2016 deer gun season

Ok here comes the 2016 gun season. Have all my hunting guns shooting deadon. clothes are ya hanging. stands and blinds ready to go.  Now hopefully it is a safe and productive season for all !!! One of the farms I hunt the adjacent porperties went to leasing. Only two people are on the lease. So they did a little posting, But kinda have the post  lines a bit off and 50 yards into where I hunt. No big deal tho. It is a double edge sword meaning the herd of other hunters used to hunt there have pushed a pile of deer over the years. And of coarse they would try sneaking onto the farm I hunt and I would have to give them the Boot. On the up side if these guy's have a clue we all will have a great chance at a good buck. We'll see LOL  Have a SAFE SEASON GUY"S and I will try to also

I will not be going out since I got my buck already.  Good luck to all and be safe out there.

Not much on gun season myself BT but I do enjoy shooting.

Shooting range is always open at the house of BTDT and today will be "sight in day" for upwards of ten hunters that wish to assure their aim is accurate.

Two new guns and one newly mounted scope will be put to the test, for their first time today.

Lazer sighting is available out to 25 yds as is live shots at 50; 100; 150 and, 180 yds from bench. Once sighting is confirmed, for those wishing to test their skills, free style is available out to 200 yds.

Of course there shall be bets and challenges of who may be the best shot and this will be, where I break out my trusty 30/30 bolt action J C Penney. For those who dare and willing to wager a sizable sum, I will offer to shoot with one eye closed and my left hand behind my back.

Remember; once the bullet leaves the gun; you can not call it back.

Be safe and shoot straight.

Gave up the rifle hunting years ago due to too many people out just not paying attention with a high powered rifle in their hands. Will be working and waiting to hear a good report from my dad. My next deer hunting trip this year will be with the flintlock for the first time. Good luck everyone. Stay safe.

My report for the first two days of 2016 Gun Season............

Stupid deer!!!!

Not really, Monday I saw plenty enough deer to make me wanna go out and do it all over again today whereby; I saw enough deer to make me say, to hell with hunting tomorrow.

Saw three buck with the first having a nice hat rack but being better than two hundred yards followed by, a halfrack that wouldn't keep it's nose off the ground long enough to confirm 3 up then, a definite shooter presenting only a butt shot. No thank you, very much.

Plenty of Doe to go along with the buck..... go figure, not in season for me.

Happy hunting to all.

First day was nice not wonderful,saw 13 deer 11 doe,2bucks. Unfortunately the first deer of the day was the ONE. At 7:10 I miss a true giant. I'm still a little sick about it. It would have probably been the heaviest rack deer I would have killed and had a least 20 inch spread. I will admit it was not a cake shot, about 120 yards picking it way through semi brush and never really stopping,but I made that shot before and blame myself. I wish it would have stopped in an opening and came in with better light but that's hunting. I pretty much was ready to call it a day after that chance,after searching for 30 minutes we resumed our positioned and hunted till dark seeing a 6 pts and 11 does. At 3:30 had a wind shift relocated and recheck the missed shot area with the same results. Saw one single doe from that spot. Hunted solo a first for me on the Tuesday( don't know what I would have done if I shot a deer) saw three doe behind the house,then my son met me and walked his butt off sending 8 flat heads in one ball. That's been it. Today it's raining to hard and I'm kind of tired anyway so I'm not hunting. A interesting thing happened yesterday,had a warden pull in my rural driveway and check me out. He was ok but full of PGC propaganda. The reason no deer are getting killed is because everyone got one in bow season.lol Supposedly only about 550,000 hunters this year. I told him expect less next year. The HR lasted two long,way less deer and there not going to multiple because of the heavy predation on spring fawns from the yotes.  I can see the AR working because there are some really nice bucks now but the slaughter of does should go back to old school 2 day season. You got 6 weeks to kill a doe with a bow plus,a week of early inline/ rifle then two plus weeks of flintlock and late bow,is that enough time? The warden checked the game lands close to my home,zero deer on the first day.lol I don't care what people say the deer herds in trouble,except in the suburbs. Good luck guys,. I plan on sitting where I missed Mr Bigs the rest of the season,but I doubt he'll return.lol 

Well I sit 10 hrs in my shanty Monday , 7:15 saw my first deer, a small spike about 80 yds from me .... now how about this, it was the ONLY deer I saw all day 2D area . Very little shooting nothing close at all . Sit in my stand Tuesday from 2:00 until dark NO deer again and no shooting at all. Saw 7 hunters Monday and 4 on Tuesday afternoon. Stayed home today.... hit it tomorrow afternoon again. I do agree with ya BIG TUNA , the herds are hurting and we need to go back to 2 or 3 days doe season . I remember when they opened the doe season the way they did I thought it was great and I did my share of filling my freezer up and not to mention all the bonus tags you can get ... well my dad told me we are going to pay for this and boy was he right .... may he RIP ! Funny how the big ones I see on the camera in bow season just disappear.... but most of them were at night ...talked to a few guys today that seeing about the same as me .... that would be NOTHING 😜🍺🍺

mopars0, we all bought into that doe hunting HR I believe it started 2002, my son and I banged them every year. Deer where plentiful in any woods,it was no problem seeing deer in numbers. After 4-5 years we began to notice the decline and started not to shoot them. I really thought they would change the law but after my friends and I sending countless letters to the PGC without any results,I could see that's what they wanted very few deer and still a million deer hunters. The overall herd is in serious trouble,yea there are honey holes loaded with deer here and there,mostly the suburbs,where your in or your not. PGC didn't take into account the heavy predation of spring fawns. The state of Ohio and Pa. put cameras over den of yotes and the results were unbelievable. In Ohio one pair killed 29 fawns,in Pa..one pair killed over 30 fawns. Take into account the numbers of coyote in the state the fawn predation is staggering. Quite possible.there taking more deer than hunters. Combine that with the actual deer kill by hunters the herd has no chance of every increasing. I really don't no if it can come back. I do believe if they change drastically and for several years like 5-6 things could get better. But it's my belief they don't want to or they would have by now. I'm sure insurance companies and timber companies play a part in it. Unfortunately young people will never have what we had. I believe the trend with some larger bucks being taking since the AR has more to do with lack of hunters and posted land. Bucks are living longer therefore getting older and bigger. All I can say is an all out war on the PGC. I suggest every hunter that  it's time to EMAIL the PGC on your concern of the deer herd and the future of deer hunting in the Penn's woods. Just maybe if they hear millions of complaints they might consider change. By the way I hunted in the afternoon drizzle only to have a single fawn walk up to me at.4:50 pm. Saturday is coming and there be less deer in the woods. I really don't know if I want to shoot one, it's bad being a hunter and feeling guilty about shooting a doe. Even though it's perfectly legal with a doe tag it just doesn't feel right, I dread the second week of brown its down. I talk to so many hunters that say there only buck hunters but when it comes down to nitty gritty there driving the he --out of my woods on the last Saturday mowing them down.

Sad Brad, I remember seeing over a hundred deer on the first day in Potter county. I believe there was poaching back then too just many to choose from then. The locals ate deer year round, as one guy told me we shoot them when we need them regardless of time of year. Not many deer in the big woods anymore,sad,sad,sad. Please Email the PGC on your concerns.

Moses Guthrie Numbers are down from the past but I think a bigger problem is lack of hunters moving deer. I harvested a buck in archery, hung out in camp monday, two hunters private land 2D. 7 bucks seen,large 9 point harvested. Roughly 60 doe. Played dog for one guy tuesday 2D public land one buck maybe legal no shot and 31 doe seen. Yesterday played dog in 2F public land 15 doe, 1 4 pt seen and one yote harvested. 2 hunters seen monday that is it. None last two days.

 
That is an often overlooked part of the equation when it comes to deer seen. Yes, numbers are not what they used to be but during this time of the year, pressure moves deer. Without pressure, you wont see many.
 
According to the PGC, half as many hunters were out there Monday compared to 15-20 years ago. The hunting tradition and passion for the sport is dying. Things are changing. Even in areas with good deer numbers, hunters will be seeing less deer.  Hunting escape routes, overlooks, funnels etc... just ain't gonna cut it moving forward.  In many parts of the state, rifle hunters are gonna have to start thinking like archery hunters to see some deer.

I hunted with my son today, had a hillbilly on a side by side John Deere doing loop Dee loops through the deer woods. This clown never got off his four wheeler but he did provide me with a very action packed 5 hour hunt. He hustled 11 does to me 2,2,1,4,and 2. So I had the gun up 5 times.I hope he's there tomorrow and Saturday. A bucks got to come through again I'm hoping. 

Well did the usual 2:00 until dark hunt in my stand again today... was going to my little shanty in the corner of the thicket but there was 2 guys covering the thicket.... lol Told me they would leave didn't want to mess me up , told them no problem I would just sit in my stand about 175 yds away from them ... boy that was a mistake it was windy and COLD 😜🍺... The one guy said he had been there since 7:00 and saw NO deer 😡. At 4:30 I see 3 doe coming out of the thicket thought ok here we go but NOPE no bucks. Messed around by my stand until dark then they left ... ok well warmed me up anyhow.... Good luck everyone !

Congrats to your junior wingman Pheasant Tail.


I began the day dressed for a walk in the woods. Lovely day for a stroll with the forest floor heavily carpeted with wet leaves and very quiet except for the occassional dead branch which when stepped on, replicated that of a 22 rifle.

Did enjoy the day, breaking up the monotony of total loneliness with occasional rebuttals posted to another thread.

3:00 PM rolled around and I decided to finish the day by sitting in my ground blind but, jumping three deer changed that plan having me opt for my ladder stand on the corner of the "now a wheat field", plus overlooking my field.

By 3:40 I'm thinking the wind could stop blowing anytime and, wishing I had dressed for sitting instead of walking. But, I just knew the deer I jumped would be coming into the "now a wheat field" at any time.

4:50 PM I am facing the tree trying to locate the top wrung of the ladder with a now numb leg and foot. 4:58 I step off the bottom wrung and hear what sounded like a 22 rifle as I placed my foot on a freshly fallen branch.

5:00 PM stretching and trying to regain feeling in my lower extremity while standing in the windrow on my fields edge, three shadow like figures emerge into the field.

A quick peek through my scope verified my suspicion...... stupid deer!

OH well, tomorrow is another day.



The day, not a total loss as a nephew sent me a picture of a fine buck he killed plus, a video taken earlier of two black bear frolicking near his stand.

That there's hunting at it's best.

Good luck out there Bighead....

Hunted from daylight till 11:15, very cold ( to me) had the same wind as yesterday. Saw a single doe then later a nice big mature doe and a fawn. That was it. I'm going to rest up for tomorrow's big all day hunt.  A bucks got to show up. I'm still debating to shoot a doe.