PABuck_HNTR

Please don't turn this into a PGC bash. I'm just curious as to who here took the time to listen to the proposed changes and where did you go to hear them?

I went to Harborcreek High School in a snow storm in February. I can't remember what year they held the meetings. It was packed. Standing room only.

germain

I followed them on TV.

Windwalker7

I went to a high school when they wanted to introduce AR's.


Most there opposed them and many walked up to a microphone to try to convince the PGC against them.

Gary Alt was a speaker there. Not sure what year it was. It was right before AR's went into effect.

BTBowhunter

Alt came to our gun club and it started with a lot of skeptics but ended with strong support.

The supporters are still in the vast majority for AR.It's not quite as strong for HR.

Mocha Java

muzzyman88

Yep, went with my uncle to one here in central pa. AR was generally accepted, the HR thing had people worried. Alt was a heck of a salesman..er um.... politician.

PABuck_HNTR

Actually I remember alot of guys that were concened and speaking/asking questions were the guys doing the processing. They were mostly concerned with the numbers of deer coming in too fast to handle them all.

That is true they/we are.


Mocha....all you can contribute is a picture?

Neville

TRYKONOISSEUR- I was also at the Harborcreek meeting the night it snowed. The local Representative came in and asked me if I thought we'd get a 100 people to show up that night. I told him there were 600 sitting in the auditorium and at least a hundred coming in behind him. He about had a heart attack!

PABuck_HNTR

Joe, It was a big turn out for sure. We cancelled our smallbore rifle league for that evening because most of the guys wanted to attend. I remember some complaints, but for the most part I think everyone was supportive at that time. I feel that the hunters have a right to complain about the doe numbers, but they still don't understand completely the situation at hand. If hunters would just realize that PA has been fighting the same fight since the 1930's when Richard Gerstell warned of the impending problems from too many deer. Noone wanted to listen then and they are only beginning to listen now. So in fact this has been an issue since the 1930's not 2001 like people in these forums are complaining. They think Gary Alt was the first one to try to get the deer "MANAGED", he was not. In fact a few folks were saying the same things. Robert McDowell chief of the Game Commission Wildlife Research Divisionin the 1950's,Ross Leffler President of the Game Commission wrote a letter in 1944 saying the same things we're hearing today. Finally Roger Latham was fired for suggesting trimming Pa's deer heard back in 1944. So this is far from a problem of today. This goes back to the original lack of education by the PGC to Pa's hunters as to what a healthy deer heard is. But I'm sure you know all this. Others I'm sure don't know much of anything about the efforts of the PGC to "FIX" the problem. Pa' hunters just won't let them.

Before any of you attack me on my statements. I will admit I'm a bit wishy washy on the whole thing, but I'm taking the time to try and educate myself on the Pa deer issue so I can make an educated decision, not just spout off about the PGC without any real facts. I'm no expert by any means, but I'm learning every day.

DougE

I support the PGC and it's deer management plan.I heard Alt speak and found way too many inconsistancies to support it at first.I think the man did a good job at bringing awareness to the front,concerning the habitat but he did a poor job painting the correct picture.We needed herd reductions very badly in the northcentral part of the state and we'll have to put up with alot less deer than many were used.I can accept that.I can't accept the fact that he tried to convince people the buck harvest would return to normal after the first or AR or that we'd have more and bigger bucks.Both claims were very irresponsible and in fact impossible with the planned herd reductions.Overall,we did what needed to be done but Alt's outrageous claims cost the PGC way too much credibility.