Well, tomorrow is 10/1, a date the will live in infamy for the DE Deer
Herd. The politically motivated Shotgun Antlerless October season begins.
Unless you are a landowner or are hunting a landowners property that is
suffering a major economic loss due to deer, I'm appealing to you to join
me in Boycotting these seasons!

I will remind you of the following Facts:

1) DNREC does not have solid data on Deer numbers by zone
2) This season system has not been tested in any other part of the
country, therefore DNREC has no basis to conclude it will do the job
3) These seasons weren't brought on by crop loss or deer exceeding the
carrying capacity of the land as DNREC would have to believe. They were
brought on by pressure from the legislators whose constituents have moved
into developments that recently were farm country. People that are crying
that their flowers and trees are being grazed on. The thing to do is slow down
sprawl, not shoot all the deer. Bottom line, this is not science, this is
political.

I can certainly understand the temptation to take advantage of the season
if you primarily gun hunt. Its been a long time since January. Its
getting nice and cool and cabin fever is really setting in. But try and
fight the temptation. Don't be a DNREC pawn. If the kill does not rise,
DNREC will be forced to abandon this plan and explore other methods
that are proven to work (eg; QDM, AR and support Sunday hunting if we the
hunters get our Reps to put a Bill on the floor of the state house). If
these seasons continue, guaranteed you will see a drop deer numbers, maybe
to near zero in zones where overpopulation is not currently a problem. The
quality of the Traditional Muzzle Loader and Shotguns Season we all now
enjoy will drop. The Deer and the Hunters will be the losers. The only winners
will be the yuppies buying all the houses south of the CD Canal, Insurance
companies who dont want to pay deer/car collision pay outs and the
politicians who bend over for those people. Dont be fooled.

I will not hunt these 8 Shotgun days with Bow or Gun. Maybe I'll hunt on
QDM areas that aren't participating in them. Maybe i'll hunt in NJ where
the guns are quiet. Maybe I'll just goose hunt. Or maybe I'll just stay
home. But I wont participate in a potential slaughter season that has no
scientific basis and clearly politically motivated. I'll hope you all at
least give it some thought before you head tomorrow.

I have no idea what the population dynamics are like in that area, and I'll just trust you that the proposed doe season is politically initiated. I would argue though, that you won't see does slaughtered, any more than deer in general are during the other seasons. Just because does are legal doesn't mean you can kill them all, they are deer after all.

Sprawl does suck. It means the deer arae forced into less habitat. It's just like the herd has grown, but in reality it is the available habitat that has shrunk. By killing does, you are likely to slow the herd "growth" and balance the buck-doe ratio (assuming it is a bit out of whack, like most places where doe harvest has been regulated).

I have yet to see any documentation of a herd being negatively affected by a regulated doe harvest. Everything I have seen and read is to the contrary. Again, I don't know the population dynamics, but I would find it difficult to believe that the herd doesn't contain a few too many does for it's own good. Does must not be legal across the board now, if this season is even thought of as a solution. Consider that some hunters will stay in the woods a lot less if they already have a doe in the freezer. May mean more and better quality bucks for you in a few years.

I really do understand your mistrust of the agency, but I think you may be worried about nothing.

Duckmastor2,

With all due respect your way off base with the idea Delaware deer herd is under seige by DNREC.

DNREC was basically put on notice by legislative branch to act. You are correct in saying this is partially political. Thank your lucky stars F&W was given the opportunity to put together a plan of attack that is a Win Win deal for all. BTW it is not the yuppies south of C&D canal that are doing all the cryin and boo hooin - It's the urbanites in New Castle.

F&W does have solid data with respect to the deer herd in all countys. F&W has secured data from field research,hiring bioligists, up to and including counting deer at night by helicopter. The heard in some areas of DE is upwards of 100 per sq mile - thats crazy!! They are destroying native forests by over browsing,not to mention crop damage,auto collision etc...

The buck to doe ratio is way out of wack. Many Delaware hunters have known this for years. Hunters have all but refused to take does. Instead they shoot yearling bucks,button,spikes,anything that walks. The DOE/FEMALE herd needs to be thinned and let the yearling bucks walk!! In just 2-3 years no matter where you hunt you/we will see more 2-3-4 yr old bucks. That's a no brainer in my book.

About 3 years ago F&W had a big meeting in Dover about this same problem and how implementing Quality Deer Management(QDM) practices would not only bring the buck/doe ratio to within a given areas carrying capacity but also increase the number of quality bucks(2-3-4 yr old). Speakers ranged from Delaware F&W biologists, Chesapeake farms in Kent county Md (the old Remington farms), and Quality Deer Managment Association (a nat'l association with branches thruout U.S). The most educational seminar I've ever attended. These guys knew what they were talking about.
QDMA is here to stay and has been very successful in many other states with same problems.

I promptly joined QDMA ($25 YR) Best money I've spent.

About 3 weeks ago there were 2 meetings in Delaware put on by Delaware F&W. I attended the Leipsic meeting. More bioligists spoke inc one who was hired by F&W to compile data on deer herd,numbers,ratios,damage etc etc.. The regional director (a bioligist) for QDMA was there along with Delware branch of QDMA. Again these men know whats going on with deer heard and skewed ratios.

Bottom line is Delaware hunters need to listen up,be objective,stop watchin and readin all this hunting crap on TV and print. We need to manage OUR Delaware hunting resource.


The Delaware branch of QDMA; Call E.J. Chalabala, V.P. & Membership Chairman. He's out of Lewis;302-228-8954. Chip West is the Pesident. This will be time and money well spent.


Having said all that - May we all have a Knock Down Deer Season.

Im not sure how these extra days are going to help the harvest if the deer have pretty much already went nocturnal, between the illegal motorcycle riding, the small game hunting and the building of illegal stands ( beating and banging in the what is left of the deers home). I bowhunt the northern half of the c&d only till the first firearm deer season comes in, after that (imho) your just killing time (bowhunting on the northern part of the canal). This year there may be a good harvest in this area, simply because the deer have nowhere to go with all the new houses along the canal. It seems that the same people that are concerned about the deer browsing on their shrubbery, are the same people who think the canal is there childrens personal dirt bike track. Ill do more than usual preseason scouting next year, if it looks even more bleak, then ill be done with DE and just hunt wva.

I have to beg to differ with you on this point. I asked the Reps at the meeting at Ommelanden Range on these season and they said they did not have estimates by zones. They are getting the data now which is great, but they should have held off a year before they took action. Going forward without good data was wrong.

I agree with you 100%! But these seasons wont serve that purpose. If they were going to do anything at all, they should have tried other methods mentioned in my original post where there is at least historical data that shows the affects on the herd. The deer are too precious of a natural resource to 'boldly go where no one has gone before'. It's irresponsible.

Well, I hope no one got any today. Shoot ducks and geese instead. There are plenty of them to go around.

I'm protesting by not breaking out the 870 at all this season...only for N.J in December. I haven't even bought my license yet. I MIGHT buy it just to bowhunt an archery only area of Blackbird Forest. Read in the local paper this week that Smyrna/Clayton area is going to triple in size by 2010. 2 more years and i'm outa here...heading back north.