Wild Quail never suffered from overpopulation in Pa. In fact, their numbers have also crashed drastically in the old traditional Southern Quail States. The only places that wild Quail thrive even there is the private plantations that spend millions yearly in giving them what they need and they spent millions learning how. Look up the Albany Quail Project and Tall Timbers to see what it took.
They are private, as in you have to be invited to hunt there and if open to the public the Quail wouldn't be able to take the pressure. While those States know what it takes to make Wild Quail, why don't they? The reason is they don't control enough land to allow everyone to hunt it.
Spending money on Wild Quail in Pa would be the same. You could look at them, but not hunt them.
Grouse? I've maybe hunted Pa Grouse longer than you have been alive. However, Game lands were for the larger part not where we would have 20-40flushes per day. It was mostly on private land open to hunting. Or State and National Forest lands.
Where do want the GC to cut? Now they can only do so on the 1.5million acres they own. All of which are not continuous good Grouse cover along with they have those who like to hunt other game they have to satisfy.
The ANF has been getting around 5000 acres cut per year up until recently when the State came up against a court order to stop. They may have started up again, but not sure. Anyway, there is so much clearcutting that has gone up there it is impressive. Combine it with the timber cutting on land companies own and it becomes even more so. There are Grouse there, but again there isn't an overpopulation problem. Perfect mosaic wood covers. Why not? The GC couldn't come close even if they wanted to.
Not your job to lobby for them having what they need to move into the future, do what you want them to do? Wake up, it is politics and it is a nasty game. The Antis don't care about your hunting, the birders mostly could care less, same with the hikers, leaf peepers, etc. And neither do most of the politicians when it isn't convenient for them to do so. They will sell you down the road on Friday and go to Church on Sunday with a clear conscious. It is your job at a minimum to pay attention to who is pulling the strings that affect our hunting future. Unless you just DGAS other than to beetch. The politicians control a license increase and they say they will not ok it because of the beetching they hear from the hunters. I'm willing to bet they would love to see the GC go belly up and get their hands on the 1.5million acres exclusively paid for by hunters. Natural gas IS going to be big. The infrastructure isn't being laid all across the State for the fun of it.
Most people live a life of being content to read yesterday's news and wonder what happened.
Addition: Wild Pheasants were mainly on public lands. Farms and woodlots over a good portion of the State. Opening Day was big with gangs of hunters going down corn fields and fallow fields. Hunters on the road edges, pass shooting Birds the hunters in the fields sent by. Today? The farmers wouldn't allow it and if they did you would pay for the privilege. If the farmers are going to benefit from Pheasants then let them foot the bill. The 60's died years ago and they are not coming back.
Last edited by battue; 02/23/17.
