Members Letters

IT IS TRULY A SAD DAY HERE IN PENNSYLVANIA. I AM REFERRING TO THE FORCED RETIREMENT OF DR. GARY ALT. I CALL IT FORCED FOR IT IS OBVIOUS THAT HE RETIRED UNDER DURESS PROPAGATED BY THE MINDS OF THOSE UNWILLING TO CHANGE.

I HAVE HUNTED HERE IN PENNSYLVANIA SINCE I WAS.......WELL, 12 YEARS OF AGE.....SOME 35 YEARS. I HAVE ALSO ENJOYED WATCHING MY WIFE, DAUGHTERS AND SON HUNT ALSO. THEY CONTINUE TO DO SO. NOT ONLY DEER HUNTING, BUT GROUSE, PHEASANT, WOODCOCK AND THE LIKE. I HAVE ALSO HUNTED BLACK BEAR...AND HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL, MUCH TO THE CREDIT OF DR. GARY ALT. DO ALL OF YOU REMEMBER WHAT HE AND HIS STAFF HAS DONE FOR THE BLACK BEAR POPULATION HERE IN THE COMMONWEALTH. WE NOW REAP THOSE REWARDS. I DO NOT KNOW THIS MAN PERSONALLY ALL BUT MEETING HIM AT LOCAL SPORTING SHOPS AND A FEW SEMINARS. WE THE HUNTERS HAVE FONDLY REFERRED TO HIM AS "GARY".

THIS MAN AND HIS PROGRAMS AND STAFF..........INSTEAD OF BEING FORCED OUT, SHOULD BE REWARDED WITH AN OMINOUS CITATION. FOR HE IS RIGHT ON HIS MARK.

LET'S TALK ABOUT GROUSE HUNTING...........TRY AND FIND SOME. ACCORDING TO YOUR STATISTICS, HERE IN WAYNE COUNTY, WE HAVE A POPULATION OF .85 GROUSE PER SQUARE MILE. .85!!!!! YOU PRINT A SYLLABUS CONTAINING HUNTING SEASONS AND DATES FOR GROUSE, BUT INSTEAD, WHAT YOU SHOULD BE DOING IS OMITTING THE HARVESTING OF GROUSE ALTOGETHER AS THERE ARE NONE. AND THE REASON..........EXTREME LOSS OF HABITAT. ANYONE WHO SPENDS TIME IN THE WOODS CAN ATTEST TO LOSS OF HABITAT. THIS IS ALL TIED INTO THE TREMENDOUS POPULATIONS OF DEER HERE. HAVING HUNTED DEER HERE FOR SOME 35 YEARS, I SURELY HARVESTED MY SHARE. I ALSO DID NOT PRACTICE DEER MANAGEMENT OVER THE YEARS. LACK OF EDUCATION WAS A SERIOUS PART OF THAT. "GARY" HAS BROUGHT DEER HUNTING, LOSS OF HABITAT RELATED INJURIES TO OUR WOODS AND MANY OTHER GREAT THINGS UNLIKE ANY OTHER. HE WAS BRAVE IN DOING SO AS HE MET MUCH FLACK FROM SOME HUNTERS THAT ARE JUST INTO IT FOR THE TAKING OF A DEER. THOSE ARE NOT INTERESTED IN THE FUTURE OF OUR HERITAGE. HE WAS AND STILL IS. AGAIN, HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN REWARDED INSTEAD OF HAVING TO RETIRE. I TRULY BELIEVE THAT IF HE WAS NOT IN COMMAND, WE WOULD HAVE STILL BEEN HUNTING BY THE OLD RULES.........KILLING SOME 75 % OF OUR BUCKS, THE BUCK DOE RATIO WOULD STILL HAVE BEEN OUT OF WHACK, CAUSING MANY MANY PROBLEMS YOU ARE ALL AWARE OF. AND THE DOE SEASON WOULD HAVE COME AND GONE, WITH OUR WOODS BEING DEPLETED EVEN MORE. MUCH WORSE FOR OUR GAME ALTOGETHER.

I HUNTED THIS YEAR AGAIN..........JUST FOR DEER, AS IT IS A WASTE OF TIME TO HUNT FOR ANYTHING ELSE, EXCEPT COYOTES.......LOTS OF THEM, THANKS TO THE PAST HIGH DEER POPULATION. I AM LUCKY TO HAVE MYSELF AND MY FAMILY HUNT ON SOME OF THE BEST HUNTING GROUNDS IN THE N.E. WE ALL DID NOT SEE MANY DEER THIS YEAR. THE ONES WE DID SEE WERE A FEW DOES AND THE MOST AMOUNT OF MATURE BUCKS WE HAVE SEEN IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS. THANKS TO "GARY" AND HIS STAFF. WE ARE NOT COMPLAINING...........WE ARE ALL FOR THOSE MEASURES AND KNOW THAT IT WILL TAKE SACRIFICE ON OUR PARTS TO MAKE THIS WORK. WE ARE ALSO MEAT HUNTERS BEFORE THE BIG RACKS. GLAD TO SEE THE BIGGER ANTLERS, BUT NOT THE POINT.

OUR ISSUE IS THE UNDERTAKING THAT YOU TOOK UNDER THE DIRECTION OF DR. ALT. HE WAS RIGHT ON THE MONEY. MAYBE MANY OF YOU SHOULD GET OUT INTO THE WOODS AND FROM YOUR DESKS TO SEE THAT IF THIS DOES NOT CONTINUE, THERE WILL BE NO HUNTING ANYMORE AND THEN YOUR SONS AND DAUGHTERS WILL NOT ENJOY THIS HERITAGE OF OURS. "THE FIRING" OF DR. ALT ONLY MAKES ONE WONDER WHAT DIRECTION YOU WILL BE TAKING IN THE FUTURE. WE WILL ALL BE WATCHING AND IN THIS AGE OF COMMUNICATION......WE WILL BE COMMUNICATING...........YOU CAN BET ON THAT.

IN CLOSING, I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING THESE CHANGES STAY IN PLACE FOR THE LONG HAUL. EVEN IF IT MEANS THAT WE DON'T HARVEST MANY DEER. THE WOODS WOULD BE BETTER FOR IT........AND SO WILL THE GAME WE ALL ENJOY PURSUING.

WITH REGRETS......................AL PREMUTO, LEDGEDALE, PA

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Last modified: 09/25/08