So both Virginia and West Virginia deer kills are up over a year ago with Virginia's count expected to ultimately grow from the current 168,000 to some 218,000 hunter killed Whitetails in 2015.............Once again, Black Bears and Coyotes taking Spring born fawns are nowhere near the equilibrium agents needed for vibrant forest regeneration to occur................... Only a re-introduction of Pumas and Wolves would accomplish this

https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=http://www.13newsnow.com/story/news/local/virginia/2016/01/25/virginia-deer-kills-likely-top-last-years-harvest/79290446/&ct=ga&cd=CAEYACoTOTQwMTk2ODQzMjU0MjI5MzcwNDIaZmMyNWRjZGYxNDI0NmQ5MTpjb206ZW46VVM&usg=AFQjCNH0nbdXuyEZe8-qJAbl7Bpt04d6lg

Virginia deer kills likely to top last year's harvest

 Associated Press, 13NewsNow.com8:21 a.m. EST January 25, 2016

(Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

CONNECTTWEETLINKEDINCOMMENTEMAILMORE

HARRISONBURG, Va. (AP) -- Virginia game officials
 say hunters are expected to top last year's deer
 harvest.

Matt Knox of the Virginia Department of Game
 and Inland Fisheries says hunters have checked
 in 167,736 deer online this season. That's an
 increase of 12 percent over last year,
according to The Daily News-Record.

Knox said online check-ins account for
roughly 80 percent of all deer kills in the state.

While the count from traditional paper
 check-ins has not been counted, Knox
said he expects it will add between 30,000
 and 50,000 deer kills.

Last year, hunters statewide checked in
 192,278 deer. The number this year is
likely to top that, perhaps ranging up to 218,000.

Those numbers are still below the 10-year
 average of 230,000 deer.