Delpndjeepcj7

quite frankly you may be right that they would have to to close buck season to get the numbers that high, but perhaps you misunderstood my feelings on it, I really don't mind if the deer population is only 557k. If they (PGC) need to close buck season for a year and make it doe only for that year, again as I said before I can live with it, it ain't that big a deel if the only deer I have a chance at for a year or two ain't got no antlers, When they would eventually bring season back in it would just mean I would have to to work harder, put in some more effort in scouting and getting landowner permission, and perhaps try a new area, but I don't really object to bringing the deer herd down in total number because right now, yeah I can shoot a deer if I have the time to spend a whole day or two in the woods, but it isn't a real good quality deer, ie compared to deer of some other states where deer hunting is a big deal, PA deer seem rather anemic, if getting the population down to 557k, which is half the number you say we currently have, is in fact the goal, then one "side effect", intended or not will be that those 557k deer are going to have more browse and cover to work with, nigh on twice as much, and that will make a diffenrece in the size and quality of those deer, both in antler size and body size. But again, just to restate my personal opinion, if I can't fill my tags every year, whooptie doo for me, I don't really mind.

deaddeer

If you only view the impact of Alt's plan in terms of how it will effect you as an individual , then you are missing the true impact the plan will have. If buck harvests drop below 100K and total harvests are under 300K, seasons will be shortened, there will be no bonus tags and hunters will be allowed 1 deer/yr. When that happens many hunters will quit and then how will the PGC control the herd ? Also, once we reach 13 DPSM the PGC will attempt to keep the herd at that level and the population will not be allowed to increase even if the habitat recovers. That means we will only be able to harvest 2 buck PSM and that will be very hard hunting for many.

DougE

No offense but this is a typical example of how little the average person understands this plan.If we have 557000 deer and a 1/1 ratio,we will not have even close to 275000 bucks.Your forgetting about all the fawns.The ratio is not about antlered to antlerss deer.IT'S ABOUT BREEDING AGE BUCKS WITH BREEDING AGE DOE.In that example there would probably be less than 15000 bucks.Most of the legal ones would still get killed because of the amount of pressure.Furthermore,we will carry over far less than before ar was implemented.

PABowhntr

I do not know if I agree with that statement. We had a "one deer a year of either sex" for some time until the bonus tag regs. came into play and I do not think it affected hunter numbers.

deaddeer

You could be right, but rememeber the hunters in the 70 and 80's only expected one deer and they felt lucky if they drew one anterless tags. Today many hunters expect to harvest at least 2 deer and hope for at least 1 or 2 bonus tags. Also, in the 70's ,small game hunting got many young hunters started and kept some older hunters buying tags. Today in some areas small game hunting is almost nonexistent and holds little appeal for young hunters.

But, only time will tell what will happen, but in any case we will definitely be loosing a lot of older hunters as success rates drop.

TXhighrack

"But in any case we will definitely be loosing a lot of older hunters as success rates drop."

You have over 1 million deer hunters each year hunting a state that is one of the smallest in the country, I'm sure that if you "lost a few hunters" it would do nothing more then make hunting better for everybody else who was still out there trying.

PA hunting is so far from hunting down here that I'm not even going to get into this debate, besides I'm thousands of miles away, its not my bussiness anyway, thankfully.

deaddeer

"I'm sure that if you "lost a few hunters" it would do nothing more then make hunting better for everybody else who was still out there trying. "


With 1 M huntunters and over 1 M anterless tags , the PGC says the herd isstill increasing. Therefore , we neeed every hunter we have now,plus a few thousand more in oder to control the herd. Our herd is very prolific ,even though the PGC says the habitat is terrible.

BTBowhunter

THE SKY IS FALLING!!! THE SKY IS FALLING!!!

Jason N

BT, I've been hearing that for 2 years now! Hasn't happened yet and the herd in the Western portion of the ANF is looking healthy as ever and I've been seeeing a lot of deer. That heavy snow and wind on the first couple of days of rifle season didn't have anything to do with the lack of shots then or the seemingly abundant deer now!

deaddeer

No you haven't. What is being said is that if Alt succeeds in reducing the herd by 50% it will have significant impacts on the quality of hunting and that harvests will decline by 50% or more. To date, Alt's herd reduction plan has been a miseraable failure except in 2G and 2F. According to the new computer model the herd has been increasing in most WMU's,however the buck harvests do not reflect that claim.