Pennsylvania Game News - June 2021 - 47

essential in the WMUs in and surrounding
the state's Disease Management Areas "
noted Andrea Korman, CWD biologist.
" Deer hunters remain the first line of
defense in Pennsylvania's continuing
efforts to manage CWD. The harvest
illustrates the cooperation we hoped
hunters would provide to help where
CWD threats are at their greatest. "
WMUs posting the largest antlerless
deer harvest increases were the western
Pennsylvania WMUs of 1A, 1B, and
2B. In WMUs 1A and 1B, the antlered
harvest increased substantially as well.
Buck harvest estimates increased by
more than 1,000 deer in six WMUs:
2A, 2F, 3A, 3B, 3C, and 4E. The largest
increases in antlered deer harvest were
in WMU 1A and WMU 1B, where the
buck harvest increased by about 3,000
deer in each WMU.
The percentage of older bucks in the
2020-21 deer harvest remained high.
About 64 percent of the bucks taken by
hunters were at least 2½ years old. The
remainder were 1½ years old.
" The Commonwealth's antler
restrictions have succeeded in providing
more older bucks for Pennsylvania's
deer hunters, " said Game Commission
Executive Director Bryan Burhans. " In
place since 2002, they have transformed
the smaller bucks that once dominated our
deer harvests into a buck population that
is the envy of deer hunters everywhere.
" Anyone who hunted deer before
antler restrictions can see the results.
But it's important to recognize that these
bucks are a product of a well-managed
deer herd and their existence hinged on
the willingness of deer hunters to support
antler restrictions. "
About 68 percent of the antlerless deer
harvest was adult females; button-bucks
comprised 17 percent and doe fawns
JUNE 2021	

Deer harvests 2020-21
2019-20 harvests shown in parentheses
Antlered
WMU 1A:
WMU 1B:
WMU 2A:
WMU 2B:
WMU 2C:
WMU 2D:
WMU 2E:
WMU 2F:
WMU 2G:
WMU 2H:
WMU 3A:
WMU 3B:
WMU 3C:
WMU 3D:
WMU 4A:
WMU 4B:
WMU 4C:
WMU 4D:
WMU 4E:
WMU 5A:
WMU 5B:
WMU 5C:
WMU 5D:
Unknown:

9,000 (6,400)
11,700 (8,700)
8,100 (6,900)
6,200 (5,500)
8,400 (9,400)
12,000 (13,000)
6,500 (6,400)
10,700 (9,000)
7,500 (8,100)	
2,900 (2,400) 	
7,000 (5,700)	
9,100 (7,600)	
10,800 (9,400)
6,200 (6,000)	
5,200 (6,000) 	
5,000 (5,700) 	
7,000 (7,000) 	
9,100 (8,700)
8,600 (7,300) 	
3,500 (3,400) 	
9,600 (10,200)
8,400 (7,600)
2,200 (2,500) 	
80 (340) 	

Antlerless
18,000 (13,200)
17,800 (12,700)
11,800 (9,900)
15,000 (10,400)
15,700 (14,069)
18,700 (18,888)
11,300 (9,473)
10,000 (9,724)
6,800 (6,105)
1,600 (1,100)
6,700 (5,700)
8,500 (10,300)
14,500 (12,800)
6,400 (4,900)
10,800 (7,924)
10,800 (8,285)
8,100 (8,300)
12,300 (10,955)
11,200 (9,500)
6,100 (5,000)
16,400 (15,345)
15,200 (14,427)
6,500 (6,700)
200 (496)

made up 15 percent. The previous license
year's breakdown is similar.
Bowhunters accounted for over a third
of Pennsylvania's 2020-21 overall deer
harvest, taking 160,480 deer (80,130
bucks and 80,350 antlerless deer) with
either bows or crossbows. The 2019-20
archery harvest was 145,908 (74,190
bucks and 71,718 antlerless deer).
The estimated muzzleloader harvest
- 28,260 - was down slightly from the
previous year's harvest of 29,604. The
2020-21 muzzleloader harvest included
1,140 antlered bucks compared to 1,260
bucks in 2019-20.
47
Pennsylvania Game News - June 2021

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