Do you want more deer in PA

[DaveYak]

[font="times new roman"]That's good to know, because I was told personally by a PGC officer (who will remain nameless) that the PGC didn't account for predation because it was too difficult to figure it out.[/font]
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[font="times new roman"]Thanks Everyday for clearing that up, my apologies for misstating the facts![/font]
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[font="times new roman"]DaveYak[/font]

[ishman]

Did I just read the exact same reply on 3 different threads? WTF

[DannyBouy]

It has been manditory to register all kills up here for as long as I can remember. My province is mostly buck only, spikes included becuse our populations have been low the past 15+ years. There have been doe tags issued by lottery in certian management zones. Now that the populations are getting back up, our DNR (Department of Natural Resources) is opening up some management zones to either sex and one zone will allow 2 deer. The rest of the provingce is still doe by lottery.

As far as lack of deer in the mountains, does your game authority break the state up into zones and issue tags according to the population of each zone? I mean these arent stupid people. They have conducted studies as to how many healthy deer and area with hold. Could there be excessive poaching in the mountians? I know that happens in most places the more remote yyou get.

Do you have to register your harvest with the game authority? If not, you probably should. Even if they gave an incentive to do so, something as simple as a crest for your hunting vest/jacket.

Just some commentary & thoughts.....

[jstriner]

Andy,

Where I hunt at, no one kills a doe either. Hopefully it will help with the population, but who knows?

[AbsoluteArchery]

I hunt with Tex and not picking side but i can agree with both parties ... I hunt northampton county in WMU's 3D AND 5C and i also hunt in 3C in East Troy right around Mt. Pisgah. I will also go on the record saying that i am 24 yrs old and have been hunting since i was 12, and to this day i remember my first year in the woods and seeing 45 deer in 4 hours.

I will agree and say that the herds aren't moving like they used to but that doesn't mean they are not there, i think another factor we need to look at is the speed of development that went on in the state of PA in the past 10 years moved deer around out of they normal home ranges and make them change their patterns.

What i have observed over the past say 5 years is that i am not seeing as many as i used to but the Quality has gone up...My opinion on doe management is that guys need to stop shooting the first thing that walks by because i work part time for a deer processor and there are some deer that come in and i swear they are smaller than my lab. Give deer a chance to mature before you shoot thats what the 3pt rule was made for to let buck mature before shooting so lets use our heads guys and think before you shoot that doe

[SlyAsADoe]

This post is for Tex3012, I've heard this calculation so many times on Doe to Buck that I just laugh at the storytellers.

Now let's look at it another way.  I live on a section of land in Indiana Co. Let's say over 50 acres.   There are two main herds that run on this land, one Buck has 7-10 Doe and the other 5-8.  (I'm tired of getting texts from friends saying they are spotting my deer and have a head count of 15+)

A few weeks ago a Buck got hit by a car and left his 5-8 Doe scrambling (I've seen them acting all crazy looking for him or the other Buck).  It's claimed that each Doe will have twins..that is USUAL and but not always the case and you can figure that one of the twins will get killed...because the Mt. Lion (even though we supposedly don't have them) has been known to take down at least one or two of the twins, the same with the coyotes that run through my back field...(deer carcasses have been found).

Here is my problem - no Doe has been SHOT around here for YEARS... Why - because people "claim" they can't get Doe tags or because they just won't shoot them. 

Just suppose all these Buck hunters out here DID take the 2 or 3 reproducing Buck that are left here - that means unless another Buck moves in or the young ones get older, that the remaining 10-15 Doe will be left.  To me it would make a LITTLE more sense to take out a few Doe and leave the Buck to POPULATE the deer herds.

1 Buck + 5 Doe = 10 babies
1 Buck + 4 Doe = 8 babies
0 Buck + 5 Doe = 0 babies cuz it's been over a year since she could find a Buck

Oh Tex you know you can't eat the antlers, if you're only after a trophy - go fishing and leave the meat to us venison eaters [:)]

[roughrider 123]

Ok, I was out for 8.5 hours total in 5c on private property monday and today. I saw 2 does today and nothing yesterday. I heard 2 shots each day. They increased the doe permits for 5c this year why? I hunted 6 weeks straight for bow and can tell you that maybe 5 to 8 doe live on the 60 acres I hunt. The bucks are older and a damn sight smarter. I have had 5 cameras out since sept. and cannot believe the amount of bucks that cruise thru the property that I have not seen from stand. The vast majority of pictures are during late midnight hours with only the last 4 days of october and early november an exception. They are now back to late night running again. This property is not open hardwoods but thick honey suckle that I have to cut trails in to walk to stands. I have been amazed at how they stay hidden and have not seen any sign of daytime rut activity. I know for a fact that the number of different bucks cruising thru here out number the does 2 to 1. I'm hoping the january hunt gets them up in the daylight.

roughrider out

[SlyAsADoe]

Roughrider, it sounds like your deer have you figured out.  It sounds like they are running late and possibly close to no moon nights.  The doe around here are usually in my backfield before sundown except during hunting season (I'm sure because of the hunters around) and select times (ie: coyote moving through area, full moon etc). 

Unfortunately the Mennonites try to poach them (3am on a Sat morning a few weeks ago, though they missed).  But I can work on my trails through the woods and the Doe will lay perfectly still along one of many fallen trees on the hillside.  The only time they spook is if I get too close or spend too much time watching THEM.  Of course these Doe know me and I could hit them with a slingshot from the back porch about an hour after dark

[SlyAsADoe]

DannyBouy,
  The state will never be able to calculate how many deer there are from year to year.  They are still denying that there are mountain lions in this state and they account for a lot of the bambi taken down each year.  We had a mother and 2 babies around here for a year or so and she was killing off many of the babies teaching HER babies how to get em.  There are also a lot of coyote in the state and between those two animals..well they do have to eat.

It could be in the mountain area they are talking about, could have more of those large cats and coyote.. there is no way of telling when the state won't admit the mountain lions are there.

PS: Where do people think that Penn State got their mascot?  lol

[tex3012]

@slyasadoe.. you really need to get out more and not state opinions upon the deer in your backyard...

also if you read past my first post youll understand why i said what i did...[edited].

take care, goodluck..