Dr. Trout
 
Have you looked at Pittsburgh papers .... they hardly ever had photos of big bucks taken in that area, let alone the trophies that area is producing now...
 

Would imagine there are a few reasons for that, more observational/anecdotal than hard science:
 
1.  I grew up in Irwin in Westmoreland County, 25 miles east of Pittsburgh. I started hunting in '87.  Most of the guys we knew that hunted from our area and the Pittsburgh suburbs went "up camp" to hunt for deer.  Throughout archery season, for the few that hunted archery, and especially in gun season often for at least a week, and sometimes the entire gun season, including the 3 day doe season.  For some that was the Somerset/Bedford area.  For others, it was north into the ANF area.  And a handful of my friends hunted the Clearfield area.  My dad and I were laughed at because we often hunted deer within 10 minutes of home.  
 
That's changed a lot.  I now live just south of Butler, and I know very, very few people that travel far hunt deer.  I can be in Allegheny County in about 12 minutes.  Off the top of my head, can't think of a single person I know that bow hunts more than a 20-30 minute drive from home.  There are a few who still go "up camp" for the first day of gun season, far more for tradition's sake than for good hunting.  Hunting pressure in the counties surrounding Allegheny is probably way up from what it was during "the good old days."
 
2.  When the PGC relaxed safety zones for archery hunters to 50 yards, it opened up a lot more opportunities for hunters in Allegheny County to go after the big bucks that have ALWAYS been there.  Have a buddy with a wall full of P&Y bucks that he's killed in the past 10 years in the northern suburbs, where he hunts in 1 or 2 acre wood lots between housing plans.  

DRod...
 
you said a friend has a wall of P&Y Bucks in the past 10 years....
 
Please tell S-10 how many of them he took the time to record in any record book... he loves throwing up "the record book" as some type of indication of the number of TROPHY bucks getting kill in Pa since ARs....
 
I've tried to tell him most hunters do not care about books...

Dr. Trout

The papers have always had photos of good bucks, even before I was old enough to hunt.

 I never said that there were never big bucks harvested in Pa.... but one would have to appear foolish to me to say that the papers don't have a lot more of those "bigger" bucks now than back in the day... I NEVER remember seeing teenagers and youth in picture with as many 8s and 10s like I do now.... Have you looked at Pittsburgh papers .... they hardly ever had photos of big bucks taken in that area, let alone the trophies that area is producing now... but we continue to disagree and that's okay I guess.......

Did it ever occur to you that getting a photo for the paper is much easier in the age if digital cameras and cell phone cameras and emailing them to the newspaper so they can include them without any effort than it was calling the paper, having them send out a photographer before the deer go butchered, processing the black & white hard copy photo, editing the photo, transferring the reverse image to a metal printing plate, etc.?

Dr. Trout
who cares about figures an agency puts out..
 
let's talk hunters .... and look at what is getting harvested today....
 
On average ....  BIGGER BUCKS ...plain and simple
 
now that we have an internet I let that do some of the talking for me... and the memories, photos and experiences from the 60s to 90s... 
 
 
the AVERAGE buck getting killed today is bigger than in the past....
 
 
and I personally base that on ONE FACT .... 
they are older and much more "sneaky wise" (as a friend tells it)LOL
 

 
We didn't have the internet to post them on Doc.--- Also, the average buck being killed today certainly is bigger, heavier, with more points and more mass than before AR/HR and the reason is simple math, nothing else.  When you take all the low numbers out the average of the remaining numbers has to be greater.  ------If you average all the numbers from 1 to 100 the average is 50. If you throw out 1-50 Ex spikes, 3's and 4's the average is 75.

It appears to me; harvesters, backing the PGC and the bogus deer plan, are not concerned with results. As I see it the harvesters defend the PGC and bogus deer plan because it means more antlerless tags. In turn, giving the harvesters ample opportunity to KILL more deer. Which is why they go harvesting in the first place. It's not about how many points the buck had but, how many deer I 'harvested'.

Reminds me of the story where a hunter publishes a picture, of the antlerless deer he 'harvested'. "Three more to go" he says .

No doubt in my mind that more support for the deer plan comes from those wishing to 'harvest' multiple deer.

S-10
There is also a big difference between a P&Y class buck and one that officially measures the required score after deductions, etc. 

Very good point S10.  And it applies to me as I write here - I should say P&Y class bucks.  

Drod I live in irwin ain't no deer here

BeenThereDoneThat.
I imply nothing of a successful hunter being blood thirsty. I simply voice my opinion as to how, and why, I see certain support for a deer plan that has failed. Nor, have I made comment about those opposing the failed plan.

 
Really?  Didn't you just post this:
 

BeenThereDoneThat.As I see it the harvesters defend the PGC and bogus deer plan because it means more antlerless tags. In turn, giving the harvesters ample opportunity to KILL more deer. Which is why they go harvesting in the first place. It's not about how many points the buck had but, how many deer I 'harvested'

BeenThereDoneThat.The reality of the situation is the exploitation of the PA. whitetail for the dreams of a select group of people pretending to be hunters and/or BOC.

 
Are you referring to the majority of PA hunters who support ARs?
 

BeenThereDoneThat.
Finally sir, If you feel insulted by my opinion, there must be a reason.

 
Nah not in the slightest, but I do find your opinion to be fairly comical.

 
 
 

PGC reduced the amount of tags in 4-A, shorten the season to 1 week and then issued 13,000 addition tags for control of CWD, in that area.....WF......I guess only does get the disease

Esox glad your seeing 'some humor' as that is my intent.

However, if I wanted to say successful hunters were blood thirsty. I would of said; Successful hunters are blood thirsty. Apparently you have had issues with others, that see hunters as blood thirsty.

I am happy to hear you are not insulted but, you know what they say in the old country...........

Perhaps I'm interpreting your writing differently than you.  It doesn't really matter either way and I have no issue with someone calling me a blood thirsty killer; in fact I'll take that to be a compliment.  After all, I'm fairly certain that being a killer is what most hunters strive to be. 
 
I remember seeing a Michael Waddell show where they were bow hunting in the suburbs of Philly a few years back that sounds a lot like what you described.  

One of my relation just outside Pitts has a stand overlooking a swing set that he has bow killed several bucks out of between watching the neighbor kids play. Claims the kids voices doesn't bother the bucks a bit. Think of the swimming pool as a watering hole.  Times are changing DarDys.

Man, cut a little hole in the safety net and you have a ready made blind.