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FeedPGC to divide WMU 2G in two
Harrisburg — There was a time last summer when it looked as if Pennsylvania game commissioners might change the boundaries of several wildlife management units.
That didn’t happen.
In fact, at their most recent meeting, commissioners changed the shape of just one of the state’s 22 units. But they tweaked the rules regarding several others, and one other “change” is likely yet coming.
The one unit that was split was 2G, ground zero for so many of the complaints from hunters about there being no deer.
Commissioners kept about 2,900 square miles of what was the eastern side of 2G intact. That mass of land will continue to be known by that name.
The westernmost 1,900 square miles of the unit were carved off, though, and will henceforth be known as unit 2H. The new unit lies east of routes 120 and 555.
The change was made to more accurately reflect differing kinds of habitat on the ground, said Commissioner Dave Putnam of Centre County. Unit 2H is largely a northern hardwoods forest, one that’s more productive for wildlife.
It’s being timbered by private landowners, the Game Commission and the Bureau of Forestry at a much faster rate, he said. Unit 2G – which is heavy on publicly-owned land – is a dry oak heath forest.
The habitat there is worse, and there’s far less timbering of the kind that would improve things going on, he said. As a result, it supports far fewer deer, Putnam said.
With the new boundaries, the commission may be able to increase the herd a bit in the new 2G and stabilize it in the new 2H, Putnam said.
That doesn’t mean the deer herd in 2G will return to what some hunters remember, he cautioned. The habitat is just not there for that, he said.
“But this is a compromise, we think,” added Commissioner Ron Weaner, of Adams County.
Commissioner Ralph Martone, of New Castle, agreed and called the decision to split the unit a “necessary and prudent move.”
When it comes to unit 2B, which surrounds Pittsburgh, commissioners had been thinking of making it smaller, too. The unit had long had a late deer season that ran from the day after Christmas through almost the end of January. It was meant to allow hunters to control deer numbers in urban areas.
Over time, though, it became obvious that hunters were targeting the fringes of the unit to the exclusion of Allegheny County.
To force a change in behavior, without redrawing its lines, they gave preliminary approval to a rules change that eliminates the late season in unit 2B, as well as in units 5C and 5D in southeastern Pennsylvania. It will be replaced with a late season that will only be held in the so-called special regulations counties: Allegheny, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia.
That means the portion of Allegheny County that lies within management unit 2A will now be included in the late season, while the portions of Beaver, Butler, Washington and Westmoreland counties that remain in 2B will not.
“The intent is to put greater pressure on the special regulations areas and alleviate some of the pressure outside them,” said commission Executive Director Carl Roe. “We’ve been getting more pressure on their outsides than insides, which is where we want more deer taken.”
The change must get final approval in April, but given that it passed by a unanimous vote of the board, that’s thought to be a formality.
It’s then that one other change will likely be seen.
Commissioner Jay Delaney, of Luzerne County, had talked about redrawing the lines for a unit or two in northeastern Pennsylvania, to account for low deer harvests.
Delaney said at the board’s last work group meeting that he will instead try to address the issue using the doe license allocation, which the board will set in April.
The 2g deal will be compleletly meaningless if the allocations arent dropped within those 2 units made now.
As for 2b, they wanted to make a LARGER special regs area which is a joke. Probably why they are inching it in by including a small portion of 2a now in the late season if that is indeed accurate.
I predict the 2g split will amount to absolutely nothing there, other than trying to appease hunters and legislators with another offfering of absolutely nothing. Kind of like when they spolit the concurrent season down to one week and just added to prevent any chance at the herd growing anyways. lmao.
I just saw the new boudries for 2G to help increase the deer population. HAHAHA WOW!!!! But extend the number of days??? Which is it? The forest can't support the deer population tell them to quit clearcutting state game land and putting up fences.I wonder how all the hardwoods managed to grow in Tioga and Potter County without fences? Theirs a waste of money.
The deer will go to the food they dont know if they are in 2G or where ever. Stop making it so hard,go back to 2 days of doe get the population back and go from there. You managed to kill them all off once you can do it again. Just do it this time with balance in mind not money. Oh and by the way, Its not just those over 60 appose your extended seasons. The guys 30 and younger are to young to remember how it use to be. The new hunters wont increse just because you open on Saturday then take Sunday off. Start on Sunday,the following week they 'll get the whole weekend. Seems you would be more excited for two days to hunt rather than one. See if that helps balance things out rather than 2 weeks of doe. Question...Do you think you really need more days for archery too??? I say NO!
So BLM you are under 30, and you are if I get the point you are trying to make. You are not opposed to Sunday hunting! Very interesting indeed.
I would support sunday hunting also if they went back to 2 day doe like BLM said. But that won't happen. They want the long season AND sunday hunting and every other thing they can get ahold of to kill more deer in the long run.
Fire em all. Then we can consider responsibly expanding opportunities if and when we want them.
Sandman: This is not to start an argument, but when did they ever go back on a decision about deer program. They had a meeting a few years ago in town I'm from. It was to explain deer program. A biologist from PGC told me it is because of chance of bad weather and hunters not being able to get out in two or three day season. In 1992 there was a big storm Sunday before Antler-less opener, they had to extend to next Saturday. This gives Game Commission more leeway. And they don't have to extend to next Saturday it's already on there agenda.
"Sandman: This is not to start an argument, but when did they ever go back on a decision about deer program."
They went from MSY management to...whatever this is now. HUGE change. No bigger than going from this to a reaonable management plan.
"A biologist from PGC told me it is because of chance of bad weather and hunters not being able to get out in two or three day season."
I have heard the same, and true to a point, and I support the "extension" if and when it would be needed. But the system worked previously. No reason it couldnt work again. Although I would support statewide one week antlerless/concurrent. WITH a fair reduction in allocations.
Now I would agree that most likely would not work well, at least not as well as the current system if you think that the current exacting pgc forest and herd goals are just. I, and many others do not believe that to be the case. So if their current "goals" aren't being met... All the better.
Set reasonable goals, and have reasonable methods of getting there and there wouldn't be so much opposition.
Every addition that they try to package and ram down our throats as "added opportunity" at this point, is just another step in the progressive long term reduction plan.
APOLLODOG: Actually Iam over 30 but my son is not and I hear what he and his friends say...When you tell them when we were young you would see deer in heards of 10 15 ,20 over the season they look at us with disbelief. That age group from what I gather like opening on Monday just would like the following weekend to be Saturday and Sunday.
No Iam not apposed to the Sunday hunting as long as they would leave opening day just be and reduce doe tags. My uncle who is now 88 and my hunting partner the last 35 years said when he grew up their wasn't a game comission at first. So take things back in control as hunters. They can't make you shoot anything so buy the doe license and dont shoot one or simply dont buy one at all. Not really sure how well that would work but its something to think about.
and reduce doe tags.
Unfortunately they aren't going to do that. There are several instances of them not doing so when it was warranted. Units that were supposed to be in "stabilization" mode, which even their own data and declining buck harvest show was not the case.... Which they even later admitted to being the case....
And they didn't do a thing about it,because to them, the less deer the better for their obtuse goals.
I don't support anything that the game-less commission could use to decimate our deer herd further. Until a change in direction is clearly in place. I don't think that will be any time soon.
BLM: My mistake, I just took it that you where under 30. I just don't understand why everybody is against, maybe moving opening day to Saturday. I have two sons and that would help them a lot. I have heard tradition being the biggest reason, and most people squawk about being in a rut. But also squawk when shown a way out of the rut. The doe tag reduction would be welcomed, but I ain't holding my breath for that. I am anxious to see map of 2H area as I currently hunt 2G.