Support hunting license increase

To the editor: My name is Ernest Kramer. I have lived in Pa. all of my 47 years and have been an avid outdoorsman since childhood. I also have a degree in wildlife management from Penn State University. I am writing to you because I am extremely concerned with the recent politics being played out in Harrisburg concerning the PA Game Commission. The PA Game Commission needs legislative approval for hunting license increases and our legislature has not approved an increase since 1999! Their reason for not approving a license increase is because they feel, due to the current deer management plan; the hunters of this state will not support it. I belong to several state conservation organizations that have spoken to the legislature telling them that their members and organizations do support a license increase but our politicians choose not to listen. The PGC is basing their deer management plan on biology and reducing the herd so the habitat has a chance to recover from the surplus of deer it was supporting for many years. Some hunters do feel that the reduction of the herd size has gone too far in certain areas and this is impacting their hunting but this is no reason to hold the PGC hostage because of their deer management plan. When the PGC Board of Commissioners chose to follow the biologists’ recommendations for antler-less license allocations it was stated that the PGC will not see a license increase till at least 2010. This is absurd! The PGC has made all forms of cutbacks to keep functioning. There is no room for anymore cutbacks. The PGC needs less political meddling not more. It is time for all hunters and non-hunters to tell the legislature to give the PGC the license increase it needs and to keep the politics out of wildlife management! Ernest Kramer Hamburg