PENNSYLVANIA New deer regulations draw gripes as hunters have a harder time of it

Hunters dislike the antler restriction put into place last year.
OIL CITY, Pa. (AP) -- Some hunters are complaining that recent regulation changes made by the Pennsylvania Game Commission to control the deer population have made the sport too challenging and could drive hunters away.
Hunters have been complaining about the state's new antler restrictions, which they believe have made it more difficult to kill bucks, said Steve McCaslin, a hunter and clerk at Maurer's Trading Post in Franklin.
"The biggest complaint is, 'I saw a bunch of bucks and none of them were legal. I couldn't get a deer,"' McCaslin said.
In most parts of the state, hunters are limited to killing bucks carrying at least one rack with three or more points. Historically, hunters have been able to harvest bucks with two or more points on one antler, or a spike three or more inches in length, said Gary Alt, Deer Management Section supervisor for the Game Commission.
Reason for restriction
Game commission officials said that the antler restriction, implemented last year, was aimed at allowing more of the state's buck herd to live longer, which would allow for bigger racks in the future. Changes also were made to bring the state's doe herd under control.
"Historically we have always overshot our bucks by and large, and under-harvested our does," Alt said.
Since point regulations were implemented, about 40,000 more bucks were preserved for this year and 70,000 more does were shot over 2001, Alt added.
The game commission estimates the state's deer herd at around 1.6 million. Alt estimated that as much as 93 percent of annual buck herds were being killed before they were 18 months old.
Test of skills
The more stringent guideline seemed to be testing hunters' skills.
"The other complaint they [hunters] had is that it's very hard to tell [what's legal under] the new antler restrictions," McCaslin said. "Is a point an inch? Even with binoculars it's hard to tell."
Getting hunters to use their skills gets hunters to focus on the true intent of the sport, said Gary San Julian, professor of wildlife resources at Penn State.
"We've had lots of deer and hunting's been easy," San Julian said. "As we move forward, people will need to depend on woodland skills. That's OK. It's part of the fair chase. That's what makes hunting what it is and gives it validity."
Hunters have also expressed concerns about new hunting zones adopted this year, which they believe could discourage out-of-state hunters because it shifted the number of licenses issued in each county.
Before, hunting borders were defined by county and each county issued its own antlerless deer licenses. Now they must go through the commission's offices in Harrisburg, which cordoned off the state into 22 wildlife management units, before being distributed by the counties.
"Do I think it's going to knock the numbers of hunters down? Yeah, I do," McCaslin said. "Not in the number of resident licenses, but in nonresident."
Alt said the change allows the game commission to adjust the number of licenses issued depending on the estimated number of deer needed to be harvested from the areas. All the changes are necessary for maintaining Pennsylvania's forests, he said.
"It's a juggling act," Alt said. "From a biological standpoint, there's no question that most of our forests are very heavily browsed -- altering which tree species can regenerate. We've got to get a handle on deer."
The concurrent doe and buck seasons starts Monday.