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Some conversations Pennsylvania sportsmen have every season, like clockwork. No, I'm not talking about opening day. I am sure that will come up eventually, but it is not the topic of today's conversation.
Today, I want to talk about doe tags.
Doe tags are one of those topics that never goes away. Too many tags, not enough tags, too slow getting tags, too easy to get tags. The arguments are numerous, but they avoid one central question -- how many tags do you need at one time?
As it stands, a hunter is permitted to hold up to six unfilled doe tags. In WMUs 5C and 5D, a hunter is permitted to hold up to 15 unfilled doe tags. In either situation, that is a lot of tags. Let me be clear: I do not think that the PA Game Commission should issue fewer tags, or that hunters should be restricted in the number of tags they can purchase.
Quotas are set to manage the statewide herd, and if that management is to be successful, those tags need to be used. What I am saying is that allowing hunters to hold 6 or 15 tags at the same time does not accomplish either goal.
How many hunters do you know spend the season walking around with a pocket full of tags only to end the season with those tags collecting dust? The truth is no one knows because the reporting system has never worked properly. Although reporting is mandatory, it is also done on the honor system.
Anyone who has viewed the annual report knows it is nowhere near accurate. There is also no way to hold those who do not report accountable. The answer to both issues is to change the tag system.
Allow unlimited doe tags to be purchased for as long as they are available in the desired WMU, but limit this to two such tags at any given time. Once a hunter successfully fills a tag, they report the harvest and may then purchase additional tags.
Sound impossible to manage? Nope, much easier than you think.
Since the Game Commission now sells hunting licenses and permits, including doe tags, through the online system, it couldn't be easier. The system is already designed to prevent hunters from buying multiple tags for other species; it wouldn't be difficult to limit doe tags to a specific number either. By having hunters report their harvest through the same system, or by phone for those without computer access, this information could be collected quickly and entered into the system automatically.
Once a harvest is reported, the system could then release permission to purchase additional tags.
Many of you are probably rejecting this idea outright on grounds of additional government restrictions. While it is true that this would restrict the number of tags to be held at the same time, it is not about overall control -- it is about better management. Making this change would lead to immediate improvements to the doe management program.
Harvest information would be more reliable, allowing biologists to better determine the number of tags necessary for the following season.
It would better ensure that tags are used by those who will harvest does.
It would help eliminate the impact anti-hunters can have on the availability of doe tags. Those who buy tags with no intention of using them just so someone else can't.