Question for Matt and Nighthunter. Nighthunter, you KNOW where I am going to go already!! IF at all possible (which its not) all fawns could be born the same day, I would assume more would survive predators. How old does a fawn need to be for its BEST chance of survival from predators?
And I really like the 3 buck limit. But hunter education is equally important.
I think it really is dependent on habitat but I've personally seen 2-3 fawns that I would estimate were 4-6 weeks old give a coyote the slip. This was in pretty good quality habitat though. I'd venture to say in wide open commercial timberland plantation that fawns don't stand a very good chance, their ability to hide is their best defense. If I had to step out on a limb and estimate I'd say they needed to be 2.5 months old where escape cover was limited.
Matt and Nighthunter, do we have more deer now in Alabama than we did 10 years ago? 20 years ago? Anecdotally, I know how I would answer that, but what say ye biologists?
That question can't be answered with a clear-cut and paintbrush type response. It is different in various locales. Some areas have just as many deer as in the 80's-90's, some have more and some have less. These areas can change very, very quickly too. IMO (not speaking in WFF role), habitat changes, differences in management/hunting practices, human population dynamics, politics, and land ownership/leasing patterns/practices has really created a difficult situation to manage our deer herd in AL. To me it makes much more sense to try and manage on a more local level instead of 2 huge zones but that hasn't occurred so we have to work with what we have. That is why I recommend the DMP for the folks that it fits.
