# Sportsmen will miss Gary Alt



## Bob S (Mar 8, 2000)

ARTICLE

*Sportsmen will miss Gary Alt*

Dave Lewonczyk 12/26/2004

It was a shock to say the least when I heard the news of Dr. Gary Alts planned but unexpected retirement. It was in my opinion the worst news that both the deer and the sportsmen and women of Pennsylvania could hear. To say the least, he will be sadly missed by me and countless other sportsmen who shared his passion and desire to see the Penn-sylvania deer herd improve with his management. 

Though in charge of the deer herd, Dr. Alt is also a noted Penn-sylvania black bear expert, his reputation is worldwide. He did more for the black bear than any other biologist before him.In the end, it also benefited bear hunters with record harvests. More and bigger bear have been taken in the past 10 years because of his efforts.


I truly believe the deer herd would have benefited in the same way. Deer would have been healthier, with more of a structured herd. I have seen the results on our land already. We have never harvested as many buck or such big racks as we have in the past two years, and the program would have shown more improvement in the herd the next few years. My only hope is his successor will follow what Alt has so competently started.

I know there are a lot of hunters out there who are convinced the program was not working for a number of reasons. The main complaint was the lack of deer sighted per hunting trip. Everyone seemed convinced the doe were being wiped out over the entire state.

Who can explain to me where the doe come from in the fields every night and how they disappear every day? The hunting scene is changing, and unless we as hunters and wildlife regulators change with it, we may never see hunting as we knew it again. If we cannot regulate the deer numbers, other methods will be employed such as baiting and sharp-shooting, which are already being used. This was another black day for the sportsman, but that is another issue.

Going a hundred yards off the road and expecting to see deer is not going to happen as it did when the population was exploding all over the state. Are there less deer than three years ago? 

Of course there are but they are a healthier and more structured herd than ever before. 

The breeding takes place in a shorter period and the buck will come through winter healthier than ever.

In the spring there will be less fawn predation because all the fawns will be born in a shorter period of time with more fawns than the predators can handle. It has been proven that more fawns are lost every year because they are born over an expanded time frame and predators can take advantage of this.

When Dr. Alt took this position, he knew he would be a target for some of the politicians who would stand up for their constituents even if they didnt know what they were talking about. I dont think anyone could have predicted the opposition he encountered though. The support from the sportsmen and women has fallen below a tolerable level even for someone as optimistic as Alt.

If you have supported Dr. Alt, dont feel bad for him because he could take a job in the private sector for far more money and less aggravation than he had here. 

Whatever he decides to do, I for one wish him well and he will be missed by a great many sportsmen and women all over the state.

And above all, Gary, thank you for all the knowledge and studies you so diligently shared with every hunter that took the time to listen. Your seminars and constant wit will be missed by all.



Dave Lewonczyks column appears every Sunday in The Mercurys sports section.


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