February 25, 2015 -- Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany’s 2014-2015 bow hunting season recently ended with a decrease in the number of bucks and does harvested.
Sixty-five hunters harvested 27 deer, according to Julie Robbins, natural resource manager, Environmental Branch, Installation and Environment Division, MCLB Albany.
“This season’s harvest quota was 20 bucks and 20 does,” she said. “There were 15 does and 12 bucks harvested this season.”
Robbins said the quota number helps to balance sex ratios and ensures that the deer population is kept in check.
Throughout the season, which began Sept. 15, 2014, archers were allowed to hunt 1,100 acres of land aboard the base during the hunting season, seven days a week, according to Robbins.
The natural resource manager noted a combination of spotlight surveys and camera surveys were used to set the hunting quota.
Maj. John Skutch, director, Future Plans Division, Marine Corps Logistics Command, harvested the heaviest buck of the season, Oct. 22, 2014, weighing 198 pounds while Dan Sullivan, deputy director, Combat Systems Division, Weapon Systems Management Center, harvested the largest doe of the season, Jan. 3, weighing 126 pounds.
One buck harvested aboard the base this year scored Pope and Young classification. The Pope and Young classification is a universally-accepted scoring system which sets the standards for measuring and scoring North American big game for archery.
Al Belanger, game warden, Environmental Branch, I&E Div., MCLB Albany, credited the successful hunting season to Micheal Heldreth, wildlife technician, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“The base was very fortunate to have Micheal Heldreth working with us this year,” Belanger said. “He was the person running the check station, nights and weekends, and helping hunters recover deer. The hunters had some hard lessons on just how good a whitetail deer sense of smell is.”
The game warden noted there were a lot of first time hunters and they were successful due to the time Heldreth spent with them.
For more information about deer hunting aboard the base, call 229-639-5188.