Hunters Should Harvest Female Deer in High-Density Areas
November 17, 2008
Frankfort, Ky. – As the first week of modern gun deer season winds down, many hunters have already taken their antlered deer for the year. If you are hunting in a high-density area like Zone 1, you shouldn’t stop there. Harvesting plenty of female deer in high-density areas is essential to maintaining a quality deer herd – and a quality hunting experience.
“Female deer are the drivers of herd growth,” said Tina Brunjes, big game program coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “When you have too many deer, you want to stop growth. Even if you don’t have too many, you want to control growth. The way you do that is through does.”
One female deer can quickly increase a deer population, since a doe gives birth to an average of two fawns a year. That’s why harvesting bucks doesn’t help thin the deer herd, while taking enough female deer can keep a deer population in balance with available habitat.
“If you’ve got fewer deer, they’ll be in better condition,” said David Yancy, a biologist in Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s big game program. Yancy said ideal deer densities are less than 30 deer a square mile.
“If you think of habitat like a pie, then cutting the pie into 25 pieces instead of 45 means everyone gets more,” he said. “At 25 per square mile, deer have fewer ticks, less intestinal parasites, higher weight and better fat reserves to get through the winter.”
While mountainous habitat in the eastern part of Kentucky can’t support 25 deer a square mile, that is the department’s target deer density for other regions of the state. Counties with ideal deer populations are classified as Zone 2 for deer hunting, and make up 34 percent of Kentucky.
“Our big buck producers – Ohio, Butler, Muhlenberg, Hopkins, Grayson, Breckinridge – are all 25 deer per square mile counties,” said Yancy. “These areas have good habitat, but implicit in this is good deer numbers.”
However, 33 percent of Kentucky counties have too many deer, and fall under Zone 1 hunting regulations. Hunters may harvest unlimited antlerless deer with the proper permits in these counties. Brunjes said it’s important for Zone 1 hunters to take female deer, not only for herd health but for a quality hunt.
“By quality, I’m not just talking about big antlers,” she said. “I’m talking about improving the quality of your hunting experience. When your buck-to-doe ratio improves, you see more rutting behavior. You see deer doing what they do, not just standing in a food plot.”
Brunjes said that ideally, there should be fewer than three does for each buck in a deer herd. In areas with too many female deer, breeding season may not be as intense.
“You hear these things like ‘They’re not rutting, they’re not breeding where I am,’” said Yancy. “First of all, they are. But what that could be is there are so many females there’s no competition among bucks. If you want a good two-week period with fighting, lots of rubs, lots of scrapes, you need fewer does and more competition.”
After you bag an antlered deer this year, take a doe if you’re hunting in an area with too many deer. You can help improve the herd with your hunt.
Modern gun deer season is open statewide and continues through Nov. 17 in Zones 3-4 and Nov. 23 in Zones 1-2. For complete deer hunting regulations, pick up a copy of the 2008-09 Kentucky Hunting & Trapping Guide, available wherever hunting licenses are sold.
Author Hayley Lynch is an award-winning writer for Kentucky Afield magazine, the official publication of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. She is an avid hunter and shotgun shooter.
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Wisconsin’s 9-Day Regular Deer Season Runs Nov.22-30
November 13, 2008
MADISON –Wisconsin’s regular nine-day gun deer season opens Saturday, Nov. 22 this year and runs through Sunday, Nov. 30. The traditional season always opens the Saturday prior to the Thanksgiving holiday.
Even after a pretty tough winter in parts of the state, and a harvest of more than 520,000 deer in the 2007-08 seasons, the deer herd is still a good deal larger than established population goals in much of Wisconsin. Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologists estimate that the herd numbers between 1.5 and 1.7 million animals going into the fall 2007-08 seasons, a slight decrease from last year.
Because of this, most of the deer management units across the state, with the exception of some areas in the northeast, are under either herd control or earn-a-buck structures. In deer management units designated as earn-a-buck (EAB), hunters are required to shoot an antlerless deer in order to “earn” a sticker allowing them harvest an antlered deer. In units designated as regular or herd control, hunters do not need to first shoot an antlerless deer in order to shoot a buck. A free antlerless tag will come with each archery and gun license that is valid in herd control, EAB and CWD units. Additional antlerless tags can be purchased anytime after the license is purchased for $2 each.
Gun hunters who wish to harvest an antlerless deer in a “regular” unit (white units on DMU map), must purchase a unit-specific antlerless tag in addition to their license. These antlerless tags are limited in quantity for each unit and cost $12 each for residents and $20 for non-residents. Many regular units still have antlerless tags left, while some have sold out.
Hunters could have prequalified for the buck harvest sticker by having shot an antlerless deer from an EAB or CWD unit last year, or by having registered an antlerless deer in either the early archery season or four day October antlerless deer hunt. Hunters who shot an antlerless deer during a season from one of theses units this year should have received a buck sticker when they registered their antlerless deer.
In units that were not EAB last year, but are in EAB this year, hunter’s should have received a “2008” buck authorization sticker in the mail if they registered antlerless deer from those units last fall. Hunters can check their prequalification status on the DNR Web site.
There are also changes in the deer season framework this fall in the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Zone. These changes reflect a blending of a CWD citizen advisory group recommendations, feedback from eight public hearings the Department of Natural Resources held this spring, and the agency’s recommendations to manage the disease.
These changes include combining the previous Disease Eradication Zone and the Herd Reduction Zone into one zone, called the CWD Management Zone with consistent regulations and one season framework, that is very similar to the season structure for the rest of the state. All of the CWD zone is also under EAB regulations this year.
“With and strong hunter commitment to herd management through hunting, the state is making progress toward population goals,” says Keith Warnke, DNR deer and bear ecologist. “Large antlerless deer harvests will always be needed, however, even with populations near goal, to stay at desired levels.”
Warnke says hunting has had a positive impact on deer herd management in recent years, and hunters deserve credit for that management. Hunters can take advantage of an abundant herd and hunting opportunities to enjoy their pastime, help to secure the future of wildlife conservation by bringing in new hunters and help others by making use of the statewide food pantry donation system to help feed needy families.
All baiting and feeding of deer is banned in 26 Wisconsin counties (pdf) due to the presence of either chronic wasting disease or bovine tuberculosis in either captive or free roaming animals. In the rest of the state, the practices are allowed subject to a number of restrictions.
There is a growing body of scientific evidence that clearly supports ending deer baiting and feeding from a disease management and prevention standpoint. In the past two years, the case for prohibiting baiting and feeding in Wisconsin has been strengthened by additional research into deer disease transmission and the behavioral responses of deer to the repeated placement of even a small volume of food.
The Department of Natural Resources and the state Natural Resources Board strongly encourage hunters and citizens to refrain from baiting and feeding deer under any circumstances.
Precautions for Eating Deer Harvested with Lead Ammunition
Deer harvested with lead bullets have been shown to potentially have tiny lead particles or fragments remaining in the processed meat. These are often too small to be seen and can disperse far from the wound channel. Although lead in venison does not rival lead paint in older homes as a health risk for the public, the risk is not low enough to ignore. Children under 6 years and pregnant women are at the greatest risk from lead exposure.
The amount of lead found in a small percentage of venison samples suggests that long term effects of lead consumption could occur in people who regularly eat venison shot with lead ammunition.
These suggestions can reduce exposure to lead in venison:
- Consider alternative non-lead ammunition such as copper or other high weight-retention bullets, such as bonded bullets.
- Practice marksmanship and hunting skills to get closer, making cleaner, lethal shots away from major muscle areas. Aim for the neck or the head, or the vitals behind the shoulder. Don’t shoot at running deer.
- Avoid consuming internal organs, as they can contain extra lead from heart-lung shots.
- Request your meat processor to not use deer meat with excessive shot damage. If you process your own venison, trim a generous distance away from the wound channel and discard any meat that is bruised, discolored or contains hair, dirt, bone fragments or grass. Do not use deer with excessive shot damage.
Licenses available through deer season
Hunters who have not yet purchased a gun deer hunting license and want it for opening weekend are being urged not to wait until the last minute to make sure there are no problems with their license purchase. Gun deer hunting licenses are $24 for residents and $160 for non-residents and can be purchased at license sales locations or DNR service centers during their regular business hours (check service center link for hours of operation, which vary by service center; service centers are closed Saturdays).
Licenses are also available over the Internet through the Online Licensing Center or by calling toll-free 1-877-WI LICENSE (1-877-945-4236); However, to guarantee delivery by Friday, November 21, hunters who purchase licenses online or by phone before 2 p.m., Wednesday, November 19 will need to pay an expedited FED EX fee ($15) in order to receive it by opening weekend.
As of 2004 hunters have also been able to purchase Wisconsin deer hunting licenses at license vendors and DNR service centers any time during the nine-day deer gun season.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Keith Warnke - (608) 264-6023 or Jason Fleener - (608) 261-7589
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TPWD to Consider Sweeping Deer Hunting Regulation Changes
November 11, 2008
AUSTIN, Texas -The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has transitioned away from political boundaries for the purpose of monitoring white-tailed deer populations and toward biologically-based communities or Resource Management Units (RMUs).
The department has identified 33 unique RMUs across the state having similar soils, vegetation types and land use practices they believe will more accurately capture deer population dynamics. The intent is to develop deer season bag limit frameworks based on these units, although implementation will still track county boundaries to avoid confusion among hunters.
In a briefing of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission’s Regulations Committee, TPWD unveiled an extensive suite of potential regulation changes in deer harvest throughout much of the state. The department will be gathering public input on the possible proposals during the next couple of months and present to the commission in January a comprehensive set of proposals.
Those proposals will then go back out for official comment during a series of public hearings around the state next spring. A final decision will be made by the commission at its March 25-26, 2009 public meeting.
Expansion of Antler Restriction Regulations
One key potential change involves further expansion of the department’s successful antler restriction regulations into 52 additional counties where biologists have identified a need to provide greater protection of younger buck deer. In these counties, data indicates more than 55 percent of the harvested bucks are two-and-a-half years of age or younger, which creates an imbalance in the deer herd age structure.
According to Clayton Wolf, TPWD big game program director, based on data to date in the 61 counties where the rule is currently in effect, the antler restrictions have improved age structure while maintaining ample hunting opportunity.
Potentially affected counties include: Anderson, Angelina, Archer, Atascosa, Brazos, Brown, Chambers, Clay, Cooke, Denton, Ellis, Falls, Freestone, Grayson, Grimes, Hardin, Harris, Henderson, Hill, Hood, Hunt, Jack, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Kaufman, Liberty, Limestone, Madison, McLennan, Milam, Mills, Montague, Montgomery, Navarro, Newton, Orange, Palo Pinto, Parker, Polk, Robertson, San Jacinto, Smith, Stephens, Tarrant, Trinity, Tyler, Van Zandt, Walker, Wichita, Wise, and Young.
Bag Limit Changes
The department is also looking at increasing the bag limit from one buck to two bucks in Baylor, Callahan, Haskell, Jones, Knox, Shackelford, Taylor, Throckmorton, and Wilbarger counties. Wolf noted this area of the state is characterized by relatively large tract sizes and light hunter density and the deer population has grown over the years as habitat has become more favorable to white-tailed deer.
In addition, the department is considering increasing the bag limit from four deer to five deer in Pecos, Terrell, and Upton counties. White-tailed deer densities throughout the eastern Trans-Pecos are very similar to densities on the Edwards Plateau, where current rules allow the harvest of up to five antlerless deer. This change would increase hunting opportunity while addressing a resource concern.
The department is also looking at increasing the bag limit in most Cross Timbers and Prairies and eastern Rolling Plains counties from three deer (no more than one buck, no more than two antlerless) or four deer (no more than two bucks and no more than two antlerless) to five deer (no more than 2 bucks). Counties affected include: Archer, Baylor, Bell (West of IH35), Bosque, Callahan, Clay, Coryell, Hamilton, Haskell, Hill, Jack, Jones, Knox, Lampasas, McLennan, Palo Pinto, Shackelford, Somervell, Stephens, Taylor, Throckmorton, Wichita, Wilbarger, Williamson (west of IH35), and Young.
Another possible change would increase the bag limit from three deer to five deer (no more than one buck) in selected counties in the western Rolling Plains. Although white-tailed deer densities are highly variable in this part of the state, areas containing suitable habitat have become saturated with deer and whitetails are expanding into marginal to poor habitat.
Browsing pressure is severe in these areas, where little woody vegetation exists within five feet of the ground. The proposal would provide additional hunting opportunity while addressing a resource concern. Counties affected include: Armstrong, Briscoe, Carson, Childress, Collingsworth, Cottle, Crosby, Dickens, Donley, Fisher, Floyd, Foard, Garza, Gray, Hall, Hardeman, Hemphill, Hutchinson, Kent, King, Lipscomb, Motley, Ochiltree, Roberts, Scurry, Stonewall, and Wheeler.
The department is also considering for the first time implementing a general open season in Dawson, Deaf Smith, and Martin counties (three deer, no more than one buck, no more than two antlerless).
Another issue where deer surveys indicate a need for change involves additional antlerless deer harvest opportunities. Therefore, the department is looking to increase antlerless deer hunting or “doe days” in the following areas:
- from 16 days to full-season either-sex in Dallam, Denton, Hartley, Moore, Oldham, Potter, Sherman and Tarrant counties;
- from 30 days to full-season either-sex in Cook, Hardeman, Hill, Johnson, Wichita, and Wilbarger counties;
- from four days to16 days in Bowie and Rusk counties;
- from four days to 30 days in Cherokee and Houston counties;
- from no doe days to four doe days in Anderson, Henderson, Hunt, Leon, Rains, Smith, and Van Zandt counties.
This proposal offers more hunting opportunity as well as making “doe days’ more consistent within each resource management unit (a suite of counties with similar population and habitat characteristics). Data indicate that the deer populations can withstand the additional harvest pressure proposed.
The department is also looking at expansion of the late antlerless and spike season into additional counties.
Counties affected include: Archer, Armstrong, Baylor, Bell (West of IH35), Bosque, Briscoe, Callahan, Carson, Childress, Clay, Collingsworth, Comanche, Cooke, Coryell, Cottle, Crosby, Denton, Dickens, Donley, Eastland, Erath, Fisher, Floyd, Foard, Garza, Gray, Hall, Hamilton, Hardeman, Haskell, Hemphill, Hill, Hood, Hutchinson, Jack, Johnson, Jones, Kent, King, Knox, Lampasas, Lipscomb, McLennan, Montague, Motley, Ochiltree, Palo Pinto, Parker, Pecos, Roberts, Scurry, Shackelford, Somervell, Stephens, Stonewall, Tarrant, Taylor, Terrell, Throckmorton, Upton, Wheeler, Wichita, Wilbarger, Williamson (West of IH35), Wise, and Young. In Pecos, Terrell, and Upton counties, the proposed season would replace the current muzzleloader-only open season.
Biologists are also looking to implement a special muzzleloader season in additional counties, lengthen the existing muzzleloader season by five days to be equivalent in length with the special antlerless and spike buck seasons in other counties, and alter the current muzzleloader bag composition to allow the harvest of any buck (not just spike bucks) and antlerless deer without permits if the county has “doe days” during the general season.
Counties affected include: Austin, Bastrop, Bowie, Brazoria, Caldwell, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Colorado, De Witt, Fayette, Fort Bend, Goliad (North of HWY 59), Goliad (South of HWY 59), Gonzales, Gregg, Guadalupe, Harrison, Houston, Jackson (North of HWY 59), Jackson (South of HWY 59), Karnes, Lavaca, Lee, Marion, Matagorda, Morris, Nacogdoches, Panola, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, Shelby, Upshur, Victoria (North of HWY 59), Victoria (South of HWY 59), Waller, Washington, Wharton (North of HWY 59), Wharton (South of HWY 59), and Wilson.
In response to a commission directive to seek additional opportunities for youth participation, the department is looking at extending the early youth only season to include the entire month of October and the late youth-only season by 12 days during January in selected counties to run concurrently with late antlerless and spike seasons. The intent of the proposal is to allow adults and children to hunt together during different special seasons.
The department is also considering a petition to implement a general open season (with antlerless harvest by permit only) in Grayson County. TPWD staff has determined that there is no biological necessity for retaining the current rule, which restricts lawful methods to archery equipment and crossbows, but will be seeking input from county residents prior to making any official proposal to the commission in January. The date and locations of scoping meetings in Grayson County have not been finalized.
Other Wildlife-Related Issues
Other wildlife-related issues that could be advanced by the department include potentially implementing an open general season in Parmer County for mule deer, contingent upon the results of winter surveys and the temporary suspension of the two-day October lesser prairie chicken season until population recovery supports a season.
Changes Possible in Freshwater Fishing Regs
In addition, several possible changes to freshwater fishing regulations were offered to the commission for consideration including: modifying blue catfish regulations on three reservoirs, modifying largemouth bass regulations on another and providing increased protection for alligator gar statewide.
Harvest regulations for blue catfish on Lake Lewisville, Lake Richland Chambers and Lake Waco currently reflect the statewide limits (12-inch minimum length limit and 25 fish daily bag limit). Possible proposed changes would consist of a 25 fish daily bag limit with a 30 to 45-inch slot length limit and harvest of only one blue catfish over 45 inches would be allowed. No harvest of blue catfish between 30 and 45 inches would be allowed.
Harvest regulations for largemouth bass on Lake Ray Roberts are currently a 14- to 24-inch slot length limit and a five fish daily bag (only one bass 24 inches or greater may be retained each day). Potential changes would consist of the statewide limits for largemouth bass (14-inch minimum length limit and five fish daily bag limit).
The department discussed possible regulation strategies that emphasize protection of adult fish, while allowing some limited harvest of trophy fish to ensure population stability while allowing utilization of the resource. Two possible regulation scenarios were highlighted. The first would consist of issuing tags that would limit the size and/or number of alligator gar an angler could harvest in one year. The other would involve setting a minimum length limit of 7 feet and a daily bag limit of one. Under either scenario, harvest through commercial activities would also be restricted.
Coastal Fisheries to Look at Flounder, All-Water Guide Licenses and Consistency
Despite a relatively good year for flounder coastwide this year, TPWD Coastal Fisheries biologists remain concerned about a long-term downward trend in the abundance of southern flounder in Texas bays. Gill net catch rates have fallen from a rate of .14 fish per hour in 1982 to about .03 fish per hour lat year.
State fisheries biologists have already met with commercial and recreational fishermen to discuss possible changes to flounder regulations, and have planned a series of public scoping meetings to outline management options and receive input from anyone with an interest in the issue.
Management tools at the department’s disposal include decreasing the bag limit, increasing minimum size limit, area or time closures and quotas.
Also subject to scoping in the coming months is a proposal to change the requirements for a TPWD All-Water Guide license, which currently calls for the applicant to hold a USCG Operator of an Uninspected Passenger Vessel, or “Six-Pack” license. The changes would apply to applicants who wish to guide paddle craft trips only.
The draft proposal presented to TPW Commissioners includes requirements that licensees — in lieu of holding a USCG license — successfully complete TPWD Boater Safety training, hold current CPR and First Aid certifications and successfully complete ACA Level II Essentials of Kayak Touring and Coastal Kayak Trip Leading, or BCU Three-Star Sea Kayak and Four-Star Leader Sea Kayak certifications.
Finally, Coastal Fisheries biologists presented several issues pertaining to achieving consistency between state and federal regulations for sharks and reef fish such as gray triggerfish, greater amberjack and gag grouper.
Dates have not yet been set for public scoping meetings on the proposals to change the guide license requirements for paddle craft guides, or for changes in migratory and reef fish regulations to achieve consistency with federal regulations.
Scoping meetings have been scheduled for possible changes to flounder regulations.
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Michigan Hunters Reminded of Upper Peninsula Antler Restrictions
November 10, 2008
The Department of Natural Resources reminds Upper Peninsula deer hunters that they should carefully consider which d