Although state biologists have warned that the steady increase in deer harvests in North Carolina cannot continue forever, hunters nevertheless set another record during the 2008-09 hunting season, killing 176,297 deer. The previous harvest record of 171,986 was set the previous season. And that 2007-08 season itself represented an unprecedented increase of 11.5 percent harvest above the previous record, which was set the preceding season in 2006-07. Back-to-back-to-back record-setting seasons were considered highly unusual, because the state's deer herd was thought to be stabilizing. But then, along comes 2008-09 to make four record seasons in a row.

In 2001-02, the total deer harvest was 142,847, setting a harvest record for all years since harvest report records have been kept. In 2002-03, the harvest dipped to 118,174. In 2003-04, it rebounded to 134,507. In 2004-05, the harvest increased again to 140,311.

Then, in 2005-06, the deer harvest set a record of 144,315 followed by another record of 154,273 in 2006-07. The 2006-07 deer harvest was an increase of 7 percent above the previous year. Then 2007-08 surprised everyone with another 11.5 percent increase. Another 2.5 percent increase for 2008-09 proves that for Tar Heel State deer hunters, the "good old days" are occurring here and now.

Evin Stanford is the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission's Surveys and Research Biologist for Deer, Turkey and Boar.

"We really can't point to any one factor for another increase in deer harvest," Stanford said. "There has to be a combination of factors coming into play. Good weather during the deer-hunting season likely plays a big role. We had another relatively mild winter, which typically helps the harvest in the Western and Northwestern deer regions where the firearms season is relatively short. A week of cold weather at the wrong time can really hurt harvests in those regions."

Another reason for increased hunter success could be attributed to changes in the either-sex regulations and reporting. The 2007-08 season was the first time hunters in areas with maximum-length, either-sex deer seasons could use bonus antlerless deer harvest report cards to harvest additional antlerless deer above the bag limit of six deer without having to enroll their properties in the Deer Management Assistance Program. Bonus antlerless harvest report cards applied only to private lands.

Although the statewide harvest was a record last year, harvest increases did not occur in all parts of the state. In fact, hunters killed more deer last year than the year before in just four of the nine wildlife districts in the state.

For districts in which the harvest increased, the percentage of change was 5.7 percent in District 1, 5.8 percent in District 2, 10.9 percent in District 3, 2.3 percent in District 7 and 16.8 percent in District 9. For districts in which the harvest decreased, the percentage of decrease was 4.5 percent in District 4, 1.5 percent in District 5, 7.0 percent in District 6, and 1.1 percent in District 8.

Obviously the increases outweighed the decreases, but the fact that even with good hunting conditions and weather the harvest went down in about as many districts as it went up adds credibility to biologists' predictions that stabilization of the deer harvest statewide is on the horizon.

In some counties, changes in regulations have expanded the either-sex deer season dates. These have typically occurred in an east-to-west pattern, as those with moderate either-sex seasons have moved into maximum either-sex seasons. This expansion is multiplied exponentially by other factors besides extended dates, through such mechanisms as allowing the use of bonus-antlerless harvest report cards in maximum either-sex season areas.