Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Unsuccessful PA rifle season

I shot a grand total of one bucks with them. It was a 7mm hole in and out. Factory loaded winchesters. I really think I’d like the bullet at .280 or 7-08 speeds.

Thanks, it would be a 7mm-08.

They've been my favorite bullets and never had a problem with them. We've killed deer and black bear with them and never had one that appeared to not work perfectly. I can't say that for a few others.

Lol! Yeah sometimes a 10th is nice as well!

I have 3 over the food plots and in the orchard. The others are spread out over trails and in the mountain laurel. Getting pictures of the deer and studying them is my hobby. It's more than just hunting. We chase deer 24/7/365... whether trail cams, scouting shed hunting, glassing, you name it we do it. Thats likely why we keep a freezer well stocked each fall.

Tomorrow flinter season comes in. Can't go tomorrow, but i will be out sometime

I got out for about an hour and half late this afternoon, didn't see a deer. It was very moonlight here tonight, around 6:30 I took the binoculars out and looked over the farm fields, saw 4 deer feeding in one of them.

Dale

I love how most PA hunters wanna blame the Game Commission and seasons but never look in the mirror at the person that ultimately controls whether or not tags get filled.


The days of sitting on any ole stump and having pressured deer come by are gone. We simply don't have the hunter numbers we used to. Add in more guys tagging out in archery season, there just aren't many guys out there in rifle season to move deer around.


Change tactics. Scout harder. You have a group of guys? Try some small pushes. Try still hunting or snow tracking. If something doesn't work, try something else.



I had 3 sits in PA on public ground. I killed the 4th buck I saw in mid October.


Decided I wasn't done. Went to Ohio. On public. Never been there in my entire life. 3 sits produced 6 doe sightings and 6 buck sightings. Killed the 6th buck. I spent far more time scouting than hunting. It paid off.


Rifle season i hunted a couple days and saw legal buck every time.

First day of flintlock season, I wasn't in the woods an hour and had to let a great buck walk by.


Pennsylvania hunting, specifically buck hunting, has never been better. But rifle season has changed in most areas and hunters have to learn to adapt.

"Pennsylvania hunting, specifically buck hunting, has never been better."

I agree.

It’s all relative.

I got out for about an hour just before dark today. I didn't see any deer but did see a dozen turkeys walk by about 20 yds away. Later on I heard them fly up for the evening. Kind of cool and I take it as small victory. I talked to the neighbor, he was out too but didn't see any deer tonight. He did say he was out with the spotlight the other night, saw 50+ including 5 or 6 bucks. So they're around, I just don't know where.

Dale

So some can keep the faith....

A small 8 point walked thru the front yard two days ago....he had 6 or 7 Does with him and was trying to get one of them interested....

"]PA also appears to have the highest number of whiney hunters per square mile".

Thanks for noticing.

60 years of deer hunting in PA, never been any different that I can recall?.

When I was in HS, hunted now and then with one of my dad's buddies. If we didn't get any rabbits, if was always his dog's fault, or my fault. Only ever hunted deer with him once. Bitched and growled the entire way to where we were hunting. Bitched and growled even worse, the entire way home. Once was enough.

He's been gone for 45 years. Plenty around that have taken his place, when it comes to being negative..

Hunting with the flinter this afternoon, I saw two small bucks. Also saw three does out of range and running.

Finally saw deer, the first I've seen all season. 1 doe about 300 yds away. 4 does at less than 50 yds but semi skylined and it was 5:15. I passed on the shot. But it was good to see deer, I saw 6 in rifle season and these 5 today.

Also saw 5 squirrels where I started the morning, might have to see about hunting them later, I could use a couple more in the freezer.

Dale

Seeing a ton of bucks in the PA late doe season. Encouraging for next year!

My buddy from ohio was here in pa. hunting with the flinter. I made a little drive for him yesterday. Put one buck up. it wasn't a legal one. He was frustrated by the lack of deer. I think the deer are yarded up, ans when you see deer you will see a lot of them. Lots of tracks in my field this morning.

Killed 6 so far this year, one nice buck and 3 doe with a rifle, and two doe with the flintlock. Still have two tags and Monday to go. Might add one more to the list if I get time to hunt Monday evening.

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Looks like it's tag soup on the menu here. I was out this afternoon, covered a couple of mile is the snow, didn't see one single solitary deer track or bed. A couple of squirrels, an owl and a bunch of turkey tracks was it. Last Wed night, came out of the woods about 5:15, there were 2 does in my fields (200 yds away) and 7 in the neighbor's field (half mile away). Those 9 were more than I saw all of rifle season.

It was a tough season here.

Dale

Tough one here, for me. Deer won, this year.