Deer Management Program

Control of the white-tailed deer population is central to our management goals for the property. The property has been posted for Hunting by Written Permission Only since 1992, when we acquired the last, 120-acre parcel in the hollow allowing us to consolidate ownership of the watershed. Though it may seem counter-intuitive, we have found that a few, really good hunters are able to take off many more deer than the throngs of people who used to hunt here in the past. Our hunting program has significantly improved the health of the forest, allowing for much more oak recruitment and the recovery of a number of less common shrubs and wildflowers. Since about 2015, deer numbers have also declined significantly due to CWD and/or the Game Commission’s response to it, and while we’re not sad to see native trees and shrubs get a bit of breathing room, CWD is a terrible disease and we hope the deer herd recovers soon. In the meantime, hunting up here is going to require a lot more persistence than it used to.

We are in the DMAP program, allowing us to secure additional antlerless tags that may only be used on this property.

Hunting Program Rules

• Hunters in the program must follow all PA game laws
• Hunters in the program must be willing to kill antlerless deer
• No lead ammunition, ever
• An annual fee of $50 per year per adult hunter or unaccompanied minor. Children of permitted hunters are encouraged to learn to hunt here
• Wild turkey and gray squirrels may also be hunted; ask permission before hunting anything else
• No varmint shooting 
• No trapping
• Only portable tree stands may be used – nothing permanently nailed or bolted in
• Any tree stand left in the woods may be used by any hunter in the program, but they must vacate it if the owner shows up
• Trail cams may be placed in the woods at your own risk (of theft, destruction by bears, etc.) but please don’t place them within easy visibility of any of the trails
• Hunters in the program may bring a friend along, for free, during regular firearms deer season only. They may only shoot antlerless deer, must follow all our rules, and should remain near the permitted hunter (with exceptions by prior arrangement)
• At the end of the season, let us know how many deer you harvested

If you would like to be considered for the hunting program, please reach out using the form below.