Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Good luck to the Pennsylvania boys

One week till the Pennsylvania deer opener. It always comes in the Monday after Thanksgiving. The Orange Army will start winding it's way to points across the state shortly after the Thanksgiving dinner dishes are washed and put away. Camps across the state will be opened up. Rifles will crack as guys check their guns in anticipation of Monday morning. By Saturday night, most camps will have enough guys in to run a hand of cards, and drink an Iron City or two.

I won't be back to hunt this year, so you boys are gonna have to carry the flag for me. Wish I was going to be on the mountain up in Clearfield County, but it ain't happening this time around. Dale K, Dube, Battue and others, good luck and drop a line here to let us know how the hunt went.

To the camps that lost a beloved member this year, my deepest sympathies and condolences. Carry on in their honor guys. I'm sure they'd want it that way.

Good luck guys and hunt safe.

Thanks. I'll be out in Sullivan county.

I'll also be Pa. MIA this year.

Good luck boys

I’ll be northbound on 95 either sat or sun come hell or high water!

Good luck fellas👍

Good chance this year of it being "high water", the way things have gone in much of PA since July. Wettest year I can recall and I've been around for a spell. We've gotten two feet of rain above the yearly average so far, where I live. Weather monkeys claim the moisture will continue through winter, so we may be in for more snow? Already have some on the ground from last week's storm, so that's a plus. Been years since we had snow cover here for the rifle opener.

Clearfield will miss ya, gg. Friend of mine with a camp up there north of 80, did well in archery this year. He and his son both scored on decent bucks. He doesn't shoot baldies, but said they'll have several folks up for rifle season that ain't as fussy as he is, so they expect more success.

Good luck to all heading to camps, or hunting out the back door on 11/26.

Sadly, our camp will be empty for the opener this year. My brother and our buddy are going up for second week, but skipping the opener. It's just not that big a deal to them any more. My bro's health isn't real good these days. This may be his last hunt. Lots of back pain. I hate to see the camp sitting empty on the opener. So many of the camps in our area aren't used at all any more. How times have changed. It seems like the days of this being a really big deal are gone. I can remember heading east from Youngstown before 80 went through. Every little town was a huge traffic jam. The bars, grocery stores and gun shops did a booming business. Every motel was booked up months in advance. Just doesn't seem to be like that any more. One of the things I always miss is the annual run to Clearfield on Sunday to hit Grice's. The old guy in the parking lot set up sharpening knives, the crowds in the store, looking at their used gun selection. The other thing I really miss was our annual fish fry. My brother ran a perch boat up on Erie and would bring about 50 lbs. of perch fillets up and do a fish fry for all the neighbors. We'd have 30 or so guys up at the camp for dinner. Great times, sadly fading away. My son will have to carry the torch for our camp from now on. I hope he continues to have the fire and passion for hunting that his grandfather had. I miss the times sitting around the table hearing the stories from our original members, the Olde Guard. I'd sit in wide eyed amazement at Bud and Bert talked about the turkey hunts, bear season, and of course all the deer taken from our camp. Enough reminiscing guys. Have a great hunt, and know that I'll be there with you in spirit, at least.

I can empathize with loses and changes.

Too many changes in the past 30 years for some to bear, but the beat goes on for many of us. All of my old companions like my dad and his brothers that lived in the area camp is in, plus.both of my friends that once came to camp, are gone now. My son hunts sporadically these days, due to work demands.

Lots more deer in places they didn't used to be found, so some choose to hunt closer to home now, rather than drive hours to camps.

HR hurt some in the first few years when deer numbers declined in many areas. Our area has rebounded over the past 10 or 12 years, not a factor in why hunter numbers have dropped there. Plus side of HR/AR, far more nice bucks around these days. I'll hang on for as long as I'm able to get out. This will be my 58th deer season, still an important part of my life.

I'll be out in Westmoreland County on first day, and floating back to Ohio thru the week.

Be safe out there, best of luck to all.

i'm heading to camp on friday for 10 days. weather looks like schit all week though. this is to be expected given this schitty year. but i don't really care. i'll push for my boys and brother on monday and then hunt for myself after they head home. i just have to figure out what gun to use. definitely one of the old pumps will see the woods. maybe its an '06 carbine year. might even take out one of my 100 year old pumps. weather will be a deciding factor. if its schit, then i'll take my ruger frontier 338 fed. or sleep in and drink and eat all day. eithers fine.

I was dead set against Dr. Alt's plan but have come to understand the merits of it's implementation. The herd is much healthier and better balanced now. We used to see 40 deer opening day and would be hard pressed to find a spiker out of all those critters.

Gotta love those old Remington cornshuckers. Got one in 300 Savage?

I'm headed up Friday after work. I'll be hunting in Crawford County chasing some farmlands bucks. Big bucks on cameras have been a bit sparce this year. We'll see a week from tomorrow.

Its funny, this will be my 43rd year hunting deer in PA. I still won't sleep well one week from tonight <G>

I'll be in the woods here in Maryland for our opener on Saturday, then off to join my cousin in camp in Cameron County (Sinnamahoning) for a couple 3-4 day stretches over the course of the season. Those mountains sure do try an old man's heart, but I think I have a a bunch more seasons in me. Listen for "The Spiteful Crack of the .250-3000" and you'll know I put one down.

My old camp in Haneyville petered out. What a shame to miss those dozen or so guys bragging about past exploits, shoving logs into the chunk stove, the smell of wet wool and flatulence, and the cook yelling up the steps that breakfast was ready. Penny-ante card games, a Yuengling or two (never ever to excess), old guys who started out in the 1920's and 30's and still showing up 60 years later to lend support to we young bucks, meals that would make your sainted mother blush, deer hanging on the meat pole, and last but not least the lovely outhouse at 4AM on a 15* morning made for lasting memories. As our good old Saddlering laments- "It just doesn't get any better than deer camp".

Those of you who live in the "big lonesome" corners of the country have some grand country to hunt in, but until you have experienced a traditional Pennsylvania deer camp I submit that your hunting experience is a little unfinished.

Well said Sir!

Amen!

Ill be heading up Friday night. Took off Friday but company made me offer I cant refuse to work that day. Couple buddys were up bear(still up) and said its hard to get around with the snow. None made it back where I hunt. I think I can make it farther than they did and actually get to my area. Without chains. At least im gonna try. In case I cant, I bought a ladder stand yesterday to hunt a spot I been eyein up for almost a decade. Positive I can get one there, no one hunts it. Public ground and never saw a hunter there, dont get it. But ive never saw a mature buck there. Just baskets. But its meat.

Dad will be up, but been a few yrs since hes been serious and I can see it in him that hes not gonna do much. Hey, as long as I get to spend time with him. But that also means ill be on my own. My cousins going up, and he has shown interest in my area so I may have some help. If not ill just take my time. Im pretty excited this year. Worried I wont be able to drag it myself. But ill deal with that when the gun cracks.

Good luck all!!

I'll come home from Thanksgiving at my daughters on Saturday and then head north to DuBois on Sunday. Dad's been putting a trail camera out recently, he caught a couple of decent bucks on it. Also several coyotes. He said the neighbor who rents the farm ground still has corn standing, that could make things tough.

On the bright side, I talked to my buddy Brad, he's bringing the chili.

Dale

This is a good idea how??

Looking forward to this season. Some good bucks hanging around the old "Crick hill." Everyone be safe and shoot straight.

Good luck!

Gonna go sit in the woods. Hope it's better than the perch fishing has been. The woman got one already, so my job is done! She would like to get one with antlers, but I haven't seen a legal buck, while hunting, in 2 years.