PA GOBBLER

I agree so much on this germainI will see how next few years go in my area, imight bepretty excited.
My thoughts on this year is different than past. First I want to say that while hunting in an area w/ very high hunting pressure it has been tough the last few years. Hunting and seeing little to no deer and still having to deal w/ so many hunters all around in the only areas that have had some sign of deer. [/align] Late summer while walking an area w/ low deer numbers and a section that got hit by an ice storm a few years ago and knocked a lot of trees down, I saw some re growth like ive never seen in my life. Now this area before the deer kill and the ice storm was the worst habitat around w/ lots of ferns. well the oaks were coming up like you would not believe. So I started thinking is it the deer or the open canopy, im guessing it's both. [/align] Now this gets me thinking about the cuts and fences that are being put up, would it not be a good advantage for usnow w/ the low deer numbers and the financial problems the PGCare in to maybe slow down on the fences? We have a lot of old strip mines and they could take some of the money from the fences and create some food plots in the general areas of the cuts. Yes I know that the deer will still eat the browse but just like farm land the plots will take some pressure off the browse least until winter. [/align] Now to the rifle season, I was thinking this is going to be like all the rest not much deer to be seen and hunters everywhere. But what happened was this year no hunters. I mean not a one. It was like my dad and I and brother had our own private land to hunt. It was great, we still didn't see many deer but the ones that we saw where feeding at different times of the day not even pressured at all. So for all the people that say they never see hunters and so on and I always thought they were crazy well I saw it myself and loved every second of it.[/align]here are the numbers...[/align]Me hunted 6 days from dark to dark cept the first day made it till 3:30 w/ the wind and fog. saw 17 deer of 7 that was the last day, 5 buck and 3 yotes. no deer killed but got one yote[/align] Dad hunted all 12 days saw 15 deer no bucks that he knew of and a 400+ bear.. no deer killed[/align] Brother hunted 5 days saw 7 deer, no bucks.. no deer killed[/align]Not a great season for deer sightings but we all agreed that not seeing orange all around us was priceless. And getting to hunt w/ my dad and brother is always good so I would have to say I had a good season. [/align][/align]

germain

gobbler,if your area is seeing new growth{regen}without the hunting pressure the deer numbers should increase.
Glad to see you had a good season and those deer numbers you guys saw is pretty darn good for public land these a days.

rem700man

YIPPEEEEEEEEEEEEE! took a week off work,,,3 of us hunted 230 and a half hours,,,did'nt see S**t for deer but it was a great season because we did'nt see any other hunters??????????????????????????????????????????? ?

WTF? i must need my head examined for even trying to figure that logic out!!!

DougE

bawanajim,the number came fron PA GAME NEWS AND pgc PRESS RELEASES.

Pa Gobbler,they went to calculated harvests in 1986.

rem700,I thought you saw four bucks the first day and ended up killing 2 doe.Doesn't sound like a bad hunting season to me.I dished out 3k a few years ago to go on a guided wilderness elk hunt in Colorado.I never saw an elk until the last afternoon and never drew my bow.It was a nice trip anyway and the guide still got a tip.I certainly didn't boycot the state of Colorado for the lack of hunting success that week.

bawanajim

My question is now who if anyone will allow the white-tailed deer to populate PA again or is thisthe best its gonna get?

Not to rain on anyones parade but the PGC has had a bunch of biologist for many years but now some of you believe this crop of them have it right.

Does the name Don Madl raise any red flags?

Quite pompous of you I feel.

BTBowhunter

Sorry but this is it for awhile. Not because the PGC wants it that way but because a large portion of our forest is now in the stage again where it cant support the numbers we enjoyed until recently.

Here's an interesting trivia question for you guys.

Q: How muchdeer forage is produced by an acre of mature mixed hardwoods?

A: 10-15 pounds

Q: How much is produced in a new clearcut less than 5 years old?

A: 1000 pounds

Q: How much in pole timber?

A: up to 5 pounds

Q: how much is produced in a food plot?

A:15.000 pounds

Big differences between the different stages. Since much of our timber has matured out and been cut and since our timber spends the vast majority of it's life cycle in the pole timber stage, it aint gonna change soon.

germain

yep Jim this is about as good as it gets on state forest.If that's where you're hunting find somewhere else.

The Rifleman

All you had to do was ask and I would have taken you with me. The deer are all in the South now - along the borders of the towns and cities - where you cannot hunt them.

I think that was their goal all along to clean out the woods and force the hunters to stick around home where they could get a easy one.

The Rifleman

With all the talk about timber, it got me to thinking.

THE PGC told us that they were broke and needed a license increase. They didn't get it.

Maybe if we all paid $100 per a license and $50 for kids, they would have enough money that they wouldn't have to sell bonus licenses anymore.

Where I live, they are cutting the timber, putting in gas wells as fast as they can drill them and the food plots are empty.

Then I read my hunting digest and it said that it was illegal to plant anything in the game lands. So even a good intention minded person cannot go into the game lands and plant something on their own in the food plots.

Maybe that is the easiest way to get the deer out of the woods and into the peoples back yards where they can shoot them out the window.

My question is - if it is illegal to drive on roads posted closed, then why are the gas well companies allowed to drive on them while hunting season is open?
It seems a rip off that the drillers are allowed to come and go as they please, and the hunters that paid for the land are not.

rem700man

DougE:
i dont know where you read that i saw deer the 1st day or even killed any,,,,i didnt even hunt Pa. this year,,,or last year,,,due to the fact that i could not in any way justify killing a deer in Pa.