MIKE BRAUN Deer season in Pa. eyed

The Board of Pennsylvania Game Commission meeting slated for Jan. 13-15 in Harrisburg could hold some interesting possibilities for that state's deer hunters.
The January meeting is being held to gather recommendations from hunters, game officials and others on seasons, regulations and bag limits for 2002-03.
The meeting will start at 1 p.m. Jan. 13 in the auditorium of the agency's headquarters, 2001 Elmerton Ave., just off the Progress Avenue exit of Interstate 81 in Harrisburg.
The meetings will continue Jan. 14, with additional public comments from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. and a workshop meeting involving commission staff reports.
Then, Jan. 15, the commission will consider hunting and trapping seasons and bag limits for 2002-03, including new deer seasons, an expanded bear hunting season in certain counties and a second elk hunting season. The board also will consider recommended changes to the state game lands use regulations.
What's considered: What those who hunt in Pennsylvania may find interesting is some changes that will likely be under consideration regarding deer hunting.
Dr. Gary Alt, Game Commission Deer Management Section supervisor, has been discussing some changes during the past few months that he plans to bring up during this meeting.
Alt has previously said that plans for his presentation in January include: taking the first steps toward a total revision of deer management units, relying on the results of a Geographic Information System study that is under way, for implementation in the 2003-04 season; an early antlerless deer season for all firearm hunters in October; and antler restrictions that reflect habitat quality.
Work is being carried out on a GIS map to better define wildlife management units by habitat type, public and private ownership, and human density, Alt said, noting that the goal is to draw new units that will be easily recognizable through clear boundaries, such as major rivers and highways.
"Once we are able to present a draft proposal to the board in January, we will gather public input about the newly-defined management units," Alt said.
"That public input process will take about a year, with a goal of presenting a final map to the board in January of 2003."
October season: In a press release about the possible changes, Alt said that creating an antlerless season for all firearm hunters in October will further those opportunities.
He added that having the majority of the antlerless season in October is a better idea because it will give the bucks a better shot at spending their energies on breeding during the rut, rather than trying to avoid hunters.
Furthermore, Alt was quoted as saying that the hunt in October will remove more antlerless deer that month, lessening the chances for roadkills' occurring during the November rut and thereby reducing property damage, human injuries and fatalities and the needless waste of the wildlife resource.
One of the more interesting aspects of Alt's plans involves antler restrictions.
Citing a need to recognize the diversity in habitat, Alt said he would propose a three-point on one side restriction -- protecting spikes and "Y"s -- for the "big woods" area that covers about two-thirds of the state from the Allegheny National Forest to the Pocono Mountains region and south through the southcentral portion; and a four-point on one side restriction in the southeast and western agricultural areas.
The specific areas are still being defined, but Alt said that the restriction should send about 100,000 bucks into the next age class.
"By allowing these bucks to live one more year, based on the antler measurement study conducted last year, we know that more than half of those bucks that survive will have eight or more points in the 2003-04 seasons," he said. "Providing larger bucks should improve deer hunter satisfaction."
Furthermore, Alt said, "In addition to what we currently are considering, the Deer Management Section will be examining the results of the current seasons in terms of safety and in hunter satisfaction before finalizing any package."
mbraun@vindy.com