Deer Management Program Study Underway In The General Assembly

The Joint Legislative Budget and Finance Committee this week awarded a contract to the Wildlife Management Institute to conduct an audit of the Game Commission's Deer Management Program.

 

Required by House Resolution 642 (Levdansky-D-Allegheny), the study will evaluate the Game Commission’s past decisions on deer management and their future strategy.

 

"It has been a challenge to locate a qualified and objective company from outside Pennsylvania to perform the audit, which is important for obtaining an independent review," said Rep. Levdansky, treasurer of the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee. "I look forward to working with LBFC staff, Wildlife Management Institute and the Pennsylvania Game Commission in a thorough, comprehensive and independent audit of Pennsylvania's deer management program."

 

"It took quite a lot of effort to get all parties satisfied to the point where the audit could move forward," said Rep. Staback, Majority Chair of the House Game and Fisheries Committee. "I was particularly pleased with the cooperation of the Game Commission in getting this study started."
 

The Wildlife Management Institutewill conduct the audit. Wildlife Management Institute was formed in 1911 and is a widely respected, independent and scientific organization. Working with colleges and universities, Wildlife Management Institute will conduct an in-depth investigation into the current deer population in the state, past Game Commission methods of population control, and future plans and goals of the agency.

 

"Wildlife Management Institute is well-prepared to do a thorough and independent review," Rep. Staback said. "The scope of this study is large. The questions it seeks to answer are the same ones I have heard from hunters for years. Whether the question is habitat, herd health, hunter satisfaction or the future of hunting as a sport -- this audit will shed light on a wide variety of important topics.

 

"I think everyone concerned about the outdoors should welcome the news that the deer audit is set to begin and, like many of us in the legislature who worked on drafting it, should look forward to the study’s results," said Staback.

 

"This independent audit will remove the guesswork and help us determine if we are harvesting the right number of deer, of the right age and sex ratio, in the right places," said Rep. Levdansky. "But the issue goes further than whether hunters are bagging deer. It impacts tourism and the economy, as well as habitat and forest regeneration, and farmers, recreationalists and even suburban residents are impacted by deer management," Levdansky added. "It impacts everyone, especially those of us who care passionately about deer hunting."

 

The audit will give an indication of how many deer the state has in each wildlife management unit and what the goal should be for each. It will detail if the state's forests are regenerating, what tree species are coming back and what the state can do to help forests regenerate.

 

The audit is expected to be completed in about eight months.