Back in the 50s, 60s and early 70s when Pennsylvania sold a million hunting licenses we were a Mecca for ringneck pheasants, had an over abundance of cottontail rabbits and every ditch that held water held muskrats. We also had predator numbers under control. Hawks, owls, foxes and feral cats were shot on sight. Most guys that hunted also trapped because fur prices were high. So the egg eater populations marathon man talks about were kept low.


Today we have half as many hunters and most of them don’t hunt small game. We have about a tenth of the trappers and probably five times the number of predators. Wild ringneck pheasants no longer exist in this state, rabbits are scarce, muskrats scarcer.

You would’ve had to experience the heyday of pheasant and rabbit hunting in the state to know what I’m talking about, it was incredible. I don’t believe it was over hunting that caused the decline. There has always been a two pheasant a day limit in Pennsylvania and and a four rabbit a day limit. Most guys, at least the ones I know of, observed those limits.