Quality Deer Hunt Areas and 3pt rule? -- United Hunters of Florida (UHF)

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Date Posted: 04/19/07 3:51:26pm
Author: wayne davis
Subject: Quality Deer Hunt Areas and 3pt rule?

Will the WMA's that the FWC is proposing a 3pt rule on be managed as a QDHAs?
See "Management Strategies for Quality Deer Hunt Areas" below. It's a little long but will worth the read.

If so, then there will be more rule changes on some of these area's then just a 3pt on a side rule.

If the FWC is not going to use the QDHA strategies for these WMA's then what strategies are they going to use and how will they evaluate each area to ensure that they are meeting there objectives?

"Management Strategies for Quality Deer Hunt Areas
November 26, 2001
The goal of establishing Quality Deer Hunt Areas (QDHAs) in Florida�s Wildlife Management Area (WMA) system is to provide hunters the opportunity for a hunting experience
of higher quality than that found on most public lands. Inherent in this goal is establishing areas and conducting hunts where the hunter is subject to less disturbance by other hunters, has a higher likelihood of seeing deer, and has a better chance of harvesting a quality antlered deer
than on most public lands.
Establishing quantifiable objectives for each QDHA will be essential for achieving the program goal. Program objectives and strategies are outlined below. These objectives and strategies are designed for implementation of QDHA still hunts.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES
1. Obtain hunter densities of less than 1 hunter/100 acres of accessible deer habitat.
QDHAs need to be managed for low hunter densities to help assure that hunters are subjected to less disturbance by other hunters than on most WMAs or Wildlife and Environmental Areas (WEAs).

2. Maintain deer population indices at or above 25 deer/square mile on areas where spotlight counts are conducted or 25 tracks/linear mile on areas where track counts are conducted.
Populations on QDHAs need to be managed to maintain high population levels to help assure that hunters have a higher likelihood of seeing deer than on most WMAs or WEAs.

3. Maintain the proportion of yearling (1.5-year-old) bucks in the antlered deer harvest at less than 20%.
Protecting yearling bucks will provide for a larger standing crop of older and, therefore, bigger and higher quality bucks.

4. Obtain an 8% success rate for hunters harvesting antlered bucks during the general gun season. Achieving this objective should assure that hunters have a better chance of harvesting a quality buck than on most WMAs and WEAs.

PROGRAM STRATEGIES
1. Bag limits. Hunting should be by permit only (no exemptions). Each permit should authorize the taking of 1 buck with at least 3 antler points on 1 side. Antlerless deer harvest should only be permitted during the archery season, and each archery permit should allow the harvest of 1 buck with at least 3 antler points on one side or 1 antlerless deer. Statewide, 86% of antlered deer harvested from WMAs with at least 3 points on 1 side are > 1.5 years old. Therefore, requiring that an antlered buck have 3 points on 1 side should facilitate achievement of the third objective while providing a harvest criterion that is easy for hunters to follow. Hunters should be discouraged from
harvesting young bucks (i.e., bucks with antlers less than 5 inches in length) as antlerless deer.

2. Number of permits. The number of permits issued should not result in hunter densities greater than 1 hunter/100 acres in any season.

3. Set seasons. Season dates should coincide with those for the management zone in which the area is located. Initially, length of seasons should be 16 days of archery, 3
days of muzzleloader, and 9 days of general gun. Seasons may consist of multiple hunts if hunter success indicates that objectives can be achieved while providing more
hunter opportunity. Breaks should be provided between hunts.

4. Operate hunter check station(s). Staffed check stations should be operated on all QDHAs with mandatory check in and out required of all hunters. This will provide for
control of harvest and collection of data necessary for achievement of objectives.

5. Minimize illegal harvest. Enforcement of harvest criteria and control of illegal deer harvest will be essential to achievement of objectives on QDHAs. Therefore, no nighttime vehicle access should be permitted during non-hunting periods, and vehicle ingress and egress during hunting seasons should be restricted to specific access points so as to allow enforcement of regulations.

CRITERIA FOR QDHA SELECTION
The purpose of this list is to identify attributes that a WMA or WEA should have for establishment as a QDHA. These characteristics represent minimum criteria that should be
considered by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission personnel in selecting potential QDHAs.

1. Access control. Control of public access to the area should be adequate for enforcing regulations and minimizing illegal deer harvest.

2. Land area. Minimum size should be 5,000 acres of deer habitat.

3. Boundary configuration. Minimum distance between opposing sides of an area should be 2 miles if surrounding land uses are still-hunting or non-hunting. If deer are hunted with dogs on surrounding lands, the minimum distance between opposing sides should be 3 miles.

4. Road system. The area should have a road system that will provide for maximum dispersal of hunters. More than 50% of the area should be within 0.5 miles of a road.
5. Habitat. Habitats should be of sufficient quality to support a deer population that will meet objectives for the deer index on an area."

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