WOW! Congratulations Pa Game Commission

We have a new modern day low buck harvest!.... Found this over on pa-outdoors

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Game Commission today reported that hunters harvested an estimated 308,920 deer in the state’s 2009-10 seasons, which is an eight percent decline from the previous seasons’ harvest of 335,850.


Hunters took 108,330 antlered deer in the 2009-10 seasons, down 11 percent from the previous license year’s harvest of 122,410, but similar to the 2007-08 harvest of 109,200. Also, hunters harvested 200,590 antlerless deer in 2009-10, which is a six percent decline from the 213,440 antlerless deer taken in 2008-09. The 2007-08 antlerless deer harvest was 213,870.


Bureau of Wildlife Management personnel currently are working to develop 2010 antlerless deer license allocation recommendations for the April Board meeting. Calvin W. DuBrock, Game Commission Bureau of Wildlife Management director, said that in addition to harvest data, the staff will be looking at population trends, deer reproduction, forest regeneration, and deer-human conflict for each Wildlife Management Unit (WMU).


Harvest estimates for 2009-10 seasons are based on 105,192 usable harvest report cards (41,251 antlered; 63,941 antlerless) returned by hunters to the Commission, which included 64,945 reported by mail and 40,247 reported by the new online harvest reporting system. Reporting rates are determined by cross-referencing these report cards with the data collected from the 24,839 deer (7,942 antlered; 16,897 antlerless) examined by Game Commission personnel in the field and at processors.


For an explanation of the agency’s deer harvest estimating procedure, visit the Game Commission’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us), click on “White-Tailed Deer” icon in the center of the homepage, then scroll down and select “Deer Research” and click on “Reporting rate variability and precision of white-tailed deer harvest estimates in Pennsylvania.”


Yearling bucks comprised 49 percent of the 2009-10 antlered harvest. Since 2003, the percent of yearling bucks in the annual harvest has varied between 49 and 56 percent. Button bucks represented 22 percent of the antlerless harvest, which is the same percentage from the 2008-09 harvest.


The 2009-10 hunting seasons marked the first time crossbows were legal in statewide archery deer seasons for all hunters. In those 19 WMUs outside of the three urban areas, the archery harvest increased 13 percent. The proportion of the archery harvest taken by crossbows in the 19 WMUs increased from 15 percent to 30 percent. Crossbows have been legal in urban WMUs of 2B, 5C, and 5D since 2004.


Total deer harvest estimates by WMU for 2009-10 (with 2008-09 figures in parentheses) are as follows:



WMU 1A: 5,500 (5,400) antlered, 10,700 (12,600) antlerless;



WMU 1B: 5,100 (7,500) antlered, 9,500 (13,400) antlerless;



WMU 2A: 6,800 (6,700) antlered, 13,900 (15,300) antlerless;



WMU 2B: 4,300 (4,000) antlered, 20,000 (15,300) antlerless;



WMU 2C: 6,500 (7,500) antlered, 10,900 (12,800) antlerless;



WMU 2D: 10,000 (9,500) antlered, 16,000 (15,600) antlerless;



WMU 2E: 3,700 (5,000) antlered 5,300 (6,200) antlerless;



WMU 2F: 5,200 (7,000) antlered, 6,600 (9,100) antlerless;



WMU 2G: 5,200 (6,800) antlered, 4,200 (6,500) antlerless;



WMU 3A: 3,300 (4,100) antlered, 6,000 (7,500) antlerless;



WMU 3B: 4,900 (5,500) antlered, 9,100 (9,900) antlerless;



WMU 3C: 6,200 (6,300) antlered, 7,100 (7,300) antlerless;



WMU 3D: 3,100 (3,900) antlered, 6,300 (6,700) antlerless;



WMU 4A: 3,700 (4,200) antlered, 7,400 (6,900) antlerless;



WMU 4B: 4,000 (3,900) antlered, 4,100 (3,800) antlerless;



WMU 4C: 4,700 (5,000) antlered, 7,200 (8,000) antlerless;



WMU 4D: 5,000 (6,600) antlered, 7,200 (9,300) antlerless;



WMU 4E: 4,100 (4,300) antlered, 6,300 (7,200) antlerless;



WMU 5A: 2,200 (2,100) antlered, 4,200 (3,800) antlerless;



WMU 5B: 6,000 (6,800) antlered, 11,300 (11,200) antlerless;



WMU 5C: 7,600 (8,700) antlered, 23,200 (20,200) antlerless;



WMU 5D: 1,100 (1,300) antlered, 3,900 (4,500) antlerless; and



Unknown WMU: 130 (310) antlered, 190 (140) antlerless.



Season-specific deer harvest estimates – such as archery and muzzleloader and rifle – by WMU for 2009-10 can also be calculated using harvest data from processors and report cards.


“Although we do not use season-specific harvest data for management purposes, we recognize the public is interested in these harvest estimates,” said Calvin W. DuBrock, Game Commission Bureau of Wildlife Management director. “For that reason only, we provide estimated deer harvest breakdowns for firearms, archery and muzzleloader seasons, but we only use total deer harvest estimates when making recommendations for each WMU.”


Season-specific deer harvest estimates are as follows:



WMU 1A: firearms, 3,300 antlered, 7,700 antlerless; archery, 2,130 antlered, 1,780 antlerless; and muzzleloader, 70 antlered, 1,220 antlerless;



WMU 1B: firearms, 3,500 antlered, 7,800 antlerless; archery, 1,580 antlered, 1,100 antlerless; muzzleloader, 20 antlered, 600 antlerless;



WMU 2A: firearms, 5,000 antlered, 11,000 antlerless; archery, 1,770 antlered, 1,390 antlerless; muzzleloader, 30 antlered, 1,510 antlerless;



WMU 2B: firearms, 1,700 antlered, 10,600 antlerless; archery, 2,530 antlered, 7,930 antlerless; muzzleloader, 70 antlered, 1,470 antlerless;



WMU 2C: firearms, 4,500 antlered, 8,600 antlerless; archery, 1,230 antlered, 1,120 antlerless; muzzleloader, 50 antlered, 1,070 antlerless;



WMU 2D: firearms, 6,600 antlered, 11,800 antlerless; archery, 3,320 antlered, 2,050 antlerless; muzzleloader, 80 antlered, 2,150 antlerless;



WMU 2E: firearms, 2,700 antlered, 4,200 antlerless; archery, 970 antlered, 560 antlerless; muzzleloader, 30 antlered, 540 antlerless;



WMU 2F: firearms, 4,200 antlered, 5,500 antlerless; archery, 980 antlered, 520 antlerless; muzzleloader, 20 antlered, 580 antlerless;



WMU 2G: firearms, 4,400 antlered, 2,800 antlerless; archery, 760 antlered, 600 antlerless; muzzleloader, 40 antlered, 800 antlerless;



WMU 3A: firearms, 2,700 antlered, 4,800 antlerless; archery, 590 antlered, 530 antlerless; muzzleloader, 10 antlered, 670 antlerless;



WMU 3B: firearms, 3,700 antlered, 6,900 antlerless; archery, 1,160 antlered, 970 antlerless; muzzleloader, 40 antlered, 1,230 antlerless;



WMU 3C: firearms, 5,100 antlered, 5,200 antlerless; archery, 1,060 antlered, 810 antlerless; muzzleloader, 40 antlered, 1,090 antlerless;



WMU 3D: firearms, 2,200 antlered, 4,500 antlerless; archery, 1,050 antlered, 910 antlerless; muzzleloader, 20 antlered, 750 antlerless;



WMU 4A: firearms, 3,200 antlered, 5,900 antlerless; archery, 450 antlered, 630 antlerless; muzzleloader, 50 antlered, 870 antlerless;



WMU 4B: firearms, 2,900 antlered, 2,800 antlerless; archery, 1,080 antlered, 700 antlerless; muzzleloader, 20 antlered, 600 antlerless;



WMU 4C: firearms, 3,200 antlered, 5,200 antlerless; archery, 1,470 antlered, 1,140 antlerless; muzzleloader, 30 antlered, 860 antlerless;



WMU 4D: firearms, 3,800 antlered, 5,600 antlerless; archery, 1,150 antlered, 880 antlerless; muzzleloader, 50 antlered, 720 antlerless;



WMU 4E: firearms, 2,900 antlered, 4,800 antlerless; archery, 1,170 antlered, 820 antlerless; muzzleloader, 30 antlered, 680 antlerless;



WMU 5A: firearms, 1,600 antlered, 3,000 antlerless; archery, 580 antlered, 670 antlerless; muzzleloader, 20 antlered, 530 antlerless;



WMU 5B: firearms, 3,100 antlered, 7,000 antlerless; archery, 2,840 antlered, 3,000 antlerless; muzzleloader, 60 antlered, 1,300 antlerless;



WMU 5C: firearms, 3,300 antlered, 12,700 antlerless; archery, 4,190 antlered, 8,920 antlerless; muzzleloader, 110 antlered, 1,580 antlerless;



WMU 5D: firearms, 300 antlered, 1,200 antlerless; archery, 780 antlered, 2,620 antlerless; muzzleloader, 20 antlered, 80 antlerless; and



Unknown WMU: firearms, 0 antlered, 170 antlerless; archery, 130 antlered, 20 antlerless; muzzleloader, 0 antlered, 0 antlerless.

All the posts in deer season about some hunters seeing way more bucks since HR and AR must just be lookin at um, the sure as heck ain't shootin em......WF

"Many states and their hunters would love to have that kind of harvest and deer population"

Id be more than happy to give them ours. How much lower numbers are we supposed to just "suck up"? Its bad enough if the pathetic numbers were to stay the same, let alone the ridiculous continual declining overall trends.


The states that would like our harvests are states that have valid reasons for lower harvests...and have nothing to do with a completely failed deer management program. There are those that have climate and habitat that cant support reasonable deer numbers such as those to the north & states 1/2 to 1/5 Pa's size, or have less than 1/10 the number of hunters... lol. We dont need to look at other states....All we need do is look at ourselves and the fact we have just about cut our buck harvest in half since the 200,000+ harvests, and you have to go back about 50 Years to find another year where so few bucks were actually reported.

Thats not making me feel alot better about our ridiculous deer management program dpms. lol. Those harvest stats show the continual downhill slide straight down the crapper.

Can't you see the decline in the harvest numbers?? How can someone say they remain strong? The numbers show a downward spiral in the kill numbers which have to mirror a continued population decline. These are REAL numbers and the powers that be should be embarresed at the results.

"The deer population is not what it used to be Wayne, and probably never will be again."

Nor do i expect it to be. I also dont expect decades lows harvests, a barely over 100k buck harvest and a still continuing to decline herd at this point in the game.

"The fact remains though that our deer population currently is strong"

Thats your opinion. Your welcome to it. Mine strongly differs. I would understand if "some" were to think we had "enough" though id disagree... But "strong"? lol. No offense, but thats a bit over the top if you ask me.

" and our harvests continually are near the top nationwide. "

Not hardly. Only when you compare states who use actual reports vs. our bogus applied 60% noncompliance "fudge job". Even then you also have to consider our harvests arent even sustainable!! These harvests represent a continual decline to the herd because our harvests are overcoming recruitment and have been for a long time. Is nice that you hold those positions though dpms... There are fewer and fewer of you by the year and its nice to have differing views in these discussions.

"Just stating the fact the Pa. still has lots of deer."

Thats not a fact. Thats your opinion.

One man may thing anything more than several deer is alot of deer. Another may think what we had previously, or what exists in most normal states was alot of deer.

I just signed up for the non-credit course at the local community college "factoring the fudge".  I see I have alot to learn about the deer debate. 
 
I guess until our harvest estimates are proven wrong, I will continue to believe that we kill alot of deer in Pa.  Not to mention the slaughter on our highways which also is near the top in our nation.   Of course there has got to be some "fudge" in there to. 
 
 

"Not to mention the slaughter on our highways which also is near the top in our nation. Of course there has got to be some "fudge" in there to."

Actually you could say that I guess. Jerry Feaser addressed it in a fairly recent edition of Pa outdoor news when asked why we still rate so high even though the herd has been severly reduced. Said Pas rating of deer auto collissions is a product of a high populated state, with tons of roads and isnt comparable to other states. Said the insurance companies came out with the stats for advertising and to grab attention for their companies.. So if you have a problem with that "fudge", take it up with pgc.

Sounds like Doc may have retired and the PGC picked DPMS to be the new web advocate for their policy. Since DPMS thinks a 47% reduction in the buck harvest from pre HR is a good thing I'am sure he would have no problem if his employer cut his wages by the same 47%. After you would still be making STRONG wages. MANY would be glad to have your reduced wages. Our harvests have fallen down the list unless you try to compare us to huge states like Rhode Island, Deleware, and Maryland. That's why more of Pa. hunters are going to other states and those folks are staying away from here.

This year the buck kill will hit an all time low,less than 100,000,and lower the year after that,and lower,and lower,and lower.209,000 does? Thats about 45,000 plus buttons removed from the herds,thats just great,45,000 more bucks in the woods this fall would look nice.Just too much doe hunting,and to many tags,PGC should adjust doe tags on a yearly base,build the herd up and reduce tags,adjust tags to the deer herd,when and if they turn it around,they could give out more tags and more days to hunt,but there's not going to be much or any change,the PGC got us just where they want.

I predicted 106,000. I was close. It should be up next year, just like it was two years ago. Then it'll be down the following year, just like it was this past year.


I'll tell you what's REALLY sad. We have 970,000 hunters and only 105,000 harvest cards were reported. Why haven't you addressed this wayne ?


Did you kill a buck last year ?

Some of you people are too greedy. I got mine and the hell with you. Most people on these boards care about the future of hunting, not just last year, this year or next. The more vocal posters all seem to be older hunters who can see the continual downturn in deer hunting. Some of you others think " I got mine cause I'm a great hunter. Do like me and you will be a great hunter also." Can't kill what ain't there.Solution: go somewhere else. Genius!!! Sooner or later they won't be there either.....WF

This is another bull--it complaint of the PGC that they have completely in their control to prevent if they choose to. Past history shows that as far back as you care to go there was never better than a 55% reporting rate. Even when the PGC was highly thought of by our parents, records show that unless forced to, humans are a bit lazy by nature when it comes to being incovienced, however slightly. The audit showed that Penna has the least stringent reporting requirments of most of the surrounding states.
All that is required is for the PGC to mandate a report to be filed by a given date in order to obtain a hunting license the folling year.They could set up a system so the hunter could make sure his report was received such as they had so you could check on your doe license application.By taking that simple step you would have 100% reporting.
Until that is done there is no reason to believe the reporting rate will ever increase and everyone, including the PGC knows it, and has known it for years. It's entirely up to the PGC and one has to wonder if they really want to lose the ability to estimate the harvest.

The issue arises when hunters complain about deer number actuals, but don't do their part. Wayne -- what harvest reporting did you do this year ? The system can only be as good as its participants. Incomplete data will show incomplete results. It IS actually law to submit and it's a $25 fine if you don't. But it's not enforced.

As DarDys stated, 34% response on a survey is considered an acceptable rate of return. Since everyone knows there is no enforcement of the hunters report cards there is no scientific reason to expect any better rate . Since the PGC claims to be using science in their activities there is no reason for them to expect any better return without making it mandatory and enforcing it. There are many inexpensive ways to do it and the PGC can get 100
% reporting if they want to. It makes you wonder why they don't want to. You won't lose hunters because of reporting requirements. You will lose hunters if there is nothing to report.