The Legislative Budget and Finance Committee took the first steps in an independent review of the Game Commission’s Deer Management Program by issuing an RFP for an out-of-state contractor to do the evaluation.

Proposals responding to the RFP are due May 14.

The Committee, which includes members of the Senate and House, was directed to do the study by House Resolution 642 (Levdansky-D-Allegheny). The resolution laid out six objectives for the study—

· To examine historical deer population trends in Pennsylvania over the past 12 years and determine how the size of the state’s deer herd has changed over time by Wildlife Management Unit or their approximate equivalent. This analysis should include the most current information on the number of deer in Pennsylvania and current and historical information on the age of the herd for both buck and doe (in absolute numbers and percentages).

· To identify the circumstances and problems that led to the initiation of a new approach to deer management in Pennsylvania around 2000 and how the current goals and objectives of the PGC’s Deer Management Program address these problems.

· To document and conduct a science-based review and analysis of the basic components, principles, and objectives of Pennsylvania’s Deer Management Program with an emphasis on examining the modeling, techniques, and management decision-making practices currently employed by the PGC, the extent to which they are based on sound science, and the impact the deer management program has had, to date on: the size and health of the Commonwealth’s deer herd; healthy forest regeneration, including the potential effects of factors other than the size of the deer herd, such as acid rain; and reducing the level of deer-human conflicts.

· To compare Pennsylvania’s deer management practices to such practices in a sample of selected comparable states and to determine if there are more proven and scientifically-based deer management methods available that should be considered for use in Pennsylvania.

· To determine whether PGC’s current Wildlife Management Units are appropriately sized for sound management, and in particular whether reducing the size of WMUs would likely result in improved deer management.

· To develop findings and recommendations, as appropriate, for improving PGC’s deer management program.

Sen. John Pippy (R-Allegheny) serves as the chair of the LBFC and Sen. Gerald LaValle (D-Beaver) as the vice-chair.

5/2/2008