Don't expect better buck hunting in PA
11-11-2004, 07:31 AM
#11
Fork Horn
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Bruceton mills WV USA
Posts: 253
RE: Don't expect better buck hunting in PA
Lets see your growing older and now smarter deer dont you think you may need to adjust you hunting stragity to see the bigger deer. Also just a quick question do you shoot does?
11-11-2004, 08:35 AM
#12
Join Date: May 2004
Location:
Posts: 255
RE: Don't expect better buck hunting in PA
Mike, you just have to wait 10-20 years to find out whether its the deer that cause all the problems of pa's forests or not..... Thats not too big a price to pay is it? A reduced herd for a few decades is supposed to be groovy, since Dr. Alt made us all conservationists we are supposed to embrace the wildflowers and lower numbers. Hehe....I almost said that with a straight face!
Now I'm giggling....
whoooooo... that was a good one, I cracked myself up.
Time will tell the tale, you might not being seeing many deer, but not everyone will sympathize with you, because thier area has not been affected....YET.
sometimes its because they have plenty of time to go out and hunt, they of course do not empathize with anyone who may be limited. They may be sitting in a WMU that is three times over its DD goals and can't understand why anyone would complain.
Or they may just be of the ilk that if they get a deer, then who cares about the rest of the state.....! That is a common issue, people look very short term and not down the road very far. But we have only a few weeks until rifle season, and when it is over you might just have a few more posters here asking questions.
Its hard for some folks to admit they got punk'd by Gary's rack waving. Some will continue to depend on wishfull thinking to get them by. And the current PGC press release on the upcoming season is a beautifull example of that wishfull thinking.
Lower expectations, and then cross your fingers and hope for the best. now thats Pa deer managment!
Now I'm giggling....whoooooo... that was a good one, I cracked myself up.
Time will tell the tale, you might not being seeing many deer, but not everyone will sympathize with you, because thier area has not been affected....YET.
sometimes its because they have plenty of time to go out and hunt, they of course do not empathize with anyone who may be limited. They may be sitting in a WMU that is three times over its DD goals and can't understand why anyone would complain.
Or they may just be of the ilk that if they get a deer, then who cares about the rest of the state.....! That is a common issue, people look very short term and not down the road very far. But we have only a few weeks until rifle season, and when it is over you might just have a few more posters here asking questions.
Its hard for some folks to admit they got punk'd by Gary's rack waving. Some will continue to depend on wishfull thinking to get them by. And the current PGC press release on the upcoming season is a beautifull example of that wishfull thinking.
Lower expectations, and then cross your fingers and hope for the best. now thats Pa deer managment!
11-11-2004, 09:16 AM
#13
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location:
Posts: 15,451
RE: Don't expect better buck hunting in PA
Iowa dont have Ar's And they shoot very few doe and have huge bucks.This idea less does will make good bucks also is a fabricated stat. I dont have any problem with a AR program,but slaughter all the doe. Thats stupid. It all comes down to the PGC is getting there pockets lined with special interest groups.
11-11-2004, 10:20 AM
#14
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Phoenixville, PA USA
Posts: 5,541
RE: Don't expect better buck hunting in PA
I'm glad all you deer biologists are chipping in here. Before spouting off, take some wildlife management courses or read some articles and become informed. The way the PGC ran its deer program prior to these changes was horrible and now they are addressing it. Things always appear to be getting worse before they get better.
BTW, I have a minor in wildlife and fisheries science so I am informed on the subject.
BTW, I have a minor in wildlife and fisheries science so I am informed on the subject.
11-11-2004, 10:32 AM
#15
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 491
RE: Don't expect better buck hunting in PA
BTW, I have a minor in wildlife and fisheries science so I am informed on the subject.
Then maybe you can answer this question? If we have more deer than ever ,and over the past two years we saved 99,000 buck, why did the PGC say we will have about the same number of buck this year as last year,when we harvested 142K buck, 61K less than in 2001?
11-11-2004, 10:58 AM
#16
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Jim Thorpe, PA
Posts: 536
RE: Don't expect better buck hunting in PA
bbear...
Absolutely I do. I want to believe Dr Alt when he tells me we are over-run with does.
And if I hunted, and could therefore manage my own private hunting preserve, I wouldn't complain either.
do you shoot does?
We have been useing the same regulations on our property in WV
11-11-2004, 11:29 AM
#17
Fork Horn
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Bruceton mills WV USA
Posts: 253
RE: Don't expect better buck hunting in PA
They do what we did get some friends togather and lease some hunting land. You would be suprised how cheap it is for 10 or 12 guys or gals to do it on as little as 650 acers and not get in oneanothers way.
11-11-2004, 06:20 PM
#18
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Southeast PA
Posts: 1,490
RE: Don't expect better buck hunting in PA
There is a lot of emotion on this subject, and everyone has a different opinion and twist to "What's best". It still comes down to how many deer are killed every year in each of our respective areas. If deer sightings are down just because you have a deer tag does not mean you have to pull the trigger when given the opportunity. If deer numbers are down in your area you should use discretion and possibly let your opportunity pass. Believe it or not we can make a difference in our respective areas by using our own common sense. Most of us hunt in groups and can work together to amange the deer herd.
11-11-2004, 07:55 PM
#19
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 3,236
RE: Don't expect better buck hunting in PA
ORIGINAL: White-tail-deer
There is a lot of emotion on this subject, and everyone has a different opinion and twist to "What's best". It still comes down to how many deer are killed every year in each of our respective areas. If deer sightings are down just because you have a deer tag does not mean you have to pull the trigger when given the opportunity. If deer numbers are down in your area you should use discretion and possibly let your opportunity pass. Believe it or not we can make a difference in our respective areas by using our own common sense. Most of us hunt in groups and can work together to amange the deer herd.
There is a lot of emotion on this subject, and everyone has a different opinion and twist to "What's best". It still comes down to how many deer are killed every year in each of our respective areas. If deer sightings are down just because you have a deer tag does not mean you have to pull the trigger when given the opportunity. If deer numbers are down in your area you should use discretion and possibly let your opportunity pass. Believe it or not we can make a difference in our respective areas by using our own common sense. Most of us hunt in groups and can work together to amange the deer herd.
Any thoughts deaddeer?
11-11-2004, 09:02 PM
#20
Typical Buck
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Mifflin Co. Pa
Posts: 829
RE: Don't expect better buck hunting in PA
This season also started out pretty slow for me too. But within this past week i have spotted 8 different legal bucks, two of which were monsters. And i'm hunting gamelands that i've only hunted a handful of times. This is by far my best year for spotting nice bucks.