It’s that time of year again for Pennsylvania deer hunters. Its antlerless deer tag time. This will be the 41st time I have filled out this application. Now virtually everyone who applies is guaranteed to receive at least one tag and some will receive multiple tags when you factor in bonus tags and DMAP permits. We, as hunters, take this process for granted now, but that wasn’t always the case in our state.
In 1900 there were almost no whitetail deer in Pennsylvania. They were hunted to virtual extinction. It was about this time that the newly formed Game Commission began a restocking program to increase the deer population. During this time, it was illegal to kill antlerless deer in our state. In 1907 there were 200 antlered deer killed in Pennsylvania. However, due to habitat improvement the population would explode over the next two decades and in 1923 a limited antlerless season was established. In 1928 the Game Commission closed the ANTLERED season and opened antlerless up statewide. Hunters harvested 25,097 antlerless deer that year. From 1929 to 1956 the Game Commission would go on to close antlerless hunting 12 times. However, the harvest would gradually increase to 55,862 antlerless deer in 1957.
The peak harvest happened in 2002 when hunters tagged 352,113 antlerless deer. In 100 years, we went from an antlerless harvest of zero to a harvest of over 350,00. Today we are averaging an antlerless harvest of around 225,000.
However, the biggest change I have noticed is hunter’s attitudes towards harvesting antlerless deer. With the evolution of modern deer management and a focus on a balanced deer herd, hunters have gone from protecting does to targeting them in a purposeful manner. Hunters have gradually come to understand that a deer herd that is balanced to the carrying capacity of its habitat is good for the deer as well as the other wildlife that live there. Hunters have also come to understand that this can also result in larger bucks because filling their freezer with a doe and letting a buck get a year or two older results in some fantastic opportunities at a trophy whitetail.
As you seal up the envelope on your antlerless application remember that your father and grandfather didn’t have the same opportunities that you have in Penn’s Woods. It wasn’t always easy to get a tag and there wasn’t always deer to hunt. If you want an in-depth look at the history of whitetail hunting in Pennsylvania here is a great article. We are truly blessed to have this resource and we are living in the Golden Age of Whitetails in Pennsylvania. Now, don't forget the second stamp and get that application in the mail.
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