Trad Gang

just want you thoughts or reports on this year, i know my season has gone pathetic! maybe il tlk about my depressing season l8r... what you seeing?

I am seeing but I need a rifle to shoot them! I hope it's because the corn is still standing. It's awfull wet here I realy don't like hunting in the rain. I hope our luck changes soon.    

Good Luck MARK

Rain and standing corn are really putting a hurting on my season so far. Tons of acorns still on the ground. Hopefully the rut will start to get the bucks moving a little. Deer vehicle collisions are really starting to show up at our shop so maybe things are going to get going around here soon!
 GLENN

I haven't been out much, but have seen deer most times.  I've been playing hide and seek with a seven point up along Glades Pike, the ridge above town.  Found a scrape line yesterday, but it was raining a frog strangler this morning so I stayed home.  Probably won't get out now till Saturday.

I'm never depressed in the woods...deer or no deer.  Take a day off and work on your sentence structure and syntax.  It will cheer you up for sure.    :thumbsup:     :p

my friend Pat from PA has killed 2,  one doe, one 10 point.  He's a member here, maybe he will chime in!

Said the rain has been killing him lately.

I've only seen deer twice from the stand since the season opened. deer seems to be almost nocternal right now for some reason ???

I am like Earl Jeff I am not seeing much of anything, but if I do it is in the first 10 minutes of light or the last 10 minutes of light. I so far have seen a total of 3 deer only, no rubs and no scrapes. We have some corn cut, but everyday it seems to be wet. If we get a day of snushine it goes up to the mid 60's and then the deer do not move as they have there winter coats on...

Oneonta NY area

Bill

same here not seeing any deer,but so far seen 1 bobcat,2 gray fox,and countless #'s of squirrels.i have seen alot of scrapes but not to many rubs.heading out this morning to try it again.

I live in Cambria County very close to Glendale Lake, have hunted almost every day except for a few with heavy rain or high wind. Have seen a total of 12 deer this year. 5 small antlered bucks out of range, 2 button bucks, 3 does.

Drove up from Alabama to hunt Crawford Co. this week.  Two of us been hunting hard since Monday and we only seen a handful of deer.  I thought it was going to break loose this morning because we saw bucks crossing the road in the dark on the way and we saw a couple small bucks from the stands real early - then it went dead again.  Its getting better all the time though.  I usually come up the first week of Nov but decided to come a week earlier this year.  Might of been a small mistake....

Deer sightings have been on the sparse side. The only shot opportunity was a pair of this year's fawns at about 8 yds - mom stayed out at about 30 yds.

But had a good night Tuesday when I watched a male blackbear within 25 yds of me for over 15 minutes. He laid on the ground and scratched his back (reminded me of my dog) and that is how I know he was a he.

i hunt by my home in Pike C

ounty. dense hardwoods. not many deer. year after year its like this. been out every night. seen only one spike and a few does. But the first week of nov. i usually get one.. last three years have been 3 - 4 year old bucks. antler retrictions are working...i have seen 6 bears. they are feasting on the acorns...Ed

Was seeing deer in the early season. When it was lighter longer into the evening. Killed my first with a longbow last week of Sept. Now I am see them when it is too dark to shoot. Had three about 10yds crossing in front of me Tues. evening when I was walking out of the woods but was too dark. Dont know about the mornings. I am hunting pretty much all evenings right now.

Have seen deer every time out, missed a doe with my self bow. Saw my first buck last night right under my stand, a 5 point, need four on one side where I hunt. Lots of turkeys and hope to score next week.

I saw this one on Oct 16th. I hadn't seen this one since late July, early August and then he just showed up in Oct.

(http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9ce36b3127ccef837c5e33d5200000030O08AaN2rJs0ctAe3nw8/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D720/ry%3D480/)

Wow Joe ! Sweet buck !

I have also been seeing lots of deer. Only one day out that I did not see any.

I hit a real nice eight point the second day of the season. Rather not dwell on it but it turned out to be the first bad hit that I did not recover   :banghead:

Weather in our area has been way too warm and a lot of corn still standing due to several recent heavy downpours. They just aren't moving. Lots of acorns on the ground, and if they're anywhere, it's there, but at night. We need a cold snap to get things going!

I keep plugging away, only missed a few evenings. Seen deer on three occasions, total of six, five were repeats. All does and fawns.

I expect things will get better real soon. Regardless, my treestand is a great end to a day in the office. Deer or no deer, I'm enjoying myself.

Down here in southern Chester County we're still seeing quite a few animals each time out.  I've filled 3 doe tags and have been waiting for a buck the past week.  Yesterday and todays evening hunts were pretty good, 5 bucks last night another 4 tonight in a different area.  Out of the nine 3 were real nice 1 was great. The does seem to be lying low and not moving around too much.  The few does I've seen have two or three bucks in tow, mostly young guys with high hopes.

Next week should be real interesting throughout the state.  Good luck!

I've been hunting State Game Lands in Centre Co and so far have only seen 6 deer (two of them spikes), but I haven't been able to get out as much as I planned between work, bad weather, sick kids, and sick me.

This morning, however, between my swine flu coughing episodes, I had two does come in.  I was on the ground with the wind perfect; they had no clue I was there; and I completely blew a broadside 20 yard shot.  My only excuse is very poor shot execution brought on by "doe fever".

Jeff i fish glendale lake(ice fish)  :)  i seen 2 deer so far this season both does. i seen very little sign, and very little rubs and scrapes. also mostly hunting state land. nothing but ticks all over the place they are terrible, been bad past few years! And yes it does get depressing in the woods goin out time after time not seeing any deer! it like your goin through the motions, like play hunting..... our area around here bedford, blair counties esp. on state land are pretty rough... i was so happier earlier this year for my dad who stopped hunting traditional bows due to lack of shooting oportunities at close range(due to fustration with deer hunting around here) with traditional equipment, went back to compound. had his new compound bow for 6 years and finally got his first shot(in 6 yrs. and conected on a scruf 8 point. and he hunts hard, maybe misses only a couple days in an entire archery season. i dont know anymore just get so disgusted even goin out, lol other day i said im goin back to squirrel hunting heck with these deer! Forgive me fauther.... lol but to all you who keep poundin away not seeing any action... keep the faith brothers!

George i belive you understood my question. as everyone else, and this aint grammer school.

I hunt monroe and carbon county, been seeing deer almost every day, in the last 3 days the bucks are really starting too come out of the wood work, I shot a 7 point the second Sat, at 7:am
that field dressed at 182# and have taken two doe since, still have 3 doe tags, which a couple are dmap tags,
In the areas I've been hunting there has been scrapes a week prior too the season opening, I know of 7 bucks being killed in the last week one being an 11 pointer, I really do not buy into the 3 or 4 point manage buck idea, guys say its working , I ve seen a y buck or 4 point that has a good 18" spread, and this deer is huge, and Id bet he is 4 years old , I feel buck need too be culled by age and rack size, there was always good racked bucks in Pa. if you do your homework you will locate them.I shot my buck in the rain and very heavy overcast, thats when Ilike to hunt bucks, my 7 point only had a 16" spread but very heavy mass and palmated,
wish every one a great and safe season, good luck too all.

I'm hoping with the passage of this cold front that is on us right now with 6 hours of rain will trigger the bucks to run!

yes i shot a big 8 pointer but the %$%^& of it is that i saw a buck 8 pointer spotlighting 3 times bigger under my stand so that sucked but my dad will get him ill try posting pics of my buck

Brad, Thanks for the update, It is tough on public land, looks like the best deer hunting in the State is in Pittsburgh and Philly areas, that is if you can get permission. Well, I'll just keep at it around home, I do a lot of scouting and am always trying different areas, just can't come up with much, get's me in shape with a lot of exercise. The ticks up this way are terrible this year, I think they too are miserable from the lack of deer to latch on to, so now they have been choosing me.

By the way, congrats to your Dad on his hardearned buck!!!

LOL Jeff thats exactly what dad says, no deer left for ticks to get on, so there climbin on us! LOL!!!

Hunting Bedford and Blair Counties. Been out a half dozen times. I have seen 3 bucks and a dozen or so does. Nothing inside bow range.
Saw a 6 point this morning at about 75 yards. He had no interest in the grunt call though.

Weather has sucked and when it isn't raining it is windy...

I'm not seeing as many does as usual but the past week every one I do see is being pestered by a couple of young bucks. I've got to start following Tim G around. There has been a dramatic increase in the number of road killed deer as well, the majority of wich seem to be young bucks. I think things are really going to pick up here in Chester this week. Good Luck, Greg

still  no deer   :help:

I hunt southern Clearfield Co. The last few years, it has really gone down hill. This weekend we saw more deer, but hardly anything legal. Same story last year. Gets discouraging. Especially when you think back to what it used to be like. Not a big Gary Alt fan to say the least.

the 8 pointer i shot was my first trad kill im 16 know 10/3/09

Jim id have to say i agree with you on that!    :clapper:

Rather than going into great detail I'll just say that it will take an act of God to get me to purchase another archery tag to hunt a handful of deer in the NC area of Pa. As far as I'm concerned the archery season is only 2 weeks long and ends when the inlines start firing on the 3rd Saturday of the season.

                     

Quotejust want you thoughts or reports on this year, i know my season has gone pathetic! maybe il tlk about my depressing season l8r... what you seeing?

Pathetic here to. 4 weeks of hunting every day but 2 days has produced a handful of deer sightings. Snow on the ground last week for four days in the higher elevations produced a handful of deer tracks in many different areas of state gamelands and state forest lands. It is truly depressing, but still better than being at work.                :)            

Gary Alt, he's our man
He came to town, and sold his plan
With visions of racks, like the one he waved
We took the bait, the herd would be saved
He said bucks would be bigger, there'd be more to kill
Up there yonder, up on the hill

Our bowhunting org, yelled FOLLOW THE SCIENCE!
And now we have crossbows, that are in compliance
Now here we set, in deerless despair
The plan needs tweaking, it needs urgent repair

With embryo counts, dropping each year
And negative browse impact surveys, yelled in our ears
"Soon" they say, relief will come
Will it be before, there's hunters none?

QuoteOriginally posted by Tioga:

Seeing more ticks than deer

Tioga,

That says it all.

I'm with Tioga!  The state forest borders my property and I don't even hunt it. I have to go out of state to do my archery hunting.

I hunt public land and am not seeing much.I've been out alot and saw 4 deer so far.All does except for the biggest buck I ever shot at,but I missed.Now turkeys and squirrels are everywhere.
BTW thanks alot so called Doctor Gary Alt...  :mad:

It's simply inconceivable to me that, according to PGC studies, Pa hunters managed to harvest 80-90 percent of the available 1.5 year old bucks prior to ARs. Yet, those same hunters, according to the PGC, can only manage to fill 30-40 percent of the allocated doe tags each year. It makes no sense. The figures and facts just don't add up.          :confused:        How can Pa hunters be so efficient at harvesting 1.5 year old bucks, and so ineficient at harvesting does?        :knothead:         Somebodies facts are as messed up as the broken deer model that they used to estimate our herd at 1.6 million.        :banghead:

Ticks are getting worse each year.  I never use to worry about them, but now I sure do!!

PA has really changed since I started bowhunting back in the late 1980s.  And I must say that I use to have a lot more fun while in the woods back then.  However, I really don't think the regulation changes (antler restrictions and increased doe harvest)are totally responsible.  State game/forest land is generally in a mature state and if there is no understory, what are deer to eat except with the acorns fall.  Also, there is a lot more posted land and exclusive leases than ever before.  Thus, public land is getting hit harder than ever before and when you combine this with poor deer habitat, it's no wonder I/we don't see as many deer as we use to.

Yes the regulations have changed, but so has the habitat and hunting opportunities.  We still have much greater opportunities here in PA than a lot of others do across the country.

The PGC needs to log some of that mature forest.And I get really upset when I hear them talk of over browsing.They need to show me because I dont see it.I know one thing the future of hunting depends on the deer herd being healthy and abundant.I've been mentoring a 17 yr. old young lady this year and am surprised she hasnt given up...yet.I feel bad for her that we dont see more deer.

John, I'm with you on this. When we didn't hunt doe for many years but 3 lousy days a year, we'd see tons of them. They'd circle our stands in gun season over and over. Knew we w ere there, but didn't pay us much mind... they weren't "prey" in those days.

Now we hunt them non-stop. Guess it seems to me that even the does have gotten like the bucks... either go nocturnal, or just plain gotten to the point where they know they're hunted hard and they have adopted the whitetail's basic behavior of hiding welland avoiding us stinky ole people.  :)

I'd agree with Tioga too, that there are some things askew in the numbers game.

But then John's words ring true again. We have such a "patchwork" of posted vs. open (available) land to hunt, nowhere I go is it far from posted property. Why would I hang in my living room if I scented trouble and saw strangers in there...I'd just go next door where it's safe till dark.

I've seen heavy sign overnight in areas I hunted from hour before to hour after dark and see fresh activity sign after I leave. Seems to point to nocturnal activity to me... and there were only 3 of us hunting a large farm and woods...but it bordered game lands.

Tween hikers, joggers, kids playing from the new development, horse riders and hunters, all the local deer, even those on the farm, just decided to go nocturnal, huh?

There is something afoot, but it seems that the deer have really wised up a LOT and changed THEIR behavior a lot more than we as hunters.

I hunt the habitat. I hunt where there SHOULD be deer. Areas that are capable of holding good deer numbers. Areas of fresh clearcuts, areas of 5 year old clearcuts, areas of good growth of hobblebush, greenbrier, raspberry and oak regeneration. Oak flats and benches adjacent to heavy bedding cover of laurel. Makes no difference. Might as well be hunting mature timber. One thing I believe is that Pa hunters are an efficient lot. I believe that the PGC knows that Pa hunters will shoot until there's not a deer left standing and bank on it to appease the Audubon types. I don't think for one minute that habitat is as big a controling factor as is predators and high doe tag allocations and liberal seasons. In my eyes, if habitat were as big a controlling factor in the northern tier, we wouldn't have needed herd reduction in the first place because Mother Nature would have taken care of the problem in her own way.

 I see excellent oak regeneration where there's sun. I can take anyone to most any pipeline that crosses the Tioga State Forest, which is planted in clover food plots, and show you oak regeneration growing from seedlings to saplings with a few deer grazing the clover all summer and fall 10 feet away. Things is, walk 10 feet off the pipeline, and the oak regen is non-existant. It ain't the deer, it's lack of sunlight and the deer and us hunters are paying the price for poor timber management practices of the past.

 Most of us agree that we needed to bring the herd numbers down some. Especially in areas where the social carrying capacity was far higher than need to be. But to the extent that herd reduction has gone in the areas that I frequent is beyond neccesity and beyond being reasonable and I believe we are having the wool pulled over our eyes by a PGC that has been infiltrated by those that would prefer to cater to eco-terrorists that are more interested in watching trillium grow than watching a deer eat it.         :mad:    

I hate trillium.      

"How can Pa hunters be so efficient at harvesting 1.5 year old bucks, and so ineficient at harvesting does? "

There's not enough an "ego boost" in shooting does.

This topic is goin where i expected it to. I feel the same as most of you do. I do belive that the game comissions numbers were wrong from the begining! They never truely knew the deer herd population, thus when they made there estimates they were way off in most regions. then the green tag, extra doe tags, antler restrictions and all just put a hurting on em, give out the tags; guys are goin to shoot. I dont belive into the habitat destruction hype at all either.... and there are lots of hunters in pa thats a fact, and you need deer to keep guys hunting. guy want to see deer and take deer, esp for younger hunters who may get disgusted an quit all together. i know alot of people who have stopped hunting. they wonder why the decline in license sale... Duh!

As far as the antler restrictions, i have seen actually less bigger bucks than before, since the antler restrictions. i just dont see it workin, there were always good deer killed in Pa, if you dont want to shoot a small buck hold off for a bigger one, personally im happy with gettiing a scruff buck. im tickled!! i know alot of other do to. people fall into the hunting show crap on tv, where only way to have a good time and actually be happy is to shot a monster buck. Have any of you guys seen fred eichler? That man likes taking game big or small he shoots and is happy with what he takes dont matter the size. i really enjoy watching him! Gets so excited over taking a reg deer or doe or a jake turkey... Like me!  :)

I agree with Tioaga, I am hunting areas where deer should be, not mature timber. They have just been pounded too hard and yes the PGC has used the hunter as a tool to deplete the herd. Many have the philosophy that it is OK to kill as many as legally allowed. Something must change or many young hunters will be lost. My 24 year old has only went with me twice this year as he sees it now as a waste of time with little chance of even a sighting. Unfortunately I can't provide him with much of an argument to this attitude.

I know groups of hunters drive/push for deer and dont see as many as they did. So even if they are nocturnal they will get moved during a deer drive.Yes the deer may be smarter,but they also arent there.

I saw deer opening day, but have been skunked since. I donno what my deal is.

I agree that hunting on public land has gotten a lot tougher.  Growing up in Jefferson Co., I could basically hunt anywhere I wanted - coal company owned ground that was open.  I saw deer nearly every time I went out and it wasn't a matter of if I was going to kill a buck, but when.  I then moved to West Virginia to go to grad school, so I didn't hunt PA from 1997 - 2002 when the new regulations took effect.  When I moved back to PA in 2003, I realized how much things have changed.  And I'm not just talking about the direct effects of the regulations on deer numbers on public land.  The proliferation of posted land and hunting leases!  In fact, I can no longer hunt any of the areas where I killed bucks prior to 1997.  I never thought I would pay to hunt somewhere, but I am strongly considering it for next year due to my lack of success on public land.  Yes PA is starting to become like many other states where you need to own or lease land to have regular deer hunting success.

However, bashing the PGC isn't going to solve the problems either. PA is a patchwork of public and private land with high deer densities in some places and next to none in others.  The PGC has an extremely difficult task of trying to manage deer populations when they can't control access/effort on all lands in PA.

One correction to a previous post from Tioga - It wasn't that PA hunters killed 80 - 90 percent of 1.5 year old bucks, it was that 80 - 90 percent of bucks that were killed were 1.5 years old.

No doubt it's hard to attract young people with a smaller herd than years past. Don't forget no sunday hunting. Who's going to get involved in a sport that allready has a limited season and a limted number of day in the week to do it. I realize it's only one day, but it's one of 2 days most people have available to recreate.

I'm from PA and I think it's one of the greatest states and I've lived in more states than I can count off the top of my head, but the no sunday hunting is beyond stupid.

All right, I'm done ranting.

QuoteOriginally posted by jsweka:

One correction to a previous post from Tioga - It wasn't that PA hunters killed 80 - 90 percent of 1.5 year old bucks, it was that 80 - 90 percent of bucks that were killed were 1.5 years old.

Yea I stand corrected. Dunno what I was thinking.  :rolleyes:  

 

QuoteHowever, bashing the PGC isn't going to solve the problems either. PA is a patchwork of public and private land with high deer densities in some places and next to none in others.  The PGC has an extremely difficult task of trying to manage deer populations when they can't control access/effort on all lands in PA.
 

I'm gonna have to disagree with you on this one. Seperating private land doe tags from public land doe tags worked well in the past and would work well again.

I was pretty excited about antler restrictions when the topic came up. I'm a taxidermist and I thought it would increase business. ( I was never happy with the radical herd reduction though). Well antler restrictions didn't help the taxidermy industry. Less deer means less bucks. Ask any taxidermist if the amount of deer mounts has gone up since a.r. What I'm seeing is more work from guys going out of state. One of my friends won't even hunt here anymore. He hunts in Ohio and Indiana. Coincidently, he kept puonding the does on the gamelands he hunts along with evertone else. Then got made when he couldn't see deer anymore. Go figure.

QuoteCoincidently, he kept puonding the does on the gamelands he hunts along with evertone else. Then got made when he couldn't see deer anymore. Go figure.

In the beginning, I did to. Now I'm sorry that I fell into the trap and ashamed of myself.

As far as bucks go, there's a few wallhangers being taken in this area. I had mixed feelings about ARs. But, to be truthful, I seen big bucks prior to ARs and more of them.

I agree with most, but I do not buy into the antler deal at all, deer or bucks I should say need too be managed by age, and too many fellas watch too much TV, all these huge bucks being killed, so they can show off pics and sell more products and alot of fellas buy into it, I shoot does but I can say this Iam hunting in an area that has a great population of them , but then you can go down the road two miles and hunt and nothing. Big bucks bring big $$$$$$$$$ and Pa is jumpingon the band wagon like Il, ohio and other big buck states, land owners are leasing, Iam very lucky too have some frens who allow me too hunt there land and also waterworks land, I like too shoot big bucks dont get me wrong wh does'int
but Iam a hunter first not a trophy guru.

Deer are scarce as chicken teeth around here.

finally after weeks of not seeing much. nov.7th. rattled, grunted, bleated. some code blue and an 8 pointer came in like he was on a string..season over. i love the first few days ov nov....Ed.

finally after weeks of not seeing much. nov.7th. rattled, grunted, bleated. some code blue and an 8 pointer came in like he was on a string..season over. i love the first few days ov nov....Ed.