Audit Response----
Levdansky announces release of first independent audit of Deer Management Program HARRISBURG, Feb. 17 – The Legislative Budget and Finance Committee released findings of an audit on the Pennsylvania Game Commission's Deer Management Program Tuesday, which was the result of a resolution introduced by state Rep. David Levdansky.
Levdansky's resolution (
H.R. 642) was passed by the legislature in April 2008 to secure the first independent analysis of the commission's efforts to decrease what they say was a swelling deer population. The Wildlife Management Institute conducted the audit to determine if the state is harvesting the right number of deer of the appropriate age and sex ratio, in the right locations, and if the program is having the desired impact on habitat and forest regeneration.
"The Pennsylvania Game Commission's system of estimating deer populations and deer harvest has been a divisive and controversial issue among hunters for years, so it was important to find a reputable, professional and unbiased consultant to do the study," said Levdansky, D-Allegheny/Washington. "Wildlife Management Institute was chosen to conduct the study based on its past record of similar work and its reputation for professionalism."
Levdansky said the audit shows some changes are needed in some of the commission's methods, especially when it comes to measuring the conditions of forests, gathering public comments, validating herd health and the estimated annual deer harvest.
"My hope is that the Game Commission addresses those recommendations," Levdansky said. "I would also hope hunters and sportsmen's organizations would take time to read the report and get better insight into the program. The report did state that the science used by the Game Commission, in WMI’s opinion, is well founded."
State Rep. Ed Staback, chairman of the House Game and Fisheries Committee, added,
"I do agree with many of the findings of the report and believe it will well serve the ongoing discussions about how best to manage the deer population for the betterment of our woodlands and our sportsmen. The more information we can have, the better."
Staback, D-Lackawana/Wayne, continued, "I was particularly interested in the suggestion for better reporting requirements for hunters. That is an issue I have been working on prior to the release of this document and hope to offer legislation that will provoke better data collection on kill rates from all deer hunters. Improving the accuracy of those kill numbers will be a great help in improving population estimates."
"I'm not just a legislator," Levdansky added. "Like 900,000 Pennsylvanians, I'm a whitetail deer hunter and for the first time in 40 years, I didn't go to deer camp because of the lack of deer. It's important we address this issue, because it goes well beyond the impact on a hunter's odds of killing a deer. It affects tourism, local economies, forest regeneration and other wildlife. And as a father of two sons, I'm worried about the next generation of deer hunters.
"My hope is that with the completion and release of this independent audit, the Game Commission, General Assembly, hunters and all public stakeholder interests will now have the data and methodology in place to manage the deer resource throughout Pennsylvania," Levdansky continued. "And hopefully, this audit will result in an ensuing public debate that can be constructive and focused on recalibrating our deer management goals and objectives