that map reflects EXACTLY what I said it would when AL decided to legalize baiting and extend seasons statewide. It paved the way for a lot more deer to die on small tracts that previously had a negligible impact on overall deer harvest. I don’t think it’s doom and gloom like you do, but it’s definitely having an impact.
I agree its having an impact......
Its pretty gloomy for a lot of areas though……Those big increases took out a lot of deer……The only way were going to recover from a population standpoint in many places is for more clubs and landowners to stop shooting does to make up for the excess that’s getting shot on those small tracts……
But those small tracts have less, or in a lot of cases, nothing invested in property or hunting. The larger tracts are always going to be the producers for the small parcels. Legally, they have just as much right and claim to a deer that crosses their 2 acres as the guy with 2000 next door spending $30k annually on habitat improvements. I can see it having a large impact in east AL and the TN valley. Those areas are far more populated with smaller land holdings and an ever-increasing population sprawling into rural landscapes. I don’t think it will lead to a population reduction at all in NW, west, central and SW AL. It is however, impacting age structure across the board. I don’t think anyone can refute that.
