PA Hunter Numbers Headed Down

[davem270win]

There was a recent article in my local paper's weekly hunting/fishing column about the coming decline of hunters in Pennsylvania. Estimates are a 25% drop by 2012, and a 50% drop by 2017. This is due primarily to the aging population of hunters, but will also be influenced by the increases in license fees the Game Commision will need to cover expenses, hunters disgruntled by the perception that the commission has mishandled the deer herd, and limited success attracting youth hunters to the sport.

For those of us left, it should mean less crowded hunting, and perhaps more opportunity. But it should also mean less political clout.

Where I hunt, I haven't really noticed a decline in numbers, but I don't hunt a lot of public land. I'm just wondering what other PA hunters are experiencing, and what this might mean for hunting in PA.

[dukkillr]

scary... make sure to take a kid hunting every year.

[Ron T.]

I noticed last year (2005 Buck Season) that there were somewhat less hunters in our area (Moshannon State Forest) just north of I-80 between DuBois and Clearfield in Clearfield County.

Some of the lesser numbers we saw could be due to the bridge being washed out on Woodward Dam Road causing it to NOT be a "through" road anymore.

There were still the same number of hunters at our camp and at the camp across the road.  They had the same number of hunters at the Woodward Dam Camp down the road, too... but we didn't see nearly as many "road hunters" or cars & trucks parked along the the road as we have in the past.

There still seems to be a lot of hunting pressure in the public areas, but that could just be a "local thing", too... it's hard to say.

However, after it snowed on the Friday of Openng Week, we did NOT see ANY deer tracks in the snow indicating the deer were very sparse in the area where there use to be a great many deer.

Fortunately, for me... that's ok since I go to Deer Camp to enjoy the camaraderie of my two sons, my Godson, his Dad and my bestest hunting buddy who is our "host" at Deer Camp.

But if I was interested in getting some venison, I'd just stay home and hunt in Ohio 'cause the deer population is really "down" in most of Pennsylvania anymore.  At least that's what I've been hearing from most of the guys who hunt in Pennsylvania with whom I've talked.

Quite honestly, I see more deer walking through my yard and/or eating my shrubs in a week than I've seen in the past 3 hunting seasons in Pennsylvania!


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

[davem270win]

I have also hunted Moshannon State Forest. I have a friend of a friend who owns a cabin on the lake we stay in on occasion. Two years ago, we spent a couple of days there in the muzzleloader season and also the 1st Thurs-Fri of deer season. We've also done some spring Gobbler up there.

I was surprised at how many hunters were still there on Thursday and Friday, and that several groups were still doing drives on those days.

We did get one doe in the muzzleloader season, but found the regular firearms season to be dissappointing.

My guess is that in the next 5 - 6 years, the people who will stop hunting are the ones who don't spend that much time in the field, and that we won't really notice much of a difference in hunter density (or total hunter hours spent in the field) for another 8 - 10 years.

I've also just read that while hunter numbers nationwide have fallen something like 7% in the past decade, spending by hunters has increased 29% in the same time period. So the folks who are still hunting have the desire and the $$ to spend.