Eddie

How does the DMAP program work? Lets say I wanted to enroll my new lease into the program, how would they base the ideal number of does/bucks to kill?

Since when? I was in until about 6-7 years ago and wasn't free then.

Look it up for yourself.

josh28,



Look it up for yourself Josh. Don't depend on me to cut and paste for you.

Never had a biologist come to my property when I paid, I'm betting I sure as heck wouldn't if it's now free.

Why not.... That's all you do anyway....

I had to google it and found this
http://www.outdoorhub.com/news/alabamas-...age-enrollment/

That mean totally free or just enrollment $? Now where's that fine print?

DMAP is free. Call your local District Office. All properties should receive a site visit, at least initially. I try to meet with my clubs annually. Don't always happen, but it should. It's a good program IMO, and like Eddie said, with a site visit, and one on one meetings the goal is to gather info and data to help landowners meet their management objectives. It previously cost, but doesn't now.

This is the site-specific whitetail deer management program that I support. My corrections and additions are shown in the rule as I would like to see it amended:


220-2-.73 The Alabama Cooperative Deer Management
Assistance Program

Section 1. The Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries of the
Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources shall
administer a program entitled "The Alabama Cooperative Deer
Management Assistance Program" to improve management of white-tailed
deer through cooperative agreements with landowners and hunting clubs.

Section 2. Each prospective participant shall submit an application
on a form to be supplied by the Division of Wildlife and Freshwater
Fisheries. Each application must be accompanied by two copies of a map
of the area to be included in the Deer Management Program that are of
sufficient detail to allow the area's boundaries to be readily determined.
Cooperators in Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Districts 1-2 and 3-5
shall have at least 200 and 500 contiguous acres, respectively. Approval of
the application shall be at the discretion of the Division of Wildlife and
Freshwater Fisheries. Each landowner/club approved shall be termed a
"cooperator."

Section 3. Each cooperator shall designate a person with authority
to represent all parties with a controlling interest in hunting activities on
the land to serve as the cooperator's contact with the Division of Wildlife
and Freshwater Fisheries.

Section 4. The Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries shall
designate a Wildlife Biologist, knowledgeable in deer management, as the
agency's contact with each cooperator.

Section 5. Cooperators must abide by all hunting laws and
regulations. Failure to do so shall be cause to terminate participation in
the Deer Management Assistance Program.

Section 6. Each cooperator shall make a written statement of its
deer management objectives. Those objectives must be within the
capabilities of the harvest and management strategies that can be applied.

Section 7. Each cooperator shall collect specified biological
information from deer harvested and submit the data to the Division of
Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries as directed. Failure to do so shall be
cause to terminate participation in the Deer Management Assistance
Program.

Section 8. Information concerning past harvest, existing conditions
and deer management objectives will be considered in the development of
a deer management and harvest strategy for each cooperator. Harvest of
antlered and unantlered deer will be prescribed as appropriate.

Section 9. Harvest of unantlered deer outside the regular Hunter's
Choice hunting season will be allowed only where appropriate to meet the
deer management objectives of the cooperator. The number of antlered and unantlered
deer to be taken, dates of harvest and bag limits will be designated and
shall be by written permit as approved by the Division of Wildlife and
Freshwater Fisheries Director based on recommendations submitted by the
Wildlife and Enforcement Sections. The regular Hunter's Choice hunting
season shall not apply to the extent of its conflict with the provisions of
said permits.

Section 10. Any person hunting on areas included in the Deer
Management Program shall comply with all applicable laws, rules, and
regulations, including those relating to the wearing of hunter orange.

Section 11. The Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries shall
provide the cooperator a report based on the biological information
submitted.

Almost all places I know of that have had a biologist tell them how many does to kill have been told 1 per 100 acres. And some of these places had twice the deer population of the other places yet they were both told 1 per 100 acres. Is hard for me to trust there suggestions when I have seen this first hand at places I was hunting at the time. I would like to know how many people on here hunted at place where a biologist gave you doe harvest recommendations and they recommended 1 doe per 100 acres. And has anyone ever had them recommend less than that.

Mike,

Under DMAP, the cooperators set the goals. The biologist can advise killing more does, but it's up to the members to kill or not kill the does.

Like I posted earlier, I think their recommendations are too high on our land, and it's hard to convince the other members of that. It takes seeing the results before they learn, but it's a lot easier and quicker to see what's happening on one piece of property than it is on a statewide basis. The people with their feet on the ground are involved in making the decisions instead of bureaucrats sitting on their high horses making rules.

So what do they recommend at your place.

Taking 40 does on 6400 acres in and area where it's estimated that we have 15 deer or less per sq. mile.

I'm trying to make Chris and the meat hunters see that it's taking a toll on our deer. It may not be near as easy to increase as it is to decrease.

At least I do have a voice there. I don't in Montgomery.

At least it is below 1 per 100 acres at 1 per 160 acres I am surprised. In the part of state you hunt I would not want to kill more than 1 per 200 acres but that is just me and I like to see deer.

Doe harvest WITHOUT taking the buck harvest into account is pseudo-science to begin with if you are managing deer.

I never hear any talk of suggested NUMBERS of bucks to be killed....only size and age.

Mike my biologist recommends 1 per 100 acres too. Makes me wonder if they learn anything else while in college lol

I never was taught 1 doe/hundred acres. Has nothing to do with college. On most properties with moderate habitat conditions and deer herd, 1 doe/hundred acres is manageable, and typically doesn't lead to overharvest. Of course each area is different, but until the biologist has enough data to recommend anything different its a nice starting place. I have clubs where I recommend more than 1/hundred, and others I recommend 1/500. But you can't make site specific recommendations until you have more data (takes a couple years being on DMAP).

That is how human greed works.

Matt,
I know there are good biologists out there and I do not mean to sound like I am putting them all down. There just seems to be some private ones out there that are not into site specifics and just doing it the easy fast generic way to make easy money. I talked to my landowner about the state plan and he was not interested even after I mentioned it being free. The problem I have is when I talked to someone down here about it they to talked about baseline data and the need to kill more does. That frankly is not an option.