Things Looking Up in PA... Monster Bucks being taken

Looks like the state of PA is finally starting to produce some real trophy class bucks. I know of several deer within 30 minutes of me taken during gun season already that are all of or more than 150". It hasn't been all that common in years past here, with only pockets, mostly in the western part of the state producing big deer like this, but man, it looks like times are changing!

I stumbled across this buck on another forum. Don't know the guy in the first one and I hope he doesn't mind me posting this picture, but man this is a real stud. The second was taken about 15 minutes from me opening day of gun.

Not bow kills, but I love seeing big racks, regardless.

 

I spent a ton of time this fall in the "big woods" and was really shocked at the numbers of deer & quality of bucks I saw. Not quite the size of the ones in these pics but solid nice bucks that are "common" for me to see around home.

 

man those are nice bucks. what i'd give to see those wandering around my neighborhood...

 

Nice!!!! That first ones a monster!!!! I hunt and live in PA and I have seen the bucks growing too! I sure hope people don't start coming around here, before you know it people will be paying to hunt pa!!

 

Yes I hope more people start to realize it. I am tired of seeing guys shoot small bucks and use the "its Pennsylvania" excuse. Bucks will grow anywhere if you let them. Thanks for sharing the pictures!

 

I'm a PA native as well, good to see quality buck start to come out of our state. Antler restrictions are making their mark as we all can begin to see nowadays. Now i just hope to come across one of these PA bruisers with bow in hand!

 

I wish Md and Wv would make antler restrictions. People just shoot anything around here.

 

X2. We rarely see a buck older than 2 1/2 around here. I'd love to see just one buck that big

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Yep, the quality of bucks I've seen over the past two years is improving quite nicely. It wasn't long ago that the buck I shot on Monday would have been a bruiser by PA standards. Now, not so much.

 

Its just neat to see that some really good bucks are finally showing up here. PA has always had a few giants every year, but the last couple have been really amazing. Maybe I'm just noticing it more.

PA is never going to be a mid-western state in terms of buck quality. We simply have too many hunters who shoot the first legal buck they see, but its refreshing to see better quality as a whole.

 

So it's pretty safe to say at this point the antler restrictions program has been a failure right?

 

Those are nice bucks. I wish to see one of that quality eventually but Im not holding my breath. Its nice to see those antler restrictions coming into play.

 

This was obviously tongue in cheek ..... Atlas, let's join forces and push for a 4 point restriction in all of NYS .... you with me?

NY has pockets of areas where they are trying ARs .... they need to make it statewide and 4 on one side, IMO...

 

I wasn't joking. The PA antler restriction is a miserable failure. All they did was change the state from a slaughterhouse of spikes and 4 pts to a slaughterhouse of 6 pts and basket 8's. the program has been in effect how long now?? There may be a handful of larger bucks then their was 10 years ago but there is no data connecting that fact with AR's. The difference between PA before and after AR's is way too slight to consider it anything but a failure.

There are big bucks in NY already Tony............in fact I would say NY has progressed more in buck quality then PA has over the same time frame as their failed AR efforts.

Drop to one buck per year and shorten gun season and NY would be epic!!

 

Where in PA is everyone from? Montogomery/Bucks county produces some bucks but i have never seen any looking like those two bruisers in the pics. Sullivan county is another quality place but need to put your time in as always to see the shooters.

 

Ar has worked as best it could be expected, what the pink elephant in the room is the fact that we have less than half the number of deer we had before the deer wars started.
The never ending doe slaughter has caused the yellow ribbons of posted signs every where, deer are slaughtered on public land while miles of posted ground goes untouched, dumb and dumber is what its called here.

 

It seems like the PA guys would disagree?

I think it would have to be a 4 point restriction, like Erie PA for it to be effective? I don't know ...

 

Shoot me now. I thought I'd never see another PA AR debate.

 

That certainly wasn't the intent bud! Not even going to go there!

Bottom line, I like seeing big bucks and hunting big bucks. I think we're seeing bigger bucks in PA.

 

That we are. And We could be seeing a lot more.