ORIGINAL: longbowman2
Mikey, I'm sure glad you posted. I have been listening (reading) about this stuff for so long that I just had to voice my opinion. Like you, I haven't had a "bad" season in more than 40 yrs. of hunting. I've shot deer every year I've hunted except for two. Back in "the day" it was thrilling to just get a shot at a deer, period. Years before they came up with the antler restrictions I had set my own standard and now it really doesn't make any difference. I know a bunch of people that hunt by ganging up on the thick stuff and driving every deer in there out to a stander who suddenly aren't getting any deer. I hunt those same areas and the deer are no longer bedding where they are pushing! It all boils down to knowing how to hunt deer or your not going to see and get deer.
All the land I hunt is open to the public. I don't and wont pay to hunt private property. I spend some time everyday of the year in the woods scouting and keeping tabs on the deer I hunt. Except for rifle season, I'm alone 100% of the time and guess who complains about the deer hunting?
Longbowman2 - I agree with all that you have said. But I will say that I do have some buddies that hunt around the mountain areas of PA, and they are having a hard time finding themselves some deer to hunt. But to me, the mountains were always slow, primarily the reason why I don't hunt there. Some of the game lands are slow in my area too; but I can guarantee if I hunted my favorite game land spots for a week, I'd see enough deer to fill some tags. I'll also guarantee it'll take about 30 minutes to walk to these spots....which is fine by me. But you're right, you gotta spend time to find them. I've taken 20 bucks with a bow since 1993 in PA, MD, and WV combined, and I know I've never shot more than one buck from a single, particular tree. I change every year. You almost have to. Gun hunting is the same. You have to adapt to pressure, food and security cover.
I heard a saying when I was 13 from an older fella that I knew when I first started hunting: "10% of the hunters take 90% of the deer."Sound famalier?