By The Numbers

Well, our fall hunting season is finally underway. After a long, hot summer, archery deer season kicked off with some mild temperatures.

Our state has one of the longest deer hunting seasons in the country, running from Sept. 14 to Jan. 12 in most counties, with bowhunters in extended archery counties being able to hunt until Jan. 31. Currently, our limit is 12 deer per season statewide. We certainly have a lot of deer and a lot of opportunity to fill the freezer.

Compare Georgia to a state like Pennsylvania. Both states have estimated whitetail populations at more than 1 million. However, Pennsylvania has a much shorter season and a lower bag limit. We need to be thankful that we have some good folks working for the Wildlife Resources Division who are keeping a close eye on our deer herd. It’s not just good luck that we have long seasons and big bag limits.

According to https://georgiawildlife.com/harvest-summaries, “As part of WRD’s goal to maintain a quality deer herd in Georgia, estimates of the state’s deer harvest, deer hunter effort, and deer hunter success are taken each year.

“Since at least 1962, WRD has used scientifically valid, survey methodology to get estimates of not only deer harvest, but also harvest estimates of other game species. The total number of deer hunters in the state is obtained from the hunting license database. The 2,500 hunter sample size is more than adequate, statistically, to produce precise estimates of statewide harvest, effort, and success…

“Since 2004, WRD has contracted with Responsive Management, a professionally recognized research firm and neutral third party, to conduct the survey each year. WRD and Responsive Management work together to develop a scientific survey questionnaire and to generate a random sample of hunting license holders from the license sales database. Each hunter has approximately a 1 in 100 chance of being a part of the survey each year…

“Surveys and sample sizes are designed to produce statistically reliable and economically affordable results at the statewide and physiographic region level. This level of management effort allows WRD to produce scientifically sound and defendable estimates of deer harvest and hunter success at the most practical management level.

“Technical assistance is available from any WRD wildlife biologist for interested groups and individuals desiring to better manage the deer herd on their property. Biologists with Georgia’s Deer Management Assistance Program may be reached at https://georgiawildlife.com/dmap.”

See, I told you it wasn’t just good luck that we have what we have. Be thankful for those at WRD watching our deer and giving us such liberal seasons and limits.