In somewhat of a surprise action, the Pennsylvania Game Commission has postponed any decisision on deer and bear hunts until their April 18, 2006 meeting. This includes antlerless deer permit allocations as well.
It was a unanimous decision by the Board. Because of the large number of comments from hunters at the January meeting regarding how deer management is being done, Board members felt it was important to make sure all those comments were reviewed and discussed as well as to look completely at all the data being collected by game biologists.
Wildlife biologists are recommending no changes for next year’s seasons and permit allotments. They feel their management goals are on target and many hunters are saying the numbers are the lowest they have ever been. Local farmers and land owners are reporting that crop damage, etc. is beginning to show signs of easing.
Needless to say, the Game Commission has a lot of work to do before the April 18 meeting.
You can read more about this here.
Tom Remington
