Deer plan gets vote of hunters

"The way I read the proposal is that the original plan was to get the buck-doe ratio more in line and to establish an age class of male deer that could compete for fall-breeding status.

"Another was to move the doe season to an earlier date so the bucks didn't run down breeding does only to have them shot a month later. After all the complaining from the terribly uniformed general public, things are getting turned around to try to please the masses. If you really care about the deer, let's start to do what's good for the deer.

"People write opinions about the antler restrictions, which, to me, point out the weakness in their arguments when they say, 'you could wait forever for an 8-point to come by.' In a few short antler-restriction years, we should see more bucks that are 3 and 4 years old, walking the woods with what looks like lawn chairs on their heads. A typical Pennsylvania 8-point is hard to count, but give it a chance and the big ones will be easy to spot. You will see the rack before you see the deer's body."

"My 150 acres will be posted if this is not put into effect."

"I was proud of the 4-point that I harvested this year. It weighed 10 pounds more than my buddy's 8-point. What is Alt going to come up with next• You have to hop with one foot or shoot with one hand tied behind your back• I want hunters to be given the choice to harvest the deer they choose to be a trophy, not by someone trying to make me shoot his version of a trophy."

"If hunters are limited by antler restrictions, they will have to look a lot closer at what they are shooting at. Plus, I think he's been watching too many deer hunts with Larry Csonka on ESPN. The hills of Pennsylvania are not the private ranches and canned hunts you see on ESPN.

"I've been hunting for over 40 years. I've taken my share of deer. Both does and some pretty nice bucks. For me, it's not about the kill. It's about being a good sportsman. It's about the hunt."

"With that thinking, in five to 10 years, there will be fewer bucks. I would like to know if Dr. Alt is a hunter or if just watches so-called hunting on the outdoor channel. I usually see one or two bucks a year and in 31 years of hunting I could not tell you exactly how many points any of those bucks had. In my opinion, all these changes are doing is robbing Pennsylvania hunters of tradition."

"First it was a concurrent buck-doe season. Now it's antler restrictions. Not many hunters can remember when spikes were illegal. I can remember seldom going afield and not finding a dead spike. Now Dr. Alt wants the hunter to distinguish between a spike, a 4-point and in places, a 3-point."

"I have been hunting for 30 years and it's getting more unsafe every year. Buck and doe together, very bad idea. Antler restriction: very, very bad idea. What I would suggest is people don't hunt this year. Give the deer a chance. Send a message to the Game Commission and big insurance companies and Gary Alt. No revenue; no jobs."

"During this time I have seen two things dwindle, the deer population and the time hunters spend in the woods. Around my area many hunters leave the woods by 2 o'clock the first day of buck. Many hunters cannot get the time off as so many did in the early 1950s and 60s.

"In the 26 years of hunting I have shot 12 bucks. By using Mr. Alt's plan, I would have shot only four of his so-called legal deer. It's hard today to even shoot an adult doe. Doe season brought two new problems: Higher prices at the processing plants (if you got there on time) and a new saying, If it is brown, shoot till it goes down.

"The early season for juniors and seniors is a joke. The senior citizens (mostly retired) already have more time in the woods than the working individual. By attempting to make it easier for the juniors to shoot a deer does not necessary make them long-time hunters. I think it has to be instilled upon them by their parents and family just as I did with my two sons,

"It really comes down to making money. I feel this is a poor way of misusing our natural resources to gain popularity as a trophy state."

"Antler restrictions will make it harder to harvest bucks and will force hunters to go after antlerless deer. Gary Alt and the Game Commission are putting on a show, but they are not running the deer program and are just following orders issued by big politicians and money people. We need new faces on the Game Commission and for them to make their own decisions."

"Pennsylvania is not now or never will be a trophy state. When you hunt in the forest areas it's so thick that it's hard enough to see a deer let alone count the points on each antler. And when you get to be over 65 like as I am, the eyesight isn't that good anyhow.

"The two-week antlerless deer season was a joke, hunters just shooting, then looking to see what they shot. If it's necessary to have a two-week antlerless season, make it the second week of the antlered season, rather than both buck-season weeks."

"I am 33 years old and have hunted since I was 12 years old. I am an avid bow hunter and I do enjoy the rifle season, when need be. This past archery season I took a 6-point buck that just walked under my tree stand for 10 minutes and it wasn't until I actually walked up to the dead deer that I was sure it was even a 6-point. How can you expect a rifle hunter, especially during deer drives, to be able to count points as a buck runs by.

"If antler restrictions are needed, try eliminating the shooting of spikes, fork horns or even half-racks. As for eliminating more does, I agree that better management needs to take place. Why not just give out more hunting tags, or better yet, why not open up Sunday hunting?"

"I have been hunting deer for 45 years and know large antlers are caused by genetics and good food sources. The northern tier counties will never develop into trophy-hunting areas because of the food supply. It will also create economic problems for all the small northern towns that do a substantial part of their business during deer season.

"What's the point of going to camp if your chance of chances of seeing a legal buck are about nil. I've owned a camp in Clearfield County for 30 years and we have taken over 200 bucks in our camp. Every one was a trophy to the person who got it, despite the fact that only about 10 were large enough to mount. "If the Game Commission thinks its idea is so great, why don't it implement the plan in six to 10 counties and see if it works by reports from sportsmen over a couple-year period."

"Pennsylvania has some dandy whitetails already; please let the decision up to the individual on the type of deer they would like to harvest. On the first day of buck season last season we had five guys in camp, including one-first year hunter. Of the five guys, no one even saw a buck and three of the guys didn't even see a doe. I think it is crazy that if one of us in camp saw a small buck that we would not be able to harvest the animal."

"The biggest buck I shot had a 17-inch spread with 6 points. It had a huge body and I know it had to be at least 3 years old.

"Gary Alt is talking about buck numbers and he's killing off button bucks. Being a bow hunter in a tree stand, I've seen a doe and two fawns come by. Both fawns were button bucks. So when people see three deer in a field and think three does, in reality it's a doe and two button bucks.

"They try to promote young hunters, and believe me, they will drive then away. I'm very fortunate to have raised two sons who love to hunt and who have had success in killing bucks. Now I have two grandsons hunting and we can tell them all the stories we want of the past. If you put them in the woods for years, and they don't get a buck, we will lose them.

"My one grandson has gotten four bucks with a bow and I was so proud of him when he got one at 12 years of age. We spend a lot of time in the woods scouting. I would hate to lose his companionship. To think he might not get a buck until he was in his 20s or 30s would hurt me very badly."

"I think the archery season should have a statewide antler restriction of four points on one side, for these are hunters who have the opportunity to look closely at their quarry.

"Concurrent seasons should be eliminated. This will eliminate the spoilage of venison. It also will eliminate hunters shooting wildly at anything that moves, creating a very unsafe trip to the deer woods. Bucks should start the traditional Monday after Thanksgiving and run through the following Monday. This slightly shorter season will allow some bucks to survive. The doe season should start the following Saturday and run through the following Saturday.

"This will give hunters who have camps and property one extra weekend (a total of four) to spend with their investment and bring some extra dollars to those communities that depend on hunting. This should allow goals to be accomplished and keep us from losing hunting numbers to Gary Alt's Fantasy Island."

EDITOR'S NOTE: More comments from hunters will appear next Sunday.