Draft rule expands deer management units statewide

Posted on November 28, 2014

At its meeting in Key Largo on Nov. 21, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved draft rule proposals aimed at managing Florida’s white-tailed deer at a local level by establishing deer management units (DMUs) throughout the state, each with its own set of antler regulations and antlerless deer harvest days.

These proposals will be brought back to commissioners for a final vote at their next meeting, in February. If passed, the changes would go into effect for the 2015-2016 hunting season. The purpose of the proposals is to manage deer on a more local scale, tailored to habitat quality, characteristics of the local deer herd and preferences of local hunters and other stakeholders.

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