How's the PA rifle season been?...

[arrowwood]

Paul, don't you think youre laying it on a little thick?    :rolleyes:    

I hunted once (first time ever) last week, saw six does walk by, so I shot one. So I know there are at least five running around here.    

 

[TimDougan]

Ron your spot on its tough hunting now. I have done ok since concurrent season and antler restrictions. But i am working 10 times as hard at it. I hunt state game lands in Erie and Crawford county. My 17 year old son has shot one buck and no does in 5 years. I tell him how it used to be i don't think he believes me. I won't shoot a doe after the third week of october. I like the antler restrictions i have harvested two big bucks in the last two seasons. But we have to lighten up on the does after all thats were the bucks come from. Guys we have to police our own ranks let those pregnant does pass.For those that hunt on private land or public land with lots of deer man have it! You got it good. My two cents. TD.

[pauljr]

Not at all arrowwood

[wollelybugger]

Betweem my son and me we are throwing away 5 doe tags, we usually throw 4 doe tags away every year. He likes to take a doe in archery but we don't even do that anymore. We have thrown away a bunch of tags over the last 5 or 6 years.

I was hunting with a self bow this year and wanted to shoot a deer with it but couldn't bring myself to shoot a doe. Passed up a couple real nice shots.

[Earl Jeff]

I saw a total of three deer the entire season.
Very little shooting I wonder where all the deer went. Maybe they went south for the winter, the PGC said that there are lots of them.

[Big Ed]

Earl, They are not here in Southern PA! I have some really good "Private land" that is hunted pretty hard around my properties and the deer numbers are way down. The PGC did what they wanted and that was to destroy the deer population.
I also have hunt a archery only property 20 years that is around 1500 acres and the deer numbers are hurting there to. I am all for shooting doe in the right situation but to shoot unlimited doe in my  areas has put the hurt on the population. For every four doe taken you are looking at least six less deer the following season. My area is a very food rich environment for deer and the doe usually give birth to two fawns. It is just a domino effect.
I love venison very much but enjoy the encounters much more. When I take my six year old we always have fun, but there always seem to be more excitement when deer are observed.
Just my two cents,


Ed

[khardrunner]

I hunt a 90 acre property that is crawling with them. I guess it's just pockets of significant deer. This is my first year on this property and I've had days during early archery that I saw 40-60 deer, 90% doe. Most are small, but we have too many here. I filled my tags during gun season with the rifle simply to have meat and to help make sure that there aren't too many doe.

I think a lot of it comes down to personal management. The guy who owns the property manages very well. He keeps track of the deer year round, and for the last 30 or so years he's done this. There are parts of the woods he simply leaves unhunted to give the deer some room to breathe.

I will continue to hunt with my bow in late season for the fun and satisfaction of hunting the bucks with my buck tag. I'm sorry to hear that other places in PA are junk, even down here in this area.

[Ron Vought]

It's really funny when the PA deer hunting topic is discussed on other Internet sites. People say there are alot of deer in PA but they don't talk about whether they hunt public or private land....in most cases this topic is a difference between having deer and not. Also if you were discussing this topic on the other sites you would probably be told to hunt harder. I guess were all wrong with our observations. :-)

Ron

[pauljr]

Ron I hear ya. I just wish the majority of people would just be honest with themselves. Only then will we have any chance of returning our deer herd to an acceptable level. (with the exception of large tracts of private land) Just today i was talking to my Dad and he was saying hes gonna check this or that area where we hunt cause they just have to be there they cant just be gone. I just looked at him and said, Dad trying to lie to yourself isnt going to help, they arnt there. He finally agreed and said he just doesnt want to beleive it. We have to be the answer.

[jsweka]

I've been a supporter of the PGC's deer management for a long time.  Back when I first started hunting, I would see 50 - 75 deer the first day of rifle season, but only maybe 1 or 2 bucks out of that.  It was on State Game Lands.  Now that was probably too many deer and an unnaturally skewed sex ratio.  More deer did need to be killed, but......I'm not having near as much fun now as I did in my youth.  I really worry that I won't be able to create the same memories hunting with my kids as my fater created with me.  I just think they won't have interest when you sit out there day after day and not see deer.  I'm seeing that already with my teenage nephews.  The PGC can have all the youth hunts they want to get kids involved in hunting at an early age, but if the kid doesn't see anything, it won't matter.

[pauljr]

Exactly John tnank you

[Downwind Lefty]

Where there's deer there's hunters. I have a cabin & property in Pa and have hunted there for almost 40 years. There used to be tons of hunters; hunters in the woods, hunters driving the roads, hunters spotlighting at night -  hunters everywhere. Oh and we used to see tons of deer too.

Well since the new lumbering, I mean management policies went into effect - after the first two seasons, I stopped seeing so many hunters. Every year I see fewer than the year before. And coincidentally I see fewer deer too.

I don't care what anyone sez, there's plenty of cover, there's plenty of food, there just isn't plenty of game.

It's a shame really. My cabin used to be bustling the Sunday before opening day of rifle. Heck we'd have 15 guys there. Now it's just a couple family members. None of the Maryland guys will spend their money for a non-resident license and not see any deer.

The number of mom and pop country stores and restaurants that depended upon the hunters that have shut down is just a shame.

From a sportsman's perspective, the MIS-management is a crime. If any of us performed our jobs in such an atrocious manner, we'd deservedly be fired in a minute.

The number of kids that want to hunt is declining. It's tough to get them interested when they're not seeing anything. I used to stay awake the night before opening day in anticipation of all the deer I'd see. Unfortunately that's something today's kids aren't experiencing in my area.

It's a just a shame what the PGC has done. And don't tell me it's the hunters fault. We rely on the PGC to set the policies that's best for the game. Hunters are just a tool and a very effective tool at that. If you want them to kill one deer - then issue one tag. If you want them to kill them all - then they will. PGC has to establish those guidelines and judiciously use the tool called hunters.

Ok I'm done. Let's all hope this Tradition known as hunting in Pa doesn't die.

[Ron Vought]

In my opinion this whole issue stemmed a few years back from the lack of revenue coming into the PGC. Has anyone noticed that the PGC isn't talking much about revenue issues as of late? I wonder why that is...

Ron

[Craig]

Downwind Lefty says, If you want them to kill them all - then they will. So, who is the problem the hunters or the PGC. PGC doesn't kill Hunters do. If you have private property to hunt and you are not seeing that many deer do you still try to kill more deer. Is it the land owners fault who wants you to kill as many as you can. No, it's your fault for shooting them all. Just tell them that you shot X amount to save your spot for future hunting.

[Desperado]

I buy as many doe tags and dmap permits as I can get and throw them away as soon as I get them. (I do keep 1 in case I come across a severely crippled doe. The large landowners around here plant tons of food plots, bring in the deer and also bring in their buddies who blow the crap out of them with simple sticks...They started this after they were sucked in by that stupid, idiotic QDM (Quick Doe Massacre) When they started a few years ago, they killed 31 doe in one week and never stopped. It has ruined hunting in our area for the rest of us that have small pieces of land to hunt. I bowhunted with my Black Widow all 2 weeks of Buck season and saw 1 doe. Craig is right...Blame it on the hunters...I used to go and speak at the Game Commission meetings only to hear forrester after forrester commending the PGC for deer extermination.Someone's getting their palms greased somewhere!!!Want more deer??? Simple....QUIT KILLING THE DOE!!!PERIOD!!!

[Ron Vought]

I agree we should just stop shooting doe but telling hunters to quit shooting doe is like talking to the wall. Too much greed here in PA. The PGC is accountable for managing the herd in PA and they should stop issueing so many tags and quit the concurrent antlerless seasons. It should be our responsbility to voice the concerns with the PGC.

How many of you guys are going to write letters/emails to the PGC and show up at the meetings in Harrisburg to voice your concerns? If we spent half as much time writing the PGC with our concerns versus sitting here in this forum complaining about it we may move the mountain.

Ron

[Mike Brockner]

Mike,
Congrats on the Doe, I saw the picture at the club tonight.
Mike

[arrowwood]

Thanks!

[arrowwood]

I agree we should just stop shooting doe but telling hunters to quit shooting doe is like talking to the wall. Too much greed here in PA. The PGC is accountable for managing the herd in PA and they should stop issueing so many tags and quit the concurrent antlerless seasons. It should be our responsbility to voice the concerns with the PGC.

Ron Vought, I guess you reached these conclusions AFTER you shot a doe with a compound this year?
 

[Ron Vought]

arrowwood - I figured sooner or later the band of merry men from the other site would show up here to tell PA bowhunters their observations about the deer herd is PA is way off base....here we go!

Ron