They're in a stabilization mode right now in most WMU's.They never have and never will know exactly how many deer are in this state.The old standby carrying capacity they used since the early 1980's was 21 deer per forested square mile,over winter in suitable habitat.That means that if the habitat was poor,the dd goal would be less.Around 2003,they took the forested part out and went to deer per square mile for each WMU.Nothing really changed.They just took out all the residential areas,farms,malls,parking lots etc.For all intensive purposes the goal was still 21 deer per forested square mile.That's why 2G(mostly forested)had a goal of 15 dpsm while some of the urban areas had a goal of 6 dpsm.Since there's less habitat in those areas,the goal per square mile was less.About a year ago,they started to get away from deer density goals and focus on the effects the deer are having with the habitat.The habitat is being monitored and the deer's health(conception rates)is being monitored to determine if we should have more deer,less deer or a stabilized herd.In some areas of the state,the habitat is so poor from decades of overbrowsing,it makes no sense to add more deer to the habitat that's already destroyed.Take 2F and 2G for an example.These areas have some of the lowest breeding rates for fawns and some of the worst habitat.You won't seethem letting the herd increase much in these areas because it makes no sense.Once the habitat is degraded to the point it is in vast areas of the NC,you need to keep the herd down because it takes very few deer to continually impact the habitat.When you see no understory except a blanket of ferns,you keep killing the deer.You don't let the herd increase.

The habitat is starting to make a comeback in many areas where I hunt on public land in 2G.As the habitat recovers,you get more deer.If the deer herd grows to much,you lose any gains that you made with the habitat.

You also have to understand that the poorhabitat in many areas kills more deer than hunters do.Some of the most remote and rugged areas of the state recieve very little pressure but have some of the lowest densities today.these were areas that were loaded with deer 20 years ago.Decades of overbrowsing have caused low fawn recruitment rates and few female fawns gaining enough weight to conceive their first year.Many of these areas have very low deer densities but the hunters aren't killing the deer and there's studies out there right now that are proving this is true.

Habitat is everything and until it gets fixed,we'll suffer with lower deer densities.