Any PA hunters seeing any improvements in quality of bucks since the point restriction took effect?

Question

I hunt 450 acres in SW PA and I'm seeing less and less "good" bucks. Sat on stand yesterday for 9 hrs in the rain and saw 17 deer---> 6 bucks, 11 doe. Only 1 was a "shooter". This is several years in a row that I've seen multitudes of small bucks and very few bigger bucks.

Just looking for a little input from fellow hunters.

Not hunting on Public Game Land. It's my family property, an old farm.

Answer 1

like most people are saying the numbers i way down. I don't have any land so im on state game lands and the number of deer seen has dropped big time since i started just 7 years ago, but to answer your guestion the buck that I do see are nice deer. I still do see some spikes and y's but thats just younge deer that need time to mature.

Answer 2

The Pa. Game Commission has sadly & badly mismanaged the Whitetail Deer Herd in Pennsylvania by issuing to many Doe licenses and killing off an awesome amount of breeding stock in both Buck & Does thereby ensuring a very low Deer population in the State.* I guess they did not take into account the enormous amount of Deer that are killed by vehicles every year which helps diminish the Deer population. They are not controlling the Deer herd, they are destroying it.*

Answer 3

you are proble hunting on game lands or something like that to public hunting where the deer aren't protected and don't have a limit on how many deer is allowed to shoot in an area you need to get in a lease or something and start managing it to better the bucks make them bigger and after a couple of years it shows because last night the first day of buck i bagged a 12 point with a 25 inch inside spread and their is better bucks in their too.

Answer 4

i live in central pa. and what our game commission is doing is terrible, i hunted with 6 people yesterday only 3 saw 1 deer, as far as the antler restriction goes i believe it is of no help while they kill all the doe. 50% of doe shot are button buck. pa. hunters go for the meat but now it is hard to find. i talked to a friend who hunted in the mountains and he only heard 10 shots.