The 2011-2012 deer season, which closed Sunday in Georgia, was successful for the vast majority of our hunters on Fort Benning.
The deer season remains open in Alabama until Jan. 31. However, unless you have an Alabama resident hunting license, are an active-duty Soldier assigned to Fort Benning with a Georgia resident hunting license or have a nonresident hunting license for Alabama, you cannot continue to hunt on that side of the installation.
As always, check MCoE Regulation 200-3 to confirm you are legally hunting within the respective season for each state. If you are unsure or have questions, please call.
There are plenty of other hunting opportunities on Fort Benning for the hunters whose deer season is over. Nearly every small game hunting season remains open until the end of February, and waterfowl hunting season doesn’t end until Jan. 30. Feral swine and coyotes can be hunted with modern firearms until March 23, the day before turkey season starts.
It will take us until the end of the Alabama season to compile all the numbers from this deer season, but based on year-to-date harvest, it appears as though we will have the highest recorded deer harvest on Fort Benning since 2002. There are some encouraging signs in the data we have collected.
First, and foremost, a significant number of hunters continued to adjust their harvest strategies by focusing on harvesting does. Total doe harvest for the season should well exceed 700, which is 20 percent above the long-term average.
Recruitment this year was quite high. This is encouraging because it suggests improved herd health and that predator-related mortality is probably not having a significant impact on our population. The one discouraging bit of information resulting from having a good year of reproduction is the increased number of fawns harvested this season. With respect to buck fawns, this ultimately reduces the number of bucks from this year’s age class, which would have had a chance to grow to maturity.
Each year, between the end of deer season and the beginning of turkey season, individuals interested in trapping feral swine can obtain a special permit from Fort Benning Conservation Branch to assist with control efforts. Do not proceed with any efforts before contacting the Conservation Branch, obtaining a permit and ensuring you understand the rules and regulations. Authorized participants will be able to trap on the Georgia side of the installation until March 11. Trappers interested in obtaining a permit must submit eight-digit grid locations for their trap sites by emailing ben.d.miley.civ@mail.mil or calling 706-544-6315.
