DL, what you say is true to a degree.

The hunt started not so much just because of the high deer numbers. As they say at the hunt orientations that the Quabbin hunt started because there were so many deer that there was no regeneration in the forests. The DCR is happy now that there is regeneration happening but deer are still needed to keep a balance in the forests too. We are being used as the state's management tool and they don't deny it.

So yes, that hunt isn't in existence to provide us with a quality deer hunt as far as success rate. With low deer numbers will mean bigger deer because there will be a larger share of food to go around so quality will rely in size not numbers. You can tell they want as many deer out of there as they can get out of there because as long as you have $5 they will give you an anterless tag even if you had already shot 10 anterless deer already with tags.

I noticed the spot that I hunted in Hardwick the moose are starting to take that over and a/the bull(s) were hooking that place up. They were eating the buds off the saplings 6+ feet up from the ground. My dad always says that were you see a lot of moose, you will little to no deer because the moose are tall enough to eat at the level the deer to and up above their reach. So if that happens, the deer will move out of the area and the Quabbin Deer Hunt will become a Quabbin Moose Hunt.

Jamie, About the Check-in. Thursday I was on 3 hours of sleep in bed at 10 and up at 1 and got there at 4 am and was the 7th or 8th car in line. They had a guy check your access permit and FID/LTC. Then they had a guy that tears the perforation of the permit and gives back the other portion to put on your dash. Yesterday I was there 4:30 and was only three cars further back.Friday they just wanted to see the access permit since I was there the day before so it was a quicker check-in. Fairly quick check-in but when you have a lot of guys in front of you, that quick check-in process quickly turns into a long one.So try to be there as early as you can. There was a guy there on Thursday that saw the line on one side of the road and saw he could fit on the other and tried to cut the line, luckily MSP (Mass. State Police) was there to put him in his place. Surprisingly I saw more of a MSP presence than the EPO's, after all hunting and fishing regulations are why the EPO's exist.

Best of luck to you next week!!!! Bag 'em and tag 'em.