ORIGINAL: bluebird2
Whatis obvious that don’t know squat about the history of the deer or the habitat that supported thosedeer in the northern tier back in those better years.
Much of the habitat across the northern was still in the seedling sapling stage into the mid 1940s. The same as the deer numbers and harvests in those northern tier areas didn’t start to decline until the habitat declined.
You can also see how the antler quality started to decline after the habitat declined. By the end of the 1950 both deer numbers and antler quality were headed into a major slump.
It appears both are finally starting to improve after nearly half a century of trying to carry way too many deer. Even the deer are proving that point and proving just how wrong you are.
R.S. Bodenhorn
You couldn't be more wrong if you tried, but I'll do my best to set you straight. The herd in the NC counties peaked around 1929 at 45 DPSM. It then crashed and reached a low of around 15 DPSM around 1947. From there it steadily rebounded to over 45 DPSM in the late 70s when a series of harsh winters reduced the herd to around 30 DPSM. From 1980 to to the present the herd has been controlled by the antlerless harvests which reduced the herd in 2G to 10 PS DPSM, even though the habitat could support 30 OWD PSM!!!!!
So you are saying that in the last 35 years that forest land has not matured into pole timber that is incapable of producing any worth while deer food.The tree hugger's have put a stop to practically all timber harvest on government controlled land.
How about the influx of Gypsy moths that basically whipped out the red oak'sthat made up a very high percentage of mast trees across PA.
Deer must eat in both good mast years and bad.
Your blind hatred prevents you from seeing even the most minuscule aspectsof an ecology that far more complicated than youwill ever be able to perceive.
The blindest of men are those whom refuse to see.
