QDMA Press Release
Media Contact:
Tim Lilley – (800) 209-3337
tlilley@qdma.com
Gary Alt leaves Pa. deer post proud of his accomplishments
and committed to doing more
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.
|
