My husband, Bill (on the left) back when he was leading guided hunts, pictured with one of his pupils, Tony. This was Tony’s first buck!
and dogs. Many are hit by cars. But it isn’t enough to control their “bounce-back” that has occurred this century. They are considered a nuisance. Our towns grow, and we move and build our homes in the woods, then complain that they are eating our flowers and crops. Now, we introduce today’s hunter, the conserva- tionists. Every year, over 1 million hunters take to the woods. Originally, their goal was the Buck, the male whitetail with an antlered crown. But research shows that the doe, the females, need to be harvest- ed to keep the population in check. So, every year, a specific number of doe and buck hunting tags are granted to help manage the herds. The hunting season has been reduced from when you need meat on the table, to a few weeks in the fall and winter. Only a certain number of deer may be harvested each year, and this is regulated by the PA Game Commission. The number of hunting per- mits is based on herd size, the health of the land they inhabit, and the hunters themselves. Believe it or not, most hunters don’t hunt for the rack. The Whitetail Deer is a beautiful animal. It has been our state animal since 1959. But its herds must be
A photo with my fall harvest from several years back.
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