chilly

Below is an article on Pa. DNR and how it is proposing deer hunting policies for state forests. It was suggested that if the Pa. Game Commission does not adopt them, then perhaps the DNR would have to look to other means of controlling the burgeoning deer population on state forests by the re-introduction of wolves and cougars. It also turns out that there was an "un-written" policy to deny land sales to conservancies that would eventually turn the land over to the Game Commission. Call me a little skeptical, but it does give the impression as to who really controls the deer management policies in Pa.: foresters, farmers and insurance companies.
By Bob Frye
TRIBUNE-REVIEW OUTDOORS EDITOR
Sunday, September 19, 2004
The Pennsylvania Game Commission is not the only state agency developing plans for managing white-tailed deer these days. Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources officials are developing their own deer management plan for state forests. A draft is scheduled to be done by mid-October. Interestingly, how the Game Commission reacts to the strategies outlined in that report could determine whether a moratorium on using state and federal grants to help buy game lands is lifted. Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Michael DiBerardinis -- unhappy with the pace at which the Commission has been liberalizing deer hunting opportunities -- six months ago put a halt to the practice of giving grants to conservancies interested in buying land that was destined to be turned over to the Game Commission. The moratorium was never put in writing and DCNR's own Citizens Advisory Council did not know about it, said members LeeRoy Vatter of Indiana and Bill Mifflin of Philadelphia. Conservancies around the state "have all heard about it," though, said Carol Witzeman, president of the central Pennsylvania Conservancy. "There was nothing official sent out, but the word sort of got around," agreed Renee Carey, executive director of the Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy. "Everybody knew." DiBerardinis said an overabundance of deer is the number one threat to the future of Pennsylvania's state forests. The herd is about twice the size it should be, and the only way foresters can grow new trees is by spending more than $3 million annually to fence hungry deer out. Unless the Game Commission does more to bring the size of the deer herd down, DCNR can't meet its "core mission" of conserving state forests for future generations, DiBerardinis said. He instituted the moratorium as a way of driving that point home. "I have very few ways of addressing this issue other than through rhetoric. I think I have to do this as Secretary to fulfill our mission," DiBerardinis said. DiBerardinis' moratorium followed a report from Scientific Certification Systems, the California-based company that in April re-certified state forests according to Forest Stewardship Council standards. Pennsylvania became the first state in the country to have its state-owned forests FCS certified in 1998. The process of being re-certified began last fall. Re-certification came in April, but on the condition that the agency address several problems, including its too-big deer herd. The SCS report suggested DCNR "initiate earnest and aggressive strategic, public advocacy, and political actions aimed at liberalizing hunting regulations in ways that reduce the deer density on state forests" prior to an SCS audit scheduled to take place by November. "As you can imagine, it's certainly a monumental task in turning deer numbers around. But it needs to be addressed," said Dave Wager, director of forest management certification for SCS and one of the report's authors. DiBerardinis' moratorium was one of those "political actions." As for the agency's draft deer management plan, it will put part of the onus for maximizing deer harvests on DCNR itself. In the future, the agency -- which has not been able to sell all of its DMAP tags -- will have to better direct hunters to areas most in need of help in a "moving window of management." "Knowing that the number of hunters is a limited resource, we have to find a more effective way to use that hunting energy," said DCNR biologist Merlin Benner. The draft plan will also, however, call on the Commission to allow hunters to have more than one DMAP coupon per site and to allow party hunting, whereby a single hunter within a group would be able to fill all of the tags held by his party. It will also ask that the Commission approve, at least on select state forest DMAP sites, a proposal to let hunters hunt antlerless deer with rifles during all deer seasons, including archery and muzzleloader seasons. If the Commission fails to adopt any of those strategies, Benner said DCNR's plan might suggest, "as a more radical solution," the reintroduction of wolves and cougars onto state forest land to control deer. "We want to discuss all of these things and see if they're viable. If they're not, we'll go to something else," Benner said. "But we really do have to find a way to address this forest regeneration problem." Game Commissioners Russ Schleiden, Roxane Palone and John Riley met with DiBerardinis Thursday to discuss various issues, the moratorium and deer management among them. Schleiden could not say the moratorium would be lifted as a result -- "that's still DCNR's call" -- but he left feeling positive the two agencies can work together. "I think both parties have a better understanding of each other and our respective mandates," Schleiden said. "A lot of good progress was made. All of this other stuff will go away, I'm sure." DiBerardinis could not be reached Friday to offer his perspective on Thursday's meeting. If he lifts the moratorium and does it soon, however, that could impact the way conservancies approach the next round of grants. Applications are due Oct. 15. The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, for example, had sought a DCNR grant to purchase 875 acres along Chestnut Ridge, with the intention of turning it over to the Commission. That application was denied this spring. Michelle Nacaratti-Chapkiss, the conservancy's director of land protection, said she's not sure if her organization will seek another grant to buy the property or not. Much depends on what happens at DCNR. "It's a really neat parcel of land, though. It would be nice to see it in state ownership," she said. Barry Zaffuto, land manager in the Commission's southwest region office, agreed, saying the property stands out because it is home to several state-listed threatened wildlife and plant species, including green salamanders and Allegheny woodrats. "If you're looking at diversity and species of special concern, I can't imagine a property that scores any higher on the criteria (DCNR) has," he said. Scott Klinger, director of the Commission's bureau of land management, hopes the two agencies resolve their differences and get back to saving properties just like that one. The Commission has little money in its land acquisition budget, so working with conservancies that have access to state grants is critical to preserving open space. "We've got to keep the resource first and the people of Pennsylvania first," Klinger said.

livbucks

I think wolves and cougars replacing hunters is what a few guys on this board fail to see. We as hunters are going to have to adapt and cooperate with smaller deer herds or the powers that be will find a "dog" that does hunt. In the days of old there was an unwritten code in the mindset of some that you always bought an antlerless tag, and then tore it up, thereby eliminating does from being shot, if enough guys would do it. Tricks like this won't work anymore.

deaddeer

Now stop and think for yourself for a change and ask yourself where the herd is out of control versus where hunters have been successful in controling the herd. In 2 G where there is a lot of public land and hunters have relatively unrestricted access hunters have reduced the OWDD from 15DPSM in 1999 to 12 DPSM in 2003, 3 DPSM below its goal. But, in 5C ,with unlimited anterless tags, the herd is at 19 DPSM while the goal is 6 DPSM . Now just imagine how the public would respond to introducing wolves and cougars in the SE or SW areas of the state where there actually are too many deer. This is nothing but another scare tactic in an attempt to get hunters to kill more doe.