Bowhunter Poor nutrition is a big factor in alot of area's of PA. but not in my area of PA. which is York Co. we have great habitat mild winters and AG. crops all over the place, infact the first deer I ever harvested that didnt have corn or beans in its stomach was the first deer I shot in my area of OH. But my area of OH. has twice as many deer per square mile than York Co. PA. and is void of AG crops.
The huge size difference blew my mind and I studied this very same topic and considered every possible factor that could enter into the equation but the only positve difference I found between the 2 area's is the mineral content in the soil. When I saw my first OH. deer up close I would have bet the farm that they were a different sub species than our deer in PA. but I was floored when I researched it and learned that they were the exact same sub species.
To see what I am talking about all you have to do is loo close to home and compare the Eastern Shore of MD. to the Western Shore of MD., The difference in the size of the deer is due to the superior mineral rich soil of the Eastern Shore. Pike
Last edited by J Pike; 09-08-2009 at 07:56 PM.