Penn’s Outdoors

Here are the highlights for deer hunters from the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Winter Meetings. Quotes are from the PGC press releases.

1. Deer Season changes have been proposed for next year but there is no major change in deer management strategy for Pennsylvania.

The only substantial change for the deer hunting seasons is a proposal to have a five-day, antlered deer only season in Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) 2D, 2G, 3C and 4B starting the Monday after Thanksgiving, followed immediately by seven days of concurrent, antlered and antlerless deer hunting. The proposed package retains the two-week (12-day) concurrent, antlered and antlerless season in the remaining 18 WMUs. The change to the four WMUs is to evaluate the impact of changed season length on hunter success rates for future use as a new management tool.

I know that there was a lot of division on this issue.  I am trying to stay optimistic that this was a step in the right direction toward a more balanced approach to deer management.

2. There is no change in sight for PA’s deer management strategy.

Additionally, the Board specifically directed staff to prepare a four-year study to determine the impact and effectiveness of the proposed five-day antlered/seven-day concurrent season on the deer management plan before additional WMUs may be considered for this season configuration.

Great, we have to wait four years before any further action will even be considered.  I understand not wanting to act hastily but this doesn’t seem right to me.  It is a classic political strategy to delay, delay, delay. And one of the ways to delay is to say that the issue is being studied.  This makes it appear that they are doing something when in fact they are doing nothing but keeping their current policy in place.  We’ll see…

3. Board elected Palone President.

This may be the most concerning part of these meetings, for me, though we knew it would happen.  When the former President of the Game Commission publically criticized some issues with our current deer management survey, some of the other Commissioners got angry with him and tried to have him removed from his office.  Ms. Palone, a staunch advocate of the current deer management strategy, was actively involved in the whole thing. I don’t want to rehash it here but you can read the article describing the debacle by Jim Slinsky. 

I’m trying to remain hopeful that she will make a good President but the whole incident left a bad taste in my mouth.

4.  The choice of firearms we can use will stay the same.

As part of the 2008-09 deer season frameworks, the Board proposed to continue to permit the use of crossbows statewide for hunting bear and elk and during any of the firearms deer seasons - including the regular firearms deer seasons, the early muzzleloader season and the late flintlock muzzleloader season - and in all deer seasons in WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D, which are the most urbanized areas in the state.

No real big news here but I thought you may want to know.

5. Some Wildlife Management Units may change.

1) the boundary between WMUs 2C and 2E near Ebensburg was not clear on the state highway map or on the ground and needed correction;

2) new highway construction around Lewistown has changed the location of Route 22, the boundary between 4B and 4D, requiring a map correction;

3) the boundary between WMUs 3B and 3C between Towanda and Tunkhannock is Route 6, which closely follows the Susquehanna River. Using the river as the boundary will reduce hunter access problems and property split problems and better-align WMU and township boundaries;

4) due to continuing increases in human populations in southeast Pennsylvania, the north/south border of WMU 5C around Reading and Allentown was shifted farther north, affecting boundaries with WMUs 5B, 4C and 3D; and

5) the east/west boundary between WMUs 5C and 5B were moved farther west to include more of Chester County and a portion of Lancaster County.

I don’t have anything to say here except to wonder out loud if I’m the only one who gets easily confused by the WMU system.

6. Proposed Deer Seasons look like this.

DEER, ARCHERY (Antlerless Only) WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D: Sept. 20-Oct. 3, Nov. 17-29 and Dec. 15-23. One antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER, ARCHERY (Antlered and Antlerless) Statewide, including WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D: Oct. 4-Nov. 15 and Dec. 26-Jan. 10. One antlered deer per hunting license year. One antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER (Antlered and Antlerless) WMUs 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 2C, 2E, 2F, 3A, 3B, 3D, 4A, 4C, 4D, 4E, 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D: Dec. 1-13. One antlered deer per hunting license year. An antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER (Antlered Only) WMUs 2D, 2G, 3C and 4B: Dec. 1-5. One antlered deer per hunting license year.DEER (Antlered and Antlerless) WMUs 2D, 2G, 3C and 4B: Dec. 6-13. One antlered deer per hunting license year. An antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER, ANTLERLESS (Statewide): Oct. 23-25. Junior and Senior License Holders, Disabled Person Permit (to use a vehicle) Holders, and Pennsylvania residents serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Services or in the U.S. Coast Guard only, with required antlerless license. Also included are persons who have reached or will reach their 65th birthday in the year of the application for a license and hold a valid adult license, or qualify for license and fee exemptions under section 2706. One antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER, ANTLERLESS MUZZLELOADER (Statewide): Oct. 18-25. An antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER, ANTLERED OR ANTLERLESS FLINTLOCK (Statewide): Dec. 26-Jan. 10. One antlered per hunting license year, or one antlerless deer and an additional antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER, Antlerless (WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D): Dec. 15-23 and Dec. 26-Jan. 24. An antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER, ANTLERLESS (Military Bases): Hunting permitted on days established by the U.S. Department of the Army at Letterkenny Army Depot, Franklin County; New Cumberland Army Depot, York County; and Fort Detrick, Raven Rock Site, Adams County. An antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

Remember that these aren’t final dates yet.  Make sure to check your regulation handbook before heading out into the woods.

7. We are one step closer to electronic license ordering.

To make the agency’s license sales system more customer friendly, the Board of Game Commissioners today gave preliminary approval to a slate of regulatory changes to pave the way for a point-of-sale (POS) electronic license sales system beginning with the 2008-09 license year.

This is one of the few bright spots and it really isn’t that big of a deal.

8. Remedy to delay in doe licenses proposed.

For those planning to participate in the new early archery antlerless deer season in Wildlife Management Units 2B, 5C and 5D in 2008, the Board of Game Commissioners today gave final approval to a regulatory change requiring county treasurers to accept and issue antlerless deer licenses over-the-counter starting the second Monday of September - a week earlier - so that hunters can obtain the required licenses before heading afield.

I have to be honest that I am not real familiar with this issue but I thought this affected more than just these WMUs.

9. Farmers can get the help of two licensed hunters to kill deer causing crop damage.

In response to a change in state law, the Board of Game Commissioners today gave final approval to create a special permit process for farmers to use assistance from up to two licensed hunters to address the need to kill game or wildlife for crop damage.

We’ll have to see what effects this has on the deer population but I’ll guarantee it won’t be good.  This will allow farmers to more efficiently and effectively reduce deer herds down to a population where they won’t hurt their crops.  If you hunt land adjoining farmland with a special permit, you may be seeing even less deer.

10. Lehigh Valley rifle ban vote postponed.

This one really only affects those of you in the Lehigh Valley.  I wrote about the ban in another post but the vote on it has been delayed.  A number of people were concerned it was too broad.  They did not schedule a time for the vote.

So in other words, things are pretty much staying status quo. Some of you reading this are happy with the new deer management system producing more quality bucks.  I am happy for you for now. 

The problem is that what all of us fail to truly appreciate is how much potential these decisions have to adversely affect our future rights as hunters. Less deer…less hunters.  Less hunters…less voice.  Less voice…less hunting.  Less hunting…No Hunting.