Buck season

I'm not pumped like years back,getting older I guess Ha Ha. I'm really not seeing a lot of big mature shooters in the areas I hunt.The one nice 17inch plus 8 Pt with long tines behind my house is now all broken up. The last couple of nights my son and I spotted (for the first and second time for me) lots of does and fawns a quite a few scrubs from subs to small basket 8's and really only a few big bucks here and there, so the moral of this year hunt for me is the kill the first legal buck with both antlers,Im not proud the older I get the less trophy hunting( my son into it more than me)all I try to do is kill the best buck I've seen I my my hunting spot if its a 8pt with a 15 inch spread it ok with me. Good luck guys and be safe.

I'm with tuna,I'm not to geeked up..I do know of a few big boy's but are hard to get at...

Well, I am getting excited. After wrapping up a very good archery season, I am excited to do more hunting. I seen many nice bucks and doe's with a bow in my hand. Now I hope to see them with my rifle.
 
I know this will turn in to a war over AR, but there is much more at play. I remember watching the real early "real tree monster bucks" VHS tapes when i was younger, I had every hunt memorized I watched it so much. That was the only media I had for hunting, no hunting channels, no internet forums, chatroom, pages... I dreamed of seeing the 130-140 class bucks they were shooting at that time for the camera. Then to go in the woods and see some doe and maybe a 4 point it was a little discouraging, but if someone shot an 8 point buck (reguardless of point size, or mass, spread...) it was a big deal back in those days, and people would circle round to get a look at it. 
 
Nowyou have two hunting tv channels, internet forums, cell phone photos... You are constantly being hit with deer 150-220 class deer photos and videos, unrealistic deer for masses in PA. So it makes sense to me that alot of people do not get excited to go out and hunt when all they see are deer that are out of this world mid western B&C deer on tv, interent, phones. That I feel spoils alot of hunters, and hurts the younger generation with the instant gratifacation era. Deer hunting isnt automatic, some times it is fast and furrious, but most of the time it isnt. That sitting, glassing, slow walking has little appeal to the majority anymore, many would like to check scores, play games, text after a short time in the stand. It is a different age we live in. You cant put that on the PaGC
 
 It took me 7 years from when i started hunting to see my first 8 point. Now I have several oppertunities every year to shoot a buck of at least 8 points.
 
 I remember being in 8th grade spending over 100 hours in the tree with my little compound bow that i saved up all summer to buy, and seeing 6 deer in my stand that SEASON. But i got my half rack fork horn that year with my bow.
 
An average day for me hunting now is better than my 8th grade archery season. I kept playing the game even when I kept losing, now I see those days as a great foundation for my view of hunting. With the quality and quanity of deer I see now, for myself I know this is the golden age of deer hunting.
 
I know AR have been a huge help with the quality of deer I have seen and got on trail cameras, So yes Thank You PaGC. This is why I am excited for this monday

" No salt and pepper does not qualify as busk season" LOL I'm ready to finish filling the freezer with a couple doe's. Already bagged a old 8 point. There is no shortage of deer in my neck of the woods. could have shot a few different doe with the bow,But then hunting would be over. Traded my win 270 for a T/C omega z5. and will be using that. So should be fun. First inline for me and that thing is awesome. sighted in @ 150 yards @ 100 2 inches high 50yards is like 1.37. Thats what the ballistic chart says and is almost dead on.  Using 50cal powerbelt Platinum 270 grain aerotip with 2 pellets=100 grains. will see what happens Of coarse I will have a couple other guns in the truck for the drives!   Good luck ans be safe   Dave

You have to remember that AR was simply done to take our mind off Herd Reduction and make it harder to shoot a buck so we would get discouraged and shoot a doe instead.
I too was a bit excited this year for a change as in my hunting area we were seeing a few more deer along with some good bucks. It paid off as myself, my son and my grandson all harvested some of our best bucks with the bow.
The PGC has taken steps to assure it doesn't happen again as they issued doe tags based on our having the same amount of deer today as we did BEFORE the start of herd reduction.
No one is ever going to complain about shooting a good buck rather than a small one but the size of the buck to shoot or let walk should be a hunters choice rather than dictated by an organization run by folks who only want to reduce the overall deer numbers.
Having said that, hope springs eternal and there are some good bucks left North of I-80 along with what appears to be ideal weather to go after them. Enjoy it while you can and good luck.

WF, every deer hunting post in the last several years has always went south with the politics of AR and HR. How about in stead of arguing shed a little optimism. Beside if deer hunting has become nothing but a political stage full of drama the room  will soon empty and hunting will no longer be.
 
How about a story of experiences from past deer seasons that could possible spark a little enthusiasm in the crowd.
 
 

Good luck tomorrow, fellas.

Saw a buck this morning..it was a clearly buck..but what wasn't clear, was if he had 3 up top or just 2 up top and a brow..unless you hunt open fields or the buck stands broadside and poses for you, its pretty darn tough to count. 
 
 
Thanks PGC  

retired guy

I dont know how the heck you guys do it. Deer in the brush or trotting in the woods -standing broadside in the shadows- are those points on one side or two?? is there a long base ?? as in my case -no base ??

 
I had a signed afidavit from the buck's attorney that at least one of the brow tines was an inch and not 15/16ths.  But I still said a Hail Mary and an Our Father jus tin case before drilling him.
 
An inch is tough to tell at 90 yards throught he woods.  Especially with my eye sight.

DarDys: That's why the hardware store carries rat-tailed files.

 It was a very good day, little snow, very little wind. I spent half the day hunting with my wife. We seen deer, we laughed and had fun counting shots and squirrels. Cant ask for much more.
 
24 deer total, 4 bucks, 2 were legal. It was our choice not to shoot.

The rat tail file is to file above the brow tine to add an extra smidgen on the measuring.
 
At about 8 this morning a nice eight point came across at about 100 yds. Sent a good shot with the 30-06 and it ran 30 yds and went down in some thick stuff. Thirty seconds later the smaller buck came out of the same thicket. Almost sent another shot thinking it was the same buck(I didn't get a great look at either). I realized it wasn't the same deer as it didn't appear to be hit. It walked right down past me and 10 minutes later I heard my father shoot. I climbed down from the stand five minutes after that and went to retrieve my deer. I was about ten yards away when it hoped up and tried to run. I could tell it was on it's last leg because it was really wobbly. I would have just let him run himself out of steam, but I was on the edge of the property. So one more close range shot on the run got it done. I've never seen a deer with a fatal rifle shot bed down like that. His body cavity was absolutely filled with blood. After examining the bed, I think he intentionally laid with the exit hole in the mud to slow the bleeding. Anyhow here's a pic. And good luck to the rest of you fellas. 


As far as not seeing deer, sounds like you guys might need to scout some new turf. We saw another 4 shooters before we even got our deer out of the woods and two nice roadkills on the way home.

Congrats Daktoa Kid to you and your Dad.....nice bucks guys.  got my buck in bow season just waiting for Saturday to try for a doe. Missed being out there today tho.

nice! Got a pic?

A great first day,beautiful weather,great lunch,bucks everywhere I saw so many I forget the numbers maybe 7or 8 a nice big racks and 25-30 does..I passed by choice looking for a 150 class up.I know there out there PGC said so.On a more realistic note,I passed a local deer cutters place at 3:00 PM and stopped for minute 30 plus doe,doe fawns and buttons,and 2 big mature 8' and a 10 pt. I saw a 6pt at 7:25,3 does at 8:05,27 turkeys at 11:45 and 1 does at 3:45.Total deer 5 in 9 hours.Since the AR been put in I could have killed  a buck every year just not 8pts, before the AR thats all I shot,I got a 2 bushel basket full,now there hard to find,there either sub legal or really nice,where did all the 12-15 inch 8pts go? Back then way more deer less food,now way less deer more food and a lot more scubs. Oh well I'm up and ready for day two.Good luck to all and be safe.