License Fees, Buck Limit Top Advisory Board Talk By DAVID RAINER
Unanimous support for a proposed increase in hunting and fishing licenses and the call for a three-buck limit were the highlights Saturday at the Alabama Conservation Advisory Board’s first of three meetings in 2007.
Tim Gothard of the Alabama Wildlife Federation, Randy Yeargan of the Bow Hunters of Alabama and Don Knight of the Alabama Dog Hunters Association all pledged the support of their respective organizations for the proposed increase for hunting and freshwater fishing licenses, which have been at current levels since 1989.
The board also voted to give its approval to the proposed license increases, as well. The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division is seeking an increase of the hunting license from $16 to $24 and the freshwater fishing license from $9.50 to $12.
While there was no controversy involved in the proposed license increases, that could not be said of the three-buck limit, which was proposed by Steve Guy of the Alabama Farmers Federation, who also asked for a tagging requirement for deer and turkey. Failure to properly tag a deer or turkey would also result in a $1,000 fine. At Guy’s request, the board voted to establish a deer study committee to investigate the effects of buck limits and tagging programs.
Guy said the restocking efforts in the middle of the 20th century were a resounding success. However, he suggests it is time to move into a new phase that focuses on management instead of protection.
“Hunters and landowners not only want to see deer, they want to see good deer, as well,” Guy said. “Alabama has the most liberal deer management in this country, one (buck) per day. A hunter can legally kill 110 bucks during the season, regardless of size or age, as long as it had an (antler) above the hairline. Is that good for that resource? What kind of message does that send to hunters, landowners and the general public? Is it good for the quality of the deer herd?
“Does that kind of management lead to proper buck-doe ratios, good buck age structure and a herd that produces the numbers of those good deer that we all want to see? We don’t think so. We believe we can do better.”
Dr. Warren Strickland, board member from Huntsville, agreed that Alabama should do more to improve the quality of the deer herd, which is estimated at about 1.5 million animals.
“I think Alabama has done an excellent job in re-establishing the deer,” said Strickland, an avid bowhunter. “We have lots of deer. But we have done a poor job of managing our herd, particularly the bucks. We want to shoot quality deer. I think that’s what it’s all about. We cannot do that without knowing what percentage of bucks we’re shooting are young bucks. We will continue to have plenty of deer, but we will not have quality bucks. What I continue to hear from hunters all over the state is they want to shoot quality bucks.
“A lot of hunters are leaving the state – going to Illinois, Mississippi, Texas – in pursuit of quality bucks. The philosophy has changed. It is up to (Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries) to make that happen.”
The only information available that indicates buck-age structure is data gathered from the state’s Wildlife Management Areas. The data from the 2005-2006 season indicates that 43 percent of bucks harvested on the WMAs without antler restrictions were aged at 1½ years old. On the WMAs with an antler restriction in place, the number of 1½-year-old bucks harvested dropped to 12 percent.
However, Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Director M.N. “Corky” Pugh and Wildlife Section Chief Gary Moody insist education is the key to changing attitudes, not regulations.
“There is a balance between the practical usefulness of data and imposition on the hunting public,” Pugh said. “As everybody hear knows, if I were to ask you if you would like to catch bigger fish, everybody would jump and down and say yes. It’s very easy to say you would like to kill deer with bigger antlers. More data does not necessarily equate to better deer. Like anything, you can take it to the extreme - to the point that the imposition on the hunting public would be so great that it would actually have a detrimental effect on hunting participation and harvest of deer.”
Moody said he has seen a significant shift in the attitude of deer hunters in the past decade.
“We’ve got people making choices in this state right now to do what you’re advocating – harvesting bucks that are allowed to get into an older age class,” Moody said. “We encourage that – by individual hunters by individual choice. It will build an ethic that will sustain any rule or regulation. It will get us where we want to go. Will it change every single person’s attitude? Absolutely not. Will it change the great majority of people’s attitudes and get this deer herd where we desire it to be without rules and regulations. It will, I’m absolutely convinced of that.
“We’re willing to work with this board and the hunters of this state to make that happen. We’re open to ideas and suggestions on how to make that happen. But the (more) we can stay away from rules and regulations and let hunters make that choice. In the long run, our deer herd and wildlife resources will be better served.”
The next board meeting is scheduled March 10 at the new Five Rivers Center in Spanish Fort. The deer study committee is scheduled to report to the board at the May meeting, which has not been scheduled.
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