Deer - A Crisis in Penn’s Woods
by Cindy Adams Dunn
Director, Office of Education, Communications and Partnerships, DCNR

Both are Pennsylvania hallmark scenes: against autumn’s flaming backdrop, a herd of deer slips from the forest at dusk to feed. A monarch buck, a harem of does, all heading for a cornfield where a farmer may eventually find as many as the first 15 rows stripped bare.

Some thrill at the fleeting glimpse of that flag-like white tail disappearing into the forest. Others cringe as those same tails scatter on the macadam before their headlights.

The Pennsylvania whitetail: one man’s pleasure, another man’s pain.
Think we don’t have a deer problem? Listen to those addressing a packed conference on January 6th in Harrisburg to discuss “Overabundant Deer:”
“We are seeing less open space, more people using that space, less habitat in that space, and far too many deer on that space,” said DCNR Secretary Michael DiBerardinis. “I would call that a crisis.”

Commenting on the Harrisburg conference turnout, which topped 500, Secretary DiBerardinis saw “a very clear, very strong message being conveyed here.”

“I think this debate has to be broadened because we know there are more people who care about the future of forest than are in this room,” the secretary said. “I am committed to moving DCNR and its staff to bringing down the population of deer in this state to the point where it is in the best interest of both deer and hunters.”

The secretary points to 116 state parks virtually devoid of wildflowers, 2.1 millions acres of state forestland where oak do not regenerate, and striped maple and hay-scented fern thrive. From the suburbs of Philadelphia to the ridges of Tioga County, something is, in the words of former DCNR Secretary John C. Oliver, “drastically out of balance.”

Opening the conference, Oliver said the challenge of all attendees will be “one of balance: between deer and the habitat that sustains them; between deer and landowners; and finally a balance that assures public safety on the roads.”

Altering its habitat at the expense of itself and so many other species, the whitetail is emerging as the ultimate survivor. Just ask Oliver, who told of hunting a Mercer County tract last season, and the surprising results:

“Our party hunted hard for several days, crawling through the thickest cover and killing several deer, then we didn’t see any more,” said Oliver. “Of course the landowners told us right after we left they stopped counting deer at 120.”

Balance. That’s what this department seeks as it tries to protect flora and fauna within its jurisdiction. It is a balance that requires liberal licensing of hunters and these suggestions of conference speakers and attendees:
Improved cooperation among state agencies and conservation groups and landowner groups; extensive efforts to open more land to hunting; expanded education focusing on forestry issues; and the inception of new, and sometimes revolutionary, hunting laws to achieve larger annual deer kills.
As Pennsylvania’s largest landowner, DCNR is very concerned about the impact deer have on its ability to meet ecological goals in state parks and forests. There also are economic priorities in forest management in a state where the forest products industry totals $4 billion dollars a year.

Our professional foresters characterize deer as one of the greatest threats to forest sustainability, and a significant obstacle to the regeneration of forests on both public and private lands.

DCNR was proud to achieve “green certification” of its state forestland. Certification under FSC (Forest Certification System) standards indicates Pennsylvania is managing those forests in a sustainable manner. One condition: DCNR must address deer overabundance.

Ecologically, deer have reduced herbaceous species such as the painted trillium and American Ginseng. Loss of the mid-story of the forest - shrubs and small trees, has resulted in declining habitat for many species of mammals, songbirds and ground nesting birds such as the ruffed grouse. Even deer themselves lose.

What is DCNR doing amid its secretary’s declared “crisis.” Defensively, and sadly it continues to devote one-tenth of its $30 million in annual timber sales to fencing to keep deer from newly timbered tracts. Offensively, there is only so much it can do. Management of game and wildlife is the responsibility of the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC). In order to manage our land, DCNR must depend on the Game Commission to set hunting seasons, bag limits and regulations.

Still, DCNR has taken steps to increase deer harvests under current regulations, and within its new and unfolding State Forest Resource Management Plan. Already, for the 2003 season, DCNR enrolled 446,821 acres of state forest in the Game Commission’s Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP). DCNR wants to continue improving this program by allowing more flexible distribution of “doe tags.”

Also, trying to boost hunter participation in these targeted areas, DCNR for the first time ever became a supporter of Hunters Sharing the Harvest - offering a total of $5,000 so that hunters could donate DMAP venison to needy families. The money pays for venison processing.

Also, the Bureau of Forestry again opened to deer hunters a total of some 400 miles of normally gated state forest roads, and DCNR has expanded hunting to 87 percent of its almost 300,000 state parks acres.

This department will work with the Game Commission’s Deer Management Section to suggest further modifications — such as the recent decision to extend DMAP to more private landowners — if necessary, to make this program more practical and effective. There may be other tools needed to manage deer in our more remote and inaccessible areas.

If hunters are to remain the primary controlling force over Pennsylvania’s whitetail herd, they need the proper tools to fix the problem. We’re hoping the PGC listens to possible game law changes being aired, such as hunting over bait; expanded DMAP provisions; “group permits” allowing more individual kills; longer seasons; Sunday hunting; and more license allocations.

Some say DCNR should stay away from deer issues. To those who doubt the need, I invite you to tour any of the Bureau of Forestry’s 5-year-old “exclosures” to see the abundant trilliums, blackberry, raspberry, elderberry, viburnums, and diverse tree seedlings.

Still not satisfied? Instead, look closely at the state forestland around you, seeking out the small clearing surrounded by an impenetrable jungle of tornado-felled trees; forest floor protected by cliffs or rocky outcroppings; or elevated areas where only birds have easy access.

You won’t find any deer there. You will find healthy seedlings and wildflowers, thriving in that rare balance that enables them to grow.

Contact your legislator.

A Call for Action Conservationist, hunters, foresters, farmers, gardeners and motorists are calling for the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC), which has responsibility for deer management in Pennsylvania, to create a statewide deer management plan and make determined efforts toward reducing the population. The deer conference is seen by many Pennsylvanians as a good starting point. The purpose of the conference was to: 1) clearly identify the impact and cost of overabundant deer within the state; 2) develop an action plan to address the challenge; and, 3) identify partners that will successfully complete the plan. Participants of the conference made several suggestions, which range from rewriting the Pennsylvania Game Code to conducting additional research and education. The Commissioners of the PGC are now faced with the opportunity to lead the creation of a plan to manage the deer herd. In January, The Board of Game Commissioners gave preliminary approval to the 2004-2005 deer season that are very similar to the previous two years. The only changes are a proposal to expand hunters’ opportunity to use crossbows for deer, expanded landowner eligibility for the Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP), and an extended antlerless deer season in a Wildlife Management Unit in southeast Pennsylvania. To see the proposed changes, visit www.pgc.state.pa.us/ and click on “Release #004-04: Game Commissioners Give Preliminary Approval to 2004-2005 Seasons and Bag Limits.” Most observers of Pennsylvania agriculture, forestry and forest ecology feel more must be done, soon. WPC members may wish to write the Game Commission and ask them to allow hunters more liberal hunting opportunities to deal with the problem. Public comment on deer hunting regulations will be taken at the Game Commission’s next meeting on April 19-20 at its Harrisburg headquarters, at which time the Board will set final seasons and bag limits for 2004-2005. To request time to speak, contact Game Commission executive director Vern Ross, 2001 Elmerton Avenue, Harrisburg, PA 17110-9797. You may also submit comments on the Internet through the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy’s website at http://capwiz.com/paconserve/home/. To find out more about deer management policy developments, contact Katherine Smitherman by phone at 412-454-1347, or email her at ksmitherman@paconserve.org.

 

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