You know I think the healthiest thing they could maybe do for deer and gun hunters is just price the permits like out of state prices for everyone. It's amazing how high prices weed out the slob hunters out there that thrive in a mass onslaught/high hunter number world that's relatively free from law enforcement scrutiny. People that are willing to pay higher permit prices tend to take more care what they shoot and where they hunt...just a thought from a greedy, gun shy deer advocate.
I actually respectfully disagree with that....I will preface this by saying I'm a die hard bowhunter and experience that same feeling every year on opening day of gun season. But really we need to be making things easier for hunters...not harder. Dealing with gun hunters, hunters that shoot small bucks, hunters that use drives, dogs, bait, crossbows, or anything else that's different from the way I choose to hunt is just part of it. Everybody has the same right to hunt that I do. I may not agree with everything other hunters choose to do...but if the law days it's legal, I support their right to do it without being demonized by me... I'm sure some out there don't like something about how I hunt, but I still expect them to respect my right to hunt how I want....there will always be something we do different from another hunter....but we all love to hunt....doesn't have to be for the same reasons...and doesn't mean one is wrong. With all the antis out there we don't need to be critical of each other...they do that enough
I have been bow only since 2007. I avoid Pa rifle season like the plague ever since an old guy almost shot me one year. Pa has almost 1,000,000 licensed hunters and many of them hit the woods on the same day with high powered rifles. That is a recipe for a mess. The first day anyway. However I do not have a problem with guys that enjoy rifle hunting. There is a long tradition in Pa of deer camp and the first day of rifle. Many schools here still give kids that day off of school and when my current job found out I hunted the first thing they asked was if I would be there the Monday after Thanksgiving LOL.
Yeah...PA has almost 20.3 hunters per square mile. I think 90% of them show up in rifle season. Heck, on our private land there is a group of eight. I hate rifle...I do go out though because it's the only time I usually can get something. But, it scares the crap out of me not knowing where everyone is. Orange or not - it's still crazy. But, the school district where I live has opening day off. So Monday I'll be out trying to get me a deer. I made some awesome jerky from DH's buck - so now I want more!
I'm a little late on chiming in but I went out Friday night, Saturday morning and Sunday night this weekend and only saw 1 turkey and 4 pheasants. Our gun season ended a week ago and the deer are still nowhere to be seeing. I don't know what's going on but it's not fun not even seeing anything. We will have to do some predator control though because my game cam had picked up a few of them within the last week!! Havnt seen them all year!!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I am hoping to head to Ohio Friday. I'd like to get a hunt in before gun season. Last year we had a problem with Amish pushing off the property.
Dec 1, right? I didn't realize this past weekend was youth gun season until the sun came up and there was an orange blob in a tree across the creek. I packed up and went home, so I didn't get shot...
I'm going to try to get out some this week and weekend. I pulled cards this week and had some pretty good bucks on them yet. Ks gun doesn't open until the 3rd. I still didn't have Crossbow or Boom on the far property cams. No sign of crossbow since Oct 14th and Boom disappeared way back there in Sept. I imagine spotlighting road hunters got them both, it's a serious problem this year around here.
Good luck to those still hunting! Sorry to hear about possible poachers, Covey. We had that in Illinois last year. Husband held off shooting anything that walked in front of him because there was a monster buck on cam. Turn to find out the deer was poached the week before we got there. I will probably go waterfowl hunting this weekend. Rifle opens up on Monday I will go out then. Maybe I'll get something. Not really looking forward to it.
I'm checking cams early (while the inlaws get settled) and then making a game plan for the weekend. Temps and wind are actually looking good for now...
So untill the 12 when i got my buck, he was the first buck to show up in daylight since September. Then 4-7 days later my 2 bucks that ihad wanted to get since back in June showed up in daylight. Figures Buckaneer and Tall Tine would show up after my buck tag was filled. They are both gonna be huge next year.
Awesome bucks! I was headed out to check a trail cam and found a blood trail 35 yards from my stand. At first I thought they had shot from my stand, but the trail turned and headed next door. I followed it the other direction and the deer circled back to that same property. I'll have to go introduce myself and find out if he got one of the bucks I've seen on cam. I was going to hunt here tomorrow, but I'm not sure now...
I didn't make Ohio. We got hammered with snow and ice last night so I decided not to make the 2.5 hour trip.
Good luck. We can't shoot does in my WMU until the first Saturday. But I doubt I will try for once since I still have some of my Ohio doe in the freezer.
