The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department’s 2008 recommendation for the harvest of antlerless deer and youth weekend deer season was presented to the Fish and Wildlife Board on April 9th. The proposal calls for a harvest of 7,662 antlerless deer through a combination of either-sex hunting during the split archery season, an either-sex youth weekend hunt, and through the use of 22,050 muzzleloader season antlerless permits. Typically, 80 percent of the antlerless harvest is adult does, so this amount would be less than 10 percent of the adult doe population.

All WMUs will be open to the taking of antlerless deer during the two-part archery season except WMUs D2 and E. Opening of WMUs I and L is designed to remove overabundant antlerless deer at the western edges of those WMUs. Two deer may be taken during archery season with two archery licenses. One legal buck may be taken anywhere in the state during archery season. In WMUs open to antlerless deer hunting, both deer during the archery season may be antlerless deer.

Youth deer weekend is recommended to be an either-sex season statewide. Bucks may have antlers of any size or shape during this season.

The 22,050 muzzleloader season antlerless permits are for 14 of the 24 WMUs, an increase of 11,000 permits from 2006. The permit increases are focused on WMUs with the highest deer densities and primarily west of the Green Mountains where winter severity was below average.

The increase in antlerless deer hunting permits is in response to growing deer numbers and is designed to keep the deer population in balance with its habitat. The total antlerless harvest with this proposal is estimated at 7,662 deer. Last year, 5,516 antlerless deer were taken by hunters.

Vermont’s lead deer biologist, Dr. Shawn Haskell points out that Vermont’s deer population has increased more than expected along the western side of the state and in the East-central region in WMUs H1, H2, J1 and J2. The deer herd seems to be healthier than it has been in the past 50 years. Thus, reproductive potential in the past few years has been explosive.

“If we send as many deer as we had last December into a severe winter next year, I would expect more of them to die than did this year,” said Haskell. “We also don’t want to severely damage winter habitat and lose our ability to support a healthy deer herd going into the future.” Haskell says Vermont’s deer have not only increased in number but also in size. Fawns taken in the 2007 hunting season weighed an average five pounds heavier than they did ten years ago.

He also reports that the antler regulation change that began in 2005 is contributing to more older bucks being in the population and increased hunter satisfaction. Population and harvest data suggest that twice as many bucks survived the 2007 harvest compared to any of the past ten years, and that about half of the bucks harvested in 2007 were two years-old.

The proposed 2008 season regulations include returning to the three-deer annual limit that existed prior to 2005 to allow more hunting opportunity. About 200-400 deer were taken by hunters who took three deer in those prior seasons. The chance to continue hunting after taking two deer, however, encourages hunters to get out more, especially during the December muzzleloader season for those hunters fortunate enough to draw an antlerless deer permit by lottery. It also encourages hunters to take a second deer earlier, either in archery or November rifle season. This improves the department’s ability to manage deer. The definition of a “legal buck” remains unchanged as any white-tailed deer with at least one antler having two or more points one inch or longer.

The entire proposal, including a map showing the number of permits proposed in WMUs, is posted on the Fish & Wildlife Department’s website “href=”http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com”>ww.vtfishandwildlife.com. The Board voted to approve the proposal as recommended. As with all Board regulations, there will be two more votes at coming monthly meetings.

Antlerless permit applications should be available in late June or early July on Fish & Wildlife’s website and at license agents. The deadline to apply will be August 22.

• The West Virginia bucks gun season is November 19 – December 1. It is open in all counties except Logan, Mingo, McDowell and Wyoming.
• Approximately 320,000 licensed hunters will be in West Virginia’s woods during this season.
• Hunters should review the 2007-2008 Hunting and Trapping Regulations summary for detailed instructions concerning bag limits and season dates. The regulations are online at www.wvdnr.gov
• A list of deer checking stations in West Virginia can be found online at www.wvdnr.gov/hunting/check_stations.asp 
• The bag limit during the two week bucks season is two (one on the base license and one on an RG [resident] or RRG [nonresident] stamp). A hunter may take no more than three antlered deer per calendar year in all archery and firearms seasons combined.
• The last day to purchase an additional deer gun tag (class RG/RRG stamp) is November 18. Class RG and Class RRG additional buck stamps can only be used to take an additional antlered deer in bucks season. Unused Class RG and Class RRG may no longer be rolled over to later deer seasons.
• A concurrent antlerless deer season will be available in 41 counties on private land only during the two-week bucks-only gun season. This is not a “hunter’s choice” season, because hunters must have purchased the proper antlerless deer license (Class N for residents and Class NN for nonresidents) to participate. Hunters may take only one deer per day, therefore, a buck and an antlerless deer may not be taken on the same day. Class N and Class NN antlerless stamps are no longer county specific. See the 2007-2008 Hunting and Trapping Regulations for county specific regulations.
• All deer must be field tagged and checked in within 72 hours of the time of kill or within 24 hours of the close of the season, whichever comes first. Additional deer may not be taken until all previously taken deer have been checked. Only one deer may be taken per day during the bucks-only season.
• Deer hunting in West Virginia generates a total annual economic impact of $233-million, much of it in the rural areas of the state that depend upon the deer seasons for a large portion of their annual income.
• In 2006, deer hunters in West Virginia harvested 65,923 bucks during the two-week bucks-only season.
• The buck gun kill was up 16 percent in 2006 and biologists are predicting another good year of buck hunting. This year there was a large outbreak of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD). Normally, this disease occurs sporadically in a four - to five - year cycle during late August and early September and has little effect on the deer herd, but this year the disease was widespread and lasted well into October because of the warmer fall weather. Although there may be local reductions in the deer herd, look for the buck kill to be slightly higher than last year.  The northern regions have good acorn crops, so deer will be less available in field edges. While the southern and mountain regions have poorer acorn crops and this will result in more bucks being killed in the fields.  Hunters who have done their pre-season scouting and have located food sources for deer will have the best chance of success.
• Sunday hunting is legal in the following 14 counties on private land only: Boone, Brooke, Clay, Hancock, Jefferson, Lincoln, Logan, McDowell, Marshall, Mingo, Ohio, Wayne, Wetzel and Wyoming. The only Sunday that falls during the bucks-only gun season is November 25. Hunters are reminded that deer gun seasons are closed in Logan, Mingo, McDowell and Wyoming counties.
• Hunters are required to wear at least 400 square inches of blaze orange (about the size of a vest) as an outer garment for visibility and safety. Blaze orange camouflage patterns are legal as long as 400 square inches of blaze orange are displayed on the garment. A blaze orange hat is not required, but the hunter must have blaze orange visible from both the front and the back.
• Hunting licenses may be purchased online at any time and printed out on a home computer printer. Go to the goWILD! Web site at www.wvhunt.com, fill out the application, and purchase it over a secure server with a credit card.
• Hunters who wish to donate deer meat or dollars to the Hunters Helping the Hungry program, which distributes deer meat through the Mountaineer Food Bank and Huntington Food Bank, should call (304) 558-2771 or visit the DNR Web site at www.wvdnr.gov to find a participating meat processor.

Young deer hunters will have their own opportunity for success on Saturday and Sunday, October 27-28, 2007, when New Hampshire’s youth deer hunt is held. This special weekend gives young people statewide the opportunity to go deer hunting with an adult mentor, without the pressure of competing with thousands of adult hunters. Accompanying adults must be licensed hunters and are not allowed to carry a firearm, so that they can devote all of their time and attention to coaching their young companions.

Prospects for this year’s youth season are excellent, according to Kent Gustafson, Deer Project Leader for the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. Gustafson notes that New Hampshire’s deer population is very healthy. In 2006, young hunters took 668 deer during the youth weekend, a dramatic increase from the 326 deer taken in 2005 and surpassing the previous youth weekend record of 334 deer taken in 2003. 

“The weekend is a chance to introduce young people, under the careful guidance of an experienced adult, to deer hunting,” said Gustafson. ”You can build bonds for a lifetime while tracking a whitetail through the autumn woods or deciphering the sounds of the forest from a treestand. We hope hunters will spend the weekend with their sons and daughters, grandchildren or young friends, helping them learn what hunting is all about.”

Gustafson notes that hunting can help youngsters learn about the environment, conservation, tradition and ethics, and gain an appreciation for the wildlife and wild places of New Hampshire. 

The basics of New Hampshire’s youth hunting weekend for deer are as follows:

• Youths must be under 16 years of age to participate; they do not need a hunting license and do not have to complete a hunter education requirement. Both resident and nonresident youth may take part.
• Youths must be accompanied by an adult 18 years of age or older, and the adult must have a valid New Hampshire hunting license.
• Adults who accompany youth hunters may not carry a firearm or assist in taking the deer, other than to supervise.
  Each licensed adult may accompany up to two youths under 16 years of age.
• A deer of either sex is legal statewide during the youth weekend.
• Youths are entitled to their own bag limit of game; any deer taken constitutes the one deer allowed by muzzleloader or regular firearms per year.
• All deer need to be registered, as required during the regular season; youths should tag their deer using the tag found inside the back cover of the 2007-2008 Hunting Digest, available from Fish and Game license agents statewide or on the Fish and Game website at http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Hunting/hunting.htm.
• Youths and accompanying adults must comply with all Fish and Game laws relative to hunting deer.

New Hampshire has offered a special youth deer hunt since 1999. It also offers youth weekends for waterfowl hunting in the early fall and for wild turkey in the spring. The special weekends are part of the reason New Hampshire New Hampshire ranks third nationally for youth hunting participation, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

For more details on hunting in New Hampshire, visit http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Hunting/hunting.htm.

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is the guardian of the state’s fish, wildlife and marine resources and their habitats. Visit http://www.HuntNH.com.

It’s the most popular time of year again for Georgia hunters. Firearms deer hunting season is just around the corner, and according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division (WRD), 94 percent of deer hunters in Georgia pursue the species using modern firearms. The season opens Saturday, Oct. 20 and runs through Jan. 1, 2008 in the Northern Zone. In the Southern Zone the season runs through Jan. 15, 2008.

“Regulated hunting is the most cost effective and efficient means of managing the deer herd,” says WRD Assistant Chief of Game Management John Bowers. “In addition, sportsmen and women provide more than $30 million each year to fund wildlife conservation in the state through license fees and self-imposed excise taxes collected on the purchase of firearms, ammunition, archery equipment and fishing equipment.”

Last year, 241,971 licensed hunters harvested 319,377 deer. Each year, hunters take advantage of the extensive public hunting land available in Georgia. WRD currently manages more than 90 wildlife management areas (WMAs), consisting of more than one million acres of prime hunting opportunity. For a mere $19/year, hunters can purchase a WMA license and reap the rewards of the state’s expansive hunting opportunities.

“The annual WMA license is a bargain for deer hunters,” says WRD Senior Wildlife Biologist Brandon Anderson. “It is the ticket to the best value hunting club in the state of Georgia – over 1 million acres of land for $19 per year.”

Georgia’s one million acres of WMAs provide a variety of hunting options, including archery, primitive weapons, modern firearms, adult-child hunts, ladies-only hunts and hunts for the physically disabled. Sportsmen and women also can hunt on open National Forest land, in accordance with state regulations and county restrictions. WMA regulations apply on WMAs located on National Forest land. Hunters must obtain written permission from the landowner prior to hunting on private land.

All hunters should check the 2007-2008 Georgia Hunting Seasons and Regulations annual guide, available at www.gohuntgeorgia.com or from license agents, for any special county regulations, including either-sex days and antler restrictions. Hunters also should note that the season bag limit remains at 10 does and two antlered bucks. Regarding the buck limit, one of the two must have at least four points (one inch or longer) on one side of the antlers. There are no additional antler restrictions except in counties with special antler restrictions. All deer hunters must wear at least 500 square-inches of fluorescent orange above the waist to legally hunt during firearms season, except on archery-only areas within WMAs or archery-only counties.

Deer hunters using modern firearms must possess a valid hunting license, a big game license and a current deer harvest record. If hunting on a WMA, hunters also must possess a WMA license. Hunting licenses are available online at www.gohuntgeorgia.com, at over 1,000 license agents or by calling 1-888-748-6887.

For more information on firearms deer season, visit the WRD website at www.gohuntgeorgia.com, contact a WRD Game Management Office or call (770) 918-6416.

With the 2006-07 deer seasons coming to a close this month, Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl Roe reminded hunters that they must complete and submit their Deer Management Assistance Program report cards either by mail or through the agency’s website www.pgc.state.pa.us by Feb. 7.
Under DMAP, all hunters are required to submit a report card, even if the hunter did not take a deer. This is being done so the Game Commission can measure the effectiveness of the program.
If registering the report through the website, just click on the “DMAP” icon in the center of the homepage and follow the instructions. Hunters will need to provide: their application number, DMAP unit number, coupon number, and birth date; the date of the harvest; the Wildlife Management Unit, county and township of the harvest; and what type of sporting arm they used. DMAP permits only may be used to take antlerless deer, however, hunters still will need to identify whether the deer was male or female. Hunters also can report that they did not harvest a deer simply by checking a box at this website.
Roe noted that deer harvest numbers for the 2006-07 seasons won’t be available until mid-March, as in the past. In addition to hunters still submitting harvest report cards, which must be sent out for data entry, the agency’s Deer Management Section is compiling the data collected in the field by the deer aging teams.
While the late flintlock muzzleloader and archery seasons closed on Jan. 13, antlerless deer seasons in WMUs 5C and 5D run until Jan. 27.
For the 2005-06 deer seasons, 31,641 DMAP antlerless deer permits were issued to hunters, of which 7,644 hunters reported that they harvested a deer and 18,932 reported that they did not harvest a deer. However, 5,065 hunters did not submit any report card.
Created in 1895 as an independent state agency, the Game Commission is responsible for conserving and managing all wild birds and mammals in the Commonwealth, establishing hunting seasons and bag limits, enforcing hunting and trapping laws, and managing habitat on the 1.4 million acres of State Game Lands it has purchased over the years with hunting and furtaking license dollars to safeguard wildlife habitat. The agency also conducts numerous wildlife conservation programs for schools, civic organizations and sportsmen’s clubs.
The Game Commission does not receive any general state taxpayer dollars for its annual operating budget. The agency is funded by license sales revenues; the state’s share of the federal Pittman-Robertson program, which is an excise tax collected through the sale of sporting arms and ammunition; and monies from the sale of oil, gas, coal, timber and minerals derived from State Game Lands.

MADISON — Venison processors across the state are encouraged to contact the land conservation department for their county if they are interested in participating in the 2006 Venison Donation Program. Processors can begin accepting donated deer as soon as their application is processed.
In 2005, hunters donated 7,207 deer which 130 participating processors in 58 counties processed and packaged to provide more than 324,000 pounds of ground venison to food pantries.
The program is very simple, according to Laurie Fike, DNR Wildlife Damage and Abatement Claims Program coordinator: Hunters simply harvest, tag, field dress and register a deer as they normally would then deliver it to a participating meat processor. A call ahead to the processor can verify the processor’s hours of business and that they have room to accept the deer.
Wildlife managers remind hunters to properly handle deer they intend to donate, treating the venison as if it were destined for their own table. Proper field dressing and prompt registration and drop off at the processor are important to providing the best quality venison and ensuring that none of the venison is lost to spoilage. This is especially important in the warmer early weeks of the hunting seasons. The DNR Web site has links to a number of excellent resources on proper care and field dressing of deer.
The venison donation program is managed by the Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services and County Land Conservation Departments. The program is financed by a $2 wildlife damage surcharge included on every hunting license purchased and by revenue from additional antlerless deer carcass tags sold in regular season deer management units. The tags sell at $12 for residents and $20 for non resident hunters. Hunters can also opt to donate additional funds to the pantry program at the time they purchase their license. Processors receive approximately $50 per deer.
“Wisconsin is experiencing overabundant deer populations. Too many deer causes millions of dollars worth of damage. Hunters can help feed hungry people and lessen deer damage by harvesting additional antlerless deer for the pantry program,” Fike said.
“In some units we’re asking hunters to kill more deer than they or their families and friends can eat. It’s important to have an outlet for the excess venison as most hunters are opposed to taking game that is not eaten. The donation program provides a charitable outlet for the venison and is very popular,” Fike said.
Biologists estimate the 2006 white-tailed deer population in Wisconsin at 1.5 — 1.7 million animals. Many of Wisconsin’s 135 deer management units are over the deer population goals set in state law. Deer contribute to crop damage and ecological damage to forests through their grazing habits and cause nearly 50,000 car-deer collisions each year.
A list of participating meat processors, including processors in the state’s Chronic Wasting Disease management zones, will be posted and updated on the DNR Web site starting in late summer and throughout the hunting season.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Laurie Fike 267-7974

DES MOINES - Iowa deer hunters harvested more than 210,000 deer during the 2005-2006 season, an increase of 17,000 from 2004 and the third year in a row of dramatically increased harvests.
Willie Suchy, state deer biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, said hunters are doing what was asked of them by shooting more does. Ninety percent of the increased kill was due to more does being taken. Does made up 56 percent of the total deer harvest and this was the third straight year where significantly more does were harvested than bucks.
“Adding the November antlerless season and the extra weekend during the January antlerless season in the southern tiers of counties, really added to the antlerless deer harvest last year,” Suchy said. “This is the third year of the effort to harvest more does, and we are seeing the population come down.” The previous record deer harvest before the effort to take more does was an estimated 136,655 in 2001.
Suchy said when you put the harvest survey data together with the population indexes, the projected deer population looks to be on track to meet management goals. The number of deer sighted on the spring spotlight surveys was down 8 percent while 18 percent fewer deer were counted on aerial surveys during the past winter. The conditions for the aerial surveys were less than ideal due to the mild winter and lack of snow so the actual numbers may not be down as much as the surveys indicated. The number of reported road killed deer also decline 6 percent in 2005.
“We are getting deer numbers down to the department’s goal in some areas and should be there in other areas in a year or so. The antlerless quota could come down substantially in the next couple of years,” he said.
Suchy said that deer numbers may still be higher than preferred in southern and northeast Iowa, but in north central and northwest Iowa, hunters will see fewer antlerless deer licenses, or an elimination of extra antlerless licenses for this fall. He said there would still be special hunts in parks and in urban areas to control local deer numbers.
For more information, contact Suchy at 641-774-2958.

DES MOINES - Iowa’s deer donation program during the last hunting season surprised even Department of Natural Resources officials with a windfall of 6,344 deer given by hunters, almost 30 percent more than expected.
The DNR piloted the donation program in 2003 and 2004 to help reduce the deer population by giving hunters a place to donate deer so they would continue to shoot more. Last year, the legislature added $1 to the cost of a deer permit to help pay for the program and expand it from just central Iowa to statewide.
“Deer hunters are to be thanked for their major contributions in providing highly popular venison to Iowans in need,” said Jeff Vonk, DNR director.
Vonk said that hunters donated deer at 88 locker locations in 60 counties throughout Iowa. Deer donated to the Help Us Stop Hunger program, with distribution to the needy and coordinated by the Food Bank of Iowa, amounted to 5,608. At seven Iowa lockers, hunters could chose to donate deer to Iowa Department of Corrections facilities. That Prison Venison Program resulted in 736 deer going to five nearby prisons.
Vonk said more than 1 million quarter-pound servings of venison were received by Iowans through the network of food banks. About 135,000 venison meals were served at the prisons.
The extra $1 on deer permits came up about $42,000 short on paying from the program, but the DNR will pay the additional out of its regular budget. Lockers received $60 per deer to process the venison for HUSH; the Food Bank of Iowa received $5 per deer for distribution and administration; and the DNR spent about $17,000 to promote the program.
The top lockers receiving the most deer included: Corning Meat Processing in Corning, 288 deer; Edgewood Locker in Edgewood, 270 deer; Country Meat Market in Granger, 270 deer; Milo Locker in Milo, 226 deer; and Crawford Locker in Wayland, 217 deer.

Preliminary harvest figures indicate a near record-breaking season. Through the end of the deer gun season, hunters harvested 89,409 deer, the second highest preliminary harvest recorded since the record harvest of 2000. Once figures from the second half of archery season, controlled hunts and other hunts are tallied, the final 2005 harvest could exceed 100,000.
Statewide totals were 5,481 deer higher than those observed at the same time last year, representing an increase of nearly seven percent. Antlered deer harvest was up 7.2 percent statewide and doe harvest also increased 6.5 percent. Each of the state’s five wildlife regions recorded an increase, with the southeast seeing the largest increase. Southeast Oklahoma hunters took 3,283 more deer than in 2004.
A complete breakdown of the 2005 deer season will be featured in the Big Game Report in the September/October issue of “Outdoor Oklahoma magazine. Individuals can subscribe to “Outdoor Oklahoma,” on the universal license form wherever hunting and fishing licenses are sold; or by calling 1-800-777-0019. Subscriptions are just $10 for one year, $18 for two years, or $25 for three years. You can also subscribe over the Internet by logging on to the Department’s Web site at www.wildlifedepartment.com.

PIERRE — The Game, Fish and Parks Commission has finalized the 2006 Special Buck deer seasons, and applications for the license drawing are now being accepted.
The Commission changed the number of licenses available for the west river season from 400 resident licenses and 400 nonresident licenses that were available in 2005, to 500 for each available in 2006. Like last year, 400 resident licenses will be available for the east river season.
Special Buck licenses are special permits sold as part of both the West River and East River deer seasons. They allow a license holder to harvest a deer in any unit within that season boundary as long as it is on private land only.
“The season structure for the Special Buck licenses was worked out a few years ago as part of a task force of landowners, hunters and our agency,” according to Division of Wildlife Assistant Director George Vandel. “It has been a valuable source of licenses for individuals who are lining up hunts with private landowners. By increasing the numbers West River, the Commission felt they would be able to meet a growing demand for those licenses without a negative impact on public hunting opportunity.”
Applicants for the Special Buck licenses must include the name and phone number of a landowner where they have permission to hunt as part of the application process.
Applications are now being accepted online for both the East River and West River Special Buck seasons. Applications can be made through the GFP website at www.sdgfp.info. Click on the link to “Licenses and Reservations,” and then on the link to “Apply for Limited Issue Licenses…”.
Paper applications are now being printed and will be distributed by April 1. Application deadline for paper applications will be Friday, April 14. Online applications are accepted until 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 18.

Antlers will abound throughout the Palmetto State as the search for new state record deer antlers gets underway during the S.C. Department of Natural Resources’ annual series of scoring sessions.
Each year during March, the S.C. Department of Natural Resources scores deer antlers throughout the state, with a major scoring effort during the Palmetto Sportsmen’s Classic scheduled for March 24-26 at the State Fairgrounds in Columbia. A total of 4,488 sets of white-tailed deer antlers, including 4,328 typical racks and 160 nontypical, are currently ranked on South Carolina’s all-time antler records list, according to Charles Ruth, Deer Project/Turkey Project supervisor for DNR. Minimum scores for state record listing are 125 points for typical antlers and 145 points for nontypical antlers. Scoring is based on the Boone and Crockett system.
For more information on antler scoring sessions, call the Columbia DNR office at 734-3886.
The objectives of the state records list are to recognize outstanding animals and to identify areas that produce quality deer, according to Ruth. This information allows biologists to take a closer look at habitat, deer herd condition, and offer land management suggestions to landowners.
Although record deer have been recorded from all counties, Aiken, Anderson, and Orangeburg counties have produced the greatest numbers in the past three to four years. Generally, larger deer are more abundant in areas that have fewer deer, as compared to parts of the state with high deer numbers, according to Ruth. Last year’s scoring sessions produced 180 new entries into the South Carolina records list, including one Boone and Crockett entry.
Hunters must provide necessary documentation, such as the date and county of the kill, and sign a “fair chase” statement when they bring in a set of antlers for scoring. Broken and repaired racks or antlers separated from the skull plate cannot be officially measured for the state records list. If the lower jawbone of the animal was extracted during taxidermy or otherwise saved, it should be brought to the scoring session so biologists can determine the deer’s age. An accurate weight measurement at the time of the kill is also helpful.
2006 ANTLER SCORING SESSIONS
Date, time, location, telephone
Friday, March 3, 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Bath, Wilson’s Taxidermy, 158 Victory Lane, 593-3357
Tuesday, March 7, 2-8 p.m., Seneca, Tri-County Ace Hardware, US 123 across from Super Wal-Mart, 882-1537
Tuesday, March 9, 2-8 p.m., Belton, Finley’s Taxidermy, 4027 Belhaven Road, 224-5464
Friday, March 17, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Barnwell, USDA Service Center, 100 Fuldner Road, 259-7143
Friday, March 24, noon to 8 p.m., Columbia, Palmetto Sportsmen’s Classic, State Fairgrounds, 734-3886
Saturday, March 25, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Columbia, Palmetto Sportsmen’s Classic, State Fairgrounds, 734-3886
Sunday, March 26, 1:30-6 p.m., Columbia, Palmetto Sportsmen’s Classic, State Fairgrounds, 734-3886
Friday, March 31, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Bonneau, Dennis Wildlife Center, 305 Black Oak Road, 825-3387
Greenwood: DNR office, 2751 Hwy. 72 East, Abbeville, by appointment only during March, 223-2731
Florence: DNR office, 2007 Pisgah Road, Florence, by appointment only during March, 661-4768

The Colorado Division of Wildlife will add a rifle season for deer in the Gunnison Basin for the 2006 hunting season.
The season is set for the third week in November , and will run concurrently with the fourth regular rifle elk season. The new season will be added in Game Management Units 54, 55, 551, 66 and 67. These units are nationally renowned for mule deer hunting. The DOW estimates that the population of deer in the Basin is about 25,000.
“The deer population in these units is large,” said Scott Wait, senior terrestrial biologist for the DOW’s southwest region. “We will be issuing a limited number of licenses. The new season hunt will have essentially no effect on the size of the deer population in the Gunnison Basin.”
The total number of licenses available in all five GMU’s will probably not exceed 100. The exact number of licenses to be issued will not be determined until May 2006. Biologists will evaluate 2005 harvest data, conduct aerial surveys during early winter December and January and conduct biological analyses before setting license numbers for each unit.
The new season will make more licenses available in these high-demand units and provide a quality hunting opportunity for participants. These licenses will likely require a high number of preference points as demand to hunt in the fourth season is expected to be high. The new season, however, will likely reduce preference point requirements necessary for drawing second- and third-season buck licenses.
“The new season will give a limited number of people an increased opportunity to hunt in game management units where licenses are becoming highly sought after for deer,” said J Wenum, area wildlife manager for Gunnison. “We have been evaluating these units closely and there is a great deal of public interest. Our hope through this hunt is to help spread preference point and hunting pressure and provide more opportunity for deer hunters.”
During the 2005 season there were 2,605 licenses available in these game management units, an increase of 472 licenses from the previous year. Success rates during the 2005 season appeared to be very good. Exact harvest numbers will not be known until March.
“These numbers show that we are managing the deer herd very conservatively, and we are managing the herd to meet game management objectives,” Wait said.

PIERRE, S.D. — Changes recently proposed to South Dakota’s 2006 special buck licenses would increase the number of West River “any deer” licenses by 200 and eliminate the white-tailed deer-only restriction in three of the four counties.
The Game, Fish and Parks Commission proposed to remove the “whitetail only” restriction for Corson, Dewey and Ziebach counties and make the licenses valid for “any deer” in those counties like the rest of the West River units,” said GFP Assistant Wildlife Director George Vandel. “This would leave Campbell County as the only county with a “whitetail only” restriction.”
Following a discussion of the idea of landowner sponsored licenses and license allocation, the commission proposed raising the number of West River Special Buck licenses to 500 for residents and 500 for nonresidents. No changes were proposed for the East River special buck licenses, so 400 resident “any deer” licenses will be available.
The comment period for the West River special buck licensing proposal will be open up to 5 p.m., Wednesday, March 1. Anyone interested in presenting a comment is encouraged to do so at any time during the comment period by e-mailing wildinfo@state.sd.us or writing to Game, Fish and Parks, 523 E. Capitol, Pierre, S.D. 57501. All comments must be received before 5 p.m. and include the person’s full name and address. Comments may also be presented in person to the GFP Commission at the time of the public hearing at 2 p.m., Thursday, March 2, at the Cedar Shore Resort in Chamberlain.

PIERRE, S.D. — Although the mountain lion hunting season is over and South Dakota State University researcher Dan Thompson is in his final year of data collection, mountain lions continue to be a high priority for both he and Game, Fish and Parks.
While Thompson is wrapping up data collection on mountain lion dispersal, he and GFP biologists are not winding down. Instead, they are out in hot pursuit of new mountain lions to mark with radio transmitting collars.
“We have set a goal of collaring 30 new mountain lions, which if achieved, would give us a total of 50 collared lions by the end of this winter,” said GFP Wildlife Program Administrator Tony Leif.
Last summer, GFP and SDSU worked out a one-year extension to Thompson’s project to ensure that adequate monitoring occurred during the 2005 mountain lion hunting season. “Dan’s field work will be completed this coming summer, but SDSU and GFP plan to extend their mountain lion research partnership with the implementation of a new project aimed at an in-depth evaluation of cougar mortality in the Black Hills,” Leif said. “Of particular interest is the relationship between different causes of mountain lion deaths and how these deaths affect incidents of lion depredation and lion sightings.”
This means that mountain lion research in the Black Hills will continue for at least three more years. In the meantime, GFP has begun developing and testing techniques to monitor mountain lion populations without the use of radio transmitters, because eventually, mountain lion research will conclude.
The new graduate student is scheduled to begin work in July 2006 and will spend two months learning the ropes from Thompson before taking over the reigns of the Black Hills cougar research.

PIERRE, S.D. - Youth deer hunters will have another chance to fill their 2005 South Dakota youth deer tags from Dec. 10 - 31. Youth deer licenses are also available.
South Dakota’s youth antlerless deer licenses are unlimited in number, so a youth hunter may apply for and receive a maximum of two of these licenses anytime until the season ends on Dec. 31. An applicant must still complete and submit either a paper or electronic application to receive a license. Both application types are available via the Game, Fish and Parks website at www.sdgfp.info. Each license cost $5 for residents and $10 for nonresidents.
“Youth hunters who are or will be at least 12 years old on Dec. 31 and who were younger than 16 years of age on July 1, 2005, can purchase a license and hunt this entire youth deer season,” said Game, Fish and Parks Regional Wildlife Manager Will Morlock of Watertown. Each youth hunter is allowed up to two youth deer licenses.
An adult must accompany each youth hunter, and each youth and adult must wear at least on exterior garment of florescent orange.
Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset.

PIERRE, S.D. - Hunters who may have found their East River deer hunt cut short by the recent weather conditions can find solace in the extended antlerless hunting opportunities that are still available.
The regular East River deer season concluded on Sunday, Dec. 4. However, the season continues from Dec. 5 - 11 for antlerless deer licenses. A second deer season extension will then occur once again for antlerless deer on Jan 1-8, 2006. Those hunters with “any deer” tags will be allowed to take any antlerless deer during the season extensions. Those with an “any whitetail deer” tag will be allowed to take an antlerless whitetail.
Hunters wishing to obtain one of the remaining deer licenses can submit an application, either paper through the mail or online by computer, to the Game, Fish and Parks License Office. They also have the option of submitting an application online, choosing an option to print a receipt of the license and then picking up their tags from a designated license agent.
“The season extension is part of the original season structure for the East River deer season and is intended to facilitate the harvest of doe deer to help manage herd numbers,” said GFP Communications Manager Chuck Schlueter. Licenses remain for the East River deer season and may be purchased through the end of the season extension. Information on leftover licenses and license applications are available from the GFP website at www.sdgfp.info.

PIERRE, S.D. - Even though some of South Dakota’s firearm deer seasons continue with antlerless season extensions, some hunters will be putting down their rifles and picking up their muzzleloaders when the state’s muzzleloader-only deer season re-opens on Saturday, Dec. 10. The season will continue through Tuesday, Jan. 31. Game, Fish and Parks Regional Wildlife Manager Ron Schauer of Sioux Falls said South Dakota’s muzzleloader deer licenses changed a bit for 2005. “A limited pool of ‘any deer’ licenses were allotted for residents, and they quickly sold out,” he said. “However, antlerless licenses are unlimited in number, with both one-and two-tag options still available.”
Schauer noted that people can apply online at www.sdgfp.info as well as access the paper application there. Paper applications can also be picked up at Game, Fish and Parks offices and most license agents. A person may have just one muzzleloader license, so residents who successfully drew an “any deer” muzzleloader license, or previously picked up an “antlerless” permit, are not eligible for another muzzleloader antlerless deer license. Hunters must use muzzleloaders with open or peep sites that shoot a .44 caliber or larger bullet. Muzzleloading pistols are not legal. Muzzleloader hunters must wear at least one exterior item of fluorescent-orange clothing. Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset.

MADISON — Hunting conditions that “don’t get any better than this” around most of Wisconsin and reports of lots of larger bucks with excellent antler development — especially in areas of the state that had Earn-A-Buck requirements last year — were early indications of a memorable opening day for the 2005 Wisconsin nine-day gun deer hunting season.
Paul Samerdyke, Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologist for Waushara County registering deer in Wild Rose reported he had already registered “a few ‘deer-of-a-lifetime’ in the morning” and more were coming in.
Conditions in northeastern Wisconsin were “about as good as you can get. It was cool, it was calm, there was snow cover, the deer were moving. No one had any complaints about the conditions.” Samerdyke said. He registered one “really huge 17 pointer, a few 12- and 14-pointers and a lot of eight pointers.”
Similar reports came in from other areas across the southern two-thirds of the state.
DNR wildlife manager Dale Katsma said the registration station in Dundee, located in the Northern Kettle Moraine State Forest just inside Fond du Lac County, was very busy.
“We’ve seen a lot of nice 2-year-old bucks and many hunters, young and old, with their first deer or first buck,” he said.
Bob Michelson, DNR West Central Region wildlife supervisor, reported conditions were excellent. There was light snow cover, comfortable temperatures and it was calm. People working registration stations were saying deer were coming in a little ahead of normal, because it was relatively warm and they wanted to get their deer to the processor. Everyone he spoke with reported seeing lots of deer and stations were registering a lot of older bucks, including several that would be mounted.
Reports from the north indicated things were a bit slower. Although the opening day “was beautiful — one of the best opening days I’ve experienced in years,” Jim Bishop, DNR Northern Region public affairs manager, reported that the heavy snow that had fallen earlier in the week was melting and dropping off young maples and aspen early this morning onto anyone walking beneath. The snow had brought down branches trees in some areas, so some hunters had to cut their way into stands, he said.
Much of the northern portion of the state was also closer to deer population goals, compared to the south, where deer were still over goal in many deer management units, so some registration stations in the north reported activity seemed slower.
DNR hunter safety administrator Tim Lawhern working in Juneau County reported “absolutely perfect hunting weather. There’s tracking snow, I am hearing lots of shooting. Hunter spirits high — everyone I talk to is happy and excited. This is absolutely THE perfect day to go deer hunting. Good visibility. If I could send a message to deer hunters today I’d say enjoy the great weather and have a good time. But remember safety basics — be absolutely sure of your target and what’s behind it and remember safe gun handling, just like we taught you in hunter education.”
Hunters also reported that buck deer appeared to still be in rut, or in their mating season, in many locations. Hunters reported seeing scrapes in the dirt and rubs on trees, indicating bucks were still marking territory and several bucks were registered with recent antler damage, indicating they had been sparring with other bucks.
Along with good numbers of bucks, wildlife biologists also reported hunters were bringing in good number of antlerless deer as well. Wildlife managers said it appeared there were a lot of hunters interested in pre-qualifying for Earn-A-Buck if it should return next year so they were bringing in good numbers of antlerless and yearling deer.
Earn-A-Buck rules require hunters to shoot an antlerless deer in order to earn the right to shoot an antlered deer. The rule was in place last year in some deer management units that have been well over their population goals for several years. There was no Earn-A-Buck in place in non-chronic wasting disease zones this year, but the state Natural Resources Board has indicated it may consider it again next year if not enough antlerless deer are registered in overpopulated deer units.
Wildlife officials conducting CWD monitoring reported a lot of cooperation from hunters in their efforts to collect samples from deer for testing. Samples are being collected from within the current CWD management zones and this year, also from areas in the DNR Northeast Region as part of a monitoring effort to make sure the disease is not spreading outside of established zones.
“The only people who haven’t wanted to give are those who shot trophy bucks and who plan to hang them on the wall,” Samerdyke said. He also noted a lot of hunters were interested in being able to enter a raffle for a gun that is being sponsored by Whitetails Unlimited and the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation. Everyone who submits a sample is entered into the raffle.
“In the heart of the CWD management zones in Iowa County, hunters were bringing in many large bucks. Greg Matthews, DNR South Central Region public affairs manager estimated that they would register in the neighborhood of 200 deer for the day at the Barneveld station. He reported that registrations were brisk at other registrations stations around the western CWD zone.
At Barneveld only about one in five deer brought in were does — well below the suggested minimum two does to one buck ratio wildlife biologists say is needed to continue reducing populations.
Samerdyke also reported workers at the Wild Rose registration station experienced a first: “a buck deer ran right through the registration station parking lot this morning while we had a lot of people in registering deer. We’ve never seen that before.”
By late afternoon, DNR law enforcement officials had been notified of two hunting-related incidents and were assisting in investigating. In Grant County, a youth was conveyed to a hospital with an apparent self-inflicted wound. In Burnette County, a 66-year-old male was killed in a hunting incident; no further details were available.

I’d give almost anything to put my tag on him. After more than 30 years of sitting in a tree stand, he’s the second biggest deer I’ve ever seen. He is truly the stuff that outdoor legends are made of. If you’re a deer hunter, just a glimpse of the animal will take your breath away. We simply call him The Hayfork Buck.
We call him that because that’s what his outsized, 12-point antlers look like — the old time, long tined pitch forks that men used to use when pitching loose hay to hungry milk cows and draft horses.
I first saw the buck [at least the way he looks now] in November of 2003. It was one of those damp, foggy mornings that really puts whitetails on the move. Visibility was poor and the air was still. I guess I had started to zone out, when suddenly there he was standing statue-like just forty yards to the left. The longer I stared, the deeper reality sank in. Here was the buck of lifetime, and he was almost within my grasp.
The buck probably stood there for a total of two to three minutes. Then he slowly turned and disappeared back into the fog. Although I’ve had glimpses of The Hayfork four times since, that first encounter was the closest.
It’s November again. The rut is on, and monster white-tailed bucks are on the prowl. For the Iowa’s 30,000 archery deer hunters, November simply offers the best of the best.
Whether you judge them in terms of body size or in inches of antler growth, there is no denying that Iowa bucks grow to monstrous proportions. There are, in fact, few places on the entire continent where deer grow bigger or better than they do right here at home.
So how big are our deer? To date, Iowa has produced 19 of the all time top bucks ever recorded. That’s more top deer than is currently listed by any other state or Canadian province. Think about that.
By the time the second week of November arrives, most bucks, including the real bruisers, have forsaken their normally nocturnal lifestyles. Locked into a perpetual search mode, they relentlessly cruise ridgetops, river bottoms, and brushy draws in hopes of finding does. Sometimes, these wandering bucks find rival males instead. When that happens, the Iowa timbers resound with the deadly clash of dueling antlers.
But even now, the big bucks never come easy. Tagging a mature animal still requires ample amounts of scouting, woodsmanship, and, above all, — patience. Bagging a monster generally means passing up numerous six and eight pointers. That’s tough. For many hunters the temptation of seeing those lesser bucks is just too great.
There are no guarantees in this game, and when the Big Buck finally does arrive, many hunters simply crack under the strain. After the drilling the Bull’s Eye on plastic deer targets all summer, a hunter may easily miss the entire animal once the moment of truth arrives. It’s called Buck Fever, and it is the only explanation as to why so many new broadheads end up imbedded in tree trunks instead of in deer.
So far this season, I’ve already passed on some six and eight-pointers. I’m holding out for the big one, you know, The Hayfork. I just know that he’ll eventually show up some crisp, frosty morning. I just wonder where my arrow will go once he gets here.

Personal property including two all terrain vehicles and a trailer was seized from five Pennsylvania men on Saturday afternoon by the Iowa DNR.
The group, all from Freeland, Penn., were stopped on Interstate 80 and the U.S. 71 intersection in Cass County and charged with numerous game violations relating to the harvesting of buck deer without having the appropriate tags and for transporting pheasants without leaving the head, wing or leg attached for identification.
Charged were:
Jonathan Kochie, 28, charged with illegal possession of a deer, illegal transportation of pheasants. Liquidated damages of $5,000 for the harvest of a buck without having the appropriate tags will also be sought.
Justin Burns, 18, charged with illegal transportation of a deer and illegal transportation of a pheasant.
James Burns, 43, charged with illegal tagging of some else’s deer and illegal transportation of pheasants.
John Kochie, 63, charged with illegal transportation pheasants.
Dale Hemmingsen, 39, charged with hunting without a license.
The violations were alleged to have taken place where the group was camping at Elk Horn Creek Recreation Area in Shelby County. All five were released after posting bond.
In addition to the ATVs and trailer seized, the DNR also seized three antlerless deer tags, one cooler full of deer meat, four pheasants without wings, heads or legs for identification, three deer including two antlered deer heads, one wall tent, three gas cans and a hunting bow.
The investigation of the group was initiated by a call to the Turn In Poachers program which prompted a two day surveillance of the camp by DNR officers which ultimately led to the charges being filed.
“It is really important for people to report to us anytime they believe they are witnessing suspicious activity. The information we receive from the public is often times the key leading us to an investigation like this one,” said DNR Conservation Officer Dave Tierney who led the investigation.
“I would encourage anyone to call the TIP Program at 800-532-2020 or their local conservation officer whenever they witness what they believe to be suspicious activity,” Tierney said.
The DNR is continuing its investigation of the group.
For more information, contact Dave Tierney at 712-249-2015 or Kevin Baskins at 515-249-2814.