As a landowner who worked extra hard to purchase properties that have deer populations, I am very hesitant to shoot anything but a good mature buck. The does are strictly forbidden from being shot. That is the future of my resource.
On the other hand, I see individuals who lease properties are more apt to shoot without regard to sex or age class. Most, NOT ALL, are under the pretense they want to get their money's worth EVERY time they go afield. I am an officer in one of the oldest hunting clubs in North Alabama and it makes me shake my head when I see grown men shoot button heads and fawns that weigh less than 60 lbs. it is like If I don't shoot it someone else will. They then drop out of the club because they are not killing mature deer and the process starts all over again with a change over of about 10 members a year.
Our deer population is less than half of what it was 15 years ago. I would love to see two buck tags per Hunter that are purchased over the counter. I would also like to see a maximum of three doe tags per Hunter which could be taken by any legal hunting method. Bow season also needs to start on November 1 and run until February 7 without a split season here in North Alabama. The money generated from the deer tag sales would be used for more GWs to cover all our counties.
This is what I would like to see happen, but remember we all are different. I used to love hunting as a child with my dad here in North Alabama in the 1960's and seeing a deer every three or four years (sarcastic comment). We started protecting our does once they were populated here and you were the scum of the earth if you shot a doe. Those sentiments still carry over to a certain degree even today with me. I have only shot two mature deer a year for years now and see no sense in changing. I love looking at those beautiful racks and vividly remembering every detail about that hunt. I also get invited to hunt several properties that are off limits to hunting because the landowners know how I hunt.
That is all. Merry Christmas.
B
