Game Commission Photo

Hunting, agriculture, land management and environmental groups urged the House Game and Fisheries Committee to do an independent evaluation of Pennsylvania’s Deer Management Program before making wholesale changes in the structure of the Game Commission.

The groups made their comments in a letter to Committee Majority Chairman Edward G. Staback (D-Lackawanna) and Minority Chair Sam Rohrer (R-Berks).

The groups joining on the letter include: the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, Inc., Pennsylvania Audubon, Pennsylvania State Grange, Pennsylvania Landscape and Nursery Association, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Ecosystem Management, Consol Energy, PA Chapter National Wild Turkey Federation, PA Rifle & Pistol Association, Pheasants Forever, PA Sportsmen's Association, Allegheny County Sportsmen's League, PA Chapter of Safari Club International, Ruffed Grouse Society and United Bow Hunters of PA, Penn Future, Sierra Club Pennsylvania Chapter.

The Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and the Pennsylvania Environmental Council have sent separate letters raising similar concerns.

“We are asking the House Game and Fisheries Committee to resist the temptation to vote on bills that would change the fundamental structure of the Commission or the current deer management program without first doing an independent evaluation of Pennsylvania’s Deer Management Program,” said Melody Zullinger, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, Inc., “At a March hearing, both the Majority and Minority Chairs of the Committee called for an independent evaluation of the methods and data used by the Game Commission to measure and make decisions that lead to setting hunting license limits. We think they should follow through on that recommendation before voting on any legislative changes.”

The Game Commission uses three factors to determine the number of hunting licenses and bag limits each season—habitat condition, deer health and deer-human conflicts.

“We agree the Game Commission is using the right factors, but good public policy requires the public have the opportunity to examine the methods and techniques which underlie their decisions,” said Timothy D. Schaeffer, PhD, Executive Director of Pennsylvania Audubon, a state office of the National Audubon Society. “Without an understanding of and faith in the process, skeptics will always be able to question the validity of certain decisions.”

The groups expressed support for an initiative by the Game Commission to hold a series of public meetings across the state in September to explain its methods of producing harvest data, determining habitat and deer herd health and setting doe license allocations.

“By examining the Game Commission information in public forums, along with following through on the suggestion for an independent review of the process and data used in the Deer Management Program by the General Assembly, we would all be in a much better position to suggest more effective solutions,” said Zullinger.

In addition to the letter, Dr. Schaeffer applauded the Game Commission for adhering to the recommendations of its biologists by approving their seasons and bag limits at the April Commission meeting.

“We also suggest the Game Commission and legislators go into the field to examine actual habitat conditions on Game Lands and other representative properties so both the public and House and Senate members have a first-hand view of habitat conditions,” said Dr. Schaeffer. “We also encourage the Committee to look at the recent study completed by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources which shows widespread lack of forest regeneration due to deer over-browsing.”

The Committee met Wednesday and reported out House Bill 1214 (Surra-D-Elk) changing the terms of Game Commissioners from eight years to four years.

“The goal of this legislation is to create a better Game Commission – one that is more in step with the perspective and concerns of current sportsmen and that better reflects the priorities and policies of the legislature and governor,” Rep. Surra said, the prime sponsor of the bill.

“I believe a shorter term would keep commissioners more in touch with the concerns of current sportsmen and other stakeholders,” he said. “Commissioners that were appointed more than half a decade ago cannot respond to the needs of current sportsmen as well as more recent appointees.”

A complete copy of the letter sent to the chairmen of the House Game and Fisheries Committee is available at: www.pfsc.org.

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5/11/2007