The truth is that the Governor's Office of Administration determines what wage increases will be each year, as well as benefit changes.

Again, neither the PGC Commissioners nor Executive Director can change those determinations, regardless of the financial condition of the agency.

Truth is, the Commissioners are volunteers, nominated by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate, to make policy decisions with respect to how the agency manages the wildlife resources of the Commonwealth. Although that to some extent includes the management of funds allocated to the agency, the Commissioners are not mandated to determine the methods of revenue generation. It's the members of the General Assembly who are currently responsible for ensuring adequate funding for the management of those resources.

Ok we got off topic which isn't surprising when talking about PA deer hunting. I went back and looked and it seems a majority likes the 4 point to a side rule statewide and most want bonus tags eliminated. I guess by what this topic turned into in the last 5 or so pages is a huge disagreement as to whether the current count system works. Could the PGC maybe add a detailed explanation in the next Book of Rules and Regs that you get when purchasing your general license? Maybe put it in terms that the averge guy can understand. Maybe this could be cleared up once and for all.

my new top 3 suggestions to Pa Game Commission.

1. Make antler restiction 4 per side a statewide rule
2. Eliminate any Bonus Tags for antlerless deer
3. Communicate betterwith PA hunters (use Pa Game News, Website and PA Hunting Digest, to GET MORE SUPPORT

Do you trust this current Governor to do this? I don't

i have not seen a single buck while hunting this year.. before the ar program i seen quite a few.. the doe population is well below what i am use to seeing in the past also.. this could be the lack of bucks that been few to be seen by many..

1. move bow and muzzleloader togetherand have itafter the rut.. the larger bucks will have a chance to breed then.. to me,, it is defeating the purpose of ar when the larger bucks get takin before they get a chance to breed.. they will defeat the purpose of the ar program in time by eliminating these bucks before the rut.. look at the increase of archery and muzzleloader stamps..

2. doe season back to 3 days with no bonus tags.. before or after the rut.. prefer before the rut.. then when the time to breed,, the deer are less stressed and we can get an idea during buck season about next years offsprings size from the doe we see..

3. go back to county instead of wmu.. never had a problem with this before.. i don't see where wmu actually did any good.. if anything,, they did harm the population of deer..

[align=left][/align][align=left]Actually they were down this year. [/align][align=left][/align][align=left]A_R_C_H_E_R_Y_ *[/align][align=left]RESIDENT ARCHERY 249,178 246,575 * -2,603 1 % DOWN[/align][align=left]NON RESIDENT ARCHERY 11,720 11,340 * -380 3 % DOWN[/align][align=left]TOTAL ARCHERY 260,898 257,915 * -2,983 1 % DOWN[/align][align=left]*[/align][align=left]*[/align][align=left]*[/align][align=left]M_U_Z_Z_L_E_L_O_A_D_E_R_ *[/align][align=left]RESIDENT MUZZLELOADER 174,713 168,693 * -6,020 3 % DOWN[/align][align=left]NON RESIDENT MUZZLELOADER 7,615 6,902 * -713 9 % DOWN[/align][align=left]TOTAL MUZZLELOADER 182,328 175,595 * -6,733 4 % DOWN[/align][align=left]*[/align][align=left][/align][align=left]Let me guess you don't hunt archery? There are actually a very small number of the overall bucks harvested by archers as compared to rifle hunters. If you want more bucks we could eliminate rifle hunting and go to shotgun only like the states that are producing monster whitetails now...Iowa, Illinois, Ohio..ect.... How would that be?[/align]

i do archery hunt.. in my area the sales are up from the retailers say..
i had trouble finding a can of f2 powder thursday.. they also said that many been buying stamps recently after christmas.. maybe certain areas are down from your statistics,, but my area seams to be booming over the years.. just from the archers and powder charges i have seen in the woods also.. also,, where did i state i wanted bigger bucks?? you asked for 3 suggestions and i gave them.. just because i said they was defeating the purpose of ar doesn't mean i want or don't wantbigger bucks.. just helping out with suggestions that would help the ar program.. to me i don't care.. if bigger bucks get produced,, then be it a bonus.. 3 suggestions correct??

Sorry didn't mean to get you all worked up... I guess I read something into your post. I just get tired of the gun guys constantly complaining that archery hunters have this huge advantage killing big bucks. Actually the rut in my area this year peaked about7to 10 days after archery closed.And those are PGC figures not mine

Now I havn't read any of the other replies, but I am completely against this idea. As a PA junior, i would be outraged if the PGC required us to count points. Antler restrictions are rediculous even for non-junior hunters.Sure i have seen a couple more bucks the past few years, but what were they? THEYARE SPIKES AND FORKS! One giant buck gets shot and immediatly everyone says its because of the antler restrictions. THATS NOT TRUE! There have always been big bucks in this state.Its just that peopleare now forced to wait for the big one instead of shooting the first buckthat comesunder his stand andputting histag on it. I feel that if this rule went into effect, the amount of junior license holders would greatly drop. Most of my friends have already quit hunting because of the PGC's Dictionary of rules and confusing regulations.

Maybe you should. I have since changed my mind on this, not for the Military ,but juniors. Being a junior hunter yourself I can see why you'd be against this type of rule change. However the AR's are working and as you get more experience you'll see that.

Now Im not for arguing, and im not sure how the deer population is in your area, but i have been hunting for 4 years all through bow seasons and gun seasons. And I feel that i have learned a lot over those 4 years and know that i still have a lot to learn.But out of those four years and countless hours in the woods, i have only ever seen one fully maturebuck and many, many smaller ones. Ill read over some of the posts later, when its not midnight, but i have read many arguments on this site before about the Antler Restrictions, and still support my oppinion 100%. I dont feel that it matters what people say about the AR's on here, what matters is the effect they have on the deer population, and all i am seeing are small bucks.

Now I understand the logic that if more little bucks survive gun and bow season, then all those bucks are going to be bigger the next year. Sure that looks goodon paper, but I HAVE ONLY SEEN 1 LARGE BUCK IN 4 YEARS OF HUNTING!

Also, why would you restrict juniors from shooting smaller bucks? IT WILL DISCOURAGE YOUNG HUNTERS FROM HUNTING!!! We just want to enjoy hunting with our friends and family and not have to worry about counting points! i mean come on! Juniors?!?! You would tell a 12 year old, first year hunter he cant shoot a nice 6 point standing 30 yards in front of him!? thats rediculous. Or what if there was a buck with bad genetics and he only has 3 points to a side? i guess your just gonna have to deal with it huh? Instead of seeing the biggest smile ever on that 12 year olds face as he picks up the antlers of his first buck?The PGC is discouraging young hunters from hunting, and thats not an opinion, thats a fact. Many of my friends have already quite and i wouldnt be surprised if more do.