Pa. Game Commission releases 2023-24 deer harvest estimates

The Pennsylvania Game Commission this week reported results from the 2023-24 deer seasons, which ended in January.

• Hunters harvested an estimated 430,010 white-tailed deer.

• The statewide buck harvest was estimated at 171,600.

• The antlerless harvest was estimated at 258,410.

• The overall harvest is 2% greater than that from 2022-23, which was estimated at 422,960. It’s 4% higher than the total harvest seen as a three-year average.

Game Commission Deer and Elk Section Supervisor David Stainbrook said harvest estimates are calculated using antlered and antlerless harvest reports by hunters in combination with data from deer checked by crews at processors across the state to estimate reporting rates.

“Last year, 31 teams of trained deer agers visited more than 400 processors across the Commonwealth during the statewide firearms season, to collect data, age deer based on tooth replacement and wear, and record information from harvest tags,” Stainbrook said. “They examined more than 24,000 whitetails.”

Hunters themselves, meanwhile, reported taking more than 134,000 deer, most often using the Game Commission’s online reporting system. That accounted for 74% of all reports received. Another 18% of deer harvest reports came via report cards, while 8% of reports were made by phone.

Taking a look at the buck harvest in particular, it was up in 2023-24 by 5% over the season previous and up 6% over the three-year average.

Overall, 27% of deer hunters harvested a buck. That was a slight increase over 2022-23’s 26% success rate, and up significantly from the 15% success rate seen as recently as 2007-08.

The majority of bucks harvested are older than in decades past, too. Before antler point restrictions, most of the bucks harvested were yearling deer, meaning those 1.5-years-old. In 2023-24, 64% of bucks taken were at least 2.5 years old.

As for the 2023-24 antlerless deer harvest, 69% of the harvest was adult females. Another 16% were button bucks and 14% were doe fawns. Those, too, are in line with long-term averages.

About one in four antlerless licenses issued for last season resulted in a harvest.

Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans said the harvest numbers show the agency’s deer management program is working, not just from a biological perspective, but for hunters, as well. That bodes well for those taking to the woods now and those who will follow.

“There’s no denying this a great time to be a Pennsylvania deer hunter,” Burhans said. “But best of all, these numbers show that we’re managing deer and their habitat in ways that are sustainable over the long haul. That’s not only best for deer, but for deer hunters, too.”

As in years past, the regular firearms deer season accounted for the largest part of the 2023-24 deer harvest.

• Firearms hunters took an estimated 254,710 deer, with 86,260 of those bucks and the remaining 168,450 being antlerless.

• Bowhunters accounted for a little over a third of the total deer harvest, taking an estimated 154,850 whitetails (83,370 bucks and 71,480 antlerless deer) with either bows or crossbows.

• The estimated muzzleloader harvest was 20,450 (1,970 bucks and 18,480 antlerless deer).

DCNR announces dam replacement

project at Tobyhanna State Park

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) this week announced a dam replacement project at Tobyhanna State Park in Monroe and Wayne counties.

This project will consist of a full replacement of the existing dam structure and will include the altering of fishing restrictions before a complete lake draw-down.

Originally built in the 1950s, the dam at Tobyhanna will be brought up to current standards with the replacement project.

“The project will involve replacing the dam, in-kind, and a new spillway. Currently, the dam is not meeting the needs for maximum flooding, so we will increase its height during this process as well,” said Alex Stout, Bureau of State Parks Assistant Regional Manager. “The infrastructure improvements to the dam and spillway are critical for the safety and operations at the park. It also gives us an opportunity to improve the fish habitat and the visitor experience for the thousands of anglers who visit each year.”

As part of the project, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) is alerting anglers that effective Saturday, April 6, all seasons, sizes, and creel limits for all species except trout, will be lifted on Tobyhanna Lake.

In addition to stocked trout, the lake currently offers angling opportunities for warm-water sportfish species including Largemouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, and Chain Pickerel.

“We have modified the regulations to reduce the number of fish in Tobyhanna Lake in advance of the complete draw-down,” said David Nihart, Chief of the PFBC Division of Fisheries Management. “While trout anglers must still abide by seasons, sizes, and creel limits as usual, we encourage anglers to fish the water for other species to make good use of as many fish as they can prior to the lake being drained”.

The temporary regulations will remain in place until further notice.

The lake draw-down is set to begin in mid-September 2024 for site preparation, and construction is scheduled to begin in 2025. Once the draw-down has begun, the lake bed will be entirely off-limits to the public. Trout will not be stocked in the fall during the repairs.

Tobyhanna State Park was previously used as the Tobyhanna Military Reservation, where munitions testing occurred. The lake bed has not been scanned for unexploded ordinances. Fencing and warning signs will be placed to inform the public that it is not safe to enter the lake bed. The Army Corps of Engineers will be scanning the lake bed for these ordinances as the project progresses.

For more information contact the park office at 570-894-8336 or tobyhannasp@pa.gov.

NBLT to hold Earth Day cleanup at

Hanover Crossings Marsh Preserve

North Branch Land Trust invites you to an Earth Day Cleanup at Hanover Marsh Preserve on Monday, April 22, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

This magnificent wetland provides important wildlife habitat, improves local water quality, and is a wonderful place to embrace NEPA’s natural resources.

But due to it’s proximity to development and people, it needs a little TLC.

RSVP on our website — there is no cost, but NBLT needs to make sure there will be enough supplies for everyone.

Volunteer to plant trees at Van Scott

Nature Reserve May 11 and May 18

On Saturday, May 11 and/or Saturday, May 18 from 10 a.m-4 p.m., join the Delaware Highlands Conservancy at the 144-acre Van Scott Nature Reserve in Beach Lake.

Together with the Wayne County Conservation District, Conservancy staff and volunteers will plant a total of 850 trees for the Keystone 10 Million Trees project.

Volunteers will learn how to plant trees as well as the important reasons they are being planted — 15 volunteers are requested for each day, and advance registration is required.

Register at DelawareHighlands.org/events or by contacting the Conservancy’s Volunteer Coordinator Rachel Morrow at rachel@delawarehighlands.org or 570-226-3164, Ext. 2.

Volunteers should be prepared to walk at least a half mile on sloped terrain and should wear closed-toe shoes, clothing you are willing to get dirty, and bring a packed lunch. Work gloves and other tools will be provided.

DCNR highlights importance

of investment in state’s trails

Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn this week visited Rothrock State Forest to highlight plans for more than 50 miles of multi-use, single-track trails as an example of the type of work that will be expanded as a result of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget proposal.

Construction will soon begin on 53 miles of new sustainable biking, hiking, and equestrian trails on a loop system across Rothrock State Forest. The initial 7.5 miles of construction is currently underway thanks to partnerships with the Rothrock Trail Alliance (RTA), ClearWater Conservancy, local governments, Happy Valley Adventure Bureau and other private supporters.

“Trails allow people to enjoy the outdoors, and they are the backbone of Pennsylvania’s $17 billion outdoor recreation economy — but building and sustaining trails is challenging work that requires significant investment and partnerships,” Dunn said. “Thank you to all of the partners who see the health and economic benefits of supporting this work. We hope to do more of it across the Commonwealth with the funding outlined in Gov. Shapiro’s proposed budget.”

The new trail will support hikers, cyclists, trail runners, and equestrian riders and connect to hundreds of existing miles of trails in the forest.

Rothrock State Forest is named for Dr. Joseph Trimble Rothrock, a native of Mifflin County and the commonwealth’s first forestry commissioner. He is recognized as the “Father of Forestry” in Pennsylvania. Rothrock State Forest comprises 96,975 acres that spread across the rugged ridges Huntingdon, Centre, and Mifflin counties.