Heys guys I just read that post on ATTN. Pa hunters and wanted to comment. I grew up in NE Pa and hunted many years in Susq. County. My Grandfather and Dad have hunted their for there whole lives. When I first hunted at the age 12 which was about 16 years ago it was nothing to guy in the woods and see 30-50 deer. They would start shooting around daylight and shoot all day long, that was during the period when it was buck only for 2 weeks and then 3 days of doe. I had so many great experiences in the woods as a kid. We killed alot of deer and saw a ton all the time. THis was on private land but we also hunted on the state gamelands which at the time was full of deer. In my opinion they have ruined the hunting in our old area. My parents now live across the border in Ny and for the first time in 52 years my dad did not buy a licence in Pa. He has seen 7 deer in the last 2 deer seasons. He is retired and hunted almost every day of the 05 06 season. Many others are joining him. Its not worth the drive and money to see nothing. THey need to go back to the old seasons 3 days of doe. Im sure alot of you know that when doe day came around, it was not always a given to get a doe if there was any kind of pressure where you hunted. Where we hunted the deer where spooked by doe day and it was during mon. tue. wed. THe bottom line is it that saved alot of deer. Not every hunter wants a huge buck, some people just like to go in the woods and see deer. THe average guy who hunts a couple of days a year is long gone. Who would buy a licence, gas, food, hotel, stop after the hunt to have a beer, to go out in the woods and maybe , maybe see a deer. Its a huge economic loss for a majority PA. I know there are spots that are full of deer that this is not an issue. But with the cost of land, taxes, etc some people's only option is public land and as far as Im concerned its a waste of time. I remember the days when the public land was crawling with deer and hunters, we used to hope there would be a ton of people hunting because it would get the deer moving. Those days are long gone. THey need to do somthing about it, because kids are not going to get in the woods for nothing.
scott
I grew up hunting PA and moved to VA 3 seasons ago. I still go back to PA to hunt, but it's for the commaraderie of being with friends and family. I liked the 3 day separate doe season, back then on the first day, you knew people were shooting bucks, not whatever happened past them in the woods.
The point that so many are missing is that the habitat, can no longer support seeing 30-50 deer like it did in the old days. Those days are gone forever. Its not about changing the seasons to allow the deer to come back, that isn"™t going to happen. It takes time for habitat to regrow and they will (hopefully) never let the populations get to the point of destroying it again. You aren"™t SUPPOSED to see 50 deer every trip out, and sadly that is what many hunters got used to.
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Just a regular guy who likes to hunt
I'm from Susquehanna County and hunt most of the west side of the county. Idon't know what part you are talking about. But there are a lot of deer in Susquehanna County.
I hunt in Everett, PA (4A I believe?) and there is a healthy number of deer, not too many, a good buck:doe ratio, and a nice mix of farmlands and woods. The bear and coyote population seem to be doing great as well. The area I hunt is all private land and I would say it would do them well to cull a few more does per season.
By me it's developments that are skewing the number of deer seen on public land. When you have developmens that border state game lands or state forests the deer get patterned and retreat to safer havens. Plus the food is more abundant in developments, people growing grass, planting flowers, gardens and the people flat out feeding the deer. Unfortunately, no change to a season will effect this from continuing.
Also, if no one is seeing and consequently shootingdeer how come the population hasn't come roaring back? I believe it has more to do with habitat than doe season or # of tags issued. just my $.02.
Iwas at SCTH's camp the day before the opener and hunted opening day at a buddies place not far away.I talked to a bunch of guys that weekend and to my surprise,didn't hear one complaint about low deer numbers.We didn't see squat the first day.Between 6 hunters,I thinkthere were only 4 deer seen by 2:00pm.It wasn't do to a lack of deer though.The weather was terrible and there was nobody in the woods moving the deer.I left that afternoon but I know the same guys saw a bunch the next day.
How did you guy smake out Brian?Did your daughter get any shooting.
I hunted in the hickory grove area just across the nyborder and on private land in new milford. Im sure there are areas in sus. county that are in good shape, nodoubt about it. Imjust saying were I hunted its a different situation. And alot of people are saying the same thing other places as well, just look atthis forum. Im not sure who had the post about thehabitat, but i agree 100% thats a lot of the problem. Butthe area I use to hunt when youwalk 3 miles with an oldsnow and dont cut a track somthing is wrong. Howmany doe permits did sus county have this year? 30 some thousand. When the antler restrictionwent intoeffect is when the doe permits soared. The old days sus. countyhad anywhere from 5-10 thousand.Just drive on 81 how many deerdo you see hit on the road, and standing along the road. Nothing like it use to be. Ican remember seea ton of deer driving form Scranton to Binghamton any day of the year in fields, along the road. This does not happen anymore. Because they are not there. The antler restirction is working no doubt but the doe permits need to be curbed big time in many areas in the state, and other areas they need to be increased.
PA hunters
