The manner in which 2009-10 antlerless permits are being issued — and, more to the point, not issued — through Erie County is no minor matter to resident hunters.

Many resident hunters who properly filed their applications on time have been rejected, receiving “allocation filled” notices because the Revenue and Tax Claims Bureau says it had trouble keeping up with demand. As a result, said Len Hribar, acting law enforcement supervisor for the Pennsylvania Game Commission, hunters from outside Erie County were more likely to see their applications approved than those from Erie County.

The bureau says changes to the Game Commission application system this year didn’t help. The Game Commission says the bureau didn’t plan or staff properly or process applications quickly enough.

Either way, the Erie-area hunters who paid for their annual general license and followed the applications guidelines are feeling left out.