Court upholds deer management plan

A legal challenge to the Pa. Game Commission's deer management policies was dismissed this week by Commonwealth Court.

The court rejected the suit by the Unified Sportsmen of Pa. with prejudice, a legal term that specifies the same issues cannot be argued again.

PGC Executive Director Carl G. Roe said the agency's leadership felt vindicated, calling the court's ruling "a strong statement that our deer management program is being conducted in a sound, methodical and scientific manner."

Roe also said that the deer management plans are showing many benefits, with hunters harvesting larger bucks, land managers and foresters reporting tree regeneration recovery and farmers experiencing less damage to their crops.

The PGC has acknowledged lower deer numbers over the past several years in Cameron, Potter and McKean counties, achieved through its sales of antlerless deer licenses. The agency considers the deer herd of today to be better matched to its habitat.

Meanwhile, a USP spokesman said the organization stands by its claim that the Game Commission's science is flawed and may appeal to the Pa. Supreme Court.

USP questioned the agency's methodology in a suit that reflected its membership's opposition to the smaller deer herd that has resulted from PGC's license sales and other policies.

"Antlerless deer licenses sales are based on the number of deer that are out there, but we've proven that they don't really know how many deer there are," said USP President Bill Miller. His group had called for drastic reductions in the issuance of antlerless deer licenses, the PGC's primary deer management tool.

Commonwealth Court ruled that the suit lacked legal foundation, adding that USP should not have used the court in an attempt to change a policy with which it disagreed. Justices pointed out that the Game Commission's jurisdiction over the deer herd is legally clear.

"We believe that most hunters and the general public recognize that the need to reduce and stabilize our state's deer herd is a short-term pain that we must endure in order to achieve long-term gains," Roe said. "Our hope is that this ruling will cease the unnecessary expenditure of sportsmen's dollars and tax dollars fighting frivolous and ill-conceived lawsuits."