2014 license

[Artjr]

Chris one thing on the deer hunting. I don't think Mr. Alt shot all those deer. "Deer Hunters" shot all those does then wondered why they were not seeing deer in a couple of years. I have met guys who complained about a lack of deer but shot does and gave them away just to say they "Killed" something. Just because you can does not mean you should. The real culprit is the ones who shot the deer. Kinda like drug users blaming their dealer. If they did not buy the drugs they would not have a problem....

[deer george]

Art, You nailed it, and some of you reading know who you are,you can t shoot mom and have any more kids.

[JiggerMan]

Art, You nailed it, and some of you reading know who you are,you can t shoot mom and have any more kids.

the dad deer play a big part in that also......  personally I don't care how many deer somebody shoots as long as the deer gets used and does not go to waist.  you pay for the tags so you can use it how you want. 

My family (2 adults and 2 kids) easily eats 3 adult deer a year if I am able to produce that.     

[Artjr]

Jiggerman, the bucks really don't play a huge role. Just like you need only one bull for 15 or so cows. I don't care if you shoot them and its legal. But remember every doe you shoot is 2-3 less deer the next year. For every buck you are less one deer. So a doe has at least double the impact on the herd. Also, don't shoot them then complain about no deer?? or blame the state or who ever. The blame is the person pulling the trigger they do the killing. The state could sell 100000000 doe tags but if the hunters don't slaughter them then there is no problem. The problem is a % of the population of hunters only care about saying I killed something.....The state uses these people to do the dirty work for them. If you don't need it don't kill it. I just drove to Zelienople PA twice in the last week. A doe was still laying in the back of some ones truck....With the weather we had I doubt it would be good. 7+ days laying in a truck bed on the tail gait ( No it was not a muzzle loader kill first time was before that season came in and after gun season went out. )

[nonamer]

new York has the right idea like a lot of other states do. charge the resident as little as possible and stick it to the nonresident. you get what you pay for. some want everyone elses portion of the pie. as for doe license the county treasurer gets most of the money and the ones who cry the most get everyones share of the does. its like the people who take a bucket of fish every day to pay for there license. greed is something most have a little in them. if you want small game then get rid of the critters that eat them starting with birds of prey. no one likes to here that. time is to short to complain when you could be outdoors. the fish and game commission work for themselves. they build jails to fill them and probably some where down the road half will be in jail and the other half will be guarding them. go tell.

[creel]

I just picked up my Senior Fishing license, $69.00 almost double a regular license, grant you that is with the Combo Stamp also my Senior Hunting license was $102.00 double my regular license, also with Archery and Muzzle loader stamps.  My Brother's live in Florida, your Senior Fishing license cost nothing, you use your Driver's License.  What are we doing wrong.  I will not have to purchase them again that's good, but check other States, they have Life time licenses and Sportsmens Licenses.  Got that off my chest.

[Artjr]

Creel, since I have moved here I have been amazed at how expensive it is and how little you get for your taxes, prices and so forth. I don't know the answer I can just tell you others are doing it better. (Having lived there and experienced both) Here are some examples from were I last lived in KS/MO.

Not sure about KS but if I remember right seniors hunted and fished for free in MO. In both states land owners "Owned the land" as far as the state was concerned not just "rented it" as the PA commission seems to think. IE farm tags fishing on your own property or guest fishing on your ponds.
Price of licenses and what comes with them. (KS was a little expensive for hunting license but hey I killed BC buck and the buck to doe ratio was like 3 to 1 and you hunted real wild pheasants that ran and flew to the next county.)

Over all Taxes were much less, just spoke to daughter gas is 2.90 in MO, cigarettes are about 75 cents to a dollar less per pack and food is a lot cheaper.

Where I lived in KS the NEW Catholic school was free to send your kids too. We had a Carnegie library, a nice swimming pool, park and ball fields, no pot holes and only had 8K people in the whole county. Now if 8K in a county can do those things why can't counties with 50-300K? One thing I noticed is the people there are a lot more self reliant and don't look to the state for everything. For example the Catholic school was built almost totally by the people of the church and the parents do most of the heavy lifting for free. Also, the people are very friendly. When we moved there not knowing a soul. about 30 people showed up to help unload and welcome us to the town. Everyone waves when they pass you on the road. Here they look like you stole something from them. The people and kids work hard on their farms, never see trash along the road and the kids work hard too.

Here it is hard to put a finger on, there are some great people I have met but as a whole, they are not as welcoming and seem to expect the government to "Give" them stuff. JMO

[Baxter1]

Dad gave us vouchers for our licenses,just have to redeem them.

[Chris338378]

..why are you blaming Gary Alt for implanting a sound white tail deer management plan?  There was way too many deer per acre, the forests were over-browsed, and the deer ate themselves out of habitat (not too mention the over development of prime hunting areas).


...stocking pheasants is like stocking trout, a sport for shmucks.

What propaganda are you listening to?  IF and I do mean IF your argument held true why weren't the deer small, undernourished, and starving to death by the masses?  Why didn't they have less fawns?  If you do some research you'll learn that a Doe will miscarry a fawn if the food to support her isn't there.  A while back the Game Commission came out and said that reducing the deer herd didn't help the forests in certain areas that they thought it would and said that it must be something else.  I'm not buying that crap about too many deer and over browsed forests, if there was no food the deer would leave, that's just plain common sense.  Gary ALT IS NO GOOD in my book.  He came up with the slaughter plan and those in charge at the Game Commission took it hook, line, and sinker.  Then we had a bunch of trigger happy "hunters" who shot anything that moved because they paid the extra $6 to do it.  Gary ALT and the Game Commission nit wits that allow this to continue should burn in hell for the destruction  they inflicted on the deer herd.  You have your opinion, I have mine, if you don't like mine don't read it.

[Artjr]

Well, not living here for a long time I believe that they did what they did in order to manage for a higher quality herd and antlers. I would say to some extent that is OK, however PA does not have the land area's and too many hunters to have a true trophy herd. It is not KS, or IA. I hunt for bucks and am not a doe hunter. My personal belief is they are for old men and little kids...let them manage them. But that is me I hunt for horns. Just what I like.

But don't shoot does and cry cause there is not does. The state wanted them killed for who really knows why. This is apparent by the price of the tags, the number of tags compared to everything else. I also find it funny (Kind of like watching a family fight) when some people complain about a new season like cross bows. It is OK for them to kill deer the way they like but not someone else...LOL It is different must be bad..Look at the other states who have had those seasons for years??

You know if you don't like something don't do it. If you don't need something don't kill it. That doe you shot might have had your trophy buck in her belly. Not saying does don't need culled they do. I have noticed hunters here seem to fight any change. I guess thats why you still had your license on your backs for years and semi's are illegal??? Funny they are fine in what 49 other states. Something is different in PA with the laws of physics? Or is it just because it has always been that way??

[Chris338378]

If you don't have a hot doe and a frisky buck you'll never get another deer.  Crossbows don't have their own season, they are just permitted to be used in archery season.  I don't see the deer as being higher quality, they aren't growing to be 200 pounds and still taste the same.   

[Artjr]

Sorry Chris used the wrong term there. LOL I am just surmising what might have been the reasoning especially since I was not here and hopefully wont be for too much longer. LOL 

[Chris338378]

No problem Pal, and I can say with absolute certainty that I'm not the only one who gets fired up and is an unhappy camper when it comes to this topic.   I wish I still had the article so I could post it but I can't find it where a person from the Game Commission was quoted as saying the antler restrictions were never intended to create trophy bucks.  Good luck where ever you go to.

[new on the ice]

Yes. I do not get the multiple year liscense.
Reason1: definatly will get lost
Reason2:it is an easy reminder to buy every year. After 3 or 5 years, I probably be in ruetine and forget that I need a new one. Don't want a fine

[fishon814]

best way to do the extended license is to buy online and print about ten or twenty just in case you lose them like I do

[latemblo]

Yeah, I've kept my fishing license in my wallet for last 6 years, been checked 9 times & they never asked!!
crazy, huh? Also they can't up the license fee without legislative approval, from what I understand.
Wanna understand the game commission? Look at where there money comes from . License fees a
small percentage. Quality of vehicles 20 years ago & today!!

[shaved ice]

yes I agree if the game commish  is ok with carrying it in your wallet, then why not the fish commish ?

[chafetz00]

Didn't get my license

[JPascavage52]

Ahh yes, just bought mine this morning, heading out this afternoon, thanks for reminding me.

Makes me think of last year. I was living up in NEPA, and sure enough, it was the night before the first time I would be fishing safe ice in the new year. I had a trip planned for the next day, and was all packed, alarm set for 5 AM, laying in bed at 11 at night about to drift off to sleep, when I realized I didn't purchase a 2013 license yet. I debated about what to do, not wanting to waste time stopping to get one the next morning, and all the places that sold them were surely closed by now. Thought about maybe just chancing it and hoping I didn't get checked, or wearing last year's and hoping they would just do a binocular check. Well, my mind finally got the best of me, and I got out of bed, and drove over to my office (10 minutes away, didn't have a printer in my apartment) to get a license online.

Lucky I did, sure enough, the warden was out checking everybody the next morning, and in full force, legitimately reading everyone's licenses.

And call me crazy or ignorant, or mr nice guy, or mr. government scab (not a democrat by any means) but I believe the money I spent on my license is well worth it, even if there are some issues, we have a fishery that we should be thankful here in PA. When I catch that lunker bass, or get to fish the sulphur hatch on the Little Juniata River with trophy trout boiling all around me, or find a pod of steelhead to myself on an Erie tributary, I can't help but remember somewhat fondly, the dollars I spent on my license. I don't think a lot of people realize how great they have it here. In England, I've heard fly fishing is considered a sport for the rich, and it can cost upwards of 150 dollars a day for a permit. Or, I remember speaking with a visiting foreign couple (I think they were Bulgarian) on a trout stream last year, who had purchased tourists licenses, and were having a blast catching trout, and were keeping a few to smoke. They told me that in their country, the closest fishing spot was about 150 miles away, and even there, the fishing wasn't half as good, and nobody in their right mind would eat any of the fish because of all the pollution and contaminants.

Furthermore, as a 24 year old, the money spent on my license is actually pretty cheap when I consider other things (and I've become very savy at finding bargain equipment, and taking good care of it). There are plenty of people out there who would gladly blow much more money on video games, movies, clothes, the latest fads, the latest iWhatevers, etc, only to be bored with them in a matter of time.

[cderr1222]

Has anyone had any problems getting there licence this year? My buddy was having an issue with his 3yr lisence. He was trying to get a dup made and he wasnt showing up in the system at all..

[Chris338378]

..Gary Alt is a respected wildlife biologist, what's your background?

..do you like that?

Maybe respected by you but not me when it comes to the issue of deer and I'm sure this holds true for a lot more people.  As for your comment I could care less about it and it's not going to change my opinion based on my observations.  By the way, what's your background? 

[folmar22]

i had a heck of a time geting mine i lost mine and i had a 3 year liscence that doesent expire till 2015 first i went to nationals sporting goods in jersey shore and the guy tried atleas a dozen times and  it kept saying replacement priv not on file so i went the day of going ice fishing to blackie and stopped at the walmart in mill hall and the same thing so i had to wait till 9 am till the pa fish and boat liscencing center was open and they could bring it up on there system but walmart could not so needless to say i had to drive all the way back home and buy it off the internet and print it out

[snydje]

It's ironic that the justification the Game commission used to get rid of the "wear on the outside" requirements are the same reasons the Fish commission uses to  continue with their antiquated rationals.

[Chris338378]

It's ironic that the justification the Game commission used to get rid of the "wear on the outside" requirements are the same reasons the Fish commission uses to  continue with their antiquated rationals.

I agree completely, just another reason to come up to you.  I still wear mine on my back so I don't have to be bothered by them to check it when I'm out hunting. 

[chez]

Maybe respected by you but not me when it comes to the issue of deer and I'm sure this holds true for a lot more people.  As for your comment I could care less about it and it's not going to change my opinion based on my observations.  By the way, what's your background?

I agree with Chris 100%.GARY ALT should of stuck to bears.He did a great job with them.The deer{ he destroyed in my eyes.}You can take only so many POLISH SHRIMP out of the bag till they are all gone.He made a lot of money for the state on those doe lic.Its funny how he lost his job a few years after the big change???I wounder what happened?POINT RESTRICTION was a great idea 100%... KILLING OFF THE DOE POPULATION Was a POOR PLAN.Certain Zones are finding that out now that its too late.WHERES GARY ALT NOW?HOW do we fix his mistake.?Who can take over and fix whats wrong?I think its a mess right now.I dont have a background in biology but,BEING A HUNTER FOR 39 YEARS i KNOW the heard is a mess right now BECAUSE of ALTs plans and the GAME COMS, TRYING to follow it.I DONT THINK YOU NEED A COLLAGE BACK GROUND TO FIGURE THAT OUT.Maybe im wrong? But i KNOW LOTS of hunters that would take CHRIS and my side on this issue.I hunted SOUTH CAROLINA For 9 years.THey have a great population of deer.I HOPE GARY ALT DONT GET A JOB THERE!!!!!THEY change their laws on deer quite often and their turkey population is great also.I think the GAME COMS, should start looking into other states and see how they run their deer pop.MAYBE that will help.I know its not going to get any better at this rate.I dont mean to offend anyone, its just my opinion.

                           FIGHT NICE GUYS,AFTER ALL WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER.

[Chris338378]

I'm not impressed in the least.  The way you praise Gary ALT it begs the questions of are you Gary ALT, one of his relative, one of his student,or  a Game Warden?  I've been hunting for 30 years and the deer herd is a disgrace compared to what it was.  It doesn't take any education to figure out there is a major problem when hunter after hunter says the same thing, there are FAR LESS deer in the woods.  Watch the hearings on the Game Commission when they are asking the state for more money, representative after representative say the same thing, the hunters are mad about the condition of the deer herd and tired of going hunting and not seeing any deer during a day.  The hunters complain but it seems all the complaints fall on def ears.  They're not all wrong with you, Gary ALT, and the Game Commission being the only ones who are right.  Also there are far less motor vehicle accidents involving deer in the area I work.  Beyond that when you count 6, yes 6 shots all day long including shots off in the distance, on the first day says volumes more than a person some letters and a title does.  Lastly the Game Commission doesn't even know how many deer in the herd, they estimate as they always have.  I can say with absolute certainty there are far more hunters besides Chez and myself who are livid about the condition of the deer herd after Gary ALT and his deer slaughter program was adopted and remains in place.  When it comes to Gary ALT and the deer herd he is the equivalent to Hitler to the Jews.  May he rot in hell for what he's done to the deer herd.  Take it as a shot at his character if you want, I don't care and you'll NEVER change my opinion of him.  I have NO RESPECT for him.  He is a disgrace to the titles he's held and screwed over every hunter current and future after he enacted the deer slaughter.   

[Chris338378]

Remember the man makes the title, the title doesn't make the man.

[clayboy]

I would like to add on here. 40 years old and I have seen the deer in both spectrums. When the season was shorter there was deer for all to see. Many went without a buck but seen lots of does. Then came the 3 days of doe. then the bonus came in and after that the running of both sexes for gun season. follow the line and the deer go down in numbers. we as hunters do play a part. I admit I would fill my tags 3 a year for quite a few years. and many others the same. deer numbers are up in some counties but these are the ones with lots of houses and posted lands. there are far more deer in Lawrence co. than ever. but where I bow hunt in butler the numbers are down. Then you have Coyotes that were not as rampid when I was a kid in the 80s or the 90s. More bears and longer seasons. The easy way to get your deer back is to a 3 day doe season and get more accurate numbers of your heard. this works in the fisheries too. get ahold of the lakes and  USE OUR MONEY  THE RIGHT WAYS.

[fishermen720]

the fish commission must need are money for the new license they cant even plow the parking lots

[IceRebel]

You know I have been watching this post started and it seems to be getting little out of hand with comments that has nothing to do with the post. It was simple remember to all of you to not forget to get your 2014 fishing license. Not ment to start a war about huntin or Gary Alt or what you should/shouldn't keep while fishin. So let's keep to the topic! Stay safe and tight lines everyone.