Study results show the numbers are substantially different between what the sportsmen and Game Commission claim. At the end of March, sportsmen surveyed the Blue Knob area by air and ground. The Pavia Sportsmen Association and Beaver Run Rod and Gun Club initiated the survey, because they say they don't think the Game Commission is doing enough to balance the deer population. They claim the Blue Knob area has 25 deer per square mile. The sportsmen's group covered roughly 9,000 acres in the Blue Knob area and claim to have found only 84 deer. The Game Commission has said that same area has roughly 400 deer.

A spokesperson for the Game Commission says deer can be moving in and out of the area they surveyed. State officials are conducting their own study of 300,000 acres statewide. Results are expected Wednesday.