Let me start by saying that I went to High Point SP on Monday for the first day of the special permit muzzleloader hunt that has been going on there for the last few years now. Let me tell you guys that this place is testament of what happens to prime deer range after several years of relentless Earn-A-Buck regulations (i.e. all hunters must shoot a doe first before shooting a buck).
The park issues 350 permits for this hunt and in the entire day I only heard 25 shots fired. I proceeded to talk with over 30 hunters that day, and the grand total of deer seen was 4!! What the hell do we need to shoot more does there if deer numbers are so low already?!?!
I also went to the check station and by 5:30pm only 19 deer had been checked in and the estimated number of hunters afield was 275!!! The biologist there was actually surprised that the kill was so low lol. What the hell did they expect after multiple years of relentless slaughter! Well, I guess that this is what the state wants, the complete elimination of whitetails from this state.