For years, one of the key arguments in the hunting pro vs. con debate has been that hunting is a valid tool for managing wildlife populations.  It’s been the justification for everything from extended seasons and liberal bag limits to urban hunts and special weapons exceptions.  While I think the population control argument is often misused and over-generalized, it does hold water in some cases.  Whitetail deer are one good example, and according to this recent article in the Augusta (GA) Chronicle (found thanks to the Field and Stream Field Notes blog), the impact may finally be starting to show.  Hunters in the parts of Georgia are reporting far fewer deer in the woods, which should translate to fewer deer consuming crops and wrecking vehicles.

The article is pretty clear in setting out the hunters as proactive forces, calling for changes in the seasons and limits in response to falling populations.  That area of Georgia has a 12 deer limit and a season that runs from early September through the end of January.  Many hunters who have been impacted are suggesting a reduction in the limit, or changing the seasons so that less does are killed. 

Of course, there’s also a lot of speculation that coyotes are having a significant impact on the population as well as hunters.  Coyotes are relatively new in the southeastern states, so their impact on local ecosystems is still undetermined.  It’s certainly not impossible that coyotes are to blame, but I do think folks tend to dump a lot more blame on them than they deserve.  I’ll be interested in seeing what the research turns up. 

At any rate, the whole thing raises some questions.  Is this downturn in the deer population a good thing or a bad thing?  Is it the fruition of the wildlife management program working to reduce the deer herd to more realistic levels (and how do the biologists in GA determine what is “realistic”)?  Or is this a sign of a system out of order? 

It is worth noting that, along with the extended season and limits, Georgia has also implemented a quality management program to improve the “quality” of the bucks.  Of the 12 deer limit, two must be bucks, and one of those must be a buck with at least four points on one side.  The idea, of course, is to reduce the pressure on younger bucks by encouraging hunters to take does instead, and then only to fill the buck tag with large-antlered deer… allowing the younger deer to grow to maturity.  I can’t help wondering if this doesn’t somehow skew the population statistics, given the reluctance many hunters have for shooting does and the increased harvest of mature bucks.  Many of the commenters on the Chronicle story report seeing less fawns during the spring.  Could this be because less deer are breeding?

Of course there are tons of possible explanations, including the likelihood that the downturn is localized and not statewide.  It’ll be interesting to see if other states with liberal seasons and limits (AL, SC, NC) also see a drop in deer numbers. 

I’d love to read some of your thoughts on this.

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