Henry Rifle Forums

Probably not of much interest to folks outside of MS, but thought I'd share. I'm one county away from the nearest management zone, so it won't have any effect on me this year.

Our fish and game dept. is on the ball early this year. We've had a moderate problem with CWD in the herd for the past 3 or 4 years. About the only way to control it is to manage the herd - reduce the population. So they have opened up some management areas to hunting and no limit on deer in those areas if bagged on certain dates. Here's the story and details:

https://www.clarionledger.com/story/spo ... 278529002/

Wildlife commission eases deer feeding restrictions, changes CWD management zones

kudos to them for taking using scientific management to approach CWD ... it can be devastating

This is a bit old, but I'll add it anyway. It is now a problem in West Tenn, has been for the last several yrs. I think Tenn is using the same approach as MS is. Eradication.

Grunt67 wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 10, 2020 7:22 pm

This is a bit old, but I'll add it anyway. It is now a problem in West Tenn, has been for the last several yrs. I think Tenn is using the same approach as MS is. Eradication.

TN & MS do cooperate on this - deer don't care much about State lines. And it has been moving south for a number of years. I expect that will continue. A lot of the problem is related to the size of the herd in any given area, which has been growing constantly for decades due to a reduction in hunting opportunities, and a lack of interest by people generally. Might be time to introduce a few wolves to help thin them out. Lacking predation, the herd will naturally die back due to starvation and disease, which I believe is what's happening with CWD now and for the next few years.

As of 2019 the MS herd is est. at about 1.5-1.75 million - that's about one deer for every 2 people! I expect the numbers in TN would be similar.

Population explosion & hunting opportunities are part of the problem here, as well. Managed areas have quotas,and private land gets scarcer every year. Mid state has a limit of 2 bucks a season, and 3 does per day. But with no place to hunt, it's not worth much. People here buying land. building houses, subs.
Places I used to hunt are gone. Of course there's the anti hunters.
BTW, happy 245th.

Grunt67 wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 10, 2020 8:22 pm

Population explosion & hunting opportunities are part of the problem here, as well. Managed areas have quotas,and private land gets scarcer every year. Mid state has a limit of 2 bucks a season, and 3 does per day. But with no place to hunt, it's not worth much. People here buying land. building houses, subs.
Places I used to hunt are gone. Of course there's the anti hunters.
BTW, happy 245th.

In the long run it all works out. Nature has her ways of managing the balance of life on this rock - that includes people, btw.

Very true.