Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Unsuccessful PA rifle season

Thank you...

We all have our different perspective, based on where we hunt....some valid and some not. If I have a problem it would be with most Pa hunters.... in from what I have observed over the past decade at least...is a trend they are not all that enthusiastic about the actual hunting...shooting yes....hunting? Not so much.

As mentioned, Pa has lost its Deer hunting tradition.. perhaps you would have had to live it to understand what that means. Old boys, now gone that took a train to camp and had a farmer haul them over the mountain to it. Then eventually cut their own road over that mountain and hauled themselves..same guys took two weeks and hunted out of tents until they could get a decent camp built over the summers.

Most Pa today hunters fall far short in their dedication to the actual hunt..

I'm not trying to argue, just understand.

So you're speculating the OP and his party just doesn't have the right stuff?

Whose sockpuppet are you?

You could make that implication...but again it would have its flaws....

We are discussing our overall varying thoughts on the current Pa Deer hunting situation...I would be the last one to accuse them individually of not being "hunters." Perhaps you should not speculate so much yourself????

Most hunters in every state. But they'll still bitch about not seeing any deer.

So you're pissy that he called you out?

I'll just go sit in the back and watch then. I wish y'all the best.

Seems like the essence is pretty much over....now that the high and mighty political guru's have decided to shiit in eachothers pot over an election that most of us think in Pa was a stolen farce....

No. I'm actually pissy because he and Nathan are too stupid to realize the 51% of Pennsylvanians who put people like Wolf in aren't found in the deer woods but instead in the cities. I'm also pissy because Trump has already told knobs like those two that he won PA big but was cheated out of it. I'm also pissy because I see this guy showed up at the same time our former most prolific poster's sockpuppet was banned and I'm waiting to see if this one starts talking about black cock and railing against Yankees. But you can think what you want. Your state is bluer than mine.

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I have over 60 years of PA hunting behind me, through lean times and good times for deer. Can't recall a season when some weren't bawling about a lack of deer, or the Game Commission? Not much has changed in either of those categories.

My opinion, these are the best times I can recall for hunting deer. Many areas I hunted decades ago that held few deer, are now much better in that regard. Nicer bucks and more of them, than at any time in my experiences. Are there still areas with few deer? Yep. Many suburban areas now hold more deer, than I once saw hunting in rural north central PA 40 years ago.

There are no easy solutions for those unhappy with their deer hunting opportunities, other than going where the deer are? Got lucky over the years. Deer eventually came to where I wanted to hunt, no longer an issue with "no deer".The past 20 years have become my "good old days", sorry if that hasn't worked out for everyone.

Somehow I'm too dumb to realize that the election was stolen because most of the Hicks in my state are shiiity deer hunters? That's an interesting correlation

Here's the deal on pa deer hunting.

If you can't find any deer you fit into one of these categories:

-you're stubborn. You expect deer to be where they used to be or where you want them to be.

-you're not physically capable of getting out and getting after them where they are.

-Or youre just not as knowledgeable about deer and deer habitat as you think you are.


All of those things get compounded by age. Not knocking anyone . it's just the way it is. And as a post script. I don't archery hunt or participate in early muzzleloader, and I rarely get a chance to flintlock hunt anymore , simply because I'm out of tags. There are deer everywhere.

Sorry, but I don’t see anything wrong with any of that. I’ve tried various other sights, and found that a scope’s main advantage is the ability to see stuff in the path of the arrow. Regardless which sights are used, it’s still harder to hit with than a rifle, requiring better follow-through, and all the limitations associated with arrows still apply. My take is that difficulty of getting into range, generally 40 yards max give or take a bit, is sufficient challenge to overcome. Try hunting with one yourself sometime and see just how “easy” it is to kill deer.

Your comments on skill remind me of a couple of old-fart non-hunters that tried to lecture me fifty years ago on how scopes on hunting rifles weren’t necessary. Truth was, neither of them hunted or knew anything about guns except what they learned in WWII, so their opinions were unqualified gas, just two old guys getting all puffed up about something they knew exactly zip about. Got no time for that crap.

When you can show evidence that crossbows, or long archery seasons have had a negative effect on deer populations, trot it out, otherwise you’re just speculating.

Pretty much all of that applies to me these days to some extent; I know it, and ain’t complaining. Age is the main reason. I used to spend the whole day in the woods, but never do now, partly because I can go anytime I want, so don’t have to crowd my hunting into a few days like before. I’ve mostly been sticking to the same part of my WMA because I’ve done well there in the past, and few other hunters come back there. Need to get out of my comfort zone a bit while I still can.

Odd that you have to make up what I didn't say to have anything to stand on.... Didn't say it had a negative effect, I did say crossbows are easier to use than regular bows or compound bows...I did say that the archery crew is given preferential treatment...I did say, why should they always get to hunt the rut? Why should they have a season that is essentially twice as long? More power to them, they pulled the strings to make it happen...I'm all for them...How about this year they get the rut and long season....next year the rifle guys get it...See what happens then.. Seem like you would be alright with putting a little more challenge into your bowhunting.

I did say the GC is all for the silent killers...from a PR standpoint.. And I will now say, their always getting the first chance, at the best Bucks has a negative effect on what is available to the rifle hunters....You are good with that....I'm not....

You can have your opinion and I have mine, but you will have more credibility if you don't make up what I said...I may be an old fart stuck in my ways, which is funny on a couple points.. I'm up there, put stuck in my ways? Not much......But I'll tell you this....I still can tell Bullshiit when I see it....

Got to go and get some ammo...see what you can make up while I'm gone...

I can respect that.

I may have incorrectly inferred that you said that archery hunting was having a negative impact on how many deer there are. Sorry.

But, you are clearly biased against crossbows, without any personal experience using one. Having used recurves, compounds, and crossbows myself, I can say that shooting them is easier, but the skill the skill required to get into position for a shot is the same, and that can’t be “bought”, anymore than buying a long-range rifle setup makes one a sniper.

I don’t think archers get preferential treatment, but they do benefit from the fact that archery hunting has far less impact on game populations that rifle hunting, and that means that longer seasons can be allowed, maximizing hunting opportunities (and license sales). The seasons were the same long before archery of any sort was popular, so the decision of when to open rifle hunting is likely a game management decision, right or wrong, not a gift to bowhunters. VA opens their ML season, essentially just two more weeks of rifle season, at the beginning of November with no ill effects, so PA could as well I think.

If you want first crack at all the bucks, spend a few buck on a crossbow or compound, and get out there. I bought mine because I was seeing lots of deer while squirrel hunting, and damn few during rifle or ML deer season. Now I have a chance to hunt deer while their movements are natural, not after they’ve been shuffled all over by hunters, and while the weather is good. The opportunity is there for you if you want it, and you won’t need to tilt windmills trying to get the PGC to change how they manage things.

Or you can just piss and moan about how unfair it all is, which might just be your favorite “sport”.😜

I get closer and closer to a crossbow purchase every year

I'm still just watching, but. . .

Ohio has had a very liberal crossbow policy for 35 years; crossbows have been legal the same as all other forms of archer. I have not heard where any Buckeyes are squealing about it wrecking the Modern Weapons Season.

Just saying.


I've got a crossbow. I bought one to find out what the hoo-haw was. It worked about as well as a vertical bow-- out to about 40 yards or so. I found it clunky-- no great advantage. I'm just saying. PA deer may be more susceptible to them. I wouldn't know.

You should it's the best time to be out there if you want to hunt deer in their natural patterns. I can tell you from Halloween until the first week of December the deer movement is at it's highest due to the rut. I see bucks on my trail cameras that I have never seen and they only stay around here for a few short weeks and they are gone.