Pennsylvania Deer and Their Horns

The killing of 1,000 wild stags in Pennsylvania in 1912 established a high water mark for the noble sport in this State in recent years. Probably fifty thousand hunters, more or less skilled, participated in the chase, a veritable army of annihilation. So wrote Henry W. Shoemaker, at the beginning of his classic, Pennsylvania Deer and Their Horns. Originally published in 1915, Mr. Shoemaker s unforgettable book witnessed the turning point of events in Pennsylvania s long deer management history. Deer were so scarce during the early 20th century that someone could spend a week hunting in the mountains of Pennsylvania and never see a deer, let alone come across many if any deer tracks. Deer habitat was poor and food was scarce. Beginning with the emergence of law enforcement protection, coupled with the introduction of new scientific game management techniques, the 20th century would usher in an era of renewed optimism and eventually lead to what was to become known as the modern period of recovery in Pennsylvania deer numbers. Pennsylvania Deer and Their Horns is much more than just a book about the early whitetail years of Pennsylvania, it is also Shoemaker s attempt to introduce Pennsylvania hunters to the other antlered animals whose ancestors have come and gone in Penn s Woods. With over 50 great old hunting pictures in Pennsylvania Deer and Their Horns, Shoemaker is a master at mixing the folklore, history, and heritage of deer hunting in PA while describing for his audience those quaint pictures of hunts from our past. Shoemaker s enjoyable walk across PA hunting frontier history and culture tells an exciting story. He is an artist with his pen as he paints descriptions of men, deer hunting, and places in time that have come and gone. But today as we enter the 21st century across this great state of Pennsylvania, deer habitat and deer hunting is changing. Annual deer harvest numbers have now passed the half-million mark and that army of fifty thousand hunters Shoemaker spoke of in 1912, continues yearly to hover near the million hunter mark. We have indeed come a long way in Pennsylvania deer hunting, but we have much more work to do before we sleep. Now as we focus on our future, a new edition of this book and Part II of Pennsylvania Deer and Their Horns brings together noted experts in the fields of nutrition, deer science, and deer management to give us hope and direction on where to look for answers to help take our deer management into the 21st century. Part II of Pennsylvania Deer and Their Horns is not meant to be a how-to book on deer management but was written to wet your appetite on the part you can play in making Pennsylvania deer hunting better. Ron Wenning, nutritionist from Bighorn Wildlife Products, gives us help on understanding whitetail nutrition and the science behind antler growth and development. Dr. Karl V. Miller, noted whitetail biologist, describes the important science of how deer communicate. Brian Murphy, Executive Director of QDMA, Quality Deer Management Association, describes the concept of quality deer management as it may apply to Pennsylvania, and where you can go for help on our deer management questions. This new edition gives us hope for the future and gives us a sense of the past with a hope for the future of deer hunting in Pennsylvania. Quite simply we call this new edition to the book 208PP PAPERBACK WITH JACK PALUH S ORIGINAL ARTWORK COLOR COVER AND NEW 30 PAGE EDITION TO OUR 2002 PA DEER.$19.95