Washington 2008 Harvest

Total Harvest: 35,118

Archery: 5,113
Modern Firearm: 27,407
Muzzleloader: 2,528
Multiple Weapon: 70

Antlered: 27,030
Antlerless: 8,088

Hunter Success Rate: 24.3%

Georgia numbers again...Sorry I didn't realize the columns got jumbled...

TOTAL HARVEST 350,715
PERCENT DOES IN HARVEST 59.2%
TOTAL DOES 207,623
TOTAL BUCKS 143,092
AVERAGE DEER PER HUNTER 1.23
TOTAL DEER HUNTERS 291,911
AVERAGE DAYS PER DEER 17.63
PERCENT SUCCESSFUL HUNTERS2 53.4%
AVERAGE DAYS PER HUNTER 21.70
LICENSED RESIDENT DEER HUNTERS 194,417
LICENSED, NON-RESIDENT DEER HUNTERS 48,604
HONORARY DEER HUNTERS 35,061
LIFETIME LICENSE DEER HUNTERS (>6 YRS. OLD) 15,003

BioGuy, I've wasted hours and hours talking with guys who agree with DennyF; logic and facts cannot penetrate their conviction.
They won't believe that the forested parts of the state where they've been hunting for two, three, or more generations have undergone succesion, reducing the carrying capacity from the shrub colonization that characterized the rebound from clearcutting and farm abandonment, so they attribute the lower deer population to GC management practices.
DennyF and others, if you are not seeing deer, it's probably because you are looking where they used to be, instead of where they are.

In South Carolina 248,778 deer were harvesting in 2008. During the 2008 deer season it is estimated that a total of 131,346 bucks and 117,432 does where harvested.

222,979 for NY (estimated)
335,850 for PA (estimated)

Keep in mind most of the numbers are estimates that are generated by plugging some known kill numbers into complex equations that try to account for non-reported deer and about a half dozen other variables that are essentially "unknowns".

By worst, I mean the chance of hitting a deer in Pennsylvania is higher than anywhere else in the USA: about 1 in 100 PA-registered vehicles will strike a deer each year.

DennyF: Do you have a better way of estimating deer populations? If so I want to know how you would do it, because I have actually seen how the PA Game Commission estimates the deer harvest, and they have a very good method of population estimation and a good method of checking their numbers. Like you said, they're only working with an approximate 40% harvest report rate, even though harvests are required to be reported by law.

You want to know how they do it? They visit meat cutters and check all of the tag information. By doing this they can check who reported their deer and who did not. From those numbers, which they get from all areas of the state, they can estimate the total number of deer that were killed using a proportion assuming that the local kill information was a good representative sample. Add up all the local kill information and you get a full statewide estimation. Their method of checking is to look at the age structure of the deer. The age classes should show a decline from 1.5 year old deer to 3.5+ year old deer. So as long as there are more 1.5 year old deer than 2.5 year olds, and more 2.5 year olds than 3.5+ year olds, then everything should be alright as far as managing the herd is concerned.

I would also like to know how you would manage the deer population in PA, because deer management is as much about managing people as it is managing deer. Among stake holders are: hunters, motorists, farmers, foresters, wildlife viewers, gardeners, and the general public. With so many stake holders, reaching common ground on an acceptable deer population isn't an exact science. The game commission monitors motorist accidents, and has standards for an acceptable number of nuisance complaints. If complaints and vehicle accidents are higher than normal, it's time to harvest more deer, and more antlerless permits are issued.

It is true that PA has lower deer densities than in the late '80's and early 90's, but if you really want to experience low deer densities, you need to hunt where I grew up...the Adirondacks. Don't believe me, check this out: http://www.i-maps.com/Qdma/frame/default1024_ie.asp?C=48449&LinkID=0&NID... See that huge green blob in upstate NY...that's where I hunted growing up. The buck to doe ratio is way off kilter, about 12:1 (just guessing based on experience) and that 1 was probably an antlerless button buck, and during the month and a half long gun season, it's bucks only (legal buck is one with a 3" antler on one side).

I don't know what part of the state you live in, and there are some places in PA with low deer densities, but personnaly, I find hunting in Northeast PA to be a joke, and it's not because there is a lack of deer. I find it to be a joke because I can go deer hunting any day of the week with any weapon and fill my tags, even on state land. It's not even close to being a challenge. Maybe you should tune your hunting skills a little more and complain a little less, or at least have a good supporting arguement. +1 on both comments from LesserSon...

And I don't believe the car-killed ratio is going down. Less deer in the lightly trafficked mountains are not going to counteract the HUGE increase of deer on the lanes and cul-de-cacs of SUBURBIA, where the cars are.

YEah, Pa is the worst state in the nation....For deer hunting. The gameless commission saw to that. Being run by ecoextremists, and NO Lesserson, you need to get your facts straight Pa is no longer the "best chance to hit a deer".

It is the worst managed in the nation though. Ridiculous low deer densities which continue to spiral downward because the enviromentalist nuts are currently running the show at Elmerton Avenue.

Still shaking my head lesser knucklehead...over a million hunters previously with over a million doe tags didnt cause our herd decline even though pgc has planned the reduction and said it is working???

Half the deer now and STILL one helluva ton of doe tags with no reasonable significant cuts is also having no effect??

What a dork-winder! lmao.

Also lesser son, even most of the suburban units have been reduced compared to 8-10 years ago. Please read the pgc annual reports. They bear that out. Units such as 2b (pittsburgh area) etc. While many areas there still have plenty of deer, and especially in localized areas, the density overall is lower than it was previously, although not as low as they would prefer for those urban areas. But that has resulted in lower car collissions than previously, as has the very large deer decline in just about all non-urban areas of the state.