It’s not quite as poor as the Clintons struggling to pay mortgage(s) but nonetheless, poor.

If I read your post correctly , you are the exception in both counties. Many say they can't see deer in Limestone and they're behind every tree in Jackson. [/quote]
You read it right there are a bazillion does in limestone in certain areas, find crops and you find does I believe hunting in jackson is a lot more difficult because of the mountains and such. I'm a work in progress trying to figure it out. I'm getting there it would help if I could follow you around for about 10 years.

I personally hope they enforce GC to the full extent that they can and that they start setting bag limits according to the actual data they receive from it.

Why? He has threatened reducing the limit if people don't report. Isn't that exactly what you want for your area?

I do believe lower bag limits on does are needed, but I doubt this will actually happen until they actually get a better percentage of participation so they don’t keep guesstimating to make it look like our deer population is still in good shape across the whole State.

What? You don't believe Sykes will change the limits to punish us...In reality giving SOME hunters what they have asked for for years?? Why would he say such a thing?

He's mad because like the rest of the people in this world when they can't get their way they throw a temper tantrum ,and threating to do something illogical. So let him throw his tantrum will he get what he wants who knows. I believe in certain areas it should be 1 buck 2 does and in some areas different limits need to be set. I personally am not against the 1-2 limit ,but many want more. Alabama deer hunting is not the same as it was 20 years ago and never will be because of mis management by people that are supposed to be over seeing it. Certain people are selfish and want to have their cake and eat it to. We have know say so and that is what gripes me so badly,just think about future hunting for our kids and grandchildren. We're taking on a lot of water and are going down quickly if something doesn't change soon.Grab your life jackets every man for himself no wonder he can't get people to do GC.

I’m all for limiting the doe harvest. If the buck limit is lowered and the season gets shortened he won’t be around long. When the timber companies and large land owners can’t get people to lease land because a lot of people will decide it’s not worth the money anymore. When you start messing with the money it will cause some major problems.

I don’t believe Sykes has the power or clout to change the limits to “punish” us.

Outlaws will be outlaws and kill whatever they want whenever they want night or day. Been going on for years and no game checks laws are not going to stop it. Only true law abiding citizens will participate it Chuckies little game and will be affected by his rules.

Maybe that is what they want for us to quit hunting leaving thousands upon thousands of prime hunting land open for his taking. But someone will lease it even if it is to only kill 1 buck a year and a couple of does. Those of us that don't own land shell out thousands for a couple hundred acres. JMO timber companies don't care if one or ten people lease there land,but if it's decent land someone will lease it.

This was the funniest line of the article to me. He's smoking crack if he thinks turkey hunters are reporting at a higher rate than deer hunters.

No doubt. I knpw several who dang sure are not gonna report the 1 or 10 they kill

He cant do much. This is like requiring health care imo. There is no magic limit or management policy. People have to decide how they want to hunt then go surround themselves with like minded hunters who all follow the same standards. Of you want more deer find a place that has them and keep your finger off the trigger and beg your neighbors to do the same thing otherwise move along and find another place with better neighbors.

Turkey hunters don't talk, or report.
The only reason that idiot thinks turkey hunters are participating more, is because the turkey harvest actually looks closer to their SWAG than the deer numbers.
He just can't accept the fact that they've been insanely overestimating deer harvest for years.
Facts are very annoying. They don't change with personal opinions or political issues. Facts are just facts, and some people can't stand it.

I don’t think some of y’all understand the foundation of surveys or “simple random sampling”. That’s not meant as an insult……It’s just that sampling of this nature is not really a WAG….It’s more like a math formula…. We were required to take classes in forestry called Measurements I and II……We spent half the semester of MI studying nothing but simple random sampling, how it worked, and the math behind why it worked. They wanted us to understand it because it’s the foundation for doing a timber cruise. You sample a small portion of the whole…….you don’t measure the entire timber stand. Do you guys who don’t believe the deer survey was accurate also believe that foresters are just taking wild arse guesses at timber cruises? They are using the same concepts……..

There is a lot of truth in that Out back.

Unlike most of you here, I have received a hunter harvest survey. Not sure if I got one every year or not, but I know I've filled out 10 of them since relocating to AL in 2000. I am a forester, and at a continuing ed meeting one time, we had a biologist talk to the class about several issues, one of which was the hunter harvest surveys, and (at that time) the proposed Game Check system that was being postulated by the DNR. I should have asked how many of the surveys were mailed out each year, and what was the participation rate on them, but at the time, I could only think about the statistics. So, I asked them what kind of stats did they run on the numbers to come up with the estimated harvest. I suppose the field biologist didn't know, and he kinda blew it off to 'that was above his paygrade'.

You can do wonderful things with statistics to help validify data... but still, the old axiom, garbage in : garbage out holds true most of the time. Sounds kinda familiar, come to think of it. The GC seems to be producing the same questionable information.

You've received via the USPS mail a post-season DCNR hunter survey 10 times in the last 17 years?

Most of the timber cruisers I’ve dealt with really just take wild arse guesses that’s why as a land owner you always wanna get paid by the load, not one lump bid because you’ll be making someone’s pocket book fatter than it already is. No way in hale could you sample deer populations like that and be accurate. Many people manage deer way better than others and don’t shoot every deer they see in the magic corn pile.