Photo by Ralph Hensley.

In many regards, hunting is no longer the step-out-the-back door affair it was a couple of generations ago. Savvy hunters understand the significance of intelligent wildlife management -- how game management affects the species they pursue -- and need to be familiar with ever-more-complicated laws (and understand the reasoning behind them).

Sprawling human populations have expanded into what was once wildlife habitat. At the same time, many game species have adapted to man’s encroachment, thriving in suburbia’s backyard. This territorial overlap leads to conflicts between two-legged and four-legged beings, as well as to conflict on how hunting fits into the mix.

Studies suggest that as a whole, the hunting public is getting older. As hunters age, taking their final hunt, fewer new young hunters are there to fill the void. Hunting must compete with a host of other activities, many far removed from the outdoors.

All of which leads to today’s major wildlife-management concerns. How do wildlife managers use hunting to help balance white-tailed deer populations with the available habitat? Will the dreaded chronic wasting disease become a reality in our states? What to do about black bear numbers, and the increasing level of bear/human conflicts?

For hunting to survive as a management tool, as well as a hallowed American tradition, wildlife resource agencies must create opportunities for introducing youngsters to the sports afield -- a tough task, considering that so many kids today grow up in single-parent homes.

What is the status of wildlife in our states? We touch on these questions and provide some answers in this year’s edition of Mid-Atlantic Game & Fish’s wildlife update.

WHITE-TAILED DEER
New Jersey
New Jersey deer hunters should pay close attention to several potential changes, which were going to the public for comment as this was written.

According to Larry Herrighty, the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife’s (DFW) chief of Wildlife Management, one current consideration is the elimination of the antler-point restriction (3 points on at least one antler) for Deer Management Zone 6.

“Hunters in this zone have been dissatisfied with APR and reported they are tired of letting small bucks go,” said Herrighty. “This area is mountainous; it is not the best habitat, and hunters don’t mind shooting spikes. The other seven zones with point restrictions will remain because hunters in these zones support the restriction.”

For several years, New Jersey hunters have dealt with the state’s “Earn-a-Buck” requirement. This, too, might be eliminated.

“Council feels that this is an unpopular requirement that has caused many hunters to stop buying licenses and is a negative incentive,” reported Herrighty. “Although EAB has resulted in many antlerless deer being harvested -- and therefore, enhanced our population objective to reduce the deer population in suburban and agricultural areas -- the council feels it is no longer necessary. (Continued)

“Data shows that when EAB was dropped from DMZ 5, hunters continued to harvest antlerless deer. Now that New Jersey offers the most liberal deer season length, I believe, in all of America (126 days), hunters who like to deer-hunt will take antlerless deer. We give them a long season and a liberal bag limit on antlerless deer.”

Herrighty went on to note that if the EAB program is dropped, the early shotgun and muzzleloader season will be taken out of Thanksgiving week.

“This week allowed antlerless-only harvest and was instituted primarily to allow muzzleloader hunters time to earn their buck,” he said. “If they took a antlerless deer during Thanksgiving week, they could then have an easier time harvesting a buck during the two-day season after Thanksgiving. Since they won’t need to harvest an antlerless deer, the early muzzleloader season will begin on the Monday after Thanksgiving in all DMZs. The first two days, muzzleloaders can harvest a buck or doe. On Wednesday through Friday of that week, it will be antlerless only for muzzleloader and shotgun permit hunters.”

Herrighty said the most controversial proposal is to make all deer permit seasons (bow permit, shotgun and muzzleloader) antlerless-only, unless the hunter purchases a bonus buck permit for that season.