I'm happy with the regulations in some areas where I hunt.Those areas are mostly private property with limited access and huge overpopulations.The deer herd needs to be severly reduced in these areas and more bucks need to be saved.In contrast I also do alot of hunting near my home in northern Clearfield county.This area is mostly public land with almost unlimited access.According to the pgc,we've been below the goal of 15 dpsm since at least 1999.I put alot of time in so I'm fortunate enough to kill a decent buck every year with my bow in this areaIt ain't easy though.Sometimes I go for days without a single sighting.This is a stark contrast to what I experience in other parts of the state where the deer herd is 2 to 3 times Alt's goal.*

I realize the need to balance the herd with the habitat.For years I said we had too many deer in most places.I have no problem with reasonable reducytion or with ar.However,when you take the herd below 15 dpsm,there is no possible way you will have more and bigger bucks as Alt promised.The accepted deer density for saw timber is 21 dpsm.The accepted deer density for timber in the seedling stage is 60 dpsm.Currently every management unit in the state has a goal of 15 dpsm or less with the exception of unit 2f which has a goal of 17 dpsm.These figures where taken directly from the pgc website.Again I recognize the need to balance the herd with the habitat but the goal for every area in the state is more than 50% less than what the habitat can support.*

Many areas of the state are still way above the stated goals.Therefore hunters in these areas can expect to see their hunting temporarily improve until the goals are met.At that time,additides toward Alt will change drastically.I keep hearing hunters judge each other calling some crybabies and whiners because they complain of seeing so few deer.Well unfortuanetly,these hunters are are simply living out Alts deer density goals for their areas.Eventually everyone will be in the same boat.Alt has stated numerous times that he will do whatever it takes to achieve these goals.Even if it means employoing sharpshooters,greatly extending antlerless season and handing out unlimited antlerless allocations.If you don't believe me,do a google search and read some of the comments he's made on dcnr's website.*


Anyone that thinks Alt will improve our hunting in the long run just doesn't understand what this is all about.It's not about you,me or the deer.It's all about our certified forests.Our forests get recertified this year and Pa is in danger of losing it's certified status.This will prevent Pa from being able to export it's timber and cost the state millions of dollars per year.When our forests were certified the last time,it was written right into the conditions of recertification that our deer herd needed to be severly reduced.I have the 46 page certification report in front of me andI'll send it to anyone that is interested.The guy that certified our forests in Byron Shissler.Conveniently,he now works for dcnr and is Alt's right hand man with deer management.Do a google search on him,Alt,dcnr or the audubon and see for yourself.This isn't about the deer guys.It's all about our state timber.If you have good hunting now enjoy it while it lasts because ALT will do whatever it takes to reach his goals.I'm experiencing what he wants as an end result and it isn't pretty.Trust me,when the goals are achieved in your area as they where in mine you will see less bucks overall and less bigger ones.*

Alt is not doing this for the hunters.He is a state employee and this certification is worth alot more to the state than the deer are.His agenda is about timber not deer.I used to be an Alt supporter.I was very excited when he took over because I wanted to see change.However.His lies and misrepresentations have been more than I can take recently.How can he say the herd has not been reduced in the last three years when he touted an 8 % reduction in 2001 followed by the biggest kill in hitory the next year?