More hunters will hang it up over the next few years. With a license increase and less deer this will happen. I know a few who quit last year and stuck to it. They didn't buy a license at sat this year out. My father being one of them.
Yes , we will likely lose more hunters. But that's going on everywhere and not just in states working to reduce the deer herd. BTW, according to NSSF survey, the overwhelming reason for hunters leaving the sport is not enough time to hunt. Sunday hunting migh help a little there.
In the future you will see more posted ground. As more hunters get discouraged, they realize they need to either buy land or lease land to ensure a good place to hunt. As property owners realize hunters are willing to pay money tolease and hunttheir land they will do exactly that. Especially if they know their land holds big bucks or many deer.
PA will become like Texas. Watch for it.
Probably true as well . PA is one of the last states not to have this curse fall upon us. You dont have to look far especially to the south, or west andyou'll find that huntuing clubs, outfitters and hunting leases are now the norm for anyonewanting to hunt. Our best defense is to spend the time NOW cultivating and preserving good relationships with landowners in order to be able to have a place to hunt in the future.
Look for the PGC to cut many of its programs as the number of hunters drop out of the sport due to increased license fees and lack of deer. They won't have the money. I see bigger financial problems on the horizon.
ThePGc is in finacial trouble and the best thing we can do to help fix that is to SCREAM at our legislators, especially the Democrats who banded together and flat out said no to an increase, and tellthem to pass a fair increase. We also need to hold the PGc's feet to the fire when it comes to the continued practice of not harvesting the allowable 1% of their timber each year. I still can't figure out why they sit on money (the trees) every year while they can't pay the bills.
Look for more conflicts among hunters. As hunters start scouting to find better hunting spots, they will encroach on other hunters that already hunt those spots.
Some of the supporters of PA's deer management will find that out. While you may enjoy your honey holes today, it is just a matter of time till they are discovered.
I disagree a little with this one.Many of my honey holes, especially around my camp but also around home,are on public ground or on unposted private ground open to the public and I see fewer hunters every year.After the second day of rifle season, you can practically be alone in the woods anywhere, at leastaround here. And this trendstarted long before AR and HR
There area few fortunate souls who own their own land, that will suddenly find, they will be dealing with trespassers. Some guys just don't care. They realize their is little a landowner can do to them. I seen this first hand this year.
Poaching and tresspassing has always been a problem and sadly it always will.
The future of hunting does not look very bright in my eyes. And to think this was all brought on, in the quest for bigger antlers.
Most of predictions you've made here have some degree of validity. Unfortunately, you could post this about most any state in this good old USA and most hunters would agree withyou.The problem is thateverything you listed is happeningor hashappend all over, no matter what their current deer management program.