Pennsylvania Game Commissioners Might See Some Angry Hunters

The Pennsylvania Game Commission’s three-day meetings began yesterday and many expected a large turnout of angry hunters. Hunters are mad about how they feel the commission is managing the deer herd. The commission says their program is working and they intend to remain on course with the program unless biologists bring them something that would drastically changes their minds.

Hunters say they have been waiting for the management plan to produce more deer for hunting and they are not seeing any results. Commissioners are telling hunters they need to be patient.

Ed Grasavage of Pittston, a Susquehanna Branch president of Quality Deer Management Association and a member of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Hunting, Fishing and Conservation, said he thinks the commission needs to stop blindly staying the course and answer hunters’ questions.

“There are a lot of questions they aren’t answering that need to be answered,” said Mr. Grasavage, who plans to attend the meeting. “What’s a high number of deer? What’s a low number? How many of deer do we want statewide? How many in Lackawanna County? How many in Luzerne?”

Grasavage says he supports the management plan but thinks it just needs to be better managed.

Update: This article sheds some light on what transpired at Sunday’s meeting.

Tom Remington