Dube, don't know where you are or how long you have hunted. But in my area, Bedford and Somerset counties, the peak was before the 90's. Our peak was probably late 60's through early 80's.
And this is why I noted that different parts of PA have had good numbers at various times and may now have gone in the other direction?
The point could even be made (and perhaps should be made) that one part of a county might've had good numbers over a period of time, yet 15 miles in another direction, different ballgame?
These are the counties I've hunted in since the early 60s:
Dauphin, Cumberland, Perry, Juniata, Lebanon, Union, Potter, Tioga and maybe one or two border areas I've forgotten where mighta slid over into another county? Most of those areas (or at least the parts that I hunted in) had very few deer until the late 80s into the 90s.
Where I've primarily hunted, northern Potter and Tioga, had fairly good hunting from the mid 80s on. Numbers pretty much peaked by the late90s where I normally hunt and at least in the area of my camp, are coming back fairly well.
I stand by the assertion that there was never a time when deer were evenly spread across PA and never will be such a time. Although there are now deer where they were once a rarity.
A given that there are now far more deer in many of the southern counties that just weren't there 20 years ago. Another reason why some guys with northern tier camps, now may hunt more at home?
