Worked on oil furnace till 2...said screw it and showered...then hit behind house. Watched a swampy spot till 1/2 before dark 2 buck showed up. Turkey scared them off as they flew up. Will be nice for next year.
 

Well, today was absolutely miserable.  The only deer I saw were a couple does which I bumped mid day while changing stand locations.
 
I may need to switch things up a bit for tomorrow because there was ZERO deer movement today and I don't believe things will be much better tomorrow.
 
Good luck to everyone tomorrow.
 
 
 
 

Esox_Hunter

Well, today was absolutely miserable.  The only deer I saw were a couple does which I bumped mid day while changing stand locations.

I may need to switch things up a bit for tomorrow because there was ZERO deer movement today and I don't believe things will be much better tomorrow.

Good luck to everyone tomorrow.

 
Sounds like a banner year so far.

Saw 9 deer yesterday. 5 baldies and 4 ? Went this morning with shots every where. I saw one sub buck. Now gotta figure where to go next... Going to Steeler game tomorrow for sure...:)
 

Saw 6 doe soon as I was 20 ft. in the woods. Passed by me then shot across the highway. Nothing but orange after that. Smoke pole time...:)
 

DarDys

Esox_Hunter

Well, today was absolutely miserable.  The only deer I saw were a couple does which I bumped mid day while changing stand locations.

I may need to switch things up a bit for tomorrow because there was ZERO deer movement today and I don't believe things will be much better tomorrow.

Good luck to everyone tomorrow.

Sounds like a banner year so far.

I don't believe one miserable, rainy day should define my entire season.   

Dardy's,
If he wouldn't have blown it in archery, just like I did, it would have been a banner year for him!  Season ain't over yet, esp. here in 2B.  Still got from Dec. 26 to Jan. 26 to get a buck with a bow or smokepole.  
 
Also, many of us have "banner" years even when we don't harvest one.  
 
As soon as my son is old enough to hunt, as long as we are out there together having fun, every year will be a "banner" one!   

eyesandgillz

Dardy's,
If he wouldn't have blown it in archery, just like I did, it would have been a banner year for him!  Season ain't over yet, esp. here in 2B.  Still got from Dec. 26 to Jan. 26 to get a buck with a bow or smokepole.  

Also, many of us have "banner" years even when we don't harvest one.  

As soon as my son is old enough to hunt, as long as we are out there together having fun, every year will be a "banner" one!   

 
My thoughts exactly, thanks E&G.
 
Dar - I think is time to refrain from the antagonizing posts directed towards me when you know next to nothing about my hunting situation and obviously still don't get the reasons why some of us hunt.

Esox_Hunter

eyesandgillz

Dardy's,
If he wouldn't have blown it in archery, just like I did, it would have been a banner year for him!  Season ain't over yet, esp. here in 2B.  Still got from Dec. 26 to Jan. 26 to get a buck with a bow or smokepole.  

Also, many of us have "banner" years even when we don't harvest one.  

As soon as my son is old enough to hunt, as long as we are out there together having fun, every year will be a "banner" one!   

My thoughts exactly, thanks E&G.

Dar - I think is time to refrain from the antagonizing posts directed towards me when you know next to nothing about my hunting situation and obviously still don't get the reasons why some of us hunt.

 
Sorry that you found the post antagonizing.  That was not my intent.  If that was the way it was taken, then I apologize for not being clear.
 
And you are correct, I don't understand why some people hunt if the goal is not to be successful.  To me that is like stepping to the plate with the intention not to hit, but be happy with striking out.
 
My intent, going back through the years, was to show the difference in what is now termed "banner" and what was termed banner in the past.  It seems that today "banner" is defined as hunting a lot, seeing some, and more than likely killing (harvesting, whatever) possibly none.  In the past, "banner" was defined as hunting the amount of time you wanted (i.e. opening day, 1st Saturday, opening day of anterless), using the methods you wanted (archery, rifle, handgun, muzzleloader, long-distance, ambush, spot and stalk, track, etc.), and filling the tags that you wanted -- all without it hinging on a single, or in most years, multiple, blown oppportunities and without making deer hunting any more than another season, be that hunting, fishing, or whatever, and not making it necessary to treat it like a second job.
 
So I guess while I admit that I do not understand why some people accept the hunting we have today, even calling it banner, you also do not understand, or do not want to hear, that it used to be much, much better -- even in non-banner years.

DarDys

Esox_Hunter

eyesandgillz

Dardy's,
If he wouldn't have blown it in archery, just like I did, it would have been a banner year for him!  Season ain't over yet, esp. here in 2B.  Still got from Dec. 26 to Jan. 26 to get a buck with a bow or smokepole.  

Also, many of us have "banner" years even when we don't harvest one.  

As soon as my son is old enough to hunt, as long as we are out there together having fun, every year will be a "banner" one!   

My thoughts exactly, thanks E&G.

Dar - I think is time to refrain from the antagonizing posts directed towards me when you know next to nothing about my hunting situation and obviously still don't get the reasons why some of us hunt.

Sorry that you found the post antagonizing.  That was not my intent.  If that was the way it was taken, then I apologize for not being clear.

And you are correct, I don't understand why some people hunt if the goal is not to be successful.  To me that is like stepping to the plate with the intention not to hit, but be happy with striking out.

My intent, going back through the years, was to show the difference in what is now termed "banner" and what was termed banner in the past.  It seems that today "banner" is defined as hunting a lot, seeing some, and more than likely killing (harvesting, whatever) possibly none.  In the past, "banner" was defined as hunting the amount of time you wanted (i.e. opening day, 1st Saturday, opening day of anterless), using the methods you wanted (archery, rifle, handgun, muzzleloader, long-distance, ambush, spot and stalk, track, etc.), and filling the tags that you wanted -- all without it hinging on a single, or in most years, multiple, blown oppportunities and without making deer hunting any more than another season, be that hunting, fishing, or whatever, and not making it necessary to treat it like a second job.

So I guess while I admit that I do not understand why some people accept the hunting we have today, even calling it banner, you also do not understand, or do not want to hear, that it used to be much, much better -- even in non-banner years.

Gee I guess your earlier posts weren't intended to antagonize me at all 
As I've told you before, you are not nor will you ever be qualified to define the success of my hunting seasons.  I am sorry that it bothers you that I enjoyed my time in the woods this year and had a great season without harvesting anything. 
 
I think that you really need to understand that your observations during the 2-3 days you spend deer hunting in your particular area each year are far from being representative of the state as a whole. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

retired guy

Dar-
When I hunted Pa 40 to 50 years ago up in Warren Cty or even down by Mauchunk- now Jim Thorpe-many many Deer were observed each day. Kept ya on your guard all the time. It was great. One and done-later  2 day doe season ( which I never did).
Was intending a trip back to Sugar Grove in Warren Cty a year or so back and declined after reading these posts then looking up PA State stats.
I agree with you to a point- IMHO a hunt is great if you at least have a good chance- scoring is another matter-but ya gotta at least be in the game.
   When your just out for a walk it gets lousy.

Retired guy, still plenty of deer up that way, and some really nice bucks, depending on who you ask. Spent many a day in the summers chucking hay bales on brown hill at my relatives. I'm sure you know where that is. Trail rode horses on all those hills in the fall and rifle and archery hunted all around there growing up.

Esox_Hunter
As I've told you before, you are not nor will you ever be qualified to define the success of my hunting seasons.  I am sorry that it bothers you that I enjoyed my time in the woods this year and had a great season without harvesting anything. 

I think that you really need to understand that your observations during the 2-3 days you spend deer hunting in your particular area each year are far from being representative of the state as a whole. 

Well said!
 
My season was a great one. I had an excellent archery season. I had an average rifle season in terms of number of deer per hour. I had alot of fun spending time in the stand with my wife. I could have shot legal bucks in both archery and rifle. Could have shot doe in both seasons. It was my choice not to shot them.
 
I seen a buck on the last day of archery that was the largest deer I ever seen hunting, the cards didnt fall my way. But did get good pics on the cameras the following morning to validate my sighting.
 
My wife and I seen the #3 buck on the shooter list, a very respectable mature 9 point. Again it wasnt in the cards.
 
To some "old timers" these brief descriptions of a few of my experiences and memories may mean nothing because there isnt a blood trail to be followed. I will admitt i was once that way, if you had a tag it was your duty to fill it. No questions ask, legal buck shot it, doe kill it...
 
Then i realized, there is more to the experience than the kill. If i needed the deer for food, then i would have taken a deer. But I didnt need the meat, in some peoples opinion I went to bat to strike out. I dont see it that way. Had i shot the legal bucks (more than one) i passed in archery i would have never had the close encounter of the giant that walked just out of range, somthing i play over in my mind every day. I would not have been with my wife telling her to get ready thats the big 9 we got on camera, to see her take short naps in the stand and make excusses when i catch her sleeping.
 
Like i said before i use to be kill it if you got a tag, but my perpsective has changed. Neither view is wrong.
 
I had a "Banner" year, with many great memories that mean nothing to almost everyone reading this, but they mean the world to me. Thats what matters, not measureing the experience based on a kill

Always gassed up in Sugar Grove on my way back to college after a weekend of hunting at the relatives on Brown Hill.  Lots of fishing at Chatauqua for crappie/eyes and up at Barcelona for smallies, eyes and steelies growing up.  Fished several first days of trout on Jackson Run in Chandlers Valley.  Not sure if they even stock it any more.  Made my first archery buck kill off of Samuelson road which is up on the hill above Chandler's valley. Lots of good memories up there.
 
S-10,
That crew didn't do too well harvesting and sightings were down for rifle.  Still plenty of deer up there though.  Not a lot of hunters up that way, from what they said, the first several days.  

Eyes---I would say "plenty of deer" and "not a lot of hunters" depends on what years you are comparing.   IMO  the deer numbers are down approx. 40-50% when compared to a decade ago and the hunter numbers are down approx. 30-40% in this area compared to the same time period. Still some deer and still some hunters pursuing them but not enough hunters that are moving to bounce them all over the place like before. Some hunters moved to the 3 point area and some spend their time sitting  in the new style ladder stands.

   Everyone is a bit different -we see things differently as time passes too. What pleases us now may be quite different at another time or even another day.
   When I started it was decent Bucks only -  scout like crazy  and  try and pick' the one' - hold out for him too. As time passed  started looking for an eater and then a nice Buck- or the other way around.
   Today with much less property to hunt and other influences there are years where I am very pleased with a doe- or sometimes to pass altogether.
    Fortunate to have taken 3 nice Bucks in the past 4 years but there have been some 'empty' years too and frankly a couple of them produced some of my favorite memories.
  When ya get right down to it IMHO  its those memories that count the most.   Those are what make it a Banner year for me. A miss- that cap that didnt go off- the  twig that fouled the arrows flight and sometimes a memorable harvest- and of course good friends. Meat or not.
  Your team does NOT always have to win for it to have been a great game.  But they gotta try.