Deer harvest estimates show an increased take

Posted on: March 14, 2017 | Bob Frye | Comments

Hunters took more deer across Pennsylvania this past season than they did the year before, according to estimates.
Bob Frye / Everybody Adventures

If nothing else, know two things about deer harvests in Pennsylvania.

Archers are taking lots and lots of deer, and lots of the bucks being harvested these days are, if not full grown, certainly no longer the teenagers of yesteryear.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission has released its 2016-17 deer harvest estimate. It says hunters killed 333,254 deer this past season, an increase of about 6 percent over the prior year’s total of 315,813.

An increase in the buck kill accounted for most of that.

The agency believes hunters killed 149,460 bucks in the 2016-17 seasons. That would be 9 percent more than the season before, when they took 137,580.

The commission estimated the doe harvest at 183,794. That’s 3 percent above the prior year’s total of 178,233.

Not surprisingly, archers took a bunch of those deer. They kill 59,550 bucks – about four out of every 10 – and 49,700 does. Muzzleloader hunters took another 20,409 deer, including 1,350 bucks and 19,059 does.

As for the age of bucks harvested, the commission said 56 percent were 2.5-years-old or older. That’s down slightly from 59 percent the year before.

The antlerless harvest included about 64 percent adult females, about 20 percent button bucks and about 16 percent doe fawns. The rates are similar to long-term averages.

All in all, commission executive director Matt Hough said the past season was “quite a year for Pennsylvania deer hunting.”

Harvest estimates are based on more than 24,000 deer checked by commission personnel and more than 100,000 harvest reports submitted by successful hunters.

Commissioners will set antlerless allocations for the coming 2017-18 seasons at their March 27-28 meeting in Harrisburg.

In the meantime, here’s a look at how the harvest broke down by wildlife management unit.

Listed is the estimated 20-16-17 harvest for each unit, by antlered and antlerless deer. In parentheses is the 2015-16 harvest for comparison.

* Unit 1A: 6,500 (6,000) antlered, 10,400 (9,100) antlerless.

* 1B: 7,900 (6,900), 8,200 (7,700)

* 2A: 7,000 (6,500), 9,200 (10,500)

* 2B: 5,800 (5,200), 14,000 (15,000)

* 2C: 8,300 (9,100), 8,335 (8,490)

* 2D: 12,800 (12,300), 16,400 (15,700)

* 2E: 5,200 (4,700), 5,341 (5,300)

* 2F: 7,700 (7,000), 6,700 (5,400)

* 2G: 6,200 (6,100), 4,000 (4,100)

* 2H: 1,900 (1,400), 1,900 (1,100)

* 3A: 5,400 (4,300), 3,800 (4,000)

* 3B: 7,500 (6,800), 7,300 (7,400)

* 3C: 8,600 (7,600), 11,000 (10,500)

* 3D: 4,300 (3,500), 4,200 (3,700)

* 4A: 4,400 (5,100), 7,913 (8,670)

* 4B: 5,200 (5,700), 6,200 (7,000)

* 4C: 6,400 (5,400), 5,300 (5,000)

* 4D: 7,900 (7,200), 7,533 (7,443)

* 4E: 7,300 (6,200), 7,500 (6,900)

* 5A: 3,000 (2,900), 4,000 (4,600)

* 5B: 8,900 (8,000), 12,400 (11,500)

* 5C: 8,300 (7,400), 15,600 (13,600)

* 5D: 2,900 (2,200), 6,500 (5,200)

* Unknown: 60 (80), 70 (30)

Bob Frye is the everybodyadventures.com editor. Reach him at 412-838-5148 or bfrye@535mediallc.com. See other stories, blogs, videos and more at everybodyadventures.com.

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