RE: Depleted PA deer populations
During the time Dr. Alt was in control of deer management strategy, he was able to take the buck harvest from 203,000 bucks the year in 2000, down to 165,000, then down to 142,000 an then down to this years dismal performance of an estimate by a PGC commissioner of 100-110,000 !!
Now to take 93,000 buck hunters and send them home without a buck since Alt took over, in order to make 9,300 more 2.5 year olds is not worth it to a boatload of sportsmen who are now writing in droves to PA officials and saying it is indeed not worth having a handfull of hunters take a deer that may have been a six point and now is a 7 or 8 while sending 93,000 hunters home with no bucks.....
Pa lost 41,000 hunters last year as a result of poor performance on the deer harvest and they will again this year if no changes are made.
Even Dr. Alt said after he retired, that he was "not effective" at delivering what he was appointed to do. If you can't believe the words right from him, then who would you believe?