Clobbered in Coudersport

[Outdoor Talk Network by Jim Slinsky]
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Clobbered in Coudersport ©

By Jim Slinsky
10/06/07

On September 27, 2007 there was a historic meeting conducted in Coudersport, PA. For some, it was just another “dog and pony show” by the PGC and their “kill the deer” allies. If you watched and listened closely, a great deal of information was revealed in this yet another attempt to sell the deer program. This one was coordinated by the PA Newspaper Association with PA Cable Network doing the camera work. It may be still running on PCN for your analysis. I highly recommend you buy a copy from PCN if it is no longer running.

The format was unique, but fell far short of providing the open debate desired by so many. A panel of five was on the stage to make general comments and the audience got a crack at the microphone to express their feelings. The panel was stacked four to one in support of the deer program. Only Jack Kraft, owner of First Fork Lodge in Austin, PA was on stage to represent the hunting and business interests. In a calm and reserved style, Jack Kraft did a good job of countering the anti-deer comments of the four bureaucrats.

Denny Dusza, Chief of the PGC’s Northcentral Region was the first to speak with no surprises. One can tell Mr. Dusza was merely reciting the script of the PGC’s deer program. One could sense Denny did not have the knowledge to withstand a debate format. His major blunder was to encourage the audience to forget about deer and hunt squirrels. The crowd laughed.

Brett Wallingford, a PGC deer biologist spoke next and his words were a major disappointment. He also followed the anti-deer script quite well, but crossed the line to misinformation a number of times. The PCN moderator would not allow anyone to press these panelists for details. You were basically given the opportunity to vent and the panelists provided the worn out excuses we have heard so many times before.

Seth Cassell was on stage as a representative of DCNR. He was a polished individual and spoke well. However, if you dissected his words and followed his logic, he was regurgitating the same excuses we have heard over and over. Obviously, he was well trained.

I saved the worst for last because I was in shock at the performance of Dr. Susan Stout, Forest Researcher for Alleghany National Forest. I expected to hear true science from a person in her position. Frankly, it was difficult to find any real truth in her words. She is the master of spin. Her insistence that all of our forestry ills can be resolved by just killing deer was not convincing to the audience. When questioned about acid rain effects, Susan blundered. She stated that acid rain studies have recently begun, but deer populations were previously too high to take soils samples. Huh? Actually, Susan has been denying the effects of acid rain for the past ten years. At one point she explained the plan was to kill the deer first and study acid rain, second. Of course, if she studied acid rain first and solved our regeneration problems with lime and selective cuts, there would have been no need for deer eradication. Hmmm? Her anti-deer and thus anti-hunting sentiment was obvious to everyone. She fooled no one.

Out of possibly two hundred in attendance, only one person rose to support the current deer program. He was a retired forester from DCNR. This makes sense because foresters are tree farmers taught to regard deer as vermin, destroyers of our forests. They truly don’t understand why deer are a necessary and critical component of our forest ecosystem.

When someone at the microphone asked the crowd who approves of this deer program about 20-25 people raised their hand. I did see a contingent of bowhunters in the crowd. I estimate 90% of our hunters have had enough.

It is doubtful the PGC is happy with the outcome of this historic meeting. The crowd was clearly representative of the stakeholders in Potter County. Farmers, hunters and businessmen were in attendance and they overwhelmingly rejected the PGC’s program. The public is no longer picking up what the anti-deer, anti-hunting, pro-forestry people are putting down.

We should be very thankful this meeting occurred. However, it was an easy read. DCNR foresters, Allegheny’s Dr. Susan Stout and the PGC were clobbered in Coudersport.

Jim Slinsky is the host and producer of the “Outdoor Talk Network”, a nationally syndicated, outdoor-talk radio program. For a station near you or to contact Jim, visit his website at www.outdoortalknetwork.com.

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