I think perhaps you are misunderstanding what I have posted.

There is nothing that I am aware of that indicates that the breeding or reproductive rates have declined in the south west or the south east part of the state. What declined was the number of does they sample for the data each year. That decline in sample size, during recent years, from those areas has affected the statewide data though since those areas not only have the best breeding and reproductive rates but once lead the state in the number of data samples.

The reason the sample size declined in those areas was from the fact that WCOs didn’t and still don’t have a suitable place to dispose of dead deer. They were having to haul dead deer for long distances to legally dispose of them. They simply didn’t have the time or equipment, a large enough truck, to meet the demand for dead deer removal. Therefore, Penn Dot took over the dead deer removal, (they got reimbursed from the Federal Government for doing so any way), and put the job for most highways out on contract. Those contractors have no interest or desire to remove deer embryos and jawbones. Thus much of that data is no longer available.
The Game Commission has been not only concerned about the lost data but working diligently trying to find ways of correcting the problem. There was some improvement in the sample size last year too so it seems some headway is being made.

This shift in data collection in no way means that the breeding or reproductive rates have declined in the southwest though.

But, it really wouldn’t surprise to learn that the breeding or reproductive rates in various parts of those southern units was declining though since I believe we are still under harvesting those areas enough to fully protect the habitat there. If we can’t fully protect the habitat in those areas with high deer populations it is pretty much a guarantee that at some point they will experience declining breeding and reproductive rates.

R.S. Bodenhorn