At least where I'm heading in Potter county. Poor deer.

Good luck to everyone this weekend!

I miss the Pa. opener. I haven't hunted Pa. Since 84'.

Used to love Pa opener.Has much changed with it going to Sat.as far as camps and such?
Knock'em down.

Good luck, PA boys!

Gotta love a little opening day snow.

Rong last year was my first year back since before they went to antler restrictions. They say in PA now 40% of the bucks are killed in archery, and a lot of the old timers have faded away and not been replaced by a new generation. I guess what I'm trying to say is the pressure I remember in the 80s and early 90s was not a factor last year. PA also has fewer deer than they did back then, which is OK in my eyes. I remember a couple 100 deer opening days back then, but every deer was the size of my Labs and you had to scan every head looking for those 3" spikes. Pennsylvania eleven pointers we called them.

Snow here in Erie County, as well. Good luck everybody!

Yes I'm excited! Elk County is white too

The quality of the deer has definitely gotten better but you don't see dozens everyday like back in the 70's. This one is from 3 years ago. I'm not complaining.

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we hava dusting of it here. enough to cover the top of the ground. ill be in a tower blind with my 5 year old in the morning

Yea, the archery lobby probably won't be happy until it is 50% and maybe not even then....I suspect they will be lobbying for a special Atlatl and speareechucker (the correct spelling was blacked out...Wokeness on the fire???) season soon..Week for each, before rifle...It's more difficult, you know..But then how did they reach 40%plus..Oh, forgot...six week season....

And when you have lobbyists....political pockets are always being greezed...

The reason rifle pressure is off is because of that 40% being gone...

And the GC loves the silent killers vs us boomers....and you always could bow hunt on Sunday

Addition: And be sure and use all those 6 Doe tags you are allowed...Why care about the future?!? When the Pa Deer hunting tradition has been completely wiped out, you will only need to look at the GC for an answer.

I haven’t hunted in 5 years, but yes you gotta love when the ground is white.
That’s why I always liked primitive hunting here in Ohio. It’s around Christmas now but back in the day it use to be the first Thursday Friday and Saturday in January. 90% of the time there was snow, sometimes to much lol. And the deer would be herded up, it was fun hunting.

Our first snow of the year is happening now, suppose to be 7-10" by morning. This is late for us and we only have 2 weeks left and then a week of late ML.

I hate all the special seasons. Deer season should either be open or closed.

We're also in Erie county.

I got a buck in archery, but I'm going out with my boy tomorrow. He graduated from Penn State last spring and goes to fort rucker Alabama for helicopter flight school in January. Who knows when we'll be able to hit the opener together again.

Good luck everyone!

No doubt...you want to use a bow, crossbow, ML, rifle...your choice all during the same season.

Or let the rifle shooters have the rut and next year the bow shooters have it...That would have the bow crew crying river tears...."But, but, but..." They are essentially a bunch of whiners, with a lobby, who only want it their way....

A divisive enemy for sure.

Ah it just wouldn't be Deer season in PA without beetching and carrying on

Yep and I was a GC flag waver until recently....Remember, the hunters knew nothing about Grouse and the decline was all do to habitat. Then they decided that wasn't the case. Same with Pheasants..We had Wild Birds in numbers and then they declined because of habitat. Well they were wrong again.

Now it is CWD that will decimate the herd..Yet that has yet to happen in any State..CWD is the Covid BS of Pa Deer management...

The more I see their of management...Oh yea let's invest hunter dollars for Eagle propagation....Game numbers, in their eyes haven't decreased enough can be the only reason....and let's introduce Fishers...they don't eat fish...but do eat Rabbits and Squirrels and are another nest robber.....The Pa GC is quickly turning into an arm of the anti-hunting crowd...and it isn't hard to see.

Seems your the only one biotching......
Quit crying or go buy a bow. Jesus Christ man....

Boohoo archery hunter kill 40% of bucks...
Boohoo archery hunters get 6 weeks
Boohoo I want to gun hunt the rut..
Boohoo I don't have a voice...

Go hunt or stfu

Good luck to all going out tomorrow.

Be safe.......

What is wrong with one season, use anything? How about only blacks and asians are allowed to hunt during the rut? We need to lobby more to have inner city people the chance to hunt and feed their families. We should bus loads of blacks into rural PA for a 2 week, black only hunt.

Only one here, but not out there....many are fed up with the bow hunters having their ass kissed....

Friend says the same...get a crossbow...Ah there was another concession..Another friend bought one, got it sighted in about 30 minutes. Now checks it for another 30 minuters each year and has killed a Buck with it the last three years...Now tell me how hard archery has become? It's a joke....

Remember, it started with a week season for traditional bows....That was before the BH got the manufactures lobbying and spending cash on the GC and lawmakers...

My camp is on Denton Hill Potter County and we have over 3 inches and it's still snowing, right now we are at 22 degrees. Years ago the low temperatures never bothered me but this year I added my little buddy heater to the raised blind.

Hoping to take another buck with the old Savage model 99, IMHO the 300 SAV is perfect for the short shots in my food plots.

I’ll be toting a custom Ruger No. 3 9.3x62 to dad’s old stand here shortly, with two of his grandsons, my boy and a nephew. Never done this with two kids before, should be interesting…

BTDT.... it is interesting!
I used to set my kids each up to watch different direction. I would be centered if possible. Should be good memories made with the kids, that's what it's all about!

Howdy neighbor! I’m truck camping up on Sunken Branch ATV parking lot. I saw a real good one this morning on the state forest but he got the drop on me. He was harassing does in a clear cut so hopefully he’ll be there in the morning.

Well, what did you see.

Work makes my opener to be Monday…and the rest of the season.👍🏻

I didn't see a thing but my Son shot a large Elk County doe this morning with his model 88 Winchester 308. We did see a Bear driving out

Elk County and you saw zero. Damn shame.
And I know you are one of the ones out there.

Ends up my BIL made it and I just had my kid. We saw 10 deer total, including two spikes, a fork, a five point, and a little seven point. The kid passed all of them up, hoping for something bigger and wanting his younger cousin to have a chance at them. Crawford County.

Great PA opener for me.

It took all day but I connected with this 7 point late in the day..



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Congrats….nice Buck!!!!

Congrats!

Congrats on the buck

Dad was thw only one to see a shooter but couldn't get a shot.
Gage saw 7 does waiting on a buck..
Konnor saw 5 does... I know a buck walked past him but he said he was sleeping.. lmao!
Caitlin and I saw 7. One was a forkie but couldn't put brows on it.

Heading back out for day 2 shortly

Congrats Romac!

Yeah I stayed out in the Woods all day. Not seeing so much as a tail makes for a long day

GC needs to thin the herd down some more…you guys are seeing way too many.

Quickest way is to kill the Does off. Buy every tag they sell and do your best to cut it.

A few years back a warden told me the goal was for the average hunter to tag a Buck every 5 years on average. That should even PO the crossbow crowd. And that is hard to do.

(The GC power heads wouldn’t come out of their house if they pulled this on those boys now long gone. Today we are more civilized….or is it complacent????)

One Bud saw 7 and the Amish shot 4 Does. Another 7 also on his farm. All Does. He didn’t kill one. Someone needs to talk with him about Deer management.

Long live the Pa Deer tradition….
Sheeese!!!!!

My boy got a nice 8 andi saw about 20 deer.
Conditions were perfect here.

Nice one Romac!

Battue I do agree with much of what you say but personally I like it this way - it’s more like hunting than shooting. I can “still hunt” areas that are more remote (remote to most hunters today is no more than 1/2 mile from transport😁) and see no other hunters and have killed some large racked bucks in recent years in gun season…..and at least in Forest, Elk and Warren counties there are plenty of deer.

Now upland birds is a whole other story🥴

PennDog

Penn Dog..

And I know pretty much what you are referring to...and would prefer to hunt the same way as you...Although the years have cramped my style a little as far as the getting them out is concerned. Still can do it, but it takes longer.

And if you want to find Bigger Bucks, then an area with fewer Does is often the key....and in many cases a 1/2 mile off the road is further than they are willing to go.

That being said...there has to be a compromise. We can't expect to bring around future generations of hunters, if they go into the wood and see none or only a few. The young need a fire and seeing something and thinking they have a chance is one of the igniters.

My blame with the GC is they have gone too far with herd reduction, along with allowing almost 50% of the Bucks to be shot off by the time rifle season comes around.

Yet the blame lies with us...Most every Doe tag is sold, and most try to fill at least one or two..It would only take a couple years of the hunters holding off on Doe tags and the turn around would be quick.

And yes, another ot their management failures has been for years to sit on their ass and watch Pa Bird hunting go into the trash....

And they brag about bringing in Eagles and Fishers...as mentioned they don't eat fish..... "Fishers are carnivorous, feeding primarily on small and mid- sized mammals such as snowshoe hares, squirrels, mountain beavers, mice and birds. They also eat other foods, including insects, fruit, fungi and winter- kill deer and elk."

Hunters buy a license to hunt, not to have their money spent on making Pa more Eagle friendly..Let the birders and leaf peepers do that if it is so important....Makes you wonder whose side they are on.

Addition: With the Eagle cams, individuals can comment and oooh and ahhh about what they seeing as the eggs hatch...I made the comment that hunters dollars are the reason they can watch live...You would have thought I dropped the F bomb in church...Hunters are getting absolutely zero return on the money being spent on Eagles. Either in good publicity or an increase in fish and what we hunt.

battue quarter them up and bring them out piece by piece, forget dragging!

Agree….I’m almost there.

Well said battue.. Same all over.. Predators are to be one thing.. Targets!!

I was only able to hunt until lunch time on Saturday, saw one tail bouncing thru the brush. Very little shooting in my area, saw no hunters in the woods, a couple of cars parked along the road but they left before I did. I did go out for a couple of hours Sunday afternoon, no deer and about 3 shots in 2 hrs.

Most of the neighboring properties are now posted (used to all be enrolled in PGC access programs) and most of the neighbors sit in tree stands both during archery and rifle seasons. Nobody drives deer, nobody moves around. God forbid you chase a deer off your property and onto someone else's.

To me, the best part of hunting was the drives. It's like a chess match with deer. We go here, they go there. Get a shot at a buck and it was a successful day.

And I agree with battue about crossbows and archery seasons that last friggin forever. And No, I'm not buying one. I have absolutely no desire to hunt with a bow of any sort.

Dale

They were driving today and pushed me a big coyote which I promptly dispatched.

Saw 5 does and a buck around 7:15 first morning, could see a fork on one side but couldn't see a third point so not shooting so far.

Sunday afternoon was productive.

I had mature lone doe step out at 430. 243 165 yard shot.. 3jumps and ass over tin cups she went

While I was gutting her my phone started ringing. I've been mentoring one of my sons friends and he was calling. He was in one of my stands a mile away and shot a buck but lost sight of him in the cut.

We went and helped him find his deer. A nice 8pt.

The biggest problem the PGC has helped create is the lack of recruitment of new hunters - primarily for the reasons you and Battue have voiced. Other problems are people don’t need to hunt and hunting traditions have not keep pace with the times. Most people when I was growing up made Thanksgiving/deer season a holiday unto itself and families were together over those times - how many families are together now? I couldn’t wait to go hunting because all my siblings, cousins, uncles, grandfathers and pretty much anyone else were going. We hunted for meat and antlers were secondary. Now with the antler restrictions (which work - why wouldn’t they??) we seem to have become greedy - posting land to keep “our bucks” from others. I’m not against trophy hunting but it was not how I was raised and I could care if the racks are big or not - I have shot some nice racked whitetails but not my priority - opening day this year I shot a 165 lbs dressed six point in 2F. I hunt the Allegheny National Forest and some places have lots of deer others not so much but the average age of deer in the areas I hunt is up there because most don’t go in that far (I bone my deer out and backpack out and I try and stay in the woods as many days as I can depending on schedule). I also typically shoot one deer per year which is enough to keep me in venison (only my wife, MIL and myself currently and wife is not a big meat eater).

Hunting is only going to get worse as $$$$ drive the management practices - I’m older and I’ll enjoy what I can and try to help keep what traditions I can alive to help some of the future generation……don’t expect to make big inroads but hopefully a few can appreciate hunting the way I have.

PennDog

Battue, you bitch and moan more than most women I know

lack of grouse as a whole lot to do with loss of habitat specifically the general publics feelings that clearcutting is bad, west nile isnt helping the situation.

Pheasats- again habitat, if you cant see how farming practices have changed you're a bigger moron than you put forth here. there are no more hedge rows, its all crop to crop right to the woodline edge. Pheasants need those hedge rows and edge covers to propogate.

the deer herd is fine, you are familiar with the term Carrying capacity aren't you? the populations of the 80s and 90s were just too much, we are now getting more in line with what the CC of the lands are.

younger hunters are tending more towards archery season for a plethora of reasons, not the least withstanding is the fact you can really scout and pattern the deer. they enjoy hunting unpressured deer. maybe you should take up bow hunitng and stomp complaining.


I have had our entire 640 acrea camp to myself aside from opening day. I have passed several fairly decent bucks because I have a specific one I am after. I did fill a doe tag the first afternoon just to break in a new rifle.

I happen to know one of the commissioners, and have known him since i was about 10 years old. you wont find anyone who ahs done more towards getting kids involved in hunting and fishing than him. he is also the main reason we are allowed to hunt Bobcats in this state.

as posted above either go hunt or STFU, either way quit being an obnoxious blowhard

Today in 2D...

5 Does and one unknown...All seen from 3:30-5PM...

The drive home is past a Deer processor...There were at least 50 lying on the ground in the driveway...If any were Bucks there wasn't much sticking up...This was one small sample....Looks like the Does took a pounding.

Tomorrow on the drive by I'll try to get a pic of the hides stacked previously...Impressive, if one is into a war on Does..Bud said his processor friend is pissed with Does being in for 2 weeks...He can't keep up with it...

Thanks PGC.....

Seems as if the GC has changed their thinking on Pa Grouse and the problem being lack of habitat. Have posted a GC Video on it more than once. Perhaps you and your Commissioner friend should sit down and watch it. Or he can ask one of his biologists about It….Lisa Williams
You should really try and keep up with what is going on, instead of talking out of your ass about what you don’t know.

Bow hunting? Have already killed a couple with a bow years ago. It wasn’t all that hard. Now that the GC tells me almost 45% of the Bucks are killed in archery season, I think the rifle guys are getting the short end. And crossbows make it even easier.. Did your commissioner friend get lobbied by the bow manufacturers also?

STFU??? You must think you are one BAMF.

And ask your commissioner friend why hunting license dollars are spent on eagles and raptors. Last I looked there wasn’t any season on them. With commissioners like that soon we will
spending license fees for diversity training.

You're little more than another campfire old fart who thinks he has seen it all. Always funny 😂

Addition: And you shot a Doe, “just” to break in a new rifle. Wow, that is impressive….Was it a difficult shot? Tell us about it. I’m sure the rifle is much happier tonight. Hilarious!!!!

Here, try this on Grouse habitat and then STFU until you get up to speed.....Perhaps you and your friend can watch it together and learn something...

All I know is still hunting with a bow sucks. Sitting on in stand for 8 hours with a stick and string is a good time fat asses.

I missed a Doe today and snuck up on three large Bull Elk and took some grainy pics with my junk Samsung Android phone. The Elk had me feeling on top of the World but missing the Doe right at dark kind of deflated me. First shot I got at a deer this Rifle season. This was in Karthaus PA

bbassi

How did you make out? You still up here?
I live\hunt on my property off Irish Farm road about a mile from where you are camping. All fall I have been watching a large 6 pointer but he has not been around the past few days.

Ted I didn't end up filling my tag. I had a real nice one Saturday morning bumping does around me, but the one time I had him close he was behind me and caught me trying to get the gun up. I never saw a deer Sunday. There are not a lot of deer back in there. I feel pretty lucky just to get an opportunity there. I did pull a camera I had placed 7/24. It had 189 pictures up to 11/5 when apparently the batteries died. I had it on a huge scrape I found on top of a nob way back in. Does were on it right after I put it up, but no bucks until 10/11. Several turkeys, a coyote and a boo boo bear. Probably 12 different bucks on that scrape. This was the best one. Not bad for a mountain deer with zero agriculture.

Interesting side trip around Karthaus….

https://uncoveringpa.com/jet-bunkers-quehanna-wild-area

Day 4 is upon us. I'll probably process my doe after work today. I won't hunt until she's in the freezer. Currently hanging in the garage.

My boy hunted yesterday. He didn't see any but he also didn't see any other sign of a human. He left his stand and started working his way back to our property before dark.

Cell cams had a few does moving just before last light.

There was one shot close to the house. Probably one of the camps next door.

That's interesting.

I've hunted bears just east of Karthaus for many years.

I've worked in the area. Seen elk there

Battue would probably really lose his [bleep] to know I have access to close to 70 tags a year to kill deer during the summer. and am expected by those farmers to punch a large number of those tags. he has probably never seen the damage done to a corn or soybean field by herd of deer, damage that deeply costs the farmer.

Lisa Williams research on WNV and Grouse is excellent. that doenst take away from the fact that Early successional forests, largely stemming from clearcutting are critical to off ther food resources grouse need. in fact its quite likely that lack ofquality forage is a driving factor in the succeptability to WNV. as evidenced by PGCs decision to shut down the december grouse season. along with research showing that the birds making it through hard winters show more resiliance to WNV. hmm, I wonder if quality food has anything to do with that robustness.

You are just a killing machine....What does it take to satisfy your lust....I've lived in the country...so am familiar with what goes on.


Anyway, any think Does are not taking a pounding....One processor on the way. And he doesn't even come close to getting them all from around his area...



This is when I drove past in the morning.....The pile was twice as big on the way home...

Anyway, again....The Does were hanging out in this hollow last night, so I gave it another look this afternoon...




Came out after 1.5hours on the end of a rope...

Congrats, man!

Those are cool. I never walked back to the bunkers but I've been to the Reactor site

And congrats on the buck battue!

Thank you!!!!

Well done Harry

Nice Buck Congrads!

You had a camera on a scrape on July 24th? Was it a scrape still visible from last year?

Nice buck Battue - how did you shoot it without a bolt😁

What rifle/cartridge?

PennDog

I was hunting cold!!!! (Actually I was when moving....didn't find it any problem. However, I was taking an evening stand when this one came by, and had one in the chamber. But I don't think it would have made any difference.)

Nula 7mm-08 140gr Accubond handload at around 70 yards...

I seldom drink, but always say a thank you prayer and have some grain for a Pa Buck....He had found some of the same also...

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battue 300 Savage?

Not this time...the Nula 7mm-08 got the call...

The Montana .300 Savage stock developed a crack and needs to be looked at.

sure was. It's been under that hemlock for as many years as I've been poking around up there. Usually it's the size of a bathtub but this year for some reason there were 2 smaller scrapes on either side. I can only imagine the pics I missed because of that. You can see it off the tip of this bucks right antler. (and BTW I put it up in July because we were down there riding the ATV trail system that's open on the state forest 6/1-9/30. It's a lot shorter walk in with stuff that way)

Not trying to answer for bbasi but I run cameras on scrapes year round. The key is to find community scrapes that are in high travel areas that are used by multiple bucks.

Multiple licking branches, sometimes 1 big scrape with several smaller scrapes to the side, the scrapes are used every year and year round.

While the bucks don't always paw the ground and urinate in them they travel through. They will work the licking branch in summer. They are a great spot to find what bucks survived after season as well.

Interesting. That’s cool stuff guys. Thanks.

Great job battue!!

Thanks, especially appreciated coming from those who know Pa Deer hunting!!!!!

Nice Mr Battue !!

Had to pull our last one out with a snow machine !

Some BA Deer make a living in your country....

Hunted every day this week to see a grand total of 3 Doe. I've never had a season this tough. Now I have to wait until Saturday to hunt again and I better come up with a good plan or it's tag soup for me

Just wrapped up a week in the ANF and slow is the proper word. Between the 4 of us we killed 2 does. I had an opportunity on the first day with a couple of does and passed and not another shot at a legal deer. I saw a spike and a big 4 pointer

My son saw 20 or so deer and killed the 2 does, I saw 9 deer, and the two there saw 5 each. Mast crops were nonexistent and pressure was up where we were.

Still a great time.

It's been a great season for me. Whacked a six point and a doe with my crossbow first week of November. Then an 8 point opening day of gun, a doe thanksgiving morning and a piebald doe tonight. The piebald hide is in the freezer waiting to be tanned. Basically has a white saddle with brown speckles going all the way between the front legs to the back with brown and white speckles all the way down the front and back legs right down to the hooves. Still have three more doe tags and 8 more days of rifle then 16 days of muzzleloader to fill them.

How'd you manage 2 bucks in PA?

I'm a badass poacher to the bone. LOL

I'm not in Pa. Sorry for crashing your thread.

Gotcha. Not my thread, but seemed to be pa dudes. I've been hunting Maryland too, but not seeing much but orange there. Glad ya had a good season!

Very slow where I am, too. Not many hunters, not much shooting. The wife got a little doe first day. Haven't seen a legal buck during hunting season for quite a while.

Yeah shooting yesterday was almost nonexistent. And that was in Hillsgrove PA which is a hunting camp mecca

I pushed for a few guys Friday.
One saw 6 one of which was a 6pt that got a free pass and then shot a doe.
Another saw 7.. 4 does and 3 idk
The 3rd guy didn't see a deer.

Saturday same deal different land. I kicked up 4 that I know of 1 guy saw 1 and the other didn't see a deer.

Saturday afternoon I sat and saw 3 but I wasn't concerned with shooting one.