The retirement of Gary Alt, supervisor of the Pennsylvania Game Commission's deer-management section, effective Dec. 31, will provide an opportunity for the commission to revisit the issues of antler restrictions, the concurrent buck/doe rifle deer season and the issuance of fewer antlered deer licenses.

While the commission might have been reluctant to overrule Alt, one of the best-known names in the state's hunting circles, Alt's departure should be the impetus for frank discussion regarding the pros and cons of policies that he implemented during his five years in the deer-management role.

While he was able initially to gain the support of many hunters, landowners, lawmakers and other wildlife enthusiasts, his policies have been strongly criticized by thousands of other hunters who are frustrated by the current rules. Among the complaints of many hunters is what is perceived to be fewer deer, although some complaining hunters are to blame for their lack of success in bagging a legal buck or doe - they are unwilling to trek deep enough into the woods to search for a legal kill.

In the past, hunters have been seen perched on the side of a four-lane-highway exit ramp, appearing more like a sniper than a hunter. Some others choose to hunt so near to the edge of wooded areas that it's almost as if they are asking deer to walk up to them with the implied message to "Shoot me."

But the Game Commission should, in the wake of Alt's departure, listen to what the majority of Pennsylvania's hunters - those who routinely hunt in the true spirit of hunting - have witnessed in the fields and forests since Alt's policies have been put in effect. Perhaps, as some hunters strongly proclaim, a relaxation of current rules should be considered.

The goal behind Alt's policies was to increase the number of trophy bucks while thinning the herd by forcing hunters to take more does. A joint study by Pennsylvania State University and the Game Commission has credited the policies with increasing the buck population to approximately one third of the herd this year from a mere 5 percent in 2002-03.

However, many hunters are unhappy because of "fewer deer," with some saying that their frustration is causing them to consider giving up the sport.

There is no question about Alt's dedication to his deer-management responsibilities. That's why he is so respected on many fronts, despite the controversy he has spawned in recent years among the hunting population that has depended on his expertise.

He has presented more than 1,000 lectures on wildlife since joining the commission in 1977 to head the state's bear-management program.

For the commonwealth's hunters, then, the focus in the weeks after Alt's Dec. 31 retirement should be how the commission reacts to his absence - what dialogue prevails and to what thinking Alt's successor ascribes.

It is a wait-and-see time for hunters, as well as a time to express their opinions - and it is an opportunity for the commission to build more support for its efforts.

Therefore, both the hunting population and commission officials have an important responsibility in the days ahead. The ultimate goal for both sides should be to better the conditions for hunters - and deer.

- J.R.K.