Nice fella, but he had some definite opinions about deer management.

“We should go back to two weeks of buck and three days of doe!” “We’re killing too many does!” All the usual arguments. The funny part, though, is that he allowed as how he owns some private land, has it posted, and only allows family to hunt there.

“How’s the hunting?”

“Oh, I’ve killed four trophy bucks in the last four years!”

I came away wondering, “What am I missing here?”

I’m not arguing that there aren’t areas, especially on public land, where there are very few deer, but if you are killing a trophy buck almost every year where you hunt, I wouldn’t think you‘d be lamenting the ruination of deer hunting here in the Keystone State.

I remain convinced that for years we had too many deer in Pennsylvania and that something had to be done. I’m also convinced that in some parts of the state, and especially on heavily hunted public land, we’ve now gone too far the other way and in those areas the herd should probably be allowed to greatly increase. I’m hoping that we can somehow hit the right balance between deer numbers and available habitat. The makeup of the Game Commission’s board is changing, so maybe we’ll see some changes to that end.

I also realize that to many hunters a successful season means seeing lots of deer. Shooting one is actually secondary. There’s also the argument that in order to keep younger hunters interested, they have to see some deer every time they go hunting. That may, or may not, be true, depending on the kid. I don’t believe it’s possible to come up with a plan that pleases everybody, and I’m also convinced that deer hunting like some of us remember is never coming back. Many would argue that’s a good thing, many others would disagree. I just hope there’s a middle ground to be found somewhere.

A SIGNIFICANT LOSS: Anybody who knows, and appreciates, fine shotguns had to be sick when they read the recent Daily Item article about the Ohio gentleman who left his shotgun in his motel room at the Quality Inn in Danville. When he discovered his mistake and called the motel, the gun was nowhere to be found. What makes this story even more noteworthy is that the shotgun in question was a Purdey. Most of us can’t even afford to think about a Purdey.

Cheapest used one I’ve ever seen was around $10,000, and prices can go as high as $250,000 depending on desirability and condition. Purdey is the end-all, be-all of the shotgun world. Losing a gun like that would be devastating, especially since you’d know that whoever stole it would probably have no idea what they had and would probably sell it for a few hundred bucks.

I sincerely hope that this guy and his gun are reunited. If the same thing had happened to me I’d probably be thinking of using one of my other shotguns…on myself!

ENJOY THE RIVER: June is River Month, a good time to get out onto one of the most beautiful rivers in the U.S., our own Susquehanna. Whether it be fishing, power boating, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, or hiking along its banks, a day on this beautiful body of water is always a good one.

-- E-mail comments to jdsteese@yahoo.com.