In Florida, hunting season dates within wildlife management areas do not sync with zonal hunting dates for private lands. By 2011, hunting season will align more closely with the deer-breeding period known as the rut. This, along with the February 2010 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) decision to realign the deer hunting zones, will benefit deer hunters.

The realigned deer hunting zones are renamed A-D, with the fourth zone created by the FWC in February 2010. The former Central Zone became Zone C and Zone D comprises most of the area formerly known as the Northwest Hunting Zone. The line dividing these two zones starts at the Georgia state line at U.S. 27 in Gadsden County. It runs south along U.S. 27 until meeting State Road 61 within Tallahassee.

Once the line enters Florida, it follows S.R. 61 south until hitting U.S. 319. It then tracks southward along U.S. 319 to U.S. 98 and eastward along U.S. 98 before it turns south again onto Spring Creek Highway. It follows the highway, continuing until the Gulf of Mexico.

According to Deer Management Coordinator Cory Morea with the FWC Division of Hunting and Game Management, “The changes to the state’s hunting zones align the deer hunting seasons more closely with the rut.” The 2010-2011 Florida Hunting Regulations handbook includes the new private land season dates and realigned hunting zones. This information may also be found online at the FWC website.

According to Morea, “You can call this a ‘transitional year.’ The 2011-2012 deer hunting seasons on WMAs will more closely match the dates for the new statewide zones.” The Deer Management Coordinator added that “there will still be some differences between WMAs and zonal seasons, since hunter preferences are being used to set season dates.” The zoning and season changes are just two projects in the FWC’s 10-year deer management plan established in 2008.

Source: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Wmbb.com. Florida Deer Hunters Will See Benefit as Zones, Dates Change.

The Nature Conservancy now permits hunting, bird watching, and hiking on the Brush Mountain Woodlands, a 640-acre land tract in the Central Appalachians.  The area of land in Pennsylvania now serves as a form of park. Hunters and nature lovers alike seem pleased with the change.

The conservancy made the decision to permit deer hunting in order to restore forested land. A logging effort in the past removed the best trees, leaving only the undesirables. The forest is already beginning to regenerate, according to Pennsylvania Nature Conservancy deputy director Todd Sampsell. He stated that some American chestnut trees and pitch pines are already growing and other seeds are present.

The land within Blair county has been enrolled in the Pennsylvania Deer Management Assistance Program. Through the program, landowners receive additional hunting permits for antlerless deer on designated land. The conservancy received 73 permits and has 20 remaining for this coming deer season. Last year, the conservancy received 13 permits. Three of the eight report cards returned last year noted that antlerless deer had been harvested.

Participation in this program will help conservancy efforts to get the land certified by a forest management program under the Forest Stewardship Council. Plans are being developed regarding rehabilitation of habitats. “Nobody wants to see deer eradicated. It’s a chance to get the forest to rebound and get the forest and deer back in balance,” said Mr. Sampsell.

The process will involve ongoing efforts and the results may not be witnessed within our lifetimes. Mr. Sampsell reinforced this thought, stating, “Unfortunately when you’re working with trees and forests, you’re working on things you may not live to see. This will be a really good forest.” Mr. Sampsell stated that the PA Game Commission could possibly work with the Nature Conservancy by repairing roads to provide easier access for hunters.

Source: Leberfinger, Mark. AltoonaMirror.com. Conservancy allowing hunting in woodlands.

The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) is the first state to introduce deer registration using photo documentation. This new process is convenient for Kansas hunters and helps to prevent chronic wasting disease from spreading. Hunters can now report the deer from where they were taken rather than transporting the kill to a check station.

The system can be used during all deer hunting seasons and with all types of deer hunting licenses. The hunter simply takes a photograph of the hunting permit and the deer and transmits it to KDWP via email or the Internet from a mobile phone or computer. The hunter will receive a confirmation number regarding the submission.

Using this system, KDWP can obtain information quicker than if it were supplied via a check station. Hunters can now field dress the deer and take only the antlers, meat, skullcap, and hide. The system also provides evidence of the antlers in a subsequent theft situation. KDWP will have the picture of the deer’s antlers on file and can use it to track down the stolen item.

The fact that the deer can be dressed in the field and the unnecessary parts can be buried helps prevent chronic wasting disease from spreading. According to Lloyd Fox, big game coordinator with KDWP and developer of the reporting system, the risk of spreading parasites and disease increases when a deer is moved. He stated, “We prefer to leave the rest of the items where the deer lived. It eliminates a portion of the way the disease is spread.”

Check stations will remain open for those hunters who wish to utilize them. However, the number of KDWP staff needed to operate the stations will decrease. The hope is that this program will be well-received by hunters and will prevent the spread of chronic wasting disease from the northwestern area of the state.

Source:  Rose, Gale. The Pratt Tribune. KDWP introduces online deer registration.

The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries will ban the feeding of deer from September 1 through the first Saturday in January 2011. During this time, feeding deer within the state of Virginia will be prohibited. The goal is to reduce the negative results that can arise from feeding the animals.

Feeding deer results in consequences such as increasing the population unnaturally. This can cause natural habitat damage and higher rates of disease transmission. It can also create an increasing number of conflicts between deer and humans, such as automobile collisions with the gentle creatures.

Some Virginia counties have gone so far as to make  feeding deer illegal year-round. These counties are Warren, Shenandoah, Frederick, and Clarke. This initiative is part of the chronic wasting disease management plan instituted by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries in April 2010.

Chronic wasting disease is a brain and nervous system disease. It is found in elk, moose, and deer throughout North America and results in abnormal behavior, emaciation, loss of bodily functions, and death. The first confirmed Virginia case of CWD was found in November 2009. The disease has been detected in the neighboring state of West Virginia annually since 2005.

CWD is caused by abnormally-shaped proteins within the lymph tissues and nervous system. These are spread from one animal to another as well as from a surface or soil to an animal.  They may become attached to the surface through saliva, feces, and possibly urine. These abnormal proteins can be infectious even if they have remained in the soil for a few years.  There is currently no evidence that humans can contract CWD but officials continue to investigate whether potential risk exists.

Source:   Washington Post editors. The Washington Post. Va. to ban feeding of deer through January.