lost horn

Sorry, I will try to stay on topic.

DanV

100 % for it! Its working! Bucks are up- saw 10 (non legal) bucks in 9 days of hunting. Does are down- avg 17 per day. (avg 40, 2 years ago)
The buck to doe ratio is beginning to come down to where it suppossed to be for a healthy deer heard and for our forests to regenerate.
Habitat, habitat, habitat. There will be no deer, or any other species, without first preserving and/or creating habitat!
Wildlife needs a place to live, Wide open forests do not work for any creature.

doughboysigep

DanV

Nice handle - same as me

Ghostfarm

for it

Saw more "nice" racks

30 years old

If you're a meat hunter than a doe tatses just as good as a any buck. Your 1 to 1 deer ratio in relation to total deer density is dictated solely on the habitat. Habitat is also the BEST indicator of wether you have too many deer. Look and see if you have any tulip poplar, white ash, oak and other favored species sprouting. If you don't know what deer prefer look it up. If these plants aren't there you have too many deer period. How many people are versed enough to make this determination without letting what happened in the past etc.. cloud their judgement? DCNR is doing aerial infrared surveillance as we speak to assist the PGC in determining deer densities in select areas across the state. This coupled with the harvest figures coming out in March will determine how many doe tags will be given out in "05" This is management, you respond to whatever your numbers show and make a determination to reach your goals. It is a private outfit doing the surveys. Why should the PGC be intimidated by arm chair biologists when they have the tools at their disposal and knowledge (despite what some think) to manage our deer herd????

lost horn

For it ?

1 spike, 1 small 6 pointer, 6 doe.

Age 59

I can't see how it could work in Pa. most of the land is privately owned with most of the hunters hunting on public land, as for the DCNR aerial surveillance I trust that as much as I trusted the calculated harvest that started back in 1985.
I don't hunt just for the meat, it would be cheaper to buy it or pick up a road kill. But I do like it.

BTBowhunter

I've been in the Fox Chapel suburban deer control program for 11 years now. they've done aerial infrared surveys since it started and I know that the people on the ground don't trust the results and thats only an area right around 5 square miles! We've (the hunters and the police who run the program) had big differences of opinion with the aerial surveys more than once.

I'm sure technology is getting better and it may be easier to be accurate in less poulated areas (people populations) but I would view it with skepticism.

Ghostfarm

It seems as though nobody wants to believe what "they" say. I would really hate to be in their jobs. Deer give off a specific heat signature. Thick cover such as hemlock or rhodonendron will result in missed deer. I have a cheap 300 dollar unit and Counting more than you see is not a problem even from 200+ yards. We rely on this technology for our military and civilian police in urban and rural applications and it's not technology that is viewed with skepticism in this realm, apply it to deer counts though....... While it is not flawless it can give a pretty accurate assessment of our deer herd when combined with harvest results.
We can all sit back and shoot holes in something I mean what would you guys do that is practical and stands up to scientific criticism.?

bullmoose38

lost horn
It does work! Think about it a deer will roam over 30 miles. Your telling me a deer will not leave private land in that distance. If deer never left private land I would just hunt the borders between public and private land. I will say it doesnt work as well as it does on private land. And thats because of one reason. Its called MENTALITY! How many times do you here this? IF I DONT SHOOT IT THE NEXT GUY WILL. I know not everyone likes what is going on in PA. And thats ok everyone has an opinion and thats what makes this forum great!

bullmoose38

I forgot 1 thing in my last post. lost horn, You are right your first buck is 1 of your greatest trophy. If I would like to see a change it would be anybody that never shot a buck could shoot anything. But for that to happen the state would need checking stations.

lost horn

Well how about that, those so called experts had me believe all of these years that deer lived less than two miles from where it was borned, next they will be telling me that the deer layed the gypsy moth eggs that killed the oaks back in the 1990's.
Thanks