PA Gun Season
#31

Nothing like PA. If you want to and just love to complain, just hunt PA. Unfortunately, the highest number of unsuccessful hunters come from Pa, because PA has the most hunters.
If every hunter was successful in PA, all deer would really be wiped out. They use to have a million hunters, restricted to two weeks of antlered hunting. Now, they're down to some 750,000 and the hunting seasons expanded a little. But never enough deer.
Nothing like 350,000 so called hunters, hunting the same acre of land, year after year, and complaining about not seeing any deer.
Of course, if half weren't unsuccessful in PA, they'd really have a reason to complain. No Deer!
If every hunter was successful in PA, all deer would really be wiped out. They use to have a million hunters, restricted to two weeks of antlered hunting. Now, they're down to some 750,000 and the hunting seasons expanded a little. But never enough deer.
Nothing like 350,000 so called hunters, hunting the same acre of land, year after year, and complaining about not seeing any deer.
Of course, if half weren't unsuccessful in PA, they'd really have a reason to complain. No Deer!
#32
Fork Horn
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: SE, Pennsylvania
Posts: 174

No complaining here. I personally saw 6 non shooters in archery, plus the ones that I didn't see, and mature bucks, so I don't think there will be any shortage of bucks next year. My point was I usually see a bunch of anlered buck in archery, and they become scarce in rifle season.
#35
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 3,879

Did the harvest of BB prior to 2000 prevent the herd from increasing to 1.6M deer and producing a record buck harvest of 203K buck in 2000 and 2001? However, reducing the BB harvest from 77k in 2002 to 51K in 2008 produced a buck harvest of 108K. So how does saving BB increase the buck harvest on a sustainable basis.
#37

One more rifle hunt left. Maybe I'll get lucky and bag a last day buck! (Crosses fingers as he puts on all the hats he ever shot a buck while wearing, LOL!) Good luck to all tomorrow!
#38

Lets not forget that in Va you can also buy a "bonus" tag that allows you 6 additional does(antlerless)!
#39
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 3,879

That is not even close to being a rational answer. In a stable or decreasing herd if you save a BB you have to harvest an adult doe which means fewer fawns will be recruited the following year ,which in turn results in a lower sustainable harvest. There is no free lunch when it comes to deer management. Everything comes with a price.
#40
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: 3c pa
Posts: 1,212

Nice to see you are still around bluebird.Isn't too many of the guys from few yrs ago around. We had a pretty good season. Got ten pt in archery,Saw some big herds of doe first 5 days 3c couldn't shoot does.Tagged out last sat.