Pennsylvania deer hunters had a very good year
Hunters in Pennsylvania harvested 333,254 deer in the 2016-17 season that closed in January, an increase of 6 percent over the previous season, according to the state game commission. “This has been quite a year for Pennsylvania deer hunting,” R. Matthew Hough, the commission’s executive director, said in a press release on the season’s success. The […]
Hunters in Pennsylvania harvested 333,254 deer in the 2016-17 season that closed in January, an increase of 6 percent over the previous season, according to the state game commission.
"This has been quite a year for Pennsylvania deer hunting," R. Matthew Hough, the commission's executive director, said in a press release on the season's success.
The commission's data show that the number of bucks taken was up 9 percent.
Bowhunters accounted for about one-third of the overall deer harvest. The remaining two-thirds were taken either by regular firearm, flintlock or muzzleloader.
Harvest estimates are based on more than both checks by commission staff and more than 100,000 reports from hunters claiming success.
Deer are part of the state's wildlife management system. Wayne Laroche, director of the commission's Bureau of Wildlife Management, said his staff examine deer both for health and forest regeneration reasons.