My grandfather said that the deer population would be good because the winter wasn't too bad and the food source was great. The acorns this year are a far cry better than last year. During hunting the 94 deer season I noticed that the acorns where rotten and moldy, although there was an abundance of beach nuts. The only problem with that is that beach nut trees are far to none where I hunt, which is most of the Rockingham county.

This year it's just the opposite the acorns is at their peak and the beechnuts have gone bad. Usually I love sitting down under a large beach tree in the sun and stuffing my face with beechnuts. This year I will just have to stick to packing my lunch. The squirrels have been busy packing their lunch away by hoarding all the acorns they can before the winter hits. The deer have also been eating their fair share of the acorns the ground is torn up by the deer rummaging around .

So far this year I have heard that it is the best year yet. A seven pointer and a four point buck have been taken out of my new spot . This year I have been too busy to hunt like I usually do, between school and work I only get out when I can sneak a hour or two in. Hopefully next year will be just as good as this year if not better. Due to the abundance of the acorns and if we don't have a bad winter the deer habitat should supply the yearlings with a good first year. This is a very strict way that mother nature controls the deer population.

My grandfather told me that in New Haven Connecticut people have been feeding the deer and the population grew to unbearable size. When the deer population grew due to dependency of food source they started to over populate. This then started to make the deer dependable on the people. Soon the deer started to starve to death and made them more susceptible to disease. This just goes to show what happen when the food source grows and there is no way to control the herd. That is when we should take pride in the men and women of our fish and game.

Fish and game controls the length of hunting seasons due to the information they collect in the field. They have been doing an excellent job if you ask me. On the way to the new spot I had scouted out to hunt I stop into the general store and the game Warden was checking the age and weight of the deer coming in. Also I have noticed a lot more of game Warden patrolling the area. If any game wardens are reading this article, give your self a pat on the back, because you are doing a great job.

For a while now it has been mandatory to take hunters Ed, which I think is great. The program teaches good morals and good conservation. The safety part teaches good hunter safety for all hunters in the woods. I was reading in the hunters guide publishing the rules and regulations' states that it will be mandatory to take the class before new hunters can purchase their license. If it's like hunters Ed I think it will be great. Even though I will be grandfathered I still might take it just to refresh my learning experience.

(Click on deer image to see full sized picture.)