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Old 04-13-2008, 12:01 PM
  #6  
blksn8k
Fork Horn
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 114
Default RE: Potter Co PA Log Cabin/Hunting Camp w/acreage

I grew up in western PA and now live in Ohio. For some stupid reason I still hunt mostly in PA, Clearfield county to be exact. No matter what the Game Commission tries to tell you, there are significantly fewer deer in the west and north central parts of the state than there were even ten years ago. Too many antlerless permits and too many special seasons. I hunted hard ten days last year in the gun season in places where I have taken nice bucks in years past and I did not see one legal buck. I did see a couple nice bucks during archery season but damn few deer overall. And the Game Commission wonders why they are selling fewer licenses each year? This part of Pennsylvania never was and never will be a trophy deerarea. Antler restrictions and high doekills have ruined the deer hunting. Sure, a few nice bucks are taken every year but that is no different than ten or fifteen years ago before antler restrictions. Now there are just fewer deer but there are not more "trophy" deer. The genetics and habitat do not support trophy size deer but they can and have supported more deer. It doesn't do any good to manage for trophy deer when there are no deer left to manage. The other problem is land access and the Game Commission cannot manage the herds on private land where there is no public hunting access.
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