WNC deer season in full swing as harvests keep growing
Thanksgiving has come and gone, and so has the opening day of one of the most active hunting seasons in Western North Carolina: deer hunting's gun season.
Justin McVey, state wildlife biologist for Western North Carolina, said the state Wildlife Resources Commission monitors deer populations through harvests, which continue to grow each year.
The Western Deer season, which encompasses 17 counties, began Sep. 11 with archery and Nov. 22 with guns.
Archery season in the west will reopen Dec. 12-Jan.1 for antlered deer only, and gun season continues through Dec. 11.
The first stretch of black bear hunting in western counties ran Oct. 18-Nov. 20, and the second stretch opens Dec. 13, running through Jan. 1.
Hunting news: WNC Bear hunting season kicks off with healthy, growing population
With the season underway, harvests are trending up.
"We monitor deer populations through harvest and that kind of reflects how the herd is doing," McVey said.
He said in Buncombe County as of Nov. 29, 855 deer had been harvested, compared to the average of 651 over the past three years.
For the Western region as a whole, 10,804 deer had been harvested by Nov. 29, according to the Wildlife Resources Commission, compared to the average over the past three years of 8,406.
Officials also use the rate of harvested antlered bucks per square mile as a metric for the health of the deer population, McVey said, noting Buncombe County's current rate of 2.02 in 2020, and increase over just 0.4 a decade before.
After taking a dip in the 2018-19 season, deer harvests across North Carolina have climbed to new highs, with just under 170,000 deer harvested in the 2020-21 season, according to the Commission.
The vast majority, almost 77% in the 2020-21 season, are taken by guns, followed by black powder, bows and crossbows.
From around 20,000 in 1976, deer harvests have generally climbed year-over-year, according to Wildlife Resources Commission data, peaking in 2013-14 with 188,130 statewide.
According to the Commission, the state's deer population was as low as 10,000 individuals in 1900, a population now around 1 million.
In Buncombe County as of 2020, there are an estimated 11-20 deer per square mile outside municipal boundaries and other places where hunting is limited or prohibited.
Answer Man: Bear collars humane? Could Montford bear be relocated?
In Henderson, that's 21-30 per square mile, in Madison 31-40 and in Yancey, Polk and other nearby counties, it's as high as 41-50 deer per square mile.
Sales of new hunting licenses, including those that include fishing licenses, have increased from a low of 216,048 in 2018-19 according to information provided by the state, and at 231,076 in 2020-21, haven’t reached the level of 265,903 sales of 2013-14, after which the numbers began declining.
While new sales decline, the total number of people holding licenses increases steadily year-over-year, up to 609,131 in 2019-20 from 521,717 in 2011-12, according to state data.
Those numbers include both hunting and fishing combination licenses, and include any person with the privilege to hunt or fish at any time during that year, according to information provided by Janice Underwood, IT director with the Wildlife Resources Commission.
Staying safe on the stand and trail
The deer rut, or mating season, is expected to peak in the Western hunting zone around Dec.3, according to the Wildlife Resources Commission, including Dec. 1 in Buncombe and Dec. 9 in Henderson County.
That's when deer, and deer hunters, will be more active, McVey says. It's the time that mature bucks, which hunters are most interested in harvesting, are chasing does.
For folks who may be taking to hiking trails during hunting season, it's not required, but he and the Wildlife Commission recommend wearing blaze orange to increase visibility.
"Hunters are very responsible, and they're not just going to shoot at movement," he said. "However, it's a good idea if doing recreation on public lands during deer season to wear blaze orange to make sure.'
Hunters are required to wear it, and any hunter on private property must have written permission, dated this year, on their person, McVey said.
When it comes to where to hunt, the state Wildlife Commission offers maps of public game lands, of which Sandy Mush in Buncombe and Madison Counties is probably the most popular for deer hunting locally, he said.
It's illegal to hunt on National Park property like the Blue Ridge Parkway and Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but hunting is allowed in most U.S. Forest Service lands and state game lands.
For hunters, McVey and the Wildlife Resources Commission offered some safety tips, especially for staying safe in elevated deer stands.
"Make sure somebody knows where you're going," McVey said. "If you're going to be hunting from an elevated stand, make sure you use your safety harness."
According to the Wildlife Resources Commission, 10 tree stand incidents were reported in the fall of 2020, including one that was fatal. In all instances, the individuals weren't wearing a safety harness.
Tips from the Commission include:
Remove all equipment and inspect it before using. Replace any damaged equipment.
Purchase a full-body safety harness as part of a fall-arrest system.
Do not exceed maximum height or weight limits.
Select a healthy, straight tree.
Ask someone for assistance setting up the stand.
Buckle the harness securely and connect it to the tree tether before climbing the tree.
Maintain three points of contact with climbing: two hands and a foot or two feet and a hand. Most falls happen when climbing or descending.
Use a lineman's belt and/or lifeline when climbing or descending.
Raise and lower all equipment with a haul line; never carry anything as you climb.
Derek Lacey covers environment, growth and development for the Asheville Citizen Times. Reach him at DLacey@gannett.com or 828-417-4842 and find him on Twitter @DerekAVL.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: WNC deer season in full swing as harvests keep growing
