They are speaking about the entire state Rob............their have always been big bucks taken in PA and many on state land.............they don't see any major change in that frequency after the AR's. What they did say is that the bottom end of the bucks killed is now higher (6's vs spikes and forks before).......yet they qualify that with their being way fewer deer out there because EVERYTHING gets hammered now that deer sightings are so down.
I cannot disagree that the deer numbers are down in PA. That's HR and it needs to be more micromanaged, like say state land. More tags for doe on private land, less on public land where deer numbers are down. AR's have increased the number of bucks though the doe numbers are down. I'm betting they are anequating (sp) numbers with the herd, not just buck sightings. I would also agree that the bottom end of bucks being killed is higher, 6's vs spikes and forks but doesn't that say that more bucks are being killed, ie the buck numbers are up. And to think if it were going to a 4 point per side rule, then the lower end bucks 8 points would be the bucks being killed...well that and "Rob" bucks..LOL
What else was I supposed to say??..........that IS the real truth that I experienced in PA this year.
Well, you could have easily explained that, that's not what your hearing from a based number of hunters hunting public land in PA and perhaps not, "Go to PA and find the
real truth". Your not lying but perhaps you don't know what the real truth is right? Your know what was pertained to you...perhaps neither of us nor your 50plus people know the real truth...and even more perhaps is that the real truth differents per area....I'd find that to be the real truth.
I'm not saying you are wrong Rob.........what I am saying is your opinion differs dramatically from what I heard from many other guys in PA this year..........1 vs 50+.........you are the minority in my talks with PA guys, not the other way around.
thank you.......yes, what I've experienced, read, saw and heard differs from what your 50 plus are saying. And yes, I am 1 vs 50 but basing my 1 opinion, more accurately, my observation is based on the masses and I wonder what those 50 base their opinion on and how it could differ so greatly?
I don't really care either way.............my experience with PA guys this year tells me the picture being painted by some is not reality globally across the state............and especially on public land. If you don't want to believe all the guys I spoke with then so be it.........I have no reason to believe they don't know what is going on in their woods that they have hunted their whole lives.
This year differs greatly from previous years too based solely on the impairment of the weather. The first two days of rifle when the majority of bucks are usually killed due to vacations, shut downs etc...the weather was horrible, nothing moved, deer nor man and I'm hearing the same conclusions however, the two week season as whole is based on success's I've seen, and both archery and rifle through the state and seasons.