Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Serious Deer Talk Forum Your personal observations on the effect of liberal doe season (POLL)

I'm not sure how to phrase this question, but I have talked with 5 hunters who all hunt in different areas of the state and they have seen the same thing this year that I have. On our farm I have seen and have pictures of the least amount of does I have had. I also have pictures of 2-3 bucks per doe picture. Deer sightings have fallen off to near zero.

The other 5 guys hunt in Blount (2), Cherokee, Conecuh, Jackson, and I hunt in Marshall (south of the river) and in south Tallapoosa. My story above was told almost word for word by each of the other guys to me when I brought up the "How's your season been" conversation.

I'm looking for answers on this poll from the average Joe. If your land joins 6000 acres where no does are ever shot, then divulge that info when you answer. If you are in a club or lease and the rules have always allowed for a minimal doe harvest, like 1 per year per member, disclose that in your answer too.

I'm going to attempt to attend the CAB meetings this year and express my opinion on whether sound biological practices are being followed on herd management. I sure don't think they are. So I'd like to hear your opinion.

I know there are still areas in the state where the landowners or lessees have control over enough land that the deer population is relatively unchanged since "operation kill the does" started but it's just not that way on many properties.

Here's the question I would like answered and the type information I would like to see, Thanks:

Are we killing too many does in most places? My answer is, yes. I hunt 160 acres in Marshall county and 120 acres in south Tallapoosa county. I've seen 12 deer this season. 6 in Marshall, 6 in T'poosa. 8 bucks/4 does I've hunted 45-55 days

I hunt in north Randolph and my dad hunts in Monroe. Both of us have seen a drastic drop off in the number of deer, both on camera and with our eyes. I wish they would scale back on the doe slaughter. Maybe end the doe season on Dec 31st.

I've heard the same from people. We have never seen a ton of does on our property. We shoot maybe 5 a year(1 this year) off of 1100 acres...the people next to us make up for it by shooting 12 on 40 acres.

DMAP is a good science-based program to use to control your doe population on a site-specific basis for neighboring small land parcels instead of just using the statewide seasons and bag limits.

DMAP: Page 78 in this year's Regulation Book:

Regulation Book 2011-2012

2 doe a day is too many. Too many people now live in the country. We are getting too populated to allow this to continue. The law should be changed and then we need better control and enforcement.

IF people TRULY had the education, information and ability to manage the herd........we would NOT need any Laws OR the DCNR.

Fact is, though:

People LIKE to kill deer, and way too many of them if left unchecked!!!!

It is time to back off!

Why worry about not seeing does when the there isn't a way to enforce the 3 buck limit.

Between me and my buddy we have seen 6 deer (all does) on our 63 acres. It's our first season there but thinkin back I have 6 different bucks on cam and 4-6 does... Hard to b sure on the does . As of today I have no new pics since Jan 6th 4 pics of does one pic of a spike... This is at my lease in titus

I have about 50 acres I hunt in Nectar Al. So far there since last weekend I have pics of a min of 6 bucks and have multiple pics with atleast 4 does in one pic.... I have not had a chance to study all the pics yet to even try n guess buck to does ratio but I would say its close to 2 does to a buck ... But that info is from only one cam in one part of the property ....

I also hunt a wma near autaugaville . I have not hunted it a lot but I have seen 10 deer one was a spike ...

But I do think there needs to b a study on what the actual deer population is and what the buck to doe ratio ... And from that they need to determine how many bucks or does need to be harvested based off the heard of that area .

That would be to good to be true...

Are we killing too many does in most places? Yes

At least In Mobile and Baldwin counties where I hunt.

x2

We've got 840 acres, we gotta whack um. About 7-8 years ago we were taking 25-30 a year then for a few years about 20 , last couple 12-15 and I think that's right for us. If our doe numbers go up, we'll up our doe harvest again. The liberal season allows you to be flexable. If you need to whack um, whack um, if your numbers are about right slack up a few years. Flexable is good!

I agree that flexible is good, if you have people who actually understand what you're doing. When people in south Marshall county are killing 10 does per year, they don't know their azz from a hat about deer management. I'm all for limited regulations, but for that to work people would have to have the knowledge of how to manage the deer herd, and that's just not the case in most circumstances.

Sightings of everything are down some on our lease. We have pics from Sept through November of 22 different bucks, mostly spikes. Not nearly that many does (it's hard to tell the difference in doe pictures). We have killed 3 bucks and one button head (mistake)and one doe. I attribute the low sightings to the record acorn crop. We have killed the fewest does of any of the 3 years our club has been in existence. We have never killed more than 6 or 7 on about 1,000 acres.

I'm sure the acorn crop has some effect on it. Having said that I have not hunted a green field in over 6 weeks and I'm still not seeing deer. I've got one of my cameras up on an oak bottom here at home. I put it out 3 weeks ago and will not retrieve it until the season is over. I hope the batteries were 50% or better when I put it out. The amount of pictures on that camera will be a very good indicator of our deer population.

I think we're killing too many does myself

I have seen more people NOT hunt this year than EVER before.

Kids don't want to go and not see anything.
Older people, like my Uncles, who are not able to get around like they used to and hunt the way it takes to even see deer nowadays are getting very dis0interested as well.

our doe sightings has dropped off big time! the few does we have seen has one or two button heads with them not any little young does, we have killed alot more bucks this year than does by far, and also the does that have been killing have weighed between 115-145lbs which tells me that they are not overpopulated for sure, real healthy, and the people in the club wont listen and keep shooting the fire out of them! alot of buttons have been killed also due to this, i think we could go the whole year next year and not pull the trigger on a doe and still be fine, wish the state would limit the doe season again.

I've hunted the same land for 25 years and since the doe season was extended we don't see half thew deer we used to,we dont kill as many bucks either,some of the clubs close to us are if its brown its down so they kill the hell out of them,I think our buck harvest has gone down because of all the button bucks and spikes being shot for does,those deer never get the chance to grow up,one of our neighbors this weekend was talking about some guys down the road that have killed 8 or 9 spikes this year,I think the doe harvest should at least be cut back to 1 per day and no does after Dec.31st.

Thanks FurFlyin for this thread. This has been a concern of mine this whole year. When I ask other hunters if they are seeing any deer they say the same thing about the accorn crop this year. I think it's more to it than that. Were not seeing the deer we have in the past. We only harvest 2 does a year on 600 acres and have been doing so the past five years. My buddy and I have been in the stand every weekend and then some since the opening of gun season and between the two of us and some guest we have seen ten deer. Two spikes,seven does and one messed up rack buck. We have seen these same deer at least a half dozen times. Two years ago we would see as many as eight to ten deer every weekend. Between the hot weather and not seeing any deer this has been the worst season I have had in 32 years. I don't know what the answer is but I hope someone who knows more about it than me does.