HARRISBURG — Deer hunters are Pennsylvania’s most devoted hunters and their commitment to hunting has helped keep state wildlife management afloat for almost 100 years.

But who are these people? How and where do they hunt deer? Do they support or oppose the agency’s deer management program?

The results of a recent Pennsylvania Game Commission survey of 5,892 randomly selected deer hunters now sheds light on their preferences.

“Hunters returned 3,572 surveys, which resulted in a response rate of 61 percent,” said Carl G. Roe, Game Commission executive director.

This survey is part of the agency’s efforts to measure hunter behaviors and attitudes regarding deer hunting and deer management in Pennsylvania, and is similar to ones in 1995 and 1991.

The survey found the average deer hunter is 47 years old and has been hunting for 29 years. About 89 percent hunted only in Pennsylvania last year; only 19 percent of the surveyed hunters used trail cameras last year. A whopping 94 percent hunted in the 2011-12 deer seasons; 75 percent did not hunt as part of a hunting club; 73 percent considered deer hunting to be important or very important, and more than 80 percent hunted on private land.

One of the more interesting survey findings was how hunter effort, participation and success varied among age groups. For example, hunters between the ages of 18 and 39 were the most successful deer hunters. Conventional reasoning suggests hunting shouldn’t be that way; the older, more experienced hunters should be more productive. That wasn’t the case.

Granted, the younger hunters weren’t considerably more successful; the difference in taking an antlered buck was only about four percent better than deer hunters 40-59 years of age, and just eight percent better than deer hunters aged 60 or more. The gap was larger in antlerless deer harvests. In that comparison, 28 percent of 18-39 year-olds surveyed took antlerless deer; 23 percent of 40-59 year-olds; and 16 percent of 60-year-olds and older.

Of course, personal preferences, hunting opportunities and the availability of time influence these statistics, but so do hunting methods, physical conditioning and hunt preparation. Younger hunters use treestands, deer drives and trail cameras more than older age groups. Younger hunters and 40-59 year-olds had similar tendencies in scouting – 10 days or more annually. Both categories showed about 25 percent of each age group put in substantial field time.

“Although ‘trail cams’ have increased greatly in popularity over the past decade, our survey indicates more than half of our hunters are not using them,” Roe said. “Treestand usage also was interesting: Almost 60 percent of the folks in our youngest age group used them, followed by about 50 percent of 40-59 year-olds, and even about 35 percent of hunters 60 and older.”

Many hunters believe trail cams and treestands provide an advantage. But the cost of this specialized gear – and probably the anxiety associated with heights and tree-climbing – surely keeps many from joining the trend. The thought of leaving expensive equipment in some remote place unattended also discourages some from purchasing and using these items.