Originally Posted by
germain
Yes Doug there's probably more bear hunters then deer hunters.Did you ever see the reports from the bear hunters on deer sightings?Especially on HPA.Very few deer sighted with all those drives.Different from the 80,s when in bear season there were deer running everywhere.Not to mention most of the drivers are going in the thick stuff where those pressured deer are supposed to be hiding.There's simply alot less deer today and that's why hunters aren't seeing them.
There are less deer.I've never stated that there weren't.I didn't get a chance to hunt bear the last two years although I generally do.When we drive,we usually see plenty of deer in the areas where I expect to see them.Some areas we don't see any but good bear habitat and good deer habitat are not necessarily the same thing.Three years ago,I was hunting bear right on the edge of Moshannon state forest and Seneca resource corp property.I was by myself for the first part of the day but groups were putting on drives all around me.I saw 17 deer that morning.This was on public land in 2G.
The year before,I hunted with some guys near sandy ridge.We killed 4 bears on the first two drives.I think the entire group saw 3 deer all day.It was thick laurel,no browse and no mast crop.There was absolutely no reason for many deer to be there.The guys I was hunting with lived in that area and none of them hunted deer there anymore and they didn't blame the lack of deer on too mnay getting shot.It simply wasn't good deer habitat.