Hunting & Fishing PA Whitetail - looks like another year is a bust.

[JelloStorm]

Spent 4 days out in the woods and all I seen was two Doe that I couldn't shoot at because of a road behind them off in the distance.

That was 7am day 1. Haven't seen shit for 3 days since. Found a few gut piles though.

Looking like a 3rd year in a row with no deer. I need a new hobby. LOL

 

[HathcockProtege]

Re: PA Whitetail - looks like another year is a bust.

Sorry dude. I have yet to even get out. This sat, hopefully. Just got back from a trip...today I sighted in a .243 for my kid sister, headed out cold-turkey now. Not optimistic.

 

[Vagrantdan]

Re: PA Whitetail - looks like another year is a bust.

First year I've had enough senority to get time off in rifle season, first day about 7:30 a.m. saw what would have been my biggest kill. Had gloves on bumped the blade on my accutrigger from the side CLICK no boom no deer. I'm still sick and my season is over.

 

[JelloStorm]

Re: PA Whitetail - looks like another year is a bust.

Yeah, I tell you what. First day I have never seen so much orange in the woods it was almost not worth going out. 60 F outside and everybody and their brother were in all the spots me and my buddy scoped out earlier this year.

Heard lots of shots the first day, haven't heard anything today. I even tried a mix of sitting and walking, but nothing has come from it.

I'm fuckin pissed. 3rd year in a row with no deer.

 

[lessthanfour]

Re: PA Whitetail - looks like another year is a bust.

hunting last weekend there where 5 average sized deer and one big one standing right beside a no hunting sign :S

 

[3hundredWM]

Re: PA Whitetail - looks like another year is a bust.

Im originally from Pa...we used to hit them bastards with the truck all the time...what happened? Seems like the population is thinin out....

 

[Jig Stick]

Re: PA Whitetail - looks like another year is a bust.

we have done very well. Hunted for 5 days in the Kittaning area. 7 guys and 3 bucks down. Two 8 points and one 10pt. One guy missed a 10pt in the fog. I personally saw a 6pt, 8pt, and 9pt. I saw more doe than I could count.

 

[libertyman777]

Re: PA Whitetail - looks like another year is a bust.

If you're just looking for meat, come to Alabama. You can take a deer a day here (total of 3 bucks for the season IIRC) and they need killin'. Gun season lasts from mid-November till the end of January. I've seen some decent racks but nothing like up North. Big deer here dress out at well under 200 lbs. Smaller the further South you go.

10 day out of state license is less than $200. They usually rut around here mid to late December but it varies.

Non-resident permit fees

A little Internet searching could provide some promising public land.

Hunting land

And if you're into hunting hogs, the sky's the limit.

If you hunt public land, go deep with a portable stand, all day type of thing.

Once you're down here, meet the folks, game wardens, etc. Show an appreciation for hunting, a respect for other folks' land, etc., and you'll find yourself becoming "that yankee boy that comes down every year and hunts my place". Make sure you shoot every hog and coyote on sight and show'em to the landowner. Could turn into something special. Seen it happen.

 

[iShoot17]

Re: PA Whitetail - looks like another year is a bust.

I usually see 40+ doe and a few buck on opening day.. This year I saw 5 doe and two buck, one a 3 and the other a 7. Luckily I got the seven when he came back through. I still have doe tags to fill though and haven't seen anything since I took the shot at the buck. I guess I can't complain because I do have meet, but it has most certainly been a disappointing season thus far.

 

[aloreman]

Re: PA Whitetail - looks like another year is a bust.

saw 5 doe and the 8pt i shot at 430 the first day millville area

 

[Ghogs Nightmare]

Re: PA Whitetail - looks like another year is a bust.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Don't Tread On Me!</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Im originally from Pa...we used to hit them bastards with the truck all the time...what happened? Seems like the population is thinin out.... </div></div>
.
PAGC...unleashed the "orange army", more tags changed the seasons around to allow if its brown its down to a certain extent. Its getting a little better but they need to make more changes. (Side note: I always have the standard 3 tags but usually only fill one, dont need to fill all just to say i did. Need to leave some there for next year)
.
As far as my season goes I'm seeing some in stick season an rifle. Missed the only yote I've ever seen which still annoys me but...it wasn't exactly the most convient position to shoot from. *poor xcuse*

 

[JelloStorm]

Re: PA Whitetail - looks like another year is a bust.

Yeah I swear go God if don't at least see anything tomorrow I'm going to be pissed.

 

[iShoot17]

Re: PA Whitetail - looks like another year is a bust.

Best of luck Jello!

 

[HathcockProtege]

Re: PA Whitetail - looks like another year is a bust.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: JelloStorm</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Yeah I swear go God if don't at least see anything tomorrow I'm going to be pissed. </div></div>

Good luck. Mind sharing what area you hunt? There are some fairly large tracts of SGL in Susquehanna and Wyoming counties; if you're willing to put in the foot work, then you Can get away from most people and into some pretty doggoned good deer country.

Don't give up just yet...the deer are there. I would have to say that the hunting has been pretty fantastic the past few years in that area. Wish I could get up there more often...

-The Kid.

 

[jayd4wg]

Re: PA Whitetail - looks like another year is a bust.

tomorrow is my first day out for the rifle season...i'm JONESING really bad. I sat up last nite and put a batch of food together for thumper, 44gr RL15 under SGK 165 SP's...not the best grouping but more oomph than the 42 grain load that cloverleafs. i won't get a shot over 200 yards this week anyway, and MOST of my hunting will be in the allegheny county area where i can only use slugs...which brings up another thread about slugs...

Good luck to the guys in PA this year. The current AR's are doing wonders to this state's quality. Quantity is down due to all the doe tags, i usually get two doe tags for the rifle areas and try NOT to fill them unless momma doe stands still too long. trying to keep the population up where i hunt (near Mayport/New Bethlehem. the shotgun only areas though? overpopulated with does. definitely meat hunting with the slugger.

 

[Sportin Wood]

Re: PA Whitetail - looks like another year is a bust.

Try getting skunked on Elk, then deer, then late buck.

 

[bohem]

Re: PA Whitetail - looks like another year is a bust.

That sucks. I'm pretty sure I had the first shot of the year in the area around where we were hunting. I passed on a smallish pair of does at 0630-0640, 0700 another pack with a small buck in the midst showed up and I packed him up at 360.


My buddy missed one of the does at 525 when she stopped to look back, he had 450 dope on the 308 and the trace went right under the chest. He's been out in that area and 2 others for 3 days straight now with nothing even SEEN, let alone a shot.

 

[HathcockProtege]

Re: PA Whitetail - looks like another year is a bust.

Went out today...saw two groups totaling approx 32 (my best count). Across a property line, of course. My first time taking my younger bro on the mentored youth program, so I was glad we at least saw deer. Gonna see how he likes the flintlock and come back after Christmas, since we won't have another chance before then.

Also got access to two new properties...wish college/work left me a little more time in which I might hunt.

-The Kid.

 

[Dagsta]

Re: PA Whitetail - looks like another year is a bust.

I'm heading back up to my buddy's farm in the Westfield area on Tuesday. I assure you there isn't any shortage of deer up there at all.

Overall my opinion on the genetics up there are quite positive. I've seen some very nice bucks taken in the area. But it is a private farm that is managed well and planted properly also.

 

[AMM0]

Re: PA Whitetail - looks like another year is a bust.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: JelloStorm</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Spent 4 days out in the woods and all I seen was two Doe that I couldn't shoot at because of a road behind them off in the distance.

That was 7am day 1. Haven't seen shit for 3 days since. Found a few gut piles though.

Looking like a 3rd year in a row with no deer. I need a new hobby. LOL </div></div>

I hear ya. I gladly filled out WI DNR's deer hunting survey and let them know over the course of the 9-day gun deer hunt, I spent 5 of those days out in the woods. 3 of those 5 days included a 7-hour day out in my stand and (2) 9-hour days out in my stand.

I did not see one single, solitary deer. No bucks. No does. No fawns. No yearlings. Nothing. But I know for a fact the wolves, coyotes, black bear, bobcat and the occasional cougar being spotted are all eating damn well.

It's gotten considerably worse in the northern part of Wisconsin and our deer herd numbers are completely messed up. This year the DNR bragged about the 9-day gun season harvested a whopping 220,000 deer. Ten years ago that number was nearly double.

The deer herd being managed piss poorly by our DNR coupled with the introduction of several packs of Timberwolves and numerous other predators in each county are to blame, according to most hunters and several articles I've read.

 

[jayd4wg]

Re: PA Whitetail - looks like another year is a bust.

went out saturday...shooting light started around 735, and on the way in, while still in twilight some guy cranked off 7 rounds in a row from something beefy about 1/4 mile away from us. Didn't see a single soul walking in but ran into a dozen or so guys over the course of the day. I stopped counting shots at 0900 and was over 120 shots fired. Even if we give the PA Orange Army a 50% hit ratio, that's around 50-60 deer hit within a mile or less. That's alot of shooting for this area and the deer were running scared and fast. I could not force myself to stay put in the cold, my boots were leaving me wishing i had dumped some cash on some pac boots, but instead at 9am i stuffed a couple Toasty-Toes in and started humping around. Every time i came back through my stand location, there was a fresh set of tracks, every one of them on a steady trot. Going back to my last post about leading a running white tail that left me bruised a little I probably would have talked myself out of trying for a running shot again even at 50 yards or less with the .308

I actually only saw one flag all day right up until the end when I was sitting onthe trunk of my car in failing evening light when i saw a herd of six cross a power line into a safety zone behind some houses in another woodlot. i considered taking a poke if they would have stopped but they didn't so i let them go and just watched them. I'll be back out there tuesday and hopefully things will have calmed down alot by then. I did find some new "exit" paths the deer are using in some ground that I had not travelled much in the early archery season. Taking a Marine buddy of mine up there tues...hoping we can connect. got some pics of some GREAT rubs too, there's still a couple monsters walking around in there and if things are as quiet as I hope they will be,it SHOULD be a good day.