Growing up in the 60's and wanting to hunt, all we had in North Alabama were a few scattered deer. If you saw a deer track you called all your friends to come and see it. If you saw a deer, it was like laying eyes on Bigfoot! I grew up hearing hunters say that if you killed a doe, you was the lowest scum of the earth as they tried to increase deer numbers in North Alabama. In the 70's the deer population exploded and it got to where we were seeing deer almost everywhere. The 80's saw a spike in bowhunting and liberal doe limits because of the population numbers. I hunted the refuge here and saw deer on every hunt that I can remember. I don't think I ever climbed a tree and failed to see a deer.

There is a shift among all the folks I am close to now-they all want to kill a great deer and will not shoot a doe because it might mess up the area they are hunting. This is my thoughts as well. That doe might be in heat and bring a giant by me come the rut. I only kill one buck a year but I still enjoy being outside hunting but would kill another one if he was one I was going to mount. I have no desire to kill a doe and if you are on my property and kill a doe, you will never be back on it again-period! Killing does is what I like to see young hunters do, especially young girls who seem to now enjoy hunting more than the boys. When we have the youth hunt week, I have at least 10 students call or come by the office to tell me about what they shot. I love to hear these stories.

I am all about seeing deer, and I lose interest in an area if I am not seeing anything. I have no trouble letting deer walk, even good deer. I know my ideas are different than a lot of folks, but I could care less about someone telling me they killed 10 does this year. Tell me you killed a good one and show me his picture. Save the little ones for the little ones.