PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

I think they almost have the right idea. The one huge problem is they treat allof the land the same in each region. I hunt in 3D, and on private land there are tons of deer all the communities are loaded with deer. State land is barren. We have never in 30 years seen so few deer. I lived in VA for 5 years and they had different regulations for public and private land. They also broke it down by counties not huge regions. Counties with too many you could shoot doe all season on private land. You could also buy bonus doe tags for 5 dollars. Public land it was only open for one weekend. If the public land had a large deer population doe was open for a week or two.The only thing they were missing was AR's. I wish PA would wake up and realize 90% of hunters hunt on Public land, all of the areas where the deer are a "problem" are areas you can't hunt.

RE: PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

90% of the hunters in Pa do not hunt on public land.80%of the land in Pa is privately owned.You can't tell me that 90% of the hunters are jammed on to 20% of the land.

RE: PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

LOL

RE: PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

Lets here an intellegent answer why I'm wrong Cardeer.Do you really think there's over 720000 hunterd jammed on20% of the land in Pa?

RE: PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

Doug,

The humorous answer would be....Yeah, but you don't hunt where I hunt. ;)

It may seem, at times, that heavily pressured public land in PA does hold most of the hunters. Percentage-wise I am sure that private land holds significantly more hunters but then you did say that 80% of PA land is private so even if it had twice the hunters the ratio of hunters per acre would still be drastically weighted toward public land....especially if you are comparing land in the southeast section of PA.

Just offering a different perspective.

RE: PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

Maybe what Doug meant, was thatabout 90% of the peoplehunting this 20% of the (public)land, generallyoccupy only about the10% of it that's within a hundred yards of the nearest access road?

Perhaps that contributes to theperception of it being over-crowded?

These percentage things is confusin' sometimes.

RE: PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

These days alot of private land is now being managed to not overharvest.You don't have that luxury with public land.
In these parts there is a coop of landowners who enrolled thousands of acres in QDM.There's a ten year wait to get on a lease in there.I talked to a kid last year that shot a couple does and then a big ten point.Lots of deer on that land with very few hunters.The SGL against this land is the opposite.Very few deer and lots of hunters.
More landowners are leasing and/or posting which is fine it's their land but it's forcing more hunters onto the public land.In my opinion the SGL's are going to be forced to manage differently then the private land.

RE: PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

No Doug,but I did count over 50 walk by me 2 years ago the first morning of gun season; I should of answered I dont care anymore .I moved on to another state and bought property

RE: PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

The important thing is we have another thread on PA deer management! :D

RE: PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

I saw a total of two hunters on public land this year while i WAS ACTUALLY HUNTING.i

RE: PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

I believe you Doug/Just for the heck of it come down to Chester county and hunt on the SGL there. And then summerize your day.It will be something like this/ I arrived early.Went to my spot. By the time it got light I had 12 people walk by me.A couple set up withinh 25 yards of me.i had to wave my flashlight at them. Then At shooting time 6 more clumsey people walked by and wanted to talk. At 8:00 a shot goes off,then 4 more .6 more shots . Deer heading your way. Here comes the deer running full steam with hunter running after bangbang. Holly crap I better get behind the tree. bullits flying everywhere. 10 minutes later a guy goes by ask if you seen that deer. He says I blasted it 3 times in the rear ,but cant find it.By 10 am 6 more people walked by. Noon more walk by.At the end of the day out in the parking lot your parked in.Around 30 vehicles in lot. Guys standing around all talking about the slop shot they made on that one runiing deer and how the bark was flying around them.. And one lucky guy got it.Looked like it went thru a shredder ,but it is dead.

RE: PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

Idon't doubt what you say is true but that isn't the case in most of Pa.I imagine all the public land around the urban areas are loaded with people.That's not the case at all around here.The vast majority of people that I know hunt private land of one sort or another.Not all of it is posted or has restricted access but it is private.I grew up in Wyoming county and it's all private except one small chunk of SGL 57.The truth is,the vast majority of Pa is private land and most of it gets heavily hunted.

RE: PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

Doug-i believeya but im just shocked that you dont have manyhunters on puplic land. i wishsome people that huntin my area wouldcome your way. around my area public land gets hit hard. guys come out in big numbers. now the 2nd week on a weekday its pretty dead but 1st week and weekends look out.

RE: PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

Minus the first day and the two saturdays the woods are empty. Plenty of room on public land. Heck, after lunch of the first day things are getting thin. Area I hunt for rifle you can drive down the forest road and find pockets of cars but you can also find areas with none....on the first day!

RE: PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

Pagobbler,it gets hunted but all the guys head for the areas where they can see the farthest through the woods.I avoid those areas.

RE: PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

Cardeer, That was my day hunting Lancaster SGL first Saturday last year, get em in Archery I guess!!



Same morning a giant 4 point came by from behind, I thought for sure I was dead, thank god the desperate people waited until he was past me to shoot at em.

RE: PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

Stay away from SGL's in populated areas.As far as I'm concerned they can sell them.

RE: PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

Why sell them?? Everyone needs to hunt, and the more landavailable the better. Besides, if those SGL's are sold, they will just move to another one, maybe in your areas.

RE: PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

Jf, truthfully the hikers and horseback riders run them now, whether its hunting season or not, legal or not, at least down in the populated areas.

RE: PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

I actually live in a populated JF.I can't speak for your area but here it's hard to hunt on the SGL's because of all the trails with hikers and bike riders.Just too many people.Other then stocked pheasants there's very little game.I think it's a waste of hunter's dollars.

RE: PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

Deleted post.Wrong thread.:eek:

RE: PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

i have a question. i know SGL's are open to public but are bikers aloud to ride during hunting season? last year on the 1st day of bow i parked for my afternoon hunt and as i was getting out of the truck all these SUV's pulled up. ended up being 12 people going to ride bikes back. i started walking and they flew by me not a one said hello or anything they were yelling to each other being loud. well i was pretty mad but i thought well they will stay on the hard road but they didnt they went off into the woods.
they shouldnt be aloud to do that, and if they are shouldnt they have respect for someone hunting?

RE: PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

Yes they are allowed to ride during hunting season.

RE: PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

well i guess all you can do is say"welcome to public land"


i also heard they want to make that a rails for trails can't wait for that:eek:

RE: PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

Not according to PGC regs pertaining to SGL use:

-It is unlawful to ride a non-motorized vehicle, conveyance or animal (on SGLs)from the last Saturday in September, until the third Saturday in January, andprior to one hour after close of lawful shooting hoursfor spring turkey season, from the second Saturday inApril, through the last Saturday in May (inclusive), exceptonSundays....OR while lawfully engaged in hunting, trapping or fishing.

-It is unlawful to ride a non-motorized vehicle, conveyance or animal on roads open to foot travel only.

-It is unlawful to engage in any activity or event involving more than 10 persons, which may conflict with with the intended purposes or use of property, or poses a potential environmentalor safety problem.

There is also a section that says you cannot be on SGLs from Nov. 15 to Dec. 15 (inclusive), when not engagedin lawful hunting or trapping, without wearing 250 square inches ofFO, etc, except on Sundays or while using an SGL shooting range.

RE: PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

Thank you for that clarificationPseudo Deputy Denny.

RE: PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

well thats good to know, thanks.

RE: PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

That must be one of those rules that's made to be broken.There's plenty of bike riders and hikers on these SGL's during the hunting season.Up north I've seen hunters themselves going back on mountain bikes.
On SGL 211 there's a gated road specifically for bike riders and horse riders and I've seen them both during hunting seasons with a WCO watching.

RE: PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

you're allowed to use bikes if you're hunting,scouting etc and you don't have to stay on designated trails.

RE: PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

That makes sense.I don't have a problem with hunters doing it and I've done it myself on SGL 211 but when you get bike riders on the smaller gamelands during bow season it's really a waste of time hunting there.
I wonder why they don't enforce this law?

RE: PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

Irode around for a day lastJuly with Dick Bodenhorn and he stopped a few people that where riding on un-designated roads.He didn't really give them a hard time but he made it clear that they couldn't ride there.They way I understand it,someland managers had some real problems with bikes and commercial horse riding operations using the SGL's.It's definately ok to use your bike while hunting and most likelyyou won'tget a hard time if It's somewhat obvious that you're scouting.I don't no how you prove it,maybe have your hunting lisence on you.I imagine if you'reyour wearing your spandex and a fancy purple helmet you may notget off so easy.Then again rich,if I caught youwearing spandex,I'd probably cuff you on the spot.I guess that could consitute indecent exposure.:D

RE: PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

LOL,trust me Doug you won't catch this kid in spandex.:D

Although if they ever come out with a camo spandex I might consider it.:eek:

RE: PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

Now, THERE'S a mental picture I didnt want!;)

RE: PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

Howdy BT.Long time no see.How ya been doing?

RE: PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

Hi Germain. Been doing OK, off of work full time now... maybe retired for good.But we still manage to get out a bit. I've been here on HN off and on but have been content to stay on the sidelines when it comes to the Pa deer controversy. Good to talk to you!

RE: PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

Wow you guys are really picky. I realize that not exactly 90% of all hunters hunt on Public land. What I'm getting at is Public land has a lot more pressure than private land even though it is treated exactly the same as private land when it comes to tags. How many guys hunting private land have to deal with 5 or 6 guys that they don't know hunting within 200 yards of their spot. All I know is deer management in Unit 3D totally sucks. The deer on public land are wiped out and private land is loaded with deer. I guess this is because more people hunt private land than public land. Hey, the number of doe tags for my are is almost the same as last year. I'm sure next year will be even better.

RE: PA Deer Management is Almost OK
 

I think you make some great points.. PA has one major problem. TOO MANY DOES TAKEN on SGL.. If they keep pressure on the poachers, with AR should see some great buck taken in future years, with enough does for the kids and newbies to actually like hunting.