. Bulletin (Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters), no. 46-50. Forests and forestry. was enacted in 1907, and subsequent acts contril)uted enormously to insure an increase of the deer herd. For more than twenty years a primary interest of those agencies engaged in game conservation in Pennsylvania was directed toward an increase in the buck population. The female deer, which naturally in- creased in population as the bucks increased, began at least fiftecji years ago to multiply in great numbers. Thus, it followed that the next problem in the management of the deer in Pennsylvania beca
. Bulletin (Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters), no. 46-50. Forests and forestry. was enacted in 1907, and subsequent acts contril)uted enormously to insure an increase of the deer herd. For more than twenty years a primary interest of those agencies engaged in game conservation in Pennsylvania was directed toward an increase in the buck population. The female deer, which naturally in- creased in population as the bucks increased, began at least fiftecji years ago to multiply in great numbers. Thus, it followed that the next problem in the management of the deer in Pennsylvania became one of how to control the deer herd rather than how to increase it. It was not until about fifteen years ago that the State Forests became widely popular for hunting. The rapidly mounting mileage of hard surfaced highways in Pennsylvania and the increasing use of the auto- mobile made the forests of Pennsylvania accessible for hunting to thou- sands who ordinarily had not previously enjoyed them. This groMJng army of hunters, many of w^hom were desirous of shooting big game, naturally led a justifiable demand for an adequate supply of deer. About 1915 a few complaints were made by orchardists and farmers that their crops, and therefore their livelihood, were suffering as a result of an overabundance of deer. Injury to agricultural crops in- creased though sul)sequent legislation and administrative regulations attempted to reduce the damage. Then beginning about 1922, various foresters in Pennsylvania began to observe in many places, especially in State Forests where the deer i)()pulation was large, that the forest vegetation, both of native and artificial establishment, was suffering also. Forest tree plantations in Franklin, Union, Centre, Huntingdon, Clinton, Elk, Clearfield, and Pike Counties were not only being damaged, but were being destroyed, by deer. Many plantations tluit had failed owing to deer damage and destruction were replanted. Tlie browsing of the deer, howe
Size: 1866px × 1339px
Photo credit: © Book Worm / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, booksubjectforests, bookyear1923
