jbowersox

Are there dates when you are allowed to spot deer? I know you can't during hunting season, but is there a starting date?

Frank in the Laurels

no date ever listed, only that you can't do it after 11:00 pm.....and during rifle season, but the other seasons are fine

BTBowhunter

Cant seem to find it but I beleive the spotting ban starts the evening before regular gun season and stays in effect till the regular gun season is over.

You are definitely fine for a few months... enjoy!

jbowersox

So you guys think it is still legal during archery season? I had always thought that it wasn't?

BTBowhunter

definitely legal in the archery season. It might be worth a call to the PGC if you will want to spot during that week of early muzzy/youth/senior doe season in October though.

Couldn't find it on the website but it should be in the license digest. I'll take a look atone later on and post what I find

jbowersox

Yeah, I'd appreciate that BTBowhunter. I'll be in PA later this week to do some scouting, buy license, SPOT, etc. so I just wanted to find out whether I was going to be able to spot while I was there. But if I'm allowed to spot during archery, bonus! Didn't know that.

Win.88

Page 21 in the hunting and & trapping digest.


www.pgc.state.pa.us

jbowersox

Thanks guys. Got what I needed.

DennyF

We used to drive around a bit after firearms deer season started (was buck season back then) and spot a few places about the middle of the firstweek.

Made foran interesting comparison how much deer behavior, locationsand movement had changed, since the Sunday night before the season started and they hadn't been subjected to all thathuman presense for several days, not to mention having been shot at.

PAbanned all spotlighting once firearms season starts and the ban extends through the end of ANY extended firearms seasons (where applicable), probably to make it more difficult for someone to jacklight a deer during the season, but I kinda miss those short trips to observe deer aftersundown,once the season had started.

I don't usually start spotlighting until late October and mostly enjoy it the 3 nights at camp prior to opening day. As for locating bucks, I've personally never seen it pan out. Far too many timeswe saw bucks nearby Sunday night and never got a glimpse of them again, once the season opened the next day.

One year there was a dandy buck hanging around the farm down the road from camp for several weeks prior to the opener. All 3 boys and the farmer were excited about the prospect of getting a shot at him Monday morning. Sunday night when we spotlighted, the buck wasin the apple orchard next to their house. By dusk on Monday, dad and the boys were all disgusted that they hadn't seen him. Made 'em even more disgusted when I told them where the rascal had been about 10PM the night before.

sproulman

you are correct.

most of poaching seems to be from 11pm to 2 am area from what i have seen over years.
smart localpoachers do it during week and out of town ones do it during weekends.

i was in night bass tournament and was sitting in dark, up road at 1.35 am came the pick -up truck.

they stuck a CROSSBOW out window and shot a duck.
they had fishing line on arrow, dragged the duck to truck,bro its neck, threw it in bed, reloaded the CROSSBOW, shot and got another goose.

then slowly went down road.

sorry i got off topic.have fun spotlighting.