deer populations

I'm inquiring folks that hunt PA, the Northern Tier perferably.

All bow seasons combined....with permits, including DMAP's. Would it be correct that cross bows are more popular and combined with rifle is creating low deer populations, especially does ? I cannot see rifle contributing as much as bow for just a 2 week time period.

 

What would be the hunter success rate for tagging deer using all methods you mention? Up, static or down compared to other years?

 

over harvests, it's obvious to draw that conclusion just from reading my post, I hope that helps you understand. But you aren't from PA, so you don't know the ecology there.

 

How did you reach that conclusion?

 

Tiggy is that you old buddy

Sent from my Pixel 10 Pro XL using Tapatalk

 

I noticed you edited/deleted the part of your original post asking him "can you read?". Interesting. I'll ask you again, how do you know he's not from Pa?

 

Here's the answer to your question about low deer populations up there, and in many other Pa. counties.

When I first started deer hunting in Pa. back in the mid 70's, I hunted in Bradford county (northern tier). There were a TON of deer in Bradford, Tioga, and Potter counties. These three counties ALWAYS led the state in total deer kill, every single year for a long time. Back then, buck and doe season were two different/seperate seasons. Buck was a two week season, and doe a two or three day season, which allowed the Pa. deer herd to maintain consistent numbers.
Then, in 2001 the State implemented the concurrent deer seasons. That's when the bottom started to fall out of the Pa. deer population. The rest is history.

 

And during the the doe season, how many doe were you allowed to shoot ? As of right now, it only one, but there's DMAP areas that you can kill up to 1 in one DMAP, not counting coupons from private land owners, Plus WMU permit, so it sounds like since 2001, too many permits were allocated.

So the 2 or 3 day doe hunts, really slowed down harvest rates because locals couldn't get anymore time off form work to hunt other than opening day of rifle, Monday, just opening day, and after work. Monday employers gave their employee off to hunt.

So what about bow seasons, how did that work the same as rifle ?

 

Back then it was one doe, regardless of what county you hunted, period. Now, depending on which WMU you're hunting, you can get multiple doe tags. But, the important thing to remember is now you can kill either sex on any given day of the season, provided you have a doe tag for that WMU. One good thing is, Pa. remains a one buck per season state.

A guy I used to work for would kill 6 or 7 doe in a season in Delaware county, which is a Special Regs WMU. Don't know what it is now (I don't kill does), but it used to be almost unlimited doe tags in Delco.

 

so separating season before 01' really controlled population in WMU's ? Is it because of the reasons I listed in my other post? I quoted part of my post........

 

No but I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express once. Describe the ecology, please. There are a number of influences that affect wildlife populations.

 

It's being narrowed down to what early in said....non separate buck doe seasons. Habitat is there from Logging, clearcuts, shelterwoods, food supply.

 

Back then they didn't even have WMUs, they just went by county for doe permits. Pa. started WMUs in 2003. Schools up north used to close on Monday for opening day of buck season. I think some still do, even though they changed OD to Saturday.

 

so breaking up counties by WMU's allocated more permits ? And too many does were taken ? Like hypothetically doubled allocations ?

 

Pretty much so.

 

That's funny!

 

Thank you and my apologies for my attitude.

 

If you spend enough time on the internet, you'll learn to take attitudes with a grain of salt. Life's too short young man.

 

It's frustrating with sources, but I had one guy who raises deer for oufitters and the PGC practically shut him down. He always said the PGC is screwed up and I tend to agree. As far as me being young, not quite.

 

I'm 68, so you're probably a young man relative to my age. Anyway, I have to applaud the Penna. Game Commission for instituting antler restrictions, it's probably the best move they've ever made, in my opinion.