NIghthunter heres some areas with little to no deer sightings this season:
-Elmore county near tallapoosa river (Kent area) -Lowndes WMA (not just speaking for myself either, with several that hunt there, the biologist, and even the deer check-in sheet is looking super slim)
There is tons of sign on Autauga wma (just north of Posey's Crossroads) , yet to lay eyes on a deer tho.
And also shows the problem with "zones". I work with a large property adjoining Lowndes WMA and they NEVER kill enough does. Nearly overpopulated. Lowndes is just overharvested. Our weights are good but down from what they used to be. We don't kill coyotes because they help control the deer. See tons of deer but the numbers of hunters are limited so each hunter must kill quite a few does (10 +) to reach the goals. For these type of properties, neither a "zone" or personal limit (say 5 per person) would fit our management. I would also argue against making them pay more to kill more does. Now if they get special treatment for having an approved management plan or something, that would be fine but then most on here would bitch about the "rich guys getting special treatment". Leave it like it is. Most of the properties I work with don't kill enough does but all are excellent habitat with good deer populations due to good management... including one in Elmore county near the Tallapoosa river!
Let's see leave it like it is because you help manage land that has limited hunters on it due to their wealth and financial means......I think not! As I have stated before if a property truly has the need the State can always issue more tags to that property as they did back in the days of limited doe harvest, but to leave the whole state as is just because the wealthy have access to better land and can keep the hunters on the property today a bare minimum is just plain unacceptable to the small landowners like myself who do not control large tracts of land with virtually unlimited resources.....
