PEOPLE, the PGC isn't trying to make Pennsylvania a "big buck state" like Iowa, Illinois, Texas, or Kansas. They are simply using big racks to get there plans through.
Okay, lets do this. You have 100 deer and with Pennsylvanias buck to doe ratio, we have probablly 80 doe and 20 bucks. Now, on an average season, 40 does are taken and 10 bucks. That takes you down to 40 doe and 10 bucks. A buck to doe ratio of 4 doe for each buck after seaon (not nearly as bad as what actually occurs in Pennsylvania, but this is just a demonstration). Now, they reproduce and we are back to 100 deer. Same buck to doe ration, 80 does and 20 bucks. Now, this season we have antler restrictions. We will say that 50% of the bucks are not legal so the PGC ups the doe tags. This years harvest is 55 does and 5 bucks. That takes us down to 45 does and 15 bucks (a buck to doe ratio of 3 doe to each buck). Another year of reproduction and we are up to a total of 90 deer. Of these 90 deer, 60 are doe and 30 are bucks. Now, 35 does are killed and 10 bucks are killed. That puts the total to 25 does and 20 bucks. That is a buck to doe ratio of 1.5 doe for each buck. Sure, there are less deer (over the grand scale in Pa, its not going to be very noticeable), but, that is more nutrients and food for each deer. That means healthier, older, and in the long run, larger racked deer.
Also, this statement of "hunters are leaving deer lay in the woods" is getting WAY blown out of proportion. Think about it. A guy goes in the woods and see 20 other hunters. Of these 20, 1 was a slob hunter. Now, this guy goes home and talks to his buddies, is he going to talk about how he saw 19 ethical hunters, or is he just going to mention that one bad seed? If we only looked at the bad seeds in Pennsylvania, we would be looking at a small small small portion of the hunters. Ethical hunters don't "shock" other hunters as much so they don't really every talk about "the ethical hunter who passed up a sub-legal buck" All they ever talk about is the bad seed.
I saw 1 deer laying dead this year. That is it. I hunted over 1,000 acres of land that is privately owned but open to all hunters and out of those 1,000 acres, I found one dead buck laying in the woods.
Also, think about the safety that is now in the woods. This year I wasn't constantly thinking about "that guy in the woods" who sees a deer and just starts shooting like a mad man. 90% of the guys in Pa were following the rules and this meant that they must identify their target instead of just blasting shots off.
Give it time. These plans will work. I am willing to see a few less doe each season to see a couple more bucks. Pennsylvania has potential to be a great state for hunting. We have lots of good farmlands and thick woods. We have a large deer herd to work with, but, in order to get our herd right, we have to take more does out and pass on smaller bucks. I constantly here people whinning about "Pennsylvania has no big bucks", but yet when it comes to passing up that little 6 pointer, the thought never crosses their mind, they just shoot it. Anyone see a contradiction here?
My family, best friend, and I have been harvesting as many doe as we can each year and passing on smaller bucks for several years and it is showing. We have alot of potential around my hunting grounds. Huge fields of corn/alfalfa/clover. The woods are full of oaks that produce lots of acorns. There is really thick cover, a pond that is on the edge of woods where thick bedding is (a place were deer are comfortable enough to go get a drink), ect.... We have been letting the small bucks pass. I see more big bucks in Pennsylvania than some people see in Texas, Kansas, Iown, Illinois, Alberta, ect.. each year. This year I saw lots of bucks, only a few real brutes while hunting (The Ghost Buck- an absolute monster 11 point that would score in the 150" range), and a 10 point that would score in the mid 130" range. While spotting before archery season I would see 4 8 points in a field every night, and they all would have went 130" or up. The biggest probablly in the 160" range.
The moral of the story is......... SHOOT MORE DOE AND LET THE LITTLE BUCKS PASS!!!
P.S. How come we have meat hunters out there that say they don't care about antlers, but yet, when a group of 5 mature doe and 1 spike comes out, the meat hunter will shoot the smaller bodied spike? Thats alittle more contradiction.
Good Luck This Season: Buck Magnet
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