SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. - It is finally that time of the year again for Georgia hunters. Firearms deer season opens Saturday, Oct. 18 and goes through Jan. 1 in the Northern Zone and Jan. 15 in the Southern Zone. Last year, more than 276,000 licensed hunters harvested over 300,000 deer.

“Regulated hunting is the most cost effective and efficient means of managing the deer herd,” says John Bowers, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division assistant chief of Game Management. “In addition, sportsmen and women provide more than $30 million each year to fund wildlife conservation in the state through license fees and self-imposed excise taxes collected on the purchase of firearms, ammunition, archery equipment and fishing equipment.”

The division manages more than 90 wildlife management areas, comprising nearly one million acres of public hunting opportunities. For just $19/year, resident hunters can purchase a WMA license and hunt on these lands. Georgia’s WMAs provide a variety of hunting options, including archery, primitive weapons, modern firearms, adult-child hunts, ladies-only hunts and hunts for the physically disabled.
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West Virginia resident and nonresident archery deer hunters have until October 17 to purchase their additional deer bow hunting license(s), according to Curtis I. Taylor, Chief of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Section. The deer archery season opens on October 18, and the additional bow hunting licenses (Class RB and RRB licenses) must be purchased prior to this opening date.

Hunters may purchase two RB licenses (resident additional deer bow hunting) or two RRB licenses (nonresident additional deer bow hunting) for use during the upcoming archery season.

“Dedicated archery hunters can pursue up to three deer in West Virginia during the 11-week bow season, which opens on October 18 and closes on December 31,” said Taylor.

Hunters are reminded of the following archery hunting regulations relating to the Class RB and RRB licenses:

* Resident hunters may purchase only two Class RB licenses and nonresident hunters may purchase only two Class RRB licenses each calendar year.
* The Class RB or Class RRB archery licenses must be purchased before October 18, 2008, prior to the opening of archery season.

Tennessee’s first segment of the 2008 statewide Young Sportsman Deer Hunt will be October 25 & 26, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA).

This special hunt is open to youths 6 through 16 years of age. Each youth must be accompanied by a non-hunting adult, 21 years of age or older. The non-hunting adult does not need a license, but both youth and adult must wear 500 square inches of fluorescent orange.

Participating youth hunters 10 years of age and older are required to carry proof of successful completion of a Hunter Education Course or possess an Apprentice Hunting License. Adults who accompany the youth must be close enough to take immediate control of the hunting device (gun or bow).

The bag limit for this first segment is: Unit A – 1 antlered deer per day and 2 antlerless deer; Unit L – 1 antlered deer per day and 3 antlerless deer per day, Unit B (East Tenn.) - 1 deer either-sex. Antlered deer taken on this hunt count toward the statewide limit on antlered deer. Antlered deer are defined as deer with antlers 3 inches long or longer.
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Owings Mills, MD — The Maryland Department of Natural Resources invites people to discuss a proposed expansion of deer management at Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area (N.E.A.) on Wed., Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of New Town High School, 4931 New Town Boulevard in Owings Mills.

Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area, located near Owings Mills in Baltimore County supports the largest remaining serpentine ecosystem in the eastern United States. Home to more than 30 rare, threatened, or endangered species scientists have long regarded this ecosystem to be globally significant in biodiversity.

DNR biologists report that deer continue to damage the habitat and natural communities threatening the fragile ecosystem found on Soldiers Delight through repeated browsing and trampling of native plants.
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The November antlerless-only deer licenses go on sale Nov. 15, not on Nov. 10 as listed in the Iowa Hunting and Trapping Regulations. The season dates are Nov. 28, 29 and 30.

The November antlerless-only deer season is available in counties where the antlerless-only deer licenses quota has not been filled. Counties that no longer have antlerless licenses available include Boone, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Carroll, Chickasaw, Crawford, Floyd, Franklin, Greene, Hamilton, Hardin, Marshall, Mitchell, Plymouth, Story, Tama, Webster and Worth. Most counties in northwest Iowa did not receive any additional antlerless deer licenses.

The DNR has a listing of counties and number of licenses available on the web at www.iowadnr.gov, then click on licenses in the left navigation bar on the left, then click on Current Availability of Limited Quota Deer and Turkey Licenses at the bottom of the page, then on Resident Antlerless Deer By County.

Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) offices will be open extended hours during the 2008 deer and elk rifle seasons to answer hunter’s questions, sell licenses and offer testing services for chronic wasting disease (CWD).

In addition to normal weekday hours, many DOW offices will be open Columbus Day, Veterans Day and opening Saturdays during the main deer and elk rifle hunting seasons. Many high-demand locations also will be open on Sundays or offer “on-call” phone numbers for hunters who wish to drop off heads for testing on Sundays.

For a listing of office locations and hours, visit the DOW website at: http://wildlife.state.co.us/Hunting/BigGame/.

Ultimately, the DOW hopes to continue to collect testing samples from deer and elk to increase knowledge about CWD infection rates and locations.
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