Reguarding the deer harvest numbers and a true harvest number for your home state. Including illegal hunting. Imho...I beleve wv is at least 10,000 or more off....sorta betting that the true number is much higher than that. How much illegal hunting do you think is really going on in your area. For example while in High School it seemed like all kinda punks talked about shooting deer out of season all the time...Very frustrating during that time.. alot older now, but I figure those same type of ideas flow through the local High Schoolsstill. I wonder if there is a number out there for deer that have been hit on local highways. During the prime season It's nothing to see20-30 per day just in my area. we have an active clean upcrue that stays on top of it.One fallday I counted over 100 on a 3 hour trip to morgantown wv several years ago.

In Pa, I don't think the harvest numbers even closely resemble reality![:@]

Just my opinion, but I would say in some ofthe more "renegade" areas, there is probably one illegal deer for every 1.5 legal killed deer.
Statewide though. I'd say add another 50% of the harvest as illegals. then tack on roadkills and we killa LOT of deer in this state.

I'm not sure it makes a difference.

As long as the game commission (or governing body for your state's game) takes into account the factors you mention.....I don't think the reported harvest numbers reall mean that much.

Licensed hunters = "X" amount of revenue. Those statistics are important, for accounting/record-keeping reasons.

The "unknowns" should be factored in.....and season limits and dates set should reflect ALL kills. If they aren't doing this (unlikely, IMO) then yes....they'r emissing the boat in a big way.

I'm not sure if it's still the case, but Pa used to be second only to Texas inhighest deer population in the entire USA!

I don't think they've got the slightest clue about the true harvest data in Texas. No check stations. Only a few voluntary hunter surveys - and, since this is Texas, I'd bet most of the ones they get of those are lies.

I don't the number are correct here in Illinois. Since we went to a call in reporting system, I know for a fact that there are people shooting multiple deer and calling in only a single deer. Those are mostly does, but still affects the numbers. I also know that people are shooting smaller bucks now and calling them in as does, so again the number are accurate. We also have "renegade" counties where the locals tend to shoot two or three deer opening more of firearm season and those deer are never reported. Hell, two seasons ago I hunting in Calhoun Co and heard more high power rifles going off than I did shot guns. I have talked a CO about this and he told me that there is a % they add to the actual numbers to account for these kind of kills. So the number may not be too far off.

I'm sure it's pretty warped! Running an Archery Shop and a Check Station (back when they existed)for years. I've over heard and seen a lot.

One I'll never forget was: "Yeah I buy a permit to hunt with, but I'm not using it to check the deer in with"

Dan

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With Pa planning on having internet check in, maybe it will help in getting somewhat more accurate harvest results in the future. Maybe not though. People are basically lazy, and many are dishonest![:@][:'(][>:]