I hear a lot of anger here from deer hunters in Georgia over deer losses by coyotes during the fawn drop season. There have been published articles about some counties being dangerously close to the "predator pit" issue where once predators get the upper hand, no amount of reproduction can balance out the losses. Around here, the DNR is catching grief over the coyote population and deer population reduction. It seems someone is always complaining about lack of action by the DNR. Politics are often involved in controlling DNR action. For instance, a group of saltwater fishing guides met with local DNR to lower redfish limits as the 5 fish limit was impacting the number of fish. SC and Florida have far lower limits. The DNR said their hands were tied because they must first do a "study" before lowering limits. The legislature controls the funding which must be in place for studies. Another example of politics was the legislature's allowing hunting over feeders. On a radio program, a DNR representative said that the decision to allow baiting for deer was not based upon game management principles but was based on political reasons. Damned if you do; damned if you don't. Gil
