By TED POTTS
JOHNSTOWN — When the Pennsylvania Game Commission meets April 20 in Harrisburg, it will take its second, and binding, vote on a change to the deer hunting season in the state.
Currently, bucks and antlerless deer, or does, are hunted at the same time in the late fall’s two-week deer hunting season.
The commission has proposed reducing the antlerless deer hunting to just the second week of the season. There would be no change to the antlered deer season.
Chris Rosenberry, who supervises the state’s deer and elk programs, talked about the proposal at the commission’s “Deer Management Open House” Saturday at the Solomon Run fire hall in Richland Township.
He said some hunters throughout the state are for the change while others are opposed.
The commission is proposing the change in response to complaints that fewer deer are being seen throughout Pennsylvania.
Displayed at the open house was the commission’s five goals of its deer management plan.
Those goals are:
• Managing for a healthy herd.
• Managing for healthy forest habitat.
• Maintaining acceptable levels of deer-human conflicts.
• Providing recreational opportunities in deer management.
• Improving public knowledge and understanding of deer and the deer management program.
“Managing deer has been a challenge for us for 100 years,” said Samara Trusso, a wildlife biologist.
“We’re trying to keep everybody happy,” she added.
There was a display showing how the age of a deer can be determined by looking at its teeth.
There also was information on the different types of geography in the state and how it affects the deer population.
George Wolf of Central City was among those at the open house. He said he was interested in general deer management and the proposed change regarding doe season.
“I think we need a separate doe season, something we had years ago,” he said.
He was referring to a time when there was a doe-season only for three days after the two-week buck season. Wolf felt that would be better than having both bucks and does hunted at the same time.
“Deer seem to be disappearing,” said Bill Carter of Altoona.
