The last 20 years in PA WMU3D.
The forest health could not support the large doe herds of the 80's-90's. Clear cutting throughout 80-90s created black birch habitat. Deer ate everything on the ground and 5ft up the tree. Deer fencing came in 2004, AR 2003, concurrent seasons since 01. I am for the restrictions, and would like to return to the doe bonus only days, limit individual doe permits, and keep AR. I hated seeing 3pts, bbs, spikes, and 4pts slaughtered. Our children's grandchildren's, grandchildren may see improvements in the forest health but that will take selective harvesting, and deer fencing for the next 100 years.

Gotcha, Pats. There are places I'll kill a doe, and places I won't. I NEVER take more than one from the same area/ year, regardless of how many I may see. I'd love to see folks limited to one per WMU atleast. I have one area in 5A where I will usually take a doe...took one this year, next year who knows? I'll make that decision next year- after scouting, hunting, and observation. I wish more guys took that time and actually thought about it before pulling the trigger. If I hunted an area were I only saw a couple of deer all through archery, I would NOT be shooting a doe there in rifle. Period. I also think that lower deer numbers have more guys shooting fawns than ever before. They are hellbent on getting a deer, aren't seeing many to begin with, so they shoot the first one they see. Especially on public land.That practice sure as heck isn't letting them rebound any quicker.

According to the PGC, we have already seen significant increases in forest health in many areas. Check the annual wildlife reports. What we haven't seen is appreciable increases in herd health, some facets actually decreased in the wake of HR, and now we are seeing lowest buck harvests in decades with no sign of the PGC allowing herd increase in the foreseeable future.

I am an Ohio guy, is Sunday Hunting allowed in PA for deer.

Well PA I would like to say I am on your side. But I am not. And if you father has trouble counting points, then he may need better glasses or may just have to give it up. I know that's harsh but just the way it is. Sounds to me like you and your father are a meat hunters and just want to kill a deer. Nothing wrong with that either. Just buy an anterless tag and shoot a doe.
The fact is that bigger racked bucks are being harvested statewide and there are a lot more happy hunters. The 1 1/2 year old 'dumb' bucks that got shot every year prior to the AR have gotten a bit warier and therefore harder to find.

I defy anyone on this board, any other board, the PGC or the DCNR to take me to any uncut hardwood ridge in the Tioga State Forest and show me an oak seedling or sapling, or any other plant other than trillium, that has sprouted up anywhere where the sun isn't getting through since 2002. It just ain't happening. Where there's sun, there's lush growth. Where there isn't sun, which encompasses about 90% of the forest, there's nothing. Our herd needed to be reduced because of this, I realize that. But our herd didn't need to be cut back as far as it has been. The deer are getting the blame for 100+ years of poor forestry practices plain and simple.

Do you have some kind of a link to a survey or some info to back up that statement about hunter satisfaction? I'm real curious about that. As for killing big racked bucks, we've been killing big racked bucks in Tioga County for the last 30 years. That's nothing new.

Check out WMU3D Monroe and Pike Counties.
23 years hunting eastern pa....long gone are the days of seeing packs of 8 doe. I've seen immature buck, small yearling doe this season all daylong, and mature monsters 30 mins post shooting time. .
I know the booner bucks and mature does are there, but I also know that they are 100% nocturnal. Long gone are the heydays at Manzenedo, Hiawatha, Mt. Allen, Porters Lake, ect. ect. Back in the 80-90's, 100's of club members would line up roadside, and perform deer drives. Now ZERO!!!

Hunters numbers are way down, and the sorry few out there pack it in by 3:30pm.:confused:

I hunted Ressica, Five Mile Meadow Road, Pine Flats, Mink Pond and Bruce Lake during the 80s and 90s during opening week for quite a few years. I sure as he11 don't remember 100s of members driving deer. Not saying it didn't happen but it sure didn't happen in the areas that I hunted in.

shed hunter...no, sunday hunting for deer is not allowed