Even the PGC agrees that deer hunting will only be fair to good in most areas of the state. Here is a quote from PR 105-09.

The areas where hunting is good are most likely those areas where the PGC has be unable to reduce the herd enough to meet their goals. Even the American Hunter article on deer hunting in PA didn't have anything good to say about deer management in PA.

That quote is sort of silly "hunting will be ok, to decent with some better some worse"

sort of a cover every angle quote.

politics again!

you got it bob from nh, i thought i was reading a weather report

"chance of good deer in parts, marginal in other areas, but some deer all around"

replace deer with snow and that is a typical PA weather forecast

I have to agree that is more politics than anything else.. Sounds l;ike they are trying hard not to give you any real answers at all. It is a sure way of dodging the question by saying it will be both good and bad.. Different areas may be bad but the rest will be decent to good.. Some one down there needs to put them in a corner where they will be force to say exactly what is going on..

PGC says hunting will be good...as long as hunt near the houses!!!

What else can they say?Deer aren't evenly spread out accross the landscape.We have huge areas with absolutely terrible habitat and few deer.Why people continue to hunt areas like that continue to amaze me.We also have areas with better habitat or more food sources and plenty of deer.We also have some areas that still have too many.

Well, I'm convinced that after tramping around DMAP area #1618 for the last 3 days in the Tioga State Forest with snow still on the ground since Friday, that as far as the PGC and DCNR is concerned, a ZERO deer tolerance in that area is what they want. Very little deer activity around fenced and unfenced clearcuts or any other areas for that matter.

This area was FLIR'ed in 2005, and I'd say the the herd in this area is at or below what the FLIR results showed in 2005. Heading back out to search for signs of that trophy buck of a lifetime that Gary Alt produced.

That statement was worth less than the time it took to write it. More of the "neither confirm nor deny" blanket statements that really say nothing at all. I was browsing through the PGC forester's notes on their website for sh*ts and giggles, and found more of the same. Game will be were the food is. Find a food source and try to get away from the crowds. Some areas deer hunting may be good...others will see few deer. Grouse numbers continue to be low. They could have not updated a single word for the last five years and it would still be about the same as it is now, and that isn't just being critical of the deer program. Their generic statements and lack of real information go along way toward building public confidence that they know what they are doing. Yeah...alot like a long range weather forecast. Might rain next week. Might not.

I've found the food. Along with the food, I've found the turkeys. Along with the food, I've found the bears. I just wish I could figure out what the he11 these deer are eating nowadays because they sure as he11 ain't touching the acorns, the raspberries, the greenbrier, the viburnam, the maple sprouts, or the hobblebush.