Quote:
ldhunter,
I see you are a dyed-in-the-wool hound man. I learned that the quickest way to get called a @#&^% yankee in Florida was to start bad-mouthing the dog guys. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Hound hunting or not, my point is primarily this... The season limits on deer in Florida are the most liberal that I personally know of. Do you know of a single state where you can legally kill so mnay deer per season? Maybe there is...I don't know. But, as you mentioned, the nutrition base in Florida is so uncredibly low (one deer per 40-80 acres)...couple that with the such liberal limits... It's only a matter of time until it catches up.
I personally beleive that's what's going on now. Sure coyotes may be "a" factor, but not "the" factor nor even a close 2nd or 3rd or 4th, in my opinion. The areas I was referring to was all 3 national forests in Florida and the adjacent land.
And, Bob, if you didn't see the type of hunting I'm talking about over there on the Appalachicola...Well, I just find that to be pretty incredible. I witnessed it every day of the dog season. I'm not talking about trucks "surrounding" a block. I know how big the blocks are...I walked a good part of them. I'm just talking about a type of hunting that i have witnessed no place else and numbers of deer taken per hunter (on the average) that are unheard of in most parts of the country. maybe it's changed in recent years, but I know that's the way it was for many years.
And now, every time I hear a Floridian (relatives and friends included)talk about deer hunting in Florida, they talk about how their deer are dissappearing. Is it any wonder? Low nutrition base, high rate of dissapearing habitat, most liberal season limits (maybe in the country).
Sure the ol' coyote gets some. But I haven't known of a coyote yet to kill 2 or 4 deer per day, let alone 16.
OK... There you go again. You called me a "dyed in the wool hound man"... I'm certainly not that at all. I only hunt with hounds on weekends and have never owned a hunting dog in my life.
I wish you'd quit taking a small amount of facts and making sweeping generalizations from them.
I'm also a YANKEE and proud of it. I am not accepted by the typical Florida redneck as an equal.
The season limits in Florida are so liberal because nobody ever bothered to change them. Our season limits are changing right now but that's not the issue. There are always those that brag about how many deer they kill but nobody ever sees those deer.
The typical Florida hunter has moved here from "up north" somewhere (not many native Floridians left that hunt) and they hunt a couple of years here and NEVER see even a doe. They either give up in frustration or go get on a lease in Georgia, Alabama, or South Carolina where there are FAAAAAR more deer and the seasons are longer.
The few dog hunters that are left typically are fairly well to do business men that can afford the huge vet bills, year round feeding of big packs of big dogs, radio collars, huge gas bills and the incredible amount of time necessary to train dogs.
I'm not totally blaming the whole herd being reduced by coyotes alone but you consistently ignore the FACTS I list.
I am personal friends with about 20 large dog hunting parties. The leader of my dog hunting party is the president of the Florida State Dog Hunters Association. My facts aren't just something I made up.
We constantly interface with law enforcement, biologists, and law makers about deer populations.
I'm tired of arguing with you about Florida deer.
I'm also tired of you trying to tell me all about myself and my friends.
You also have assumed that I only hunt Apalachicola NF. I have hunted Ocala for 10 years, Aucilla WMA for 5 years and south Florida for 4 years too. I know several wildlife biologists on a first name basis and a BUNCH of wildlife officers on that same first name basis.
If you ever get down here... Come hunt with me some time. I suspect it will be an eye opening experience.
G'day Mate... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
$bob$