Deaddeer-
I have been reading your posts and just don't get it. I have been hunting 3C for the last 10 years and it amazes me how different 2 separate hunters experiences are within an hours drive of each other. The number of bucks my group saw last year is much greater than what we saw 5 years ago. You have a very slight point in regards to the fact that 1.5 year old bucks that grow extra points are being culled while their fork horned brothers get to live ... but you fail to point out some of the huge holes in that argument. First, it has only been 2 years! It would require decades to affect the herd genetic make-up in such a way as to reduce the trait to grow additional points as an immature buck. The reason for that is because when a fawn was born in the year and the quality of the food it eats affects antler growth as much as genetic potential.
Secondly .. the genetic quality of fawns being bred by even 2.5 year old's is an improvement over the old system. Plus, as bucks get older, and there will be more bucks because people have to legally pass them up, they do get wiser and more elusive. So you can't expect to see these more mature deer with the same ease you have been seeing spikes and forks.
Which leads me to my final point, and it may be the most obvious issue with some PA hunters.
Personally,last year I did not see one antlered buck while hunting.archery, rifle and late ML season. Since the end of the season I have seen a total of 5 deer and no buck. I live where I hunt and maintain ATV trails , ditches and cut firewood on the property we hunt. I planted winter rye in 3 areas and I only saw deer feeding on it twice.
Your problem is not with the deer herd .. it is with your hunting choices. Less than an hour from you there are areas that people see 20 to 40 deer a day. Why would you hunt an area that you did not see a single buck in an entire season? The PGC can't put deer in your yard for you to shoot. Maybe there was a better herd there years ago, but obviously you and your neighbors have affected change and removed all of your bucks. Instead of complaining about the management policies you should find a spot within an hours drive where guys like myself and others here go and help manage the growing deer herds with greater buck numbers. It sounds like your area could use a break....
and you may find yourself once again happy with the hunting quality in your home state.