[DEC Unveils New Deer Management Plan]

On 11/30/2020 at 1:51 PM, G-Man said:

Im most excited that the dec want to take control of crossbow and put it in and classify it as archery equipment , ending the polittical lobbing of nybh.

The better way to look at this is,  a crossbow becoming a legal device in an state archery deer season.    Most game biologists look at the harvest data,  and concern themselves only  with that data against their desired goal for the time of year the season  encompasses.   They don't care what legal  device  killed the  deer 

[DEC Unveils New Deer Management Plan]

On 11/30/2020 at 1:20 PM, DanD said:

September? I know PA does a youth/senior antlerless rifle and muzzleloader season in  late October, but September seems early unless they are trying to stay out of the bowhunter's hair. Which might keep the peace?

Pa has a week long antlerless muzzleloader season in October.  3 days at the end of that season, they allow Sr and Jr hunters to use  centerfire if they so wish.  That week is highly unpopular with archery hunters.  

[DEC Unveils New Deer Management Plan]

The inclusion of crossbows in PA archery has allowed more people to stay in the archery deer hunting game.   We heard very much the same debating points as NY hunters are hashing out in the moment.  The PA archery buck harvest has increased, but not because crossbows changed the success ratio. There are just more archery hunters.   Inclusion has not caused a season reduction.  Instead they increased the deer season length  by one week.