Kasunic Antlerless Deer Season Resolution

Thursday, April 15, 2010 9:47 PM EDT
Sportsmen in favor of separating buck and doe season may have a friend in Harrisburg.

State Sen. Rich Kasunic released a resolution Thursday that asks the Pennsylvania Game Commission to revise its hunting policies.

“I think it’s time to tweak the system,” said Kasunic, who serves as Democratic chairman of the state Senate’s Game and Fisheries Committee.

The current policy of holding buck and doe seasons at the same time has been in place since 2001. But Kasunic said he advocates a shorter three-day doe season separate from a two-week buck season.

“(Hunters) are very concerned about our deer management program and the lack of deer they’re seeing in the woods,” he said. “We need to listen to the sportsmen.”

The senator’s resolution comes less than a week before the Game Commission meets to make a final decision on 2010 hunting policies.

In January the commission gave preliminary approval to a proposal that cuts doe season in half, but still allows antlerless deer hunting during the final seven days of buck season.

The change would apply to all of Somerset County and other regions within the state’s 2C wildlife management unit. Three other districts were also included.

Ronald L. Gallo, Kasunic’s lone opponent in the Democratic primary, was not impressed with the senator’s statement. The Fayette County businessman said this type of change should have been advocated a long time ago.

“He’s been on the Game and Fisheries Committee for years and now he’s finally going to do something?” Gallo asked. “Where’s he been?”

Jerry Feaser, a Game Commission spokesman, said the agency is already moving to stabilize the deer population.

According to Feaser, there were 49,000 antlerless deer licenses granted for the 2C wildlife management unit in both 2008 and 2009. This is 4,000 less than the 53,000 permitted in 2005.

He did not, however, speculate on the potential impact of Kasunic’s resolution.

“Obviously we take any public input,” Feaser said. “I’m sure they’ll take the senator’s comments into consideration.”

The commission is expected to make a final decision Tuesday.

While I don't necessarly agree with a return to the old 3 day doe season I would rather see the Legislature listening to the hunters than just to folks like the Audubon who are still pushing the politicans for herd reduction. They(the audubon) were still quoting facts from 10 years ago as if we still had the same situation in their testimony in Harrisburg just this month.

ORIGINAL: eyesandgillz

Yep, just what the PGC needs, the legislature determining seasons.  Talk about a slippery slope.

We DONT WANT that!

"We DONT WANT that!"

Course not. We might end up with political pressure forcing pgc to hire environmentalist extreme biologists whom will do something ridiculous like 18 bazillion doe tags and a dwindling deer herd because the timber industry and econuts have friends in high places...

Oh... Too late... lol.

We dont want legislators setting seasons. But we DO want them to enforce their oversight and ensure our best interests are a consideration. Thus far, they havent been. But the winds just might be a changin'.

ORIGINAL: wayne c

we DO want them to enforce their oversight and ensure our best interests are a consideration.

Yer best interests are always a consideration Wayne, but biology overrules socialogy in wildlife management.



Didn't I hear you say you killed a buck this year ? How about last ?

My home WMU (4D) doe allocations were dropped from 40,000 to 32,000 for the coming year.


tippe- it's about control. If the PGC collapses, the state game lands (paid with by our money) goes to the state.

Fast eddy and his cronies can put a casino on our lands if they want. The governor would control hunting. The more politics, the more money involved, and the more anti-hunting. I could go on and on but that about sums it up.

"My home WMU (4D) doe allocations were dropped from 40,000 to 32,000 for the coming year."

Lucky you. The latest data from pgc (the same that this round of antlerless allocation was based upon) has the regeneration listed as 34% and POOR for the unit and the biologists requested NO REDUCTION to the allocation but boc said otherwise. Yet other wmus that rated better where ignored. Yeah. Science. That decision making had absolutely nothing to do with science.

"Fast eddy and his cronies can put a casino on our lands if they want. The governor would control hunting. The more politics, the more money involved, and the more anti-hunting. I could go on and on but that about sums it up."

Not reality. 1. There are other, better options. 2. Fast Eddie is on his way out. 3. The governor already controls things through dcnr & power over pgc as well as power of appointing commissioners etc. 4. There are Federal laws in place governing & protecting our game lands usage.

The "greed" commission proved today they are there to manage hunters, not wildlife.

"There are Federal laws in place governing & protecting our game lands usage."

Federal laws can be changed, especially when the almight dollar is involved.

"I usually know the ending before the storty begins."


Yet yesterday, you wouldn't have known the ending. It has changed.


I'm not JB, but I DO think waugh is funny.

"That's exactly right so quit complainin' about the game commission and go HUNT. "

Ive got no problem with multi-tasking. My complaining doesnt effect my time spent hunting and vice-versa.

Double post. Technical site difficulty!

Yinz guys keep complaining about our commissioners. At least that are all hunters. Once the DCNR takes over, which some of you want, maybe we'll get tree huggers, maybe even a few anti-hunters on the BOC. Heck let's seat up Jon Corzine. Super !

ORIGINAL: wayne c

There are better options than dcnr taking over, and them taking over would require alot of stakeholder support & legislative. Currently that level of support doesnt exist. And such a "change" doesnt just happen overnight.

Currently those levels don't exist, yet you are one who asks legislation to get involved. Yet, there are better options. Keep spinnin' that. I'll keep laughing.


What ARE the answers Wayne ? You sign on here and start yappin' about stuff that's been yapped and yapped over nad over, but I've yet to see you provide suggestions. What should the deer management plan be ? What do YOU want ?

She says she had 4 brothers that taught her to hunt. Lived on a beef farm as a kid. Don't know about her later years.