Photo by Grady Harrison.

“My fellow Americans -- “

That’s how the President often starts the State of the Union address, so I thought it might be appropriate here -- or not. Maybe I should start with “my fellow Arkansans,” or, better yet, “my fellow Arkansas deer hunters.” This is, after all, a state of the deer address, which I’m sure at least a few Natural State outdoorsmen consider as important as the presidential variety. I’m probably one of those myself.

So, my fellow Arkansas deer hunters, here is the state of your whitetails.

During my youth, back in the 1960s and ‘70s, I spent a lot of time hunting far fewer deer than we have today. As an example, statistics compiled by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission tell me that in 1968, the first year I ever ventured afield, there were a total of only 20,063 deer killed statewide. When you consider that overall hunter numbers weren’t much lower back then than they are today (250,000 or thereabouts), that doesn’t figure out to be a very high success ratio (.08 percent).

And those weren’t the toughest times. As hard as it may be for “youngsters” to believe today, the whitetail was once virtually extinct here in Arkansas, following the sad trail into oblivion already taken by the elk and the buffalo. Along about 1932, AGFC officials estimated that fewer than 500 animals (that’s total) inhabited the entire state! That’s about as close to extinct as you can get.

A lot of factors created that state of affairs, the foremost two probably being the heavy market hunting that took place during the first part of the 20th century and the extensive land clearing that occurred as more and more settlers moved into the area. In addition, an incredible flood covered most of the eastern half of the state in 1927, pushing the deer there onto small spots of high ground, where they were slaughtered by the hundreds.

But as we all know, humans are themselves funny animals. For no sooner had we done virtually everything we could to destroy the whitetails than we raised a great cry to bring them back!

In reality, the process had already begun. As early as 1927 national refuges were being formed throughout the state, and within these strictly protected areas the last remnants of the native herd could reproduce and multiply in relative safety. These federal “sanctuaries” were so successful that state-controlled areas were formed shortly thereafter, and by 1945, some 250,000 acres were in the overall program.

As numbers gradually increased, a massive restocking program was begun. Native deer were transplanted from state refuges into other areas, and non-native whitetails were transported here from other states --Wisconsin and Louisiana, primarily. (I often contemplate what the thick-haired Northern deer released here must have thought about Southern temperatures and humidity.)

With the help of established and enforced hunting seasons, bucks-only harvest, and increased habitat gained through modern timber-harvesting methods, the herd steadily grew. The year 1960 is somewhat of a milestone, for by then there were more than 200,000 animals roaming the hills and flatlands, and deer had returned to virtually every part of the state. That growth trend continues even today, when it is generally accepted that the state’s population is somewhere around 1,000,000 animals!

What’s the purpose of this little history lesson? The events I ‘ve just outlined make it easier to understand the mindset of both hunters and management during most of the 20th century. To those of us who grew up in a time when there were few or no deer, more deer was certainly the desired goal.

The AGFC, which remember until 1996 was totally funded by hunters (through license sales and taxes on outdoor equipment), merely gave its customers what they wanted. Quantity deer management was the order of the day.

But during the 1990s, with a new century looming on the horizon, things began to change.

In 1994 the AGFC enacted an antler restriction in the form of the “3-point rule,” which required that at selected state wildlife management areas, a buck had to have at least 3 points on one side, including the tip of the main beam, to be legal. The idea behind the move was that, as most male deer don’t have 3 points as yearlings, and as 70 percent of the annual buck kill prior to that date consisted of 1 1/2-year-old deer, this would allow more young bucks to move into older age classes.