McDowell County Commission Buck Changes To Deer Season

February 17, 2009

McDowell County Commissioners passed a resolution opposing the proposed changes to the current deer season. North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission has proposed a uniform deer season for most of the state that if past would significantly lengthen the season in McDowell County.

The resolution, similar to one already adopted by the Yancey County Commission, states that the “Wildlife Resources Commission has been insensitive and unresponsive to normal procedures whereby hunters can have input into new rule proposals and seems intent on making these unpopular changes regardless of public opinion …”
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is proposing nine changes in the state’s rules about white-tailed deer. One of these changes would create a single uniform deer season that would match the current deer season in counties east of Yancey, McDowell and Rutherford. It would open those counties to the maximum either-sex deer season, which includes all days of the open season. If this change passes, the gun deer season in and east of Yancey, McDowell and Rutherford counties would be open from Oct. 17 through Jan. 1 and antlerless deer would be legal game throughout the season.

There are certainly a lot of questions about how these proposals if passed would impact the deer herd in the mountains. There is no doubt that the deer herd in the western part of the state is significantly less then central and eastern parts of North Carolina. Can the herd in the west sustain increased harvest that the additional weeks of hunting will bring as well as increases in the overall doe harvest?

Commissioner Andy Webb asked that the board consider taking a stand against the Wildlife Commission’s proposed rule changes.
“Based on what I am hearing, this ‘cookie cutter’ approach proposed by the N.C. Wildlife Commission will negatively impact potential mature buck populations and is not a sound approach to manage a healthy balance of deer population and sportsmanship,” Webb wrote in a memo. “There are additional concerns from hunters and the general population, when they get wind of this.”
After a discussion, the commissioners voted to approve a resolution against the proposed changes.

McDowell News
What impact such a resolution will have on the NCWRC decision is certainly minimal in my view. We’ll see next month when the Wildlife Commissioners decide on all these proposals next month.