Why not a thread to celebrate our PA hunting heritage?!

Post your exploits -- your archery hunt, your gun hunt, your big-game and small-game harvests (any trappers around?), experiences of a recent outing, game cam pics and so forth.

Archery began last week; I've only been out two times to this point. But, hey, the season starts slow and gets better as it grows older



Here's a few game cam pics of some smaller bucks, does and fawns that are working my area from the month of September.











































 

today was the first i was able to get out for archery this year. Didn't get into my stand until around 10:30 because of the pouring rain, then it rained light off and on until about 2. only stayed until 5:15 because i had to pick up my daughter. those tree umbrellas are awesome. my stand is almost right above my camera. moved into an area i found where 4 different deer trails intersect. it's proving fruitful...

saw nothing today, not even any squirrel. Though my camera showed I had some doe right under my stand yesterday.

couple of nice 8 points were hanging around for a stretch of 5 days, but they haven't shown up on camera since the end of August.


also got a couple pics of coyote(s). the other picture looks like it may be a pup but its blurry. first time I've gotten them on camera on this property. could be why i haven't seen the bucks since.


still having doe show up regularly but they aren't every day. i believe its the same 2 or 3 ones judging by the pictures.

Evening hunt from this stand last night. Watched a doe and its fawn pass by; no bucks to be seen.

2 gorgeous evening hunts in a row (thu & fri) and not a deer to be seen from either stand

There was this random guy who came up on me this evening and was about to set up his climber tree stand 40 yards away from me. I try to whistle at him to alert him to my position and realize my lips are too parched. Ultimately, I cough real hard and he looks up, startled, and courtesy waves at me before going elsewhere.


Saw numerous deer in the fields (areas that I cannot access) upon driving away from my grounds this evening.

Southeastern PA buck taken Saturday AM in 5D. It followed small Spike, which was right under my tree.  This one stopped directly behind my tree and as soon as he gave me a nice broadside, I took the shot.  Heart shot at about 25 yards.  He only ran about 30 yards and then crashed.   My only regret was not being able to follow a blood trail, it's one of my favorite parts, but being able to see him drop from the stand was pretty satisfying.  

I found some of the arrow once we got his chest opened up.  I caught the shot on a GoPro but can't seem to post video from Photobucket

What kind of broad head did you employ?

My buds convinced me to try archery next year.  We have several permanent stands and two different 100acre properties to hunt on.  I always go hunting, but I never get anything. I suppose getting the animal in my sights and knowing that I would kill it is good enough for me.  I don't have a problem killing, gutting or eating deer. I'm more of a catch and release hunter.

I may try archery in a couple of years. Not happening this year and I'm going to be too busy next. The idea of using a bow or a crossbow doesn't really do that much for me, but it is a nice time to be out and I like that you have to be so much closer to the deer. I can see how it would be more exciting.

You haven't known hunting until you've drawn an arrow back on a deer at (contrary to gun hunting) close range. Having a deer cross from you at 20yds and having to time the whole of the drawing-back your arrow versus your anticipation of how the deer is going to proceed is an uncertain venture -- so much can wrong in this motion.

It really is a challenge. That, and you do spend a hell of a lot of time in a tree seeing absolutely nothing.


The 6 weeks of archery are like a second job....

I used an older NAP mechanical.    I was convinced it was a doe kind of day.  Had I been out for buck, my go to is typically Rage 100grain or G5 Montec.

This statement is 100% truth!!!  Well stated.

Awesome Sir! Here's wishing you success.


My small game hunting has dissolved into almost nothing. Archery hunting has, for years, taken the Fall small game hunt away from my own self in that regard. And recently, the second season (12-26 through late January), I find myself too lazy to go out


 

I still like going grouse hunting a lot, but don't see them like I used to. Of course I don't get out much anymore either; I think last year I only made it out once or twice. The year before maybe 2-3 times. Got two grouse that year.

Here's one of them:

All relative to respective hunting areas, but I miss grouse hunting. Grouse are the tastiest of all birds in PA.

 

Archery season has been slow up and to this point but I'm optimistic that things are about to get interesting. I was out this evening and had 8 deer pass about 60-70 yds from me. It was getting pretty dim, but this group was comprised of a couple of mature does, and at least 3 yearlings, along with a couple of other deer that appeared to be last year's fawns.

I have a 2C antlerless tag for this area and would actually like to fill it; it hasn't been convenient to this point. I let two "gimme" opportunities go by in the first two weeks of the season but stood down on account of going soft -- I didn't want to shoot mama and have a fawn(s) hanging out around her corpse as I walked up upon it -- shoo fawns, shoo....

That's interesting and good to hear. I haven't used the state game lands that much, but any time I ever have hunted them I never saw a thing. That's for birds mainly, I've never hunted the state lands for deer.

 
Curious as to what area of PA you hunted in? Game Land number? Glad you harvested a bird!

Game land quality varies.






 
I'm fortunate to have a game lands in 2D where (effectively) no one hunts. Good land that I'll utilize in gun season for deer this year if my archery season doesn't pan out in full. It was always good for small game too, but I haven't bothered in a few years.


 

Happy hunting today,


I'll be attending a private event starting at 8am at Soldiers and Sailors Hall.


 

My archery season up and to this point had been slow, painfully slow. My local spot wasn't panning out for me, so I planned on hunting my 2D gun spot for the upcoming days I have off to hunt the rut as the 1 1/2 hour drive could be tolerated during this time. I leave work early yesterday (Friday 11-4) with the intention of humping my climbing treestand up into the woods and scouting around to make a quick call on where I should go vertical.


I reach the top of my woods around 1pm and put my treestand down and begin sneaking around to resolve an approach. After about 45 minutes, I determine the corner of woods I'm going to work and begin running a scent perimeter along a slope while my treestand sat on the ground just above me. I catch sight of a deer coming down my slope about 60yds away, but angling away from me, and quickly determine that it's a legal buck. I didn't have my fanny pack which contained my grunt call and rattling mechanism, so all I could do is watch him make his way away from me as I knelt at the ground with an arrow knocked.


At best, I'm encouraged for the evening hunt and the couple of days I'm going to spend hunting here -- there was a manifest ton of recent activity here. I remained knelt down on the ground for about 7 minutes to assure this buck was gone before walking back up to retrieve my treestand and then get vertical for the remainder of the day.


Suddenly, he reappears walking towards my position about 25yds down slope from me. I knock and arrow again and draw back from a kneeling position and watch him stop 20yds away while raising his head and sticking his tongue out -- he was reacting to my scent line.



Thwack. Nice intimate ground shot. Followed the arrow in flight and saw the contact. Buck turns and takes off, back hunched upwards, and I could smell the hit.


He made it about 60yds before dropping. 7-point rack. Nothing to write home about, but some seasons the kill, and the meat that accompanies it, is enough.


Didn't bother going out for doe today, but I'll be out Mon-Tue-Wed in some capacity to try and accomplish that. If not then, then gun season.




Rolled him over to snap a pic of the entry wound. Arrow passed through him diagonally and came out just in front of his left rear hind.

Great shot.

Today was probably the last day I'll get out for archery.

Had an okay doe sneak in about 25 yards behind me behind some brush. Probably could have taken a shot but she never really gave me anything good. I though she might come to me but she was catching my scent. Never spooked though, just wandered off into the woods.

Earlier in the morning had two deer, I'm guessing doe, really hauling ass about 100 yards up the hill, then about 50 behind was a buck, couldnt tell how big but I could see rack. Hit my grunt tube and it stopped him but only for a couple seconds.

I have a stand about 20 yards from where they were and I could have sat in it but decided on this one since my camera was still up by it.

Oh well still have rifle season and two doe tags

Sat 8 hours on Saturday and I saw 1 6pt all day.  I'll probably take a half day off work tomorrow and take a full day Wednesday.

I might hunt next year now that I'll be able to use rifles I actually own.

what does that mean?



 

Almost every rifle I own is semi auto, and PA has had that stupid ban on hunting with them.  When they get rid of that impediment then I will hunt.

There was a lot of bad information floating around when that passed, people assuming that next year they could be deer hunting with a semi-auto. I'm not an expert on it, but as far as I know the only change is now the PGC can regulate use of semi-auto rifles/pistols for hunting. But from the sounds of it we won't get semi-autos for big game for a while, if ever. From what I heard we might get it for small game and predator hunting, but even that may have just been speculation, I don't know.

If you're interested in hunting though, you shouldn't let that requirement stop you unless you just really can't afford to buy a manually-operated firearm. I personally enjoy my bolt guns and I'll still use them even if/when semi-autos are allowed, particularly for deer and small game.

Now for using a handgun with small game, I'd love to be able to legally use my rimfire semi-autos, but I pretty much never do that kind of hunting anymore anyway.

 

You will be waiting till the pa game commission makes a decision to allow it. Probably going to be for varmints only..

Go get a thirty thirty to hunt with.

I have no interest in owning anything that is useful only two weeks a year and consider it idiotic and wasteful to do so.

Idiotic huh?

Different strokes for different folks.

I use my bolt guns for more than just hunting.

I myself cannot be out until first Saturday for doe, but here is to wishing everyone good hunting for first day! Above all, everyone be safe.

I wonder how many fines will be issued tomorrow for hunting with a semi-auto rifle. The media coverage of that is pretty irresponsible, I've met more than a couple people who were under the impression they could hunt with a semi-auto this year.

 
Yikes

Yup.. I ran into a hunter today that was trying to tell me that semi hunting was legal this year cuz the Governor signed that bill.   He was using a bolt gun, but insisted he could be using a AR-15. I told him thats fine, but its not legal.... better go check facts... he didn't wanna hear it cuz he heard it on the news.



 

 
The manifest stupidity out of the ranks that we would call "ours" is really alarming....


Any luck today Scoped?

double tap

 
Congrats! Did you get him yesterday or today?

Thanks.

Yesterday around 11:30 in Elk County.

 
5 on the right, and is that a single beam on the left?

He broke off two on the left side.

Congratulations on a fine buck.

 

What rifle and caliber?

Thanks. It's extra special for me this year.
My grandpa gave me the rifle pictured above when I was around 13. It's a model 70 in 30-06.
He passed away this spring.

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5D Crossbow