sproulman

thanks for explaining it a little better than i could on DMAP tags..
i heard through out state you could possibly get as high as 81 tags, dont know if thats ACCURATE,only what i heard..

now, if i could only get you to stop shootingdoe ,you would be moved to the HALL OF FAME.

P.S ,if sproul says he saw COUGAR,he did.many of my friends did,almost all the DCNR boys saw one here in sproul,why not you?
read the COUGAR groups info, they have pictures of tracks, isnt that what you wanted?

White-tail-deer

Looks like my prediction on page one was a good one!!

germain

I think you guys are funny.

sproulman

Bocajnala

haha....at least all the heat has been off of me.....hahah

DougE

Sproul,I have no reason to stop shooting doe.The habitat in 2G has been devistated by decades of overbrowsing by too many deer.We needed less deer and no I see signs of the habitat improving in numerous places.I see very very few hunters on the public land in 2g and I never complain about a lack of deer.Why would I want the herd to increase?

A far as mountain lions go,I've never seen one,heard one or saw any evidence that they exist in Pa.I do here of several black mountain lions being sighted each year but since there's no such animal,I'd say the reports are not credible.

Bocajnala

why so few hunters? has it always been that way? or is this somehting new? just curious I didnt really understand what you meant

DougE

Why so few hunters?there's a variety of reasons.First of all,2G used to be loaded with deer and the southern part of the state had less.That meant hunters used to travel north where there were more deer.over the past 20 years or so,the tables started to turn and the deer populations started going down in the northern tier and going up in the southern tier.Hunters could now stay closer to home to find good hunting.2g has one of the lowest human population densities in the state which meant that the bulk of the hunetrs came up here to hunt.Why make the trip if the hunting is better at home?I've been noticing a steady decline in the the number of hunters since the early 90's.In 2006 I saw a grand total of three other hunters in the woods from the start of archery season to the last day of deer season,not counting bear season.On top of that,alot of the terrain in 2G in vast and steep with limited accessibility.I'll guarantee you that there's placesI hunt that never see another boot print all year.Another decline in pressure also has to do with changing demographics,gas prices and just a lack of time for many people.I grew up in Wyoming county and used to make it back there to hunt several times a year.Now I'm lucky if I make it back once a year because I simply don't have the time.It has nothing to do with a lack of deer sither because there's far more deer in that area than there is in 2G.Another often overlooked reason for the lack of hunters lately in the lack of doe tags.2g went from having 52000 tags in 2004 to only 19000 in 2006.I haven't had a 2G tag since 2004 and I know I wouldn't make a trip halfway accross the state to hunt if I couldn't get a doe tag there but I could get one closer to home.Lastly,there's simply less deer.Guy's used to be spoiled by the easy hunting.Now it takes more effort to kill a deer and they'll simply hunt where they have the best chance,especially if they don't have to drive as far.

BTBowhunter

I have hunted 2F for almost 40 years and have seen the same trend there as well. The only difference I see is that hunter numbers began dropping off way before the HR program started.A large number ofpeople simply dont go as far or work as hard to hunt any more. There are less deer in 2F as well and the old strategy of picking a good stump to sit on for opening day and the Saturdays doesnt work nearly as well as it used to.

The hunters that do come to the big woods dont stay near as long either. The weekend before deer season used to cause traffic jams and town was busy all week. Now those few that do come leave early. Our camp is about a mile out of Tionesta and we're on way for many coming from the woods to hit either rt 36 0r 62 to go home and the traffic from hunters headed home starts around 9AM on opening day and is continuous till well past dark.

Pawildman

Gas prices, deer numbers in different places, etc. have played a big role in fewer hunters out there, as well as the length of time spent in the woods. I also feel that some other factors are at play. Generally speaking, people don't work as hard as they used to. Machines and tecnology have made it physically easier to do your job. Hence, people just plain aren't as tough as they used to be, which translates to not hunting as hard. This may help explain partly why even the younger hunters, who have the stamina and energy, don't hunt hard. They have watched Dad and Uncle Henry hunt a half a day, and they think this is how it's done. We all certainly know what video games have done to our young hunters. They just simply don't have the desire to go out and hunt. It's just too easy to be occupied by some thing that doesn't take much energy to do. Combined with working moms who don't have the time to cook good, home-cooked meals and rely on McGreaseburger for dinner, lazy role models, and those dam*^#d video games, plus the reality that hunting is not as well accepted in today's society as in years past, it's just no wonder the hunter numbers are dwindling.