"Hunters like you clamor for more deer claiming that the forest can support em. maybe it can, but that landowner has the right to protect his crop from deer or any other critter from destroying it, be it soybeans or or corn or oak trees "

And they have effective tools to deal with them, as well as having SOME statewide reduction compared to previously would also have addressed to an extent. Taking that into consideration they have NO BUSINESS dicatating how few deer we will have STATEWIDE. None.

BTW, the cacs have all those stakeholders accounted for, and the suggestions have been increase or stabilization for all wmus except sras thus far. Yet the decline statewide continues. Despite goals of supposed stabilization for 4 years. And despite low human conflict ratings where reduction STILL continues. All that over-rides any issue you bring up with farmers foresters or anything else, unless you think they should have the ONLY say.

You are correct that a very small percentage of the population is doing the work of controlling the herd. But, if we decide we no longer want to do the work of controlling the herd , then the taxpayers will have to pay for the service that we as hunters pay for the privilige of controlling the herd.

Like all wildlife I think deer numbers run in cycles, in some areas I think deer numbers will rebound, in others they will continue to decline.
And like deerI think some hunters will adapt and excel while still others will quit out of sheer frustration. As both have in the past.

That doesnt mean its good hunters are quitting and becoming a less efficient management tool + funding providers, and it also doesnt mean those who still find success havent had their satisfaction maleffected.

As for those cycles, I dont see it. Here, according to pgc annual report which my observations agree with, the herd has been in basically a steady downhill slide since the late 1990's.

Deer will not be cyclic in Pa. We dont have mass winterkill and the habitat generally doesnt change overnight. If they arent slaughtered, they will be where they have what they need consistently. The main factor right now in most areas is the allocation. The allocation is too high and the herd is too low.

I hope more hunters do not quit over all this BS. that was shoved down our throats. Im talking everything here. But after this audit and the GC. gets their lic.increase their will be people quitting for sure not because they want to but you folks can figure the rest of the equation out here.

There will be a mass decline in hunters within a couple of years of the increase that the rubber stamp audit will enable.

Some because of the money and more will be because of more extreme deer management than we even have now, with unstoppable further reduction to the herd and even lower modern day lows, which pgc will be then 100% free to do thanks to no further check and balance in the way of fee increase prevention by legislators.

And more an more of the funding burden will be placed on our shoulders because of all this nonsense, until pgc gets what it wants with general funding and ignoring us even more if that is even physically possible.

The audit will definetly seal the deal. Its amusing though at this point in time with the economy the way it is and it makes u wonder this. GC. claiming their going broke, DCNR, closing 30+ parks is this a ripe time for a merger or what.

I have seen no call for or reasoning behind further herd reduction except in SGA and those have no influence on most of us.

Just how much of a license increase will it take to affect your decision to hunt?

Oh...Im gonna hunt Jim. Dont you worry about that. LOL Regardless of the money or the reduction. But thats not speaking for everyone else, and that doesnt mean I have to like either, though I like the reduction a helluva lot less than any price they can stick us with.

"I have seen no call for or reasoning behind further herd reduction except in SGA and those have no influence on most of us."

Then perhaps you'd better take a look at the annual report because we are STILL being reduced in the majority of wmus RIGHT NOW despite claimed goal of stabilization the last 4 years. let alone in the future. With no fewer tags this season, it will once again be more of the same. Econuts, audubon and others including dcnr want fewer deer. They were instrumental in our deer plans inception and the only reason more decline yet hasnt occurred is because of legislators inconveniencing pgc with the need to ok a fee increase, and thats why the drain is running slower ...but not stopped...at the moment..

Im not sure of all the details 2with, but there are definately hunter unfriendly agendas in play. That isnt even debatable imho.