BTBowhunter

here are the numbers from today and this time last year based on the second day for unsold doe tags. Thefigures indicate the number oflicenses still available and the parenthesied numbers are the total that are/were to be sold for that year.

8-23-2005 8-29-2006
Tuesday Tuesday
1A, 12,205 (40,000); 1A, 8,959 (42,000);
1B, CLOSED (27,000); 1B, CLOSED (30,000);
2A, 32,260 (55,000); 2A, 30,535 (55,000);
2B, 60,794 (68,000); 2B, 61,295 (68,000);
2C, 12,647 (53,000); 2C, 6,074 (49,000);
2D; 11,205 (56,000); 2D, 3,711 (56,000);
2E, CLOSED (21,000); 2E, CLOSED (21,000);
2F, CLOSED (30,000); 2F, CLOSED (28,000);
2G, CLOSED (29,000); 2G, CLOSED (19,000);
3A, CLOSED (27,000); 3A, 2,800 (29,000);
3B, 10,735 (41,000); 3B, 9,759 (43,000);
3C, CLOSED (32,000); 3C, CLOSED (27,000);
3D, 10,510 (38,000); 3D, 6,691 (38,000);
4A, 7,167 (35,000); 4A, 1,227 (29,000);
4B, 6,423 (35,000); 4B, 2,337 (31,000);
4C, 3,960 (39,000); 4C, 2,242 (39,000);
4D, CLOSED (40,000); 4D, CLOSED (40,000);
4E, 14,465 (38,000); 4E, 14,620 (38,000);
5A, 17,292 (28,000); 5A, 14,037 (25,000);
5B, 31,779 (56,000); 5B, 24,881 (53,000);
5C, 55,428 (71,000); 5C, 54,359 (79,000);
5D, 19,300 (20,000). 5D, 18,699 (20,000).


I'm not going to make a percentage for each number. I'm sure one of our bean counters on this board will do that. But the license sales dont look much different overall. Using this "rough snapshot", demand is up a bit in 1A,2A,2D,3B,3D,4C,AND 5C. Demand is about equal in 1B,2E,3C,4A,4B,4D,4E,and 5A Demand is down in 2B,2C,5B AND 5D

This isnt a perfect evaluation because some WMU's changed their allocations up or down and the assessments above were adjusted to be based on whats sold rather than whats left. In 2G, the allocation is way down and it sold out early both years so say what you like about it. I'd guess that some of the demand from 2Gthem got spread out into adjacent WMU's. 2D for example is much closer to being sold out at this time as opposed to last year. 2F sold out much quicker in the first week.

License demandseems to berunning just about the wayNeville said in some other threads.I guess the USP will have to find another way to spin things.

MGH_PA

I hate to get into this whole debate over QDM, overall, I believe the intentions are good, but license allocation (in SOME WMUs) was overboard. I, for one, live and hunt in 2G, and can attest to the drastic decline in the deer population in the past 3 years in particular. It's obvious the PGC is aware of this due to the drastic decrease in license allocation, so let's hope we start to see a turn around in 2G.

BTBowhunter

I tend to agree, Matt that 2G needs some relief. Not from personal experience but from accounts by people on here whose judgement I respect. It appears that witha 35% reduction in doe tags that the PGC agrees that HR has gone a bit too far in 2G.

R.S.B.

Actually there is has not been an increase in the antlerless allocations for unit 2G or the north central part of the state.

I will post the five average antlerless license allocations since 1957 along with the allocations for unit 2G so you can see the real facts about the number of license allocated.

Years……………allocation per square mile of land mass

57-61…………………………8.08
62-66…………………………7.06
67-71………………………..11.73
72-76…………………………9.93
77-81………………………..12.18
82-86………………………..11.68
87-91………………………..16.47
92-96………………………..13.49
97-01………………………..12.83
2002…………………………18.06 (single year of data)
2003…………………………12.64 (first year of management units – data for unit 2G)
2004…………………………12.64
2005…………………………..7.05
2006…………………………..4.62
03-06………………………….9.24 (average 2G antlerless license allocation)

I will agree that it appears the deer numbers are once again on the increase in unit 2G this year. That is most likely the result of the past year’s low harvest, due to so few antlerless license, combined with the good mast crop and mild winter allowing for increased fawn recruitment this spring and summer.

But this is all off topic, so I will also post that it appears to me that antlerless license sales are right on par with what would be expected.

MGH_PA

Ok, so maybe I worded that incorrectly...I meant in conjunction with the new extended two week concurrent season, specialy muzzleloader, youth hunts, etc. The majority of the data you provided were allocations when there was only a 3-day doe rifle season, late muzzleloader season, and archery of course. I'm not even blaming you guys over attempting to drive the deer herd into the ground, I simply am observing what I've experienced...I've grown up on that same 90 acres that I know like the back of my hand, as well as the 1200 acres at our cabin, and I can tell you there are drastically fewer deer. The cabin herd isn't as bad as my nearby land, and I do attribute that to my original point of allowing so many extended seasons and special seasons while maintaining the current allocations of previous years. Like I stated in another post, my neighbor in the first year of the two week rifle doe season shot 10-11 doe on their 100 acre tract. Considering it was post rut, that was even more detrimental on the local population.

But like I said, I'm not going to jump on the PGC witch hunt bandwagon, I'm just stating my opinion on my local area. I'm glad to see the decreased allocation.

P.S. My dad has been a HTE instructor for 20+ years, so again, you know where I'm coming from.

Crazy Horse RVN

"RSB" did you forget to take into consideration "DMAP" in your calculations?

MGH_PA

Actually, can someone find or post the Anterless harvests of, say, 5 years prior to the AR's, up to the current last year harvests? Also a breakdown of those taken by archery, muzzleloader, and rifle? I may completely wrong in my above statement as a whole for pa (it certainly stands for my local area). Maybe the antlerless harvests haven't increased as drastically as I may think (again they have in my local area, I'm just not sure statewide), but I do know bowhunters and muzzleloader hunters generally don't contribute to the majority of the antlerless harvest (for example, in the 2000-2001 year, there was a anterless harvest of 301,379. Of that, bowhunters contributed to 40,069 anterless, and muzzleloader contributed to 29,216). That's a total of 69,285, or roughly 22% of the total antlerless harvest NOT taken by a rifle.

Might Mite

I would like to see counties have one year with doe season, and one year off. Back and forth.

mauser06

interesting...i didnt look at them all..but the area i hunt(1A) has seen a major decrease in sales. thats what a week diffrence in time almost..which means alot when we talk antlerless sales and last year was higher a week earlier in time. ill continue to doe hunt there because i still know spots that have a big healty population.

might mite. eveeeryone would like to see doe seasons changed and the population back up etc. but the PGC wants the herd lowered ACROSS the state. between human/deer conflicts and deer eating themselves out of a home etc it needed to be done. and our buck herd was pretty sad before. i see less deer then before. but its nice to see antlers now!! buck numbers seem to be way up IMO. when we get the herd where they want it they will relieve numbers enough to KEEP them stable and where they want them. hunters complain....but dont see that there is an actual plan, and it is being followed..and carried out by hunters. im kinda excited to see what the future has in store for PA. i miss the days of seein 20-30 deer a day easy, but i do like seeing more bucks. weve always had good genes..just never gave many a time to grow big racks. i think we just may become one of the known hotspots in the future. also gota change hunting tactics a bit. gota find the new deer hideouts and hunt them diffrently. i used to think you could sit dang near ANYWHERE in the woods and see atleast a deer on the rifle opener. now you have to hunt a little harder and smarter...not saying you dont..but PA hunters in general. i still see the sammmme guys sitting the same stumps and stands every year. they are the ones that cry the hardest. the other guys that chap my @$$ are the guys that complain there are no deer, then they shoot the only doe/yearling/button buck they see. ill continue to take a doe here and there. but if that was the only deer i seen all season i wouldnt kill it. and i wont cry theres no deer. there must be deer if im seeing and killing does.

BTBowhunter

Actually 1A is up considerably in license sales. the allocation went up by 2000 and the other number is whats left not whats sold. So at this time last year there were more unsold doe tags in 1A than there is now