There have been some posts saying that PA deer hunting is really hurting ..... seeing fewer, if any bucks, etc. Different folks saying it used to be much better, or at least "OK."
This is what I think ....
-Deer Management in PA and in NJ are two different things; I don't blame the NJ DFW biologists, I blame their superiors
-PGC biologists were determined to decrease the deer herd, for the sake of the land and the deer, and they did so (does, etc); (some PA hunters are pissed, calling PGC "wacko environmentalists," etc)
-PA used to be one of the states with the highest ratio of yearling bucks to total buck harvest ... no more, now its low; I believe NJ is tied with another state for that sorry-ass distinction now
-I think there is a growing subclass of hunters in PA, made up of many younger hunters and *some* of the hunters coming over from NJ, that don't want to work for their deer; bucks in PA have a lot of big woods to sneak away into, unlike NJ .... especially with the smaller herd
-if you want to *kill* a lot of deer, including the 6 or 15 or how ever many bucks we can kill here in NJ each year, and you want to work very little to get those deer ..... then NJ is the place for you. PA isn't
-PA buck/deer harvest numbers fluctuate almost wildly sometimes; 2 seasons ago was a low point, but still, they are better deer harvested by fewer hunters. (I'll note that the bear harvest was also low that year); Last season the numbers were up 10% or 15%; the season before it, the numbers were 25% higher
-My seasons my be off by a year or two, but 2003 season set the record for bucks harvested; and, 2002 or 2004 had the second best ever buck harvest; the following season was a really good one; Lots of does are being taken, too
-I think when you compare the harvest numbers from the 2000's, compared to those of the 1990's .... they're fairly comparable; compare them to the 1980's, and they are better; but, you have to work for the deer, more so now with the proper deer/land carrying capacity
-Thats what I think anyway
-Last night, The Deer Hunter (with Robert De Niro) was on HBO ..... It got me siced! I have a little place in the WMU 4A mountains, Huntingdon County ... a lot of new growth from mining and timbering
This is what I think ....
-Deer Management in PA and in NJ are two different things; I don't blame the NJ DFW biologists, I blame their superiors
-PGC biologists were determined to decrease the deer herd, for the sake of the land and the deer, and they did so (does, etc); (some PA hunters are pissed, calling PGC "wacko environmentalists," etc)
-PA used to be one of the states with the highest ratio of yearling bucks to total buck harvest ... no more, now its low; I believe NJ is tied with another state for that sorry-ass distinction now
-I think there is a growing subclass of hunters in PA, made up of many younger hunters and *some* of the hunters coming over from NJ, that don't want to work for their deer; bucks in PA have a lot of big woods to sneak away into, unlike NJ .... especially with the smaller herd
-if you want to *kill* a lot of deer, including the 6 or 15 or how ever many bucks we can kill here in NJ each year, and you want to work very little to get those deer ..... then NJ is the place for you. PA isn't
-PA buck/deer harvest numbers fluctuate almost wildly sometimes; 2 seasons ago was a low point, but still, they are better deer harvested by fewer hunters. (I'll note that the bear harvest was also low that year); Last season the numbers were up 10% or 15%; the season before it, the numbers were 25% higher
-My seasons my be off by a year or two, but 2003 season set the record for bucks harvested; and, 2002 or 2004 had the second best ever buck harvest; the following season was a really good one; Lots of does are being taken, too
-I think when you compare the harvest numbers from the 2000's, compared to those of the 1990's .... they're fairly comparable; compare them to the 1980's, and they are better; but, you have to work for the deer, more so now with the proper deer/land carrying capacity
-Thats what I think anyway
-Last night, The Deer Hunter (with Robert De Niro) was on HBO ..... It got me siced! I have a little place in the WMU 4A mountains, Huntingdon County ... a lot of new growth from mining and timbering