1st (Annual?) Rondezvous

[Keith]

I'll give that a shot. Part of the rationale is to spread the oppurtunities around equitably. You might not use all your tags say, but you try and get out to hunt regularly. The next guy has his tags, his wife's and his father's. This guy has more time, is a better hunter so he kills a ton or two of deer. You mean while are trying just to fill one or two, but have limited luck because the other guy has shot a lot more deer. Deer that his wife, father and redheaded cousin wouldn't have shot or probably even hunted he took. This is less of an issue than it used to be with the deer populations increasing, but it is a reason.

Then there is question what does said hunter who killed 18 deer to do with them? Most families, even extended ones can't use that much meat. Why I know sell it! Ahh, but that puts an increased pressure on the deer population, that's how wildlife numbers got in trouble in the first place years ago.

DNR's DEC's and the like figure hunter success rates into the number of tags issued. A sudden radical change in the success rates can really screw up their formulas too.

NY allowed doe tags to be transferred a few years ago to boost the numbers taken. In the past we protected the does more vigorously than now. Buck tags are not transferable and I think in the future we might protect the bucks more than we do now. If you have another's buck tag while afield you will get a ticket, and oh yeah I keep the tag as evidence.

I hope what I wrote makes sense, my writing not the necessarily the logic behind the laws. Do you understand what I am trying to say?

 

[roundball]

DNR's DEC's and the like figure hunter success rates into the number of tags issued. A sudden radical change in the success rates can really screw up their formulas too.

This sounds like you're saying that they really don't expect people to use all their tags, so I guess I don't understand why they'd raise the number of tags in the first place. Here in NC, the deer pop was out of control and the tags went up to 3...then to 4, then, 5, then 6...the deer herd is huge and still climbing. If the average guy only gets one deer...giving him another dozen tags isn't going to increase the number of deer that he kills if he already doesn't fill 5 of the tags he has.

I appreciate your comments, but I'm still missing something...if a state needs to harvest 500,000 deer, and sells a bunch of tags authorizing hunters to do so, what difference does it make which of those hunters harvests them...as long as the total number of tags is legally purchased in the first place?

ie: you and I each get 6 tags and we go off on a week's vacation hunting / camping trip together.
We can shoot 12 deer total...I shoot 3, give you 3 of my unused tags, you shoot 9...still 12 total deer taken.
We had a great vacation and go home...all 12 tags were filled like DNR collectively authorized us to do.

I never said I was the sharpest knife in the drawer, but how in the world does such a scenario get the planets all out of alignment?
:shocking:

 

[olgreenhead]

well in ny you can sighn over doe tags but a buck tags cannot be sighned over . On one more note they just started the sighning over of doe tags bout a year or two ago.

 

[GobblerKnob]

Your question is off-topic, but I'll try to answer. It is one asked many times every year. It has been said that 10% of the hunters kill 90% of the deer. I don't know if it's true, but the concept certainly is. Some guys/gals are better hunters than others.
In PA, and I suspect it's the same in other states as well, we feel that it takes 3 licenses to kill 1 deer. In other words, if we want 500,000 deer killed, we need to sell/issue 1.5 million licenses. We have a mandatory reporting system, but even with that in place, we only get about a 50% reporting rate. In order to try to keep accurate tabs on the harvest, we need to be cautious about the method of harvesting. The PGC has been slow to change for many, many years. Right now, we are in the begining of seeing change to the way we manage deer. Extended/concurrent deer seasons, more opportunities to harvest does in an effort to bring the buck to doe ratio back to a closer ratio, etc. I know this explanation doesn't answer your question of why you can't transfer a license. Keith touched on another aspect of it when he wrote of commercialization of wildife. It's a lot more complicated than this, but I'll close by saying that I don't write the rules, I just enforce 'em... Rick

 

[roundball]

Your question is off-topic but I'll try to answer.

"off topic"???

To clarify...I asked it as a direct followup to your comments about laws and tag transfers, etc...

 

[roundball]

well in ny you can sighn over doe tags but a buck tags cannot be sighned over . On one more note they just started the sighning over of doe tags bout a year or two ago.

Thanks for those specifics 'olegreenhead', glad to see some state is beginning to see the logic in that.
Can't imagine that happening here in NC anytime soon, heck, we still don't allow Sunday hunting.
If they really wanted to reduce herd size here, they'd fix that and double the number of hunter days in the woods.
The way it is now...even with our long seasons, the average guy has about 8 Saturdays to deer hunt...toss out one for bad weather, another one out for a major family event/conflict...and the average guy has 6 Saturdays to fill 6 tags?????...not gonna happen.
Add Sundays, it doubles and the odds get a lot better...but it won't happen in my lifetime...as I understand it, NC is one of only 4 or 5 remaining states that don't allow Sunday hunting...efforts to get the Legislature interested in changing the legislation never get any traction

 

[GobblerKnob]

I understand, Roundball. I was just saying that this subject is off topic as it relates to the original post. Just tryin' to stay on the good side of our gracious host...

 

[ndbilly]

Sorry, Hota, tags/licenses are not transferable. Even being caught traveling to or from your hunting area while in possesion is a violation. Sounds like you have the perfect opportunity to encourage another to join the ranks.
As far as the next rondezvous goes, I believe we'd have room for a couple more. Hopefully, younger and in better shape than me! ::
NR licenses will cost $101. The deer tag you get with the license is for antlered deer only, except during the flintlock season. You must purchase a flintlock stamp by 13 Nov (this year's cutoff.) The antlered deer tag that comes with your general hunting license can be used to kill either sex only during the flintlock season.
The season opens the day after Christmas, unless that day is Sunday. Next year, because Christmas will be on a Sunday, it will open on Monday, the 26th of December. All of your questions pertaining to the rules and regs can be found on the PGC website at: www.pgc.state.pa.us. Rick

Rick,

It really warms these clogged old arteries to see a bunch of young(er) guys carrying on the ttraditions. I've often thought that we won't lose hunting rights through legidlation as much as we will through attrition.

I'm a native Pennsylvanian who was forced to leave those beautiful green hills for the dull, flat midwest several years ago. However, I have not missed an opening day in PA since 1974. Couple of things: NR licenses are up a bit. Believe I paid $115 or a bit more this year. Secondly - I stay with rellies in Cambria County when I visit. This year, my buddy (Somerset County) and I went to Indiana County for first day. We both had bonus tags for Indiana County. Were we in violation of game statutes by travelling withn these tags? Could not find anything on the PGC site.

Thanks.

 

[BLAHMAN]

Where in PA do you guys hunt? I was with a group in Potter County (Black Forest area) and we saw very, very, very few deer. There is a lot of discussion in our group about the ever thinning deer herd, the abundance of coyote's, the tatics of the PGC and the question of the reintroduction of cougars. What's your opinion?

 

[bob1961]

gobblerknob....riverat....i hope ya guys likes jerky cause i'll be haveing some when i git there this weekend....also let me know whats going on for the weekend....is it still on barring any bad weather.....................bob

 

[fvigo]

I think the $64,000 dollar question has to do with just that, money! While the state may have a target for the number of deer harvested, I don't think that not reaching that target is no big deal. There are other predators out there besides us hunters. I just saw half a deer yesterday mangled by what looked like coyotes.

Using the reasoning mentioned by roundball, then a state would limit the number of licenses sold once a certain number of tags were distributed. This would leave many hunters without licenses :sorry:. I think states realize that only a certain percentage of tags will be filled per hunter. :m2c:

 

[roundball]

...then a state would limit the number of licenses sold once a certain number of tags were distributed. This would leave many hunters without licenses...

That already happens business as usual...that's why there are different numbers of tags available per game, per section of a state, per gameland refuge, etc...there are open seasons, closed seasons, lottery draws, special hunts, etc.

The whole premise of my question was after the fact of your point:
If a state has ALREADY SOLD the licenses to the hunters in the first place...THEN...what's the difference if one hunter shares an unused tag of his with another hunter to fill...(there isn't any difference).

The post about transferring doe tags in NY state is a step in the right direction...other states will probably follow