National News

Watkinsville, Ga. – Gary Alt, the man who changed the face of Pennsylvania deer hunting and management like no one in history, is retiring Dec. 31 as director of the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s deer management section. But, the impact of his efforts won’t disappear with his departure – at least, not immediately.

“I am proud of what my team and I achieved through our efforts to balance Pennsylvania’s deer herd with its habitat, and to allow more bucks to live longer,” Alt said. “We made some of the most sweeping changes in the history of wildlife management in Pennsylvania, and I really appreciate the QDMA’s support over the past five years.”

“Prior to Gary’s appointment as deer section leader, Pennsylvania’s whitetail resource had reached a critical crossroads. Throughout much of the state deer herds were too high for their habitat, sex ratios were highly skewed toward females, and over 80 percent of all bucks harvested each year were yearlings. It was so bad that Pennsylvania was generally considered the worst case example of deer management in America,” said QDMA Executive Director Brian Murphy. “Gary decided to tackle this issue head-on, knowing full well how difficult this task would be. I believe history will show Gary as one of the pivotal figures in the history of deer management, not only in Pennsylvania but across the nation.

“Make no mistake,” Murphy continued. “Landowners, hunters and wildlife professionals around the nation are watching the deer situation in Pennsylvania. Under Gary’s leadership, the Game Commission has made significant progress toward achieving the kind of balance in the state’s deer herd that is critical – not only to the long-term health of the herd, but also to the health of the state’s wildlife habitat and all the species that use it.

“All of us at QDMA, especially our more than 2,000 Pennsylvania members, are hopeful that the Game Commission will stay its course and remain focused on the long-term health of the deer herd and its habitat.”

QDMA Chairman of the Board Craig Dougherty agrees.

“Gary Alt and the Pennsylvania Game Commission showed real courage in doing what is right by white-tailed deer and their habitat in the state,” Dougherty said. “The Pennsylvania deer herd was dramatically out of balance. Alt and the Game Commission have taken important steps to correct that.

“Pennsylvania hunters are seeing more mature deer in the woods than they could have even dreamed of in the past,” Dougherty continued. “It sounds as though the herd still needs some fine tuning, but that should be easy given the excellent start Pennsylvania has made. With that in mind, it’s important that Pennsylvania stays the course and continues this historic effort in deer management.”

Alt said he will continue to work on balancing the Keystone State’s deer herd after he leaves the Game Commission.

“Attempting to raise more deer than the land can sustain has been the greatest mistake in the history of wildlife management in Pennsylvania,” Alt said. “And if this is not corrected, it threatens our entire forest ecosystem, the health of our deer herd, and even the future of hunting as we know it.

“I believe the future of hunting will be tied to our ability to use hunters and hunting to balance deer herds with their habitat and fix these forests for everyone, providing a free environmental and ecological service for all of society,” he said. “I deeply believe in this cause and that I can be more effective outside the Game Commission than within it. That is why I retired.”

Founded in 1988, QDMA is a national nonprofit wildlife conservation organization with nearly 35,000 members in all 50 states and several foreign countries. Membership in QDMA is open to anyone committed to ethical hunting, sound deer management and the preservation of the deer-hunting heritage. To learn more about QDMA and how it can help your hunting, call (800) 209-DEER [(800) 209-3337] or visit www.QDMA.com.

–www.QDMA.com–

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