Saddlesore
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<br>Thank you for the kind reply especially concerning the deer populations.
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<br>Being so close in local as to where you lived at one time (Renova) as to where I'm at (up Rt 120 26 miles) you saw the change back several years ago. It is MUCH worse now in the Centre , Cameron and elk counties. Even southern Potter is becoming terrible.
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<br>I have friends in the Midland area and they are saying the same as you are about the overpopulation there.
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<br>I realize there are areas of PA that need thinned out but the Norther tier counties are not the ones to try it. This is where I feel Gary Alt and the game commission are making a huge mistake.
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<br>They need to STOP doe hunting there (in the counties I mentioned) for about two years and have a horn point restriction. This will bring the bucks back to a resonable size again. I remember the 60s and deer were everywhere in those counties.
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<br>I wish you had the damn elk down your way too. I had 8 bulls in the yard not long ago. They come it and tear down my electric fence and start working on my fruit trees. Lucky I have a big fence around the garden. The Damn things even come up on my porch looking for food. Sling shots and pellet guns run them off for a while but, not long. We just keep looking for them in the yard and run them out. We sort of learn to live with it but, they are a real pain. They should have killed a lot more of them then they did this past season. An elk herd of over 750 and they kill less then 50??? Talk about accidents waiting to happen (and have) on rt 555 and 120.
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<br>As for the buck situation, I wont kill a spike or forkhorn just to say I killed a deer. When I kill one, I want a nice one or he will live another year or two, and get bigger.
<br>I don't have to kill anything to be a happy LR OR shortrange hunter.
<br>You would not believe the bucks we have left go over the years while longrange hunting.
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<br>Nice talking with you.
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<br>Darryl Cassel
