|
Dead?
Nov 27, 2023 16:53:26 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Dutch on Nov 27, 2023 16:53:26 GMT -5
Where I hunt, there sure wasn't much shooting the first day, and next to none Sunday.
I saw 10 hunters preparing to go in the hollow next to where we hunt, and nothing, all day Saturday.
Crazy
|
|
|
Dead?
Nov 28, 2023 19:28:27 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by stroupy on Nov 28, 2023 19:28:27 GMT -5
I pulled in the parking lot on Saturday and there was one other truck at 430 and it was my dad. I said is thus the first day? Shooting started off decent by 11 it died down to sporadic shots through the day. It's gotten less and less the past 5 years. Makes me wonder what it's going to be like in another 5.
|
|
|
Dead?
Nov 28, 2023 20:05:33 GMT -5
Post by acorn20 on Nov 28, 2023 20:05:33 GMT -5
On Monday we heard two shots on the other side of the ridge at 8:15. At 9:30, we heard five shots far away in the distance and that was it for the whole day. The neighbors were putting on drives all morning and afternoon and no shooting. Our neck of the woods in Bedford County IS dead!
|
|
|
Dead?
Nov 28, 2023 20:35:42 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Dutch on Nov 28, 2023 20:35:42 GMT -5
On Monday we heard two shots on the other side of the ridge at 8:15. At 9:30, we heard five shots far away in the distance and that was it for the whole day. The neighbors were putting on drives all morning and afternoon and no shooting. Our neck of the woods in Bedford County IS dead! WOW!!! MY friend and his few guys were putting on drives in Tioga and Potter Countys, and put out numerous bucks, and they killed a few does.
|
|
|
Dead?
Nov 29, 2023 7:27:29 GMT -5
Post by ridgecommander on Nov 29, 2023 7:27:29 GMT -5
Pretty dead as usual where I hunt. Decent shooting first day for a few hours than some more volleys in the late afternoon. Virtually no shooting Sunday and even less Monday and Tuesday.
One of the shots Sunday was a young lady in camp that decided to start hunting at 20. She shot her first deer Sunday afternoon at 3:30 after sitting all day Saturday and Sunday in the same stand. It was a good 8 point. I was hunting coyotes but saw none. I saw two legal bucks and passed a bunch of doe up. Everyone passed doe. Three other hunters passed up legal bucks. We had 6 total at camp this year.
Yesterday afteroon, one of our hunters left his stand at 4 cause of the cold and the cell cam pinged. A good 8 point walked past at 4:30, lol.
|
|
|
Dead?
Nov 29, 2023 12:36:50 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by moosemike on Nov 29, 2023 12:36:50 GMT -5
So far my son has missed a buck and a bear. My wife may have missed a bear. She guarantees me she hit it but I could find no blood on a 40 yard shot. A wounded bear was killed the next day a mile away. And I've missed a Doe with my 45-70
|
|
|
Dead?
Nov 30, 2023 7:35:08 GMT -5
Post by ridgecommander on Nov 30, 2023 7:35:08 GMT -5
So far my son has missed a buck and a bear. My wife may have missed a bear. She guarantees me she hit it but I could find no blood on a 40 yard shot. A wounded bear was killed the next day a mile away. And I've missed a Doe with my 45-70 Deflections?
|
|
|
Dead?
Nov 30, 2023 9:07:07 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by moosemike on Nov 30, 2023 9:07:07 GMT -5
Definitely with the buck my son missed. He had him 50 yards standing still. But it was thick there. The bear he missed was 150 yards offhand crossing the gated road
|
|
|
Dead?
Dec 1, 2023 12:44:54 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Dutch on Dec 1, 2023 12:44:54 GMT -5
My brother missed a 60 yd shot yesterday at an 8 point. Apparently, after he missed, there was a shot not long after, down over the hill
|
|
|
Dead?
Dec 1, 2023 18:42:30 GMT -5
via mobile
Dutch likes this
Post by moosemike on Dec 1, 2023 18:42:30 GMT -5
Son got a Doe tonight
|
|
|
Post by Dutch on Dec 1, 2023 21:40:23 GMT -5
Nice to hear he got one, and I'm sure you appreciate the time spent with him
|
|
|
Dead?
Dec 3, 2023 16:38:06 GMT -5
Post by muttleysback on Dec 3, 2023 16:38:06 GMT -5
No bucks at camp Rip-N-Tear, but the guys did harvest three antlerless ones. Dave took his home to hang for awhile. Stan and I butchered ours. We used the camp grinder to do most of both into burger. Ms. Doris likes to boil the neck and save the meat for stews. She did Dave's neck today. Mine will go tomorrow. Stan kept his. I can't in good conscience grind the backstraps and tenderloins, so they got cut up into medallions for later consumption. All told, I got 34 pounds of burger, plus the loins and straps from mine. I have no idea how much meat Ms. Doris will get from the neck. Plan is to return to camp Wednesday and hunt the last three days. Still have that buck tag. I think Stan, Dave, Victor, and Crawford will be there some of that time. Love my time in camp. Some meat for the freezer is just a bonus.
|
|
|
Post by Dutch on Dec 3, 2023 17:47:41 GMT -5
Just got back from 10 days at camp. Tomorrow it's back to reality when I have to drive in this stinking traffic around here. 🤬
I did get to visit with DennyF at his camp, which I enjoyed.
|
|
|
Dead?
Dec 3, 2023 18:57:59 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by ridgecommander on Dec 3, 2023 18:57:59 GMT -5
We didnt hear a shot till 330 Saturday afternoon. Holy smokes was it dead. Guy in camp missed a good one at 60 yards standing still that I pushed past him at 430. After he missed he said he hasn't shot his rifle in 3 years.
|
|
|
Dead?
Dec 4, 2023 14:09:13 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by bushmaster on Dec 4, 2023 14:09:13 GMT -5
I heard 4 shots all day Saturday. One was me with a doe and 2 were bro in law with 9pt. The gamelands by my club were stacked up with guys and no shooting.
|
|
|
Dead?
Dec 4, 2023 15:28:31 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by moosemike on Dec 4, 2023 15:28:31 GMT -5
I'm not even sure if I heard four shots on Saturday? It was dead
|
|
|
Dead?
Dec 4, 2023 15:29:10 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by moosemike on Dec 4, 2023 15:29:10 GMT -5
I'm not even sure if I heard four shots on Saturday? It was dead
|
|
|
Post by fleroo on Dec 6, 2023 8:59:26 GMT -5
The PA deer, well Buck, hunting paradigm has been RAPIDLY shifting for quite a few years now. Archery is THE game that most are playing now, for very obvious and understandable reasons. Warmer weather, MUCH longer season. much better hunting experience with the ability to target undisturbed, rutting bucks with quality headgear. So the lack of enthusiasm for rifle deer is quite understandable. That Outdoor Life article written in the 60's on PA Deer Camp Tradition, is wayyyyyyyy in the past.
|
|
|
Dead?
Dec 6, 2023 10:49:23 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Dutch on Dec 6, 2023 10:49:23 GMT -5
The PA deer, well Buck, hunting paradigm has been RAPIDLY shifting for quite a few years now. Archery is THE game that most are playing now, for very obvious and understandable reasons. Warmer weather, MUCH longer season. much better hunting experience with the ability to target undisturbed, rutting bucks with quality headgear. So the lack of enthusiasm for rifle deer is quite understandable. That Outdoor Life article written in the 60's on PA Deer Camp Tradition, is wayyyyyyyy in the past. Our deer camp experience starts in October and runs thru the first week of December. For us, it has gotten much more fun with the infusion of younger blood. I understand that's unusual. My dad's former big woods deer camp is down to less than 5 for the rifle season. At one time, they had 20. Same with the camp my grandfather and his brothers started in the 30s.
|
|
|
Dead?
Dec 6, 2023 12:18:25 GMT -5
Post by ridgecommander on Dec 6, 2023 12:18:25 GMT -5
Archery is THE game that most are playing now, for very obvious and understandable reasons. About 45% of our deer hunters archery hunt if one believes the PGC numbers so not quite "most" but getting close to 50/50. I believe you have said in the past that you believe we have way more deer hunters than what the PGC estimates so if your assertion is correct, maybe 35% of our deer hunters archery hunt.
|
|
|
Post by fleroo on Dec 6, 2023 14:08:52 GMT -5
I'm not arguing here. I am stating an opinion based on what I witness, and have witnessed here in my little corner of Washington County. And that said, I believe common sense can afford that notion to be applied all across the state for the most part. Yes I did say that our rifle hunter numbers would be vastly > than the 500,000 that you agreed with from the PGC I believe ? What I mean by that is.... IF hundreds of thousands of archery hunters were not tallying almost 50% of the TOTAL buck harvest, rifle hunters numbers would be greatly increased. So to put it another way. If the PGC abolished bow season tomorrow, does anybody NOT believe that the nearly 1 Million license buyers would be rifle hunters. LOL IF nearly 50% of the buck harvest is coming from archers, do you not think that lends for much more silence in the rifle woods ? A. from archers not being out with a rifle, and B. from less legal buck being out there to harvest for the rifle hunters that either do not archery hunt, or who already harvested in archery. It truly is common sense ? Rifle season here has been trending to more "silent" year after year, and the correlation is the paradigm shift to archery. Nearly 1 Million folks don't buy a license to "quit hunting" every year.
|
|
|
Post by muttleysback on Dec 6, 2023 16:58:37 GMT -5
I'm going to give it one more try Friday and Saturday when a couple of the other guys will also be in camp. Ms. Doris says I can't go by myself anymore.
|
|
|
Dead?
Dec 6, 2023 17:43:21 GMT -5
Post by bushmaster on Dec 6, 2023 17:43:21 GMT -5
It's going to be real dead for me. I'm tagged out till next season. Small game and Yotes from here on out.
|
|
|
Dead?
Dec 7, 2023 7:31:47 GMT -5
Post by ridgecommander on Dec 7, 2023 7:31:47 GMT -5
It's going to be real dead for me. I'm tagged out till next season. Small game and Yotes from here on out. What! You didn't save a tag for your beloved flintlock?
|
|
|
Dead?
Dec 7, 2023 7:54:51 GMT -5
Post by ridgecommander on Dec 7, 2023 7:54:51 GMT -5
IF hundreds of thousands of archery hunters were not tallying almost 50% of the TOTAL buck harvest, rifle hunters numbers would be greatly increased. Talking specifically about the last 10-15 years which is what you have focused on lately. The number of bucks killed in archery has been going up for some time. With crossbows, as more participated, it went up even further. But that increase in kill is a small fraction of the number that have walked away from participation in rifle deer season over the past 15 years. Rifle particpation would not be "greatly" increased as you say if we went back to archery hunter numbers and the archery harvest of say 10-15 years ago. The numbers don't support that assertion. We have lost hundreds of thousands of rifle hunters but the antlered archery kill has only increased by tens of thousands in the recent past. If they abolished "bow season" then participation wowuld climb significantly in rifle season. On that I would agree but probably not back to 1 million deer hunters. Most archery hunters also rifle hunt, so take the archery harvest off of the current archery license sales and add that to the 750,000 or so deer hunters that the PGC says we have and we will fall quite short of 1 million. You keep making the mistake of using 50% of the harvest, not the actual harvest numbers when talking about hunter nunbers. It is common sense that if a archer kills a buck in rifle, they will not be rifle hunting for buck. Not common sense when you try to take that and turn it into why hundreds of thousands have left the game when the numbers don't add up to support that fact. Again, the harcvest did increase but the percent of available bucks for harvest has not changed significantly. 50% harvested by archery does not mean that 50% of the herd is now left for rifle hunters. Yes, there are less bucks out there if more are killed din archery, but it is a fallacy that a significant percent of legal bucks are removed prior to rifle. According to the PGC, 1 million buy a license. Some don't even hunt. Some only hunt small game. About 750-800,000 deer hunt. The fact is the rifle only hunters are hanging it up and will continue to moving forward, especially as the boomers get older.
|
|