Jan 2, 2005 2 min read

HARRISBURG, Dec. 28, 2004 – State Sen. Richard A. Kasunic (D-Fayette/Somerset) called on the state Game Commission to implement three administrative proposals aimed at increasing the size of Pennsylvania’s deer herd. “Over the past several weeks, many hunters throughout my Senatorial District were approaching me with one thing in mind – all of them saw very few or no deer during this year’s hunting season,” Kasunic stated in a letter to seven Pennsylvania Game Commissioners. There is currently one vacancy on the eight-member board.

The Fayette County lawmaker said there are likely many reasons for the decreased size of the deer herd, but pointed to two regulatory measures that he said are having an adverse effect.

Calling it an “if it’s brown it’s down” hunting strategy, Kasunic said an excessive doe hunting license allocation have resulted in many deer left lying in the forest. He added that the concurrent doe and buck season is also adversely affecting the size of the herd.

Kasunic, an avid hunter himself, is proposing that the commission:

l decrease the number of doe licenses;

l return to the past practice of holding separate doe and buck seasons, with the doe season consisting of a three-day season; and

l make deer management areas smaller to better manage the deer herd.

“We must protect our wildlife resources not only for this generation, but for future generations as well,” Kasunic wrote.