The next time you’re asked why you hunt so often, tell them “I’m doing research for the government.”
Ironically, you are. Most conservation organizations and government entities base their research on hunter input. If 1,000 licensed hunters chose a particular hunting unit and took only 20 deer, it would indicate that the deer population for that region must be low and that measures should be taken to increase the deer herd.
Smaller districts such as national wildlife refuges, Indian reservations, and parks may ask hunters to fill out a questionnaire about how many deer they saw, days they hunted, other animals encountered, etc. Although providing this information can seem like a nuisance activity, you are an authority in your field and offer the best data obtainable. Chris Ellis points this out in this post from the Register-Herald.
I’m sure by now you’ve heard the news that the buck season harvest was up 77 percent over last year’s season. Hunters tend to share news from the field rather quickly. Whether the news is of a monster buck or no deer being seen, notes from the field spreads fast. As hunters, we are a valuable tool when it comes to the management of wildlife and, to be honest, the science behind the seasons, dates and bag limits has always interested me. By all indicators, this season was predicted by many to be right on track or slightly higher in the number of deer taken over last year. Boy, was the prediction ever spot on… [continued]
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