There is a demand for this general approach. Forty-nine percent of hunters responding to a recent WMA hunter survey preferred non-quota hunts, and 49.5 percent preferred hunts lasting most of the season, Nicholson noted. He reported that this policy has been successful, and the Redlands has one of the highest use rates of any WMA in the state, second only to Cedar Creek. In 2004, 2,476 hunters reported harvesting 147 deer. Usually the number of deer hunters ranges from 2,500 to 3,000 a year.

This relatively high hunting pressure has enabled the deer population to be kept under control at a healthy population level.

"In recent years, we haven't had the manpower or money to do a deer count, but all observations indicate that we are maintaining the population at near-optimum levels," the biologist offered.

Check station data were collected during the 1990, 1992 and 1996-2000 deer seasons. For bucks that were 1 1/2 years old, dressed weights ranged from 79 to 85 pounds, antler-beam lengths were 6.1 to 7.4 inches, and the number of points averaged 2.8 to 3.5.

"These data," Nicholson continued, "suggest a deer herd in fair to good condition.

"Harvest pressures should be maintained or increased to ensure that deer numbers do not exceed carrying capacity."

BIG DEER OPPORTUNITIES?
Because all of the dates on Redlands are sign-in hunts, deer taken on the WMA count towards the allowed deer on a hunter's tags. State-wide antler restrictions also apply. One of the two antlered deer taken must have a minimum of four points, 1 inch or longer on one side. One reason for the establishment of these regulations was to reduce the harvest of young bucks and increase the size of the bucks in general.

High hunter use during deer season and the large number of hunting days argues against bucks living the three to five years necessary to grow a big rack. The majority of the bucks taken are spikes, up to small 6-pointers, according to the operators of local deer coolers. During the 2004-05 season, fewer deer were brought into the processors, but the number of larger deer remained about the same.

ONLINE WMA MAP
To access a map of the Redlands WMA on the internet, visit www.georgiaoutdoors.com. From the menu at the left of the page select Hunting. On this page, again look to the left and click on Wildlife Management Area Maps. Finally, scroll down the list of areas and open the link to Redlands WMA.

"Deer," Nicholson said, "move freely from private land into the WMA and from the WMA to private land. There is always the possibility that a buck has been able to find a refuge and live long enough to grow some respectable horns. The fact that Redlands does produce a few nice deer each year is a testimony that these refuge areas exist."

HUNT STRATEGIES
Although setting up on food plots allowed some hunters to harvest deer this past season, there was not nearly as much daytime activity in the plots as usual. A heavy acorn crop coupled with warmer weather during the deer season helped keep the deer closer to home, and they had no need to venture far from their thick, swampy bedding areas.

"All last season I received complaints that 'we aren't seeing any deer.' The deer were certainly there," Nicholson countered. "They just had no need to move. Hunters were generally more successful hunting heavily used trails in the thick stuff and white oaks rather than sitting over the food plots. In short, our hunters just needed to learn how to hunt again."

Although not employed by many hunters, a sometimes-useful option is to use a boat to deploy hunters at spots on the Oconee River and Lake Oconee that are too remote for most foot hunters to try.

One of the appeals of the Redlands WMA is that there are enough different tracks of land that a hunter could work a new part of the WMA each year for a decade and still not cover it all. New hunters sometimes spin their wheels attempting to hunt numerous parcels during a single season. A better approach is to do pre-season scouting and pick an area to hunt. Then concentrate on that area for the entire season and resist the temptation to bounce from place to place.