Harvest Management North and South

alabama buckGenerally speaking, deer managers in the North have it rough compared to their Southern counterparts simply because of the major differences in season structure. States such as Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, Pennsylvania have rather short gun seasons — the "big stick" of deer management. Whereas in the South (Alabama, Mississippi and Florida for example), gun seasons can stretch for months.

If warm weather, fog, rain or a delayed rut interfere with these short Northern gun seasons, the overall harvest can take a major hit. However, if these gun seasons coincide with perfect conditions for deer movement and hunter effort, record harvests can ensue.
Mississippi rut
In the South, long seasons are needed simply because the weather and rut are less predictable. This is helpful for Southern deer managers because their harvests are often more closely a result of populations that extenuating circumstances.

By the same token, a long, unpredictable season can be frustrating for some Southern hunters.

deer & deer hunting southern rut guideOf course, Deer & Deer Hunting can help Southern hunters take some of that frustration out of their season. We have just produced a Southern Rut Guide that offers some great tips for increasing your personal harvest during a long Southern season. To check it out, follow this link and save 17 percent.

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