hunts, I have seen a total of 12 deer. It is not important for me to kill one, after hunting for the past 42 years, I've been blessed better than I deserve, but it would be nice to see some when you are trying to introduce deer hunting to a new generation of young hunters. Young people tend to lose interest if they don't see the things they are hunting.

For the past few years, I see more deer during bow-season than in gun season. I believe they have made the adjustment and move more at night.

Thanks Scotsman!

 

[redwards]

Coastie; no there's no links between the two. But since game laws and bag limits have to pass through the Senate you cant tell me some money ain't involved in getting certain things passed. That's my opinion which ain't much. Look into how much deer collisions cost insurance companies in ga a year. A little cash under the table to certain people is a drop in the bucket to what they spend in repairs. If you can find it I guarantee you deer collisions have decreased since the limit went to 12.

Since you asked....

Statewide in 2000
Total Number = 9,901
Rate = 9.6

Statewide in 2006
Total Number = 13,545
Rate = 12.2

Source: http://www.dot.state.ga.us/statistics/crashdata/documents/datatables/deer related crashes.pdf

Decrease?...Really?.....

 

[shakey gizzard]

As the economy worsens , I 'd expect the herd #s to plummet!

 

[MCBUCK]

I figgered this was gonna get good.

FWIW: management plans for the different regions, are as different as the regions themselves. ie: the needs of mountain deer herds are far different from those of piedmont herds. Ridge and valley herds in the NW area are just as far removed from the coastal herds. The local resident hunters and county managers(conservation rangers) that see the herds on a daily basis will be better educated to what is going on in that region. I would never try to tell a man that lives in Crawford county what needs to be done in his county, based on a me taking a few trips there during deer season, just as I would not expect someone from Gwinett county telling me what needs to be done in Murray county. Geography dictates the level of education.

 

[Benjie Boswell]

exactly ! its actually not too bad at WMAs in N. GA mountains, not many days of open season; but in redlands wma, it looks like someone wants all the deer gone.....its open for deer season almost the entire season (except the traditional December break), and all open days are either sex days

If someone wants all the deer gone, the mission is almost accomplished. Redlands is getting hammered. Season long doe days on a WMA is hard on a herd, and when you factor in the coyote pressure, it's even worse. I'm all for keeping Redlands open for the season because of the opportunities it offers for people to get in the woods, but I really would like to see doe days implemented again. I wouldn't even care if they upped the buck tags for it with no size restrictions, but if the does don't get a break soon it is going to hurt for a long time.

 

[Resica]

That is utter nonsense, there is no link to insurance companies and deer management objectives either here in Georgia or in any other state that I am aware of. States like Pennsylvania where you can drive the length of I80 and see at least 1 dead deer for every mile of its 320 mile length any day of the year doesn't have the doe days we have here in Georgia and they have more hunters, drivers, and overall population than we do.

That might be pushing it a hair. I see as many dead bears along 80 as I do deer.

 

[Navy07]

keep your earn a buck idea I paid for that tag!!!!

I agree with ^him.. I paid for it. On our land we kill maybe 2 bucks a piece. And then normally kill 2 or 3 does a year. But if a TROPHY buck was to come up and i only had a doe tag, im either gonna be cry or im gonna say well mr warden i thought he was a doe.. Lol. Earn a buck?