CoyoteKiller16 Posted January 1, 2007 Report Share Posted January 1, 2007 Even thought the antler restrictions are in existance, the deer populatoin seems to get smaller on public land. This could be a cause of hunters pressuring the land, poaching, or natural predators. What else could this be from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoyt03 Posted January 1, 2007 Report Share Posted January 1, 2007 Re: Pennsylvania Deer Population Its called herd reduction, ie game commission selling 1 million doe tags per year. The majority of the hunters are hunting the public ground and the does do not have much of a chance and have gotten thinned out on these public land places. It would be nice to see them cut back on this just a tad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted January 1, 2007 Report Share Posted January 1, 2007 Re: Pennsylvania Deer Population Yep, herd reduction. This state has seen some incredibly liberal limits for 3 or 4 years now. My thoughts are that in some areas the deer densities are getting dangerously low. Time for this state to re evaluate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M00N Posted January 1, 2007 Report Share Posted January 1, 2007 Re: Pennsylvania Deer Population I agree the herd reduction plan in this state needs re-evaluated, especially in the public hunting areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deerkillr777 Posted January 1, 2007 Report Share Posted January 1, 2007 Re: Pennsylvania Deer Population yeah on saturday i buddy i talked to said they didnt see no deer on state land all rifel season and now ml season they did see 1 yote about 70 lbs it was a beast they said i would love to see that. game commission need to cut down on doe tags and doe season go back to how it was befor but keep the 2 weeks for buck and then only a week or 3 days for doe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arrow32 Posted January 1, 2007 Report Share Posted January 1, 2007 Re: Pennsylvania Deer Population Herd reduction thats about stupid. Hope they get things fixed up there before it screws you over even more than it has if you arent seeing the number of deer before. Weve never had anything like that happen here WV before and hope it never does. It could bring the end of deer in some parts of the state. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAstringking Posted January 1, 2007 Report Share Posted January 1, 2007 Re: Pennsylvania Deer Population the deer population is deff being cut especially the does. i dont mind that they doing this for a "better" herd but it does suck to hunt all day and never see a deer. i just hope they know what they are doing!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
htephil Posted January 1, 2007 Report Share Posted January 1, 2007 Re: Pennsylvania Deer Population Yes, The herd reduction with liberal antlerlees lics increasing is having a dramatic effect on deer sightings by hunters. BUT, the last 2 years the weather conditions were terrible for hunter success. Heavy fog & monsoon rains shutdown the hunter success the opening week of last season, and this year it was unseasonably warm all season. More & more hunters are spending a good deal of time scouting/placing stands/setting trail cams/ making mock scrapes, etc.....in otherwords, educating deer as to hunter movements through their areas. Many hunters would increase their chances to scout several areas once(but througholy)as to possible stand location/food sources/droppings/rubs, than a favorite spot several times. A mature doe that's survived a couple hunting seasons is tougher to harvest than most bucks in my opinion. Deer hunting in PA has changed a lot in the past few years but it's still a terrific experience! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-Daddy Posted January 1, 2007 Report Share Posted January 1, 2007 Re: Pennsylvania Deer Population AR and HR have made quite a difference in Fulton County. Used to see maybe one year and a half old buck during a season along with tons of doe. Now the doe sightings are down but we are definitely shooting some great buck deer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LifeNRA Posted January 2, 2007 Report Share Posted January 2, 2007 Re: Pennsylvania Deer Population [ QUOTE ] Deer hunting in PA has changed a lot in the past few years but it's still a terrific experience! [/ QUOTE ] Do you think getting a kid out for the season and NOT SEEING any deer will keep his interests??? NO! My father was always a DEER MAGNET! This is the first time in all my hunting life (32 years BTW) he has not seen a single deer in the two weeks of the rifle season! In the 12 total days of rifle season, he was out I believe 9 or 10 days, and seen NOTHING! How the HECK do you think that a kid who sees nothing will want to keep hunting? The game has to be there for there interest! No game, no interest! Simple as that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAstringking Posted January 2, 2007 Report Share Posted January 2, 2007 Re: Pennsylvania Deer Population i think that LifeNRA is very correct. when thinking of deer management you must pick between big deer or more deer. PA is picking bigger healthier deer and kids might lose interest very quickly with no success. maybe they are banking on kids dreaming of that one day that they take a monster. i am sticking with my opinion that PGC has a long term plan and we are only in the very beginning steps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strut10 Posted January 2, 2007 Report Share Posted January 2, 2007 Re: Pennsylvania Deer Population [ QUOTE ] My father was always a DEER MAGNET! This is the first time in all my hunting life (32 years BTW) he has not seen a single deer in the two weeks of the rifle season! In the 12 total days of rifle season, he was out I believe 9 or 10 days, and seen NOTHING! [/ QUOTE ] The PGC and outdoor writers (PGC propoganda puppets) will just tell you that your dad's not much of a hunter and he doesn't hunt far enough off the roads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
htephil Posted January 2, 2007 Report Share Posted January 2, 2007 Re: Pennsylvania Deer Population [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] Deer hunting in PA has changed a lot in the past few years but it's still a terrific experience! [/ QUOTE ] Do you think getting a kid out for the season and NOT SEEING any deer will keep his interests??? NO! My father was always a DEER MAGNET! This is the first time in all my hunting life (32 years BTW) he has not seen a single deer in the two weeks of the rifle season! In the 12 total days of rifle season, he was out I believe 9 or 10 days, and seen NOTHING! How the HECK do you think that a kid who sees nothing will want to keep hunting? The game has to be there for there interest! No game, no interest! Simple as that! [/ QUOTE ] With total respect to you and your father as hunters and outdoorsmen....yes it's getting tougher to find decent numbers of deer. Getting kids interested in hunting has always been a top priority with me as a Hunters Ed. Instructor. Intersestingly enough, my dad started us out hunting squirrels & bunnies back when there were more deer because he knew we'd get more involvement. He started us fishing for Bluegills instead of Walleyes for the same reason. When I talk to hunters I bump into out in the woods it's amazing to listen to their observations. Kids will excitedly tell you about the 5 squirrels, 2 grouse, and grey fox they saw, while many older hunters will share that they didn't see a *!#&! thing. I believe getting kids interested depends much more on the additudes they see expressed through their mentors. I realize I just upset some of you hunters that see things based on different viewpoints but I'll stand by my view. Sorry to step on toes...I hope you find what you're seeking in the deer hunting realm of PA. BTW- I hunt 2G up in the mountians that lays claim to the lowest deer population in the state and have pics of awesome hunts up there the last 6 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckbuster11 Posted January 2, 2007 Report Share Posted January 2, 2007 Re: Pennsylvania Deer Population Herd Reduction...plain and simple. I'd hate to see the state of the deer herd in the next 5-10 years if the current policies don't change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted January 2, 2007 Report Share Posted January 2, 2007 Re: Pennsylvania Deer Population [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] My father was always a DEER MAGNET! This is the first time in all my hunting life (32 years BTW) he has not seen a single deer in the two weeks of the rifle season! In the 12 total days of rifle season, he was out I believe 9 or 10 days, and seen NOTHING! [/ QUOTE ] The PGC and outdoor writers (PGC propoganda puppets) will just tell you that your dad's not much of a hunter and he doesn't hunt far enough off the roads. [/ QUOTE ] Harvest numbers went down last year considerably, looks like they will be down even more this year. Here the TWRA says that the AVERAGE hunter is not having the same success as years passed due to more productive mass crops in the past couple years. I am left being curious as to what the next excuse we hear will be. Always considered myself to be a pretty decent hunter, but have seen far less deer this year than I was seeing just 3-4 seasons ago. Guess by what they say, I am somehow less than average or average. This state says the age class of bucks is improving and hunters are being more picky about what they shoot, just not so around here. My opinion is that the state is making excuses for plans that are not working out like they suggest it is supposed to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoyt03 Posted January 2, 2007 Report Share Posted January 2, 2007 Re: Pennsylvania Deer Population Agree w/ buckbuster, if things dont change look out in 5-10yrs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ODH Posted January 2, 2007 Report Share Posted January 2, 2007 Re: Pennsylvania Deer Population [ QUOTE ] Its called herd reduction, ie game commission selling 1 million doe tags per year. [/ QUOTE ] Well said. When I went out there for the rifle season, I did see a lot of deer, and I did take a descent sized doe. But, I do believe PA Game Commission does issue a lot of doe tags than they should. It's hard to argue this though because PA is so big as a state, and the deer population varies all over the place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tunkhannockbowhunter Posted January 2, 2007 Report Share Posted January 2, 2007 Re: Pennsylvania Deer Population my hunting buddies and i have definitely taken notice to several things that have been happening the last few years and especially this year. i am fortunate enough to have several hundred acres of private land to hunt on. the deer hunting during archery season was amazing this year. not just for me but for my friends hunting properties all aroound me. I had several chances to kill bucks with the bow but it didnt happen. so when rifle season rolled around i thought no problem i should be able to get a crack at something. well the first week i hunted hard and all that i saw were doe. i thought i would wait and use my doe tag the second week of the season. well just like that the sightings were gone. no doe anywhere to be found. my neighbors noticed the same thing. we started driving together the last few days and only kicked out a few deer and got to shoot two doe. out of 10 guys we only saw three bucks for the whole 2 weeks of the season. two of which we harvested. when mz season started we were were doing drives and sitting on stand also. one guy in our group harvested a doe. other than that we are having real bad luck. it seems like the deer have just vanished. its unreal because there were so many deer all over the place during the summer and during archery season. all total we are prolly hunting 600-800 acres of prime land with swamps and mountains. we just cant seem to find deer where they were early in the year. it is extremely frustrating. at this point i just want some deer meat, but hard hunting combined with smart hunting isnt producing. in past years we would typically be successfull using these tactics. i dont know if the deer are really getting that much smarter or what because the area was loaded with both does and bucks prior to rifle season. past years we would have no trouble waiting until the last week of rifle season to fill a doe tag, even mz season is usually a success for half of our group. but this year we cant even find a doe let alone a buck. it makes me wish that i pulled the trigger on the doe that i saw early on. i know that next year im not waiting. im gonna shoot atleast one doe with my bow and then concentrate on harvesting a buck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldblue Posted January 2, 2007 Report Share Posted January 2, 2007 Re: Pennsylvania Deer Population [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] Deer hunting in PA has changed a lot in the past few years but it's still a terrific experience! [/ QUOTE ] Do you think getting a kid out for the season and NOT SEEING any deer will keep his interests??? NO! My father was always a DEER MAGNET! This is the first time in all my hunting life (32 years BTW) he has not seen a single deer in the two weeks of the rifle season! In the 12 total days of rifle season, he was out I believe 9 or 10 days, and seen NOTHING! How the HECK do you think that a kid who sees nothing will want to keep hunting? The game has to be there for there interest! No game, no interest! Simple as that! [/ QUOTE ] With total respect to you and your father as hunters and outdoorsmen....yes it's getting tougher to find decent numbers of deer. Getting kids interested in hunting has always been a top priority with me as a Hunters Ed. Instructor. Intersestingly enough, my dad started us out hunting squirrels & bunnies back when there were more deer because he knew we'd get more involvement. He started us fishing for Bluegills instead of Walleyes for the same reason. When I talk to hunters I bump into out in the woods it's amazing to listen to their observations. Kids will excitedly tell you about the 5 squirrels, 2 grouse, and grey fox they saw, while many older hunters will share that they didn't see a *!#&! thing. I believe getting kids interested depends much more on the additudes they see expressed through their mentors. I realize I just upset some of you hunters that see things based on different viewpoints but I'll stand by my view. Sorry to step on toes...I hope you find what you're seeking in the deer hunting realm of PA. BTW- I hunt 2G up in the mountians that lays claim to the lowest deer population in the state and have pics of awesome hunts up there the last 6 years. [/ QUOTE ] You are not stepping on anyones toes big guy you are just terribly misinformed. The PGC has bought into the Gary Alt theme and is messing up our hunting in a very terrible and trumatic way. It will not take 5 or 10 years, but if they don't do something different right now you will see the effects next year and it will only get worse. We have areas of PA that are loaded with deer and a lot of areas with very little deer, but the PGC insists on giving those with and without the same number of doe permits each and every year. They don't have a clue. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LifeNRA Posted January 3, 2007 Report Share Posted January 3, 2007 Re: Pennsylvania Deer Population [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] My father was always a DEER MAGNET! This is the first time in all my hunting life (32 years BTW) he has not seen a single deer in the two weeks of the rifle season! In the 12 total days of rifle season, he was out I believe 9 or 10 days, and seen NOTHING! [/ QUOTE ] The PGC and outdoor writers (PGC propoganda puppets) will just tell you that your dad's not much of a hunter and he doesn't hunt far enough off the roads. [/ QUOTE ] LMBO!!!!! That man used to take us DEEP into the mountains where we would walk for over 1.5 hours to get where we needed to be! Maybe with ONE break! If there is one person in my life I know to be the best deer hunter in PA, that would be my father! So I say them BOOZOO'S havent got a clue about the deer numbers in PA! Sure they hunt private farms and look for the big boys. I still would like to see the TV people hunt PA during the rifle season, and see what they think! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LifeNRA Posted January 3, 2007 Report Share Posted January 3, 2007 Re: Pennsylvania Deer Population [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] Deer hunting in PA has changed a lot in the past few years but it's still a terrific experience! [/ QUOTE ] Do you think getting a kid out for the season and NOT SEEING any deer will keep his interests??? NO! My father was always a DEER MAGNET! This is the first time in all my hunting life (32 years BTW) he has not seen a single deer in the two weeks of the rifle season! In the 12 total days of rifle season, he was out I believe 9 or 10 days, and seen NOTHING! How the HECK do you think that a kid who sees nothing will want to keep hunting? The game has to be there for there interest! No game, no interest! Simple as that! [/ QUOTE ] With total respect to you and your father as hunters and outdoorsmen....yes it's getting tougher to find decent numbers of deer. Getting kids interested in hunting has always been a top priority with me as a Hunters Ed. Instructor. Intersestingly enough, my dad started us out hunting squirrels & bunnies back when there were more deer because he knew we'd get more involvement. He started us fishing for Bluegills instead of Walleyes for the same reason. When I talk to hunters I bump into out in the woods it's amazing to listen to their observations. Kids will excitedly tell you about the 5 squirrels, 2 grouse, and grey fox they saw, while many older hunters will share that they didn't see a *!#&! thing. I believe getting kids interested depends much more on the additudes they see expressed through their mentors. I realize I just upset some of you hunters that see things based on different viewpoints but I'll stand by my view. Sorry to step on toes...I hope you find what you're seeking in the deer hunting realm of PA. BTW- I hunt 2G up in the mountians that lays claim to the lowest deer population in the state and have pics of awesome hunts up there the last 6 years. [/ QUOTE ] Sorry we are not talking about rabbits or bluegills! You want kids to be interested in deer hunting, you need to see DEER! PERIOD! Yes, there are other game species to hunt, but this about deer only! The PGC needs to manage EACH AREA DIFFERENTLY! Because not all areas are holding the same numbers of deer! Deer hunting and rabbit hunting are not the same. Each has its own way of doing things. Besides, small game in this state sucks as well. I remember back in 1975 & 1976 with a SINGLE shot I could shoot two boxes of shells in a days time! Now I have the same two boxes of shells for the last 10-15 years! Oh yeah, these were WILD birds too! Not stocked two days before the season! During the time when the PGC used to stock hens in the spring time for the males to mate with! Dont tell me about getting kids to start out with small game then work them up to deer hunting! Because this is about deer, now back to topic! You being a safety ed trainer, what are you guys now teaching the kids to fight boredom??? There has to be something you guys are doing to help this? NO DEER, NO INTEREST! SIMPLE AS THAT! BTW, no offense to you or anybody that does what you do! I think its great that your doing this for the new hunters. But I really think the PGC has you brainwashed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
htephil Posted January 3, 2007 Report Share Posted January 3, 2007 Re: Pennsylvania Deer Population [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] Deer hunting in PA has changed a lot in the past few years but it's still a terrific experience! [/ QUOTE ] Do you think getting a kid out for the season and NOT SEEING any deer will keep his interests??? NO! My father was always a DEER MAGNET! This is the first time in all my hunting life (32 years BTW) he has not seen a single deer in the two weeks of the rifle season! In the 12 total days of rifle season, he was out I believe 9 or 10 days, and seen NOTHING! How the HECK do you think that a kid who sees nothing will want to keep hunting? The game has to be there for there interest! No game, no interest! Simple as that! [/ QUOTE ] With total respect to you and your father as hunters and outdoorsmen....yes it's getting tougher to find decent numbers of deer. Getting kids interested in hunting has always been a top priority with me as a Hunters Ed. Instructor. Intersestingly enough, my dad started us out hunting squirrels & bunnies back when there were more deer because he knew we'd get more involvement. He started us fishing for Bluegills instead of Walleyes for the same reason. When I talk to hunters I bump into out in the woods it's amazing to listen to their observations. Kids will excitedly tell you about the 5 squirrels, 2 grouse, and grey fox they saw, while many older hunters will share that they didn't see a *!#&! thing. I believe getting kids interested depends much more on the additudes they see expressed through their mentors. I realize I just upset some of you hunters that see things based on different viewpoints but I'll stand by my view. Sorry to step on toes...I hope you find what you're seeking in the deer hunting realm of PA. BTW- I hunt 2G up in the mountians that lays claim to the lowest deer population in the state and have pics of awesome hunts up there the last 6 years. [/ QUOTE ] You are not stepping on anyones toes big guy you are just terribly misinformed. The PGC has bought into the Gary Alt theme and is messing up our hunting in a very terrible and trumatic way. It will not take 5 or 10 years, but if they don't do something different right now you will see the effects next year and it will only get worse. We have areas of PA that are loaded with deer and a lot of areas with very little deer, but the PGC insists on giving those with and without the same number of doe permits each and every year. They don't have a clue. Andy [/ QUOTE ] Hi Andy, Not sure at what point of my posts you came to the conclusion that I'm in support of current deer management programs. I believe AR should be a personal choice . If a hunter decides a nice fat 4 point is a trophy to him...Great & God bless em. Likewise I get sick reading posts about guys killing several doe each year just because a few WMU has unlimited licenses. My statements were directed to the idea that kids won't enjoy hunting if they don't see deer. They are impacted most by the additudes they see displayed by older hunters. As far as being mis-informed....maybe, because I don't agree with PGC on such drastic HR implentations...but I have yet to see a sensible deer management program plan being presented by the hunting public either. Sure would be something to to see everyone agree on a set of realistic goals. I still say that PA deer hunting has changed a lot the last few years but is still a terrific experience> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoyt03 Posted January 3, 2007 Report Share Posted January 3, 2007 Re: Pennsylvania Deer Population Keep selling the same # of doe tags. Have concurrent doe and buck through archery, and keep the early ml doe hunts. During rifle it's all buck until the last 3 day doe hunt like they used to do. I dont know about you guys but I think it's alot tougher to kill those does later in the rifle season, they just seem to disappear. This way some does still get managed through archers, early season ml and youth hunts, and then 3 days for rifle after the 2 week buck season and late season ml. Now what in the heck is so hard with that. People are still going to buy up all the doe tags, game comm will still make their money. Does will still be harvested just not too much like now. make a 3 point rule around the state. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest anderson3 Posted January 3, 2007 Report Share Posted January 3, 2007 Re: Pennsylvania Deer Population I think it is impossible for any of us to evaluate the deer situation in the whole state based on our individual hunting experiences. I am probably seeing a few less deer the last year or two on private land, but I'm also seeing more bucks and fewer hunters. Part of this is the fact that the does are being killed during buck season...so after the first day or so, there are fewer deer to see because a bunch of does have already been harvested. We had many deerless days when I was a kid, and it did not seem to dampen my desire much. I think the 'can't keep the kids interested' idea is a talking point of the folks who oppose the deer program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbearguy Posted January 4, 2007 Report Share Posted January 4, 2007 Re: Pennsylvania Deer Population I beleive kids will get and stay interested if the people around them can put a positive spin on their hunting experience. They will lose interest and eventually quit if all they hear is "there are no deer", "the PGC ruined hunting", etc, etc. There is so much more to hunting than just seeing a deer. Heck take a kid out spring gobbler hunting and they should be hooked for life. When that longbeard comes strutting in to a young hunter, what a rush. If that doesn't work, nothing will. There are squirrels everyone. More grouse around this year and any time in recent memory, not to mention other oppertunities for small game. How about trapping? So many predators around and hardly anyone doing it. Bottom line, when the people around kids can't keep a positive attidude it rubs off on the young hunters. Maybe try educating the yourself and the young hunters to why the PGC has lowered the deer herd instead of just complaining. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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