I’m sure it’s a pain to get the bear in to the check station, but PA does seem to incorporate a lot of science into the bear program. The scientist that really got the bear program going in PA was Gary Alt. He moved into the whitetail program and helped create the antler restriction we see in place now. Unfortunately, his program really messed with the Holy Grail of deer and he ended up retiring. He began wearing bullet protection at speaking engagements due to threats he received. I don’t blame him for getting out of it, but it’s a shame we lost a real scientist in a very subjective area, especially before all the facts were in. Here’s a link to a story about him. http://www.paenvironmentdigest.com/newsletter/default.asp?NewsletterArticleID=1279&SubjectID=

Anyway, looks like I highjacked my own thread. best, dwc