I am originally from PA, but moved to WV years ago and am firmly entrenched here. My family still lives in PA, and my brother owns about 50+ acres in Armstrong county. I have hunted both states for many years.
What I find interesting is the discussion of the deer hunting situation in PA. I know my brother has complained about it since the antler restriction went in place. He doesn't hunt does, so that part of the equation doesn't interest him. When he first bought his property about 7 years ago, we hunted there and the largest buck we killed was a 5 point. He shot a few smaller bucks, but never saw anything larger than a 6 pt.
Once the antler restriction went in place, (4 pt for Armstrong County), he did not get a buck the first year. But starting the second year, he has harvested a nice buck each year since. Smallest is a 7 pt, largest is a 9 pt. Also, he found a really large shed recently that looks like the buck will be a nice 10 pt if it survives till next year.
Now, lets look at WV. There is no antler restriction, and doe seasons are fairly liberal. You can shoot 2 bucks during rifle season, and up to 6 does depending on the county and the various seasons. I also see quite a few deer in the counties I hunt. But I have not taken a buck here in several years. The doe to buck ration is WAY out of kilter, and what bucks there are are generally what the PA hunters would call "scrubs". I haven't seen anything over a 6 pt in the last 5 years.
I have been complaining about this for a number of years, stating that WV should also look at some kind of antler restriction to build up more mature bucks. This of course falls on deaf ears. I get chastised by my buddies about not being able to shoot the first buck that they see, and that too many does will be killed because people won't have bucks to shoot at. Come on...we can already kill 6 does and that doesn't seem to be affecting the population.
So in 2 states so close together you have both sides of the coin. If I was calling it, I'd certainly take the PA side over the WV side. Give me quality over quantity any day!!
