came to a conclusion
 

well guys i was up in the poconos this week untill wed night i hunted mon-wed all day didn't see one deer until wed when walking out seen a small doe that i let walk. only otherdeer i seen taken was a 10 point my cousin got. i heard 11 shots on monday. only 11 shots i used to hear 30-40 shots from all around. tuesday 5 shots nothing seen. wed 3 shots then seen nothing. talked to the guy at the hotel said he had people booking extra days to see if they can get a deer. out of over 30 guys i talked to at thw hotel 2 got deer not including my cousin. well conclusion is i will not shot a doe untill the #'s are backed up. i know guys onhere are going to say well i seen deer pleanty of them but thats in your area. i remember 5 yrs ago going up there and getting a doe and a buck. last yr got a doe but i only hunted monday and yr before that nothing and 3 yrs ago a 6 pointer. i just think that there killing of to many deer with all the extended seasons and so on. i just hope that one day when i have kids i'm going to be able to take my kid when i have them up to the mountains and take a deer out. i have seen some signs of bucks thought and the bucks i seen on the turnpike on the wat down where nice but i just didn't see a whole lot of deer. when i went spoting sunday and monday night driving around seen 7 deer used to see 30-50 man i wish i had those days back. i talked to a guy who was 78 yrs old who said he is going to just quit hunting because with his health he can't go into the woods long anymore he was used to going in the woods on opening day and killing a deer and his seaon was over. now don't get me wrong other counties might have alot of deer then others don't, i just think somehting has to be done guys we need to get this heard back up again or we will have no heard. do you guys think there is deer or not.

RE: came to a conclusion
 

just read what i posted and i mean herd not heard sorry must just be upset. or stupid :D

RE: came to a conclusion
 

I think that would be a prudent response. In low density areas it is only logical to limit ones own take of deer until the situation stabilizes. Check out a higher density area and concentrate your energies there. Only makes good sense to me.

RE: came to a conclusion
 

Or the Game Commission can change there deer management strategy for the low density areas. That wouldmake sense to me.

RE: came to a conclusion
 

Sometimes hunting includes actually moving to another area to find your quarry. Even primitive peoples understood this. Some modern hunters expect to sit at the same tree every year and be guaranteed a deer, as if conditions never fluctuate from one year to the next. Native americans knew enough to not shoot the last animal in an area, so that some were left for seed. They had no GC to take them by the hand.

RE: came to a conclusion
 

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Sometimes hunting includes actually moving to another area to find your quarry. Even primitive peoples understood this. Some modern hunters expect to sit at the same tree every year and be guaranteed a deer, as if conditions never fluctuate from one year to the next. Native americans knew enough to not shoot the last animal in an area, so that some were left for seed. They had no GC to take them by the hand.
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Let me ask you a question. If you were hunting several different areas that always produce deer and than after a few years you were not seeing ANY deer. You than move away from those areas and try several other areas and guess what STILL nothing. Would that bother you at all? The bottom line here is that we don't live in primitive times. We have a million hunters in PA. It is the GC responsibility to manage that species appropriately. The deer populationin ALOT of areas is way below a healthy carrying capacity but they have failed to see this and failed to rectify it. This is a huge concern for some of us. It actually just makes me sick to my stomach thinking about it anymore.

RE: came to a conclusion
 

well yes i did move even drove 40 min away... this just wasn't me alot of hunters have been saying it... its cool we will see in5 yrs when we are sitting home on saturdays and not in the woods... i know one thing if i need to pick up and move to another state to continue my hobby i will i never take more then 1-2 deer a yr and to hear camps taking 33 deer and other places killing all these doe don't understand that evey doe after the rut could have 1-2 deer in her. i just think they should shut down the late doe seaon and just have it open for 2 weeks.... 2 weeks for bucks and 2 weeks for doe and thats it... atleast for a few seasons

RE: came to a conclusion
 

To answer your question, let me make my statement perfectly clear...
I don't dispute that the GC has messed the density up in many areas.
Yes, some changes need to be made. Does that fact hold harmless the guy who goes out in an area that he knows is in trouble, and subsequently shoots thelast lone doe to be found in that area? Responsibility starts at the trigger. To knowingly pick the last seed and eat it is pure foolishness.
I would not shoot ANY deer in the mountains where I have hunted for 26 years because I know the herd is in dire straights. Maybe I am goofy by your standards but selfish I am NOT. As far as city folk shooting their mouths off and being in your shoes in a few years when the land is all gone. I seriously doubt that will happen in my kids lifetimes. The suburbs are the new frontier as far as deer hunting is concerned. There will always be ravines and hilltops and swamps that are havens for deer. There will always be priceless shrubs and landscaping that needs protecting. Hunters will always be welcome. Some may have to adapt to different tools, such as bows and crossbows to get closer to the houses. I must add that the new state record archery buck was taken last year in the Pittsburgh city limits. I truly want the mountain hunting to recover from it's decline. that is why I will not shoot a deer there until it does.

RE: came to a conclusion
 

I was going to hold judgment on the deer managment plan for another year or two, but it may be too late by then. I saw 8 deer in 3 days of hunting in 2f. Only two of those were adult doe and one was a 4 point buck. The rest were yearlings. There aren't many deer to be seen in the big woods anymore. The sad part is the Game Commission will blame the weather, like we've never had difficult weather to hunt in before. I remember many warm deer seasons.