The #1 reason Pa hunters did not buy a license is..

Just means MORE deer for me!!! Effort=reward

Na na na na....hey hey....good bye

Methinks "lack of game" = "lack of deer up at camp" for the vast majority of responders to the poll.

Which I believe, based on anecdotal evidence.

I'm too young, or didn't hunt in the right places, to experience the "good old days" of deer hunting. Started hunting in '88 at age 13. In my teen years, I took 2 bucks, and 3 does, but there was never a deer behind every tree where I hunted.

A good year for me, from, say, age 13-20, was a couple of squirrels and a few rabbits. I was happy to get a shot at a pheasant, and bagged 3 in my teen years. I didn't get a deer every year, and it wasn't by choice.

A good year for me now is a deer, 3 or 4 pheasants, 5 or 6 ducks and a couple of geese.

I haven't shot a deer in a few years, but that was by choice - could have taken a doe if I had wanted to but have had a freezer full of beef for the past 2 deer seasons. That will change this year.

Get plenty of shooting at pheasants the 3 or 4 times a year I chase the stocking truck

In roughly 10 duck hunts last year, I had an opportunity to shoot a limit of mallards (4 - and mallards are all I get around here) at least 6 times, but I get a little jumpy sometimes when it's time to shoot. 3 early season goose hunts last year, and I got 2.

I'd like to see a few more deer on the property I hunt in 2B, but see plenty to keep my interest up on property I hunt in 2D. Other than that, I'm pretty happy with the amount of game I get a chance to kill each year.

I'm an average hunter, and don't go crazy spending full days afield. With the exception of the first day of deer season, most of my hunts are under 2 hours just because of other priorities.

I suspect that with a little diversification and perseverance, that those hunters that cite "lack of game" would find plenty of opportunities out there if they really wanted to hunt.

Hi 10-
  What you describe seems to be the norm here too- not just in PA- dont know if some of it is cyclical or if something is up environmently but. in general. numbers are not what they used to be---cept in those Urban place with tons of unhindered Deer and lots of folks feeding backyard Turkey year round.

     Yea- thats kinda the environmental stuff that I meant-cept the harvest part- ours is reasonable and we are still havin 'issues' here and there.
   Will NEVER believe that yotes dont have serious impact on fawn survival rates. When its all put together -no wonder Turkey numbers appear to be in decline.        
      They are all eatin somethin and it aint Bunnies anymore.

Just hunt outa state in Ohio more than likely , Eat your heart out Pa.( DUH I WONDER WHY?)

Seems to be the norm----since 2000 Ohios non-resident license sales have doubled while in the same period ours have dropped 22%.

Drive from CT to upstate Ny bout every other week year round. On night trips the most consistent Deer sightings are IN Albany passing through on the Throughway. Houses and business, gold course etc- all around.
  Urban Deer - no matter where ya go the numbers seem high.

The number one excuse I hear from guys in my age group (25-45) is.

"I just don't have any time".

ORIGINAL: MuskyMastr

The number one excuse I hear from guys in my age group (25-45) is.

"I just don't have any time".

Same here. Lots of guys in my neighborhood hunt or used to hunt. 4 that I know of don't buy a license anymore due to time constraints due to their wives and them both working, kids in school, dance classes, karate classes, football, baseball, soccer, this, that and the other...

Sunday hunting would really help guys like this out.

My kids are nearing that age so I will most likely be cutting back a whole bunch but I could NEVER go cold turkey.

There are alot of reasons people quit hunting, one being lack of game. But I know for sure, the lack of game is sometimes used as a scapegoat too. I know hunters that quit that say lack of deer yet they don't turkey or squirrel hunt anymore either. Lack of places to hunt is true but also used as a scapegoat too. Saw the neighbor's climber in the "fall cleanup" garbage pile the other day. He quit about 15 years ago. He is not healthy anymore but at the time he quit he was. The private property he used to hunt got posted. It was one of those places back in the day where everybody hunted.. nobody asked, and the landowner was okay with that. Thing is, there is gamelands just down the road about 300 yards and at the time my neighbor quit, the private property got more pressure and the gamelands had the same amount of deer. The truth is, he quit because he just didn't care to hunt, not from lack of places as he stated. There are alot of things competing for everyone's time nowadays, it's just a matter of where you want to spend it.

Thats why its called HUNTING.

I completely quit because of mismanagement.  I wouldn't give them a nickel and wouldn't care it the PGC folded tomorrow.

I have to wonder about statements like that..quitting because of the game commission and their actions. Sounds like someone was just looking for an excuse to quit.. or was going to end up quitting eventually anyway. You really must not have cared much about hunting in the first place. Hunting is part of my life. It is in my blood.. no action the PGC makes is going to change that. I hunt the "devastated" public state forest lands of PA's deer herd so no one can talk to me about lack of deer. The USA could make hunting illegal and I'd still do it.

But anyway, enjoy your time off from hunting.

ORIGINAL: ridgehunter

I completely quit because of mismanagement.  I wouldn't give them a nickel and wouldn't care it the PGC folded tomorrow.

 
Sorry to see you hang it up.  But, as participation decreases, opportunities will increase for those of us that continue to enjoy our sport. 

Sorry to see you hang it up. But, as participation decreases, opportunities will increase for those of us that continue to enjoy our sport.

_____________________________

My rifle is a black rifle

Care to point out any state where that has happened over the long haul. As participation decreases support for the activity (any activity)decreases, funding decreases, other groups concerns take presidence,etc.
I don't care to have hunting season changed because the bird watchers and flower sniffers want more time on our gamelands without some bloodthursty hunter flinging bullets or arrows.
They only reason we have what we do is because of our numbers. Hell, the PGC has already started getting alternative funding for non game species and are using hunters money for their share of the projects. Why do you think Doc and Essox are able to keep pointing out the research on game birds and animals I quote is not recent. The money is going elsewhere.We are already seeing the results of decreased hunter numbers and it will only get worse.