cardeer

After all the discussion and sometimes hostile fighting over the PGC new regs,population statistics and all what has gone on the past 3 years I had to see for myself. I live in a area that is suppose to have a great deer pop. Well it does not. I have not had 1 deer track on my property since last november. Nothing feed on my food plots,even when there was 17 inches of snow on the ground.
So I traveled a adjoining state.The stateI will not tell you the state because of some legal actions going on in my life.

Well anyway I just picked a spot in the country and drove around the roads at daybreak.I did this 4 mornings at different areas .Some up to 100 miles apart from eachother. I seen a average of 40 deer from the road in 1/2 hour at all spots. I new nothing about theses areas and never been there before.
I am convinced PA.is going to the dogs after this trip.I satisfied my mind we are over killing.

jf5

Because you seeing allot of deer at another location dosn't mean its good for the deer or habitat.

Seems to me PA was "going to the dogs" a long time ago when generations let the deer population overun the habitat.

Airborneguy

I declined a membership into a hunting club in PA with a lot of land and a nice cabin because of info like this. My uncle joined and has not seen a buck in 3 years there.

cardeer

wHERE i LIVE is a agriculture area. for every acre of woods there is a acre of corn, wheat,hay,soybeans,and many other crops.but the deerpop has still declined 50 %.I lived here for 58 years.and never seen a deer starve to death. Just over shot. Anyway I was really shocked to see what I seen.And what is really odd is the state I seen all these deer the hunters are complaining not enough deer.Ironic. But I know I aint huntin in Pa next year.

cuernos1

I have to say BS.... I have lived in PA all my life and it is truly idiot comments such as this that truly ruins our hunting. I could givea S^& about being thrown off this site any longer.. I own a farm in PA in the Murrysville area.. And since the regulations I have never seen it better. My farm as well as the game lands I normally hunt were totally eaten... Lately I am seeing new growth..

What bothers me is that if you were a farmer and your had 10 acres of pasture and your were going to run 200 head of cattle on it everyone would say you were an idiot not to mention sending the humane society.. In this case,PA is thesame( lots of deer and little food)... I went this last season to various areas we have hunted for years, and the areas were Westmoreland, Venago, McKean, Tioga, Center and several others... I saw deer out the yang....

Now I listen to bleeding hearts complaining about how bad it is and I question how much exposure you have had to other systems...Hunt somewhere else for a change...Get some experience..Harsh, you know what I am sick of this debate.. Cardeer, you do nothing but complain and it is about nothing... we reduced doe tags by 50+k as I have seen and that means 100k more deer in the spring..Half will be bucks and they will be too small to kill yet they eat... now those additional 50k does will pop out a min of 50k in young.. now we have 75k extra deer.. Where do they eat in my F$%^&*() yard on my porch etc.. .. I have lived outside of PA and seen several deer management systems that work and they were exactly what we were doing...

No problem my farm will be part of a sub-division and I will buy a farm to match it in Ohio or Iowa to really hunt some deer...

cardeer

Tell you what,you come hunt here ,It wiil have to be Gamelands though. Here in the SE I promise you will see at least 50 hunters everyday walk past you and no deer. Private land is very hard to get permission.If you do,so has 20 other people. There are areas that will charge to hunt bow .for 200 a year. yes I am complaining. I lived here for many years.Brought up on a vegetable farm.That same propertyto day ,180 acres ,holds around 7 deer ,and in the 60;s 70's held 30 and no forest damage. I feel I can evaluate an area I lived in all my life better then the PGC who depends on dead beat hunters to send in a card.I dont give a rip what anyone says I know my area and it stinks anymore. I spend 500 hours a deer season hunting.There is no reason any hunter should have to always be forced to find different areas to hunt miles away from their home. Deer will repopulate fast if we give them a chance. When the PGC gives developers permission to mow down deer and let them rot,Thats wrong. But lines someones pocket, If our forefathers have not complained about the british taxes we would still be part of england. I dont only complain i put back in to the system also. About 3000 every winter feeding and food plots, How much have you spent planting habitate ?? Just like the Governor , state senators,legislators the PGC commision should all be kicked out on their butts. At least lets get some people that actually hunt on the board.Stop taking money from ther timber companies unless the money is put directly back in to the gamelands in food plots.I only can speak in person about my area. But know enough good people who report the same problem in other parts of the state.Some people think big bucks makes good hunting,not what I am speaking about.I want healthy deer and more of them.I dont want to have to hunt60 hours a week and see 2 or 3 deer.And there is no reason on earth I should have to be forced drive 400 miles to hunt when the ara I live could hold lots of deer. Micro management needed.poachers stopped.I never had a PGC officer respond when I call.Lots of food in my area for lots more deer.And where in the state there is no food ,then we need to put some there.Why kill off the deer to match the habitate ,when we could matxh the habitaTE TO THE DEER ??? ok YOU HAVE THAT MANY DEER WHEN CAN I COME OUT AND TAKE 1,JUST ONE OFF YOUR PORCH ?? you sold part of your land for a sub division ,then your part of the problem in my opinion.When i move from this state I will leave behind open property.Will not sell it for building .I will put it in the greenpeace program. Money even though I could use some I am not going to prostitute my property tp develop[ers to destroy the open home free land. Just one of my principals.Thanks for the discussion.

HOW IN THE WORLD DEVELOPING ,SUBDIVIDING LAND IN PA. THEN BUYING LAND IN IOWA OR OHIO HELPS PA ?????

shump

pgc=ga=lots of $=less deer=happy insurance co=mad hunters that piss n moan.i just fell sorry for my grandson till he get to 12 i do not think he will know what a pa deer looks like.we had some of the best all around huntin in the state.now it is a joke no cocks no deer more turkeys.pgc and pfc are big jokes.flame away

T_in_PA3

Ohh my......
So you're saying you have a deer density of 25 deer per square mile? That's much higher than most of the state.

Sounds like you're not seeing the forest through the trees. SE PA, where land access is limited and deer numbers are high there is damage.

Is this the same area you are observing from your porch and the drivers seat of your car?

Doesn't sound like "hunting" if we are suppose to bring the deer to the hunter and not the hunter to the deer.

And we will right back to where all the problems started from..... again.

Sounds like money out the window for deer you say are not there.

I do believe every one of the Commissioners hunts. Ever attend a Commissioner's meeting? Ever talk with the Commissioners? I have.

Restore the habitat and the deer will follow.

400 miles puts you half way between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh. Alot of good hunting much closer to home.

lol, this is just plain funny. We all know that you cannot grow habitat overnight. Reduce the numbers, let the habitat come back, allow deer numbers to increase in line with thegrowing habitat.

Hunt with the big dogs.... get off the porch.

Difficult to make a living off of farming with deer cutting into your crops. Difficult to make a living even with out the deer. Land prices are booming. 160 acre farm I have hunted sold for 6.5 million. Makes for a nice retirement or payment on another farm in another area/state.

Taxes will kill you as the property value keeps going up.

Ummm, yeah. The same people that intercept whaling ships?? Radical animal rights group?Eco-terrorism??

DougE

I 'd like to see proof of these permits that the PGC is handing to developers.Never heard of such a thing and I doubt the PGC has either.

I live in 2G where it's mostly public land and we recieve a ton of hunting pressure.The habitat was terrible and we needed less deer.We do have less deer now and as a result,hunters are complaining there's no deer.I see less deer now than I used to but I still see some most times I'm in the woods.I'm also seeing regeneration thatI've never seen before.Last year was the first time I ever saw trillium in this area and I saw quite a bit of it.

In my opinion,the tales of no deer are greatly exagerated in these parts.Deer need food and cover to surive,sometimes you have to llok long and hard to find that but when you do,there deer are there.I have no pity for the hunters complaining about no deer.

cardeer

YEP AND THE 180 ACRE FARM MY DAD HAS IS WORTH MILLIONS.BUT7 DEER .COME ON.THERE IS A BIGGER PICTURE..iT IS SURROUNDED NY GAMELANDS WHICH THEY TOOK 4 DEER OUT OF LAST YEAR IN 2500 ACRES. GETS AROUND 100 HUNTERS THE FIRST DAY OF GUN SEASON.SOUNDED LIKE A WAR FOR YEARS. NO MORE.THAT FARM IS THE ONLY SANCTUARY FROM TOTALY WIPING OUT THE HEARD.I DONT EVEN HUNT IT.IT IS POSTED PATROLLED AND IN THE FUTURE THE GAMELANDS SIDE WILL BE HIGH FENCED TO KEEP THE BROWN AND DOWN PEOPLE OUT.I DONT CARE IT IS WORTH MILLIONS.IT IS FARMED AND THE FARMER WAS TOLD HE MUST LEAVE 20 ACRES OF THE CROP STAND OUT OF 100 ACRES.THEN HE CAN FARM IT FREE.

I DONT GET OFF THE PORCH TO EASY, I CANT WALK.

THE PLACE I SEEN ALL THE DEER FROM THE CAR IN 1/2 HOUR WAS NOT IN PA.IN A ADJOINING STATE. I COULD DO THAT 10 YEARS AGO RIGHT HERE.

IN MY AREA SE PA DEER DONT STARVE OR NEVER SEEN OVER BROWSED WOODS.THIS IS A FARMING AREA. FOOD LEFT STAND OVER WINTER EVERYWHERE.I DONT KNOW WHAT GOES ON IN THE MOUNTAINS.THAT IS WHY MICRO MANANGEMENT WOULD HELP.

I LIVED AND HUNTED IN TEXAS (OWN PROPERTY),IN IOWA,OKY,ALABAMA,VIRGINIA,WEST VIRGINIA,MARYLAND.SOUTH CAROLINA.ISEEN HOW COOPERATIVE THEM GC'S ARE COMPARED TO PA.