Originally Posted by
Mr. Slim
i think another reason there arent as many hunters is the amount of posted land. a lot of ground that used to be open to hunting is now leased and posted. at least that is what its like in my area. myself, i blame it on antler restriction being in place. too many people want big bucks and by leasing ground keeps other hunters off. no one to walk and push deer anymore.
In PA we have thousands of acres to hunt. We have national forests, state forests, and lots of game lands with more being purchased every year. In addition there are many state parks that are open, at least partially, to hunting. I hunt exclusively public land and last year was the first year in about 30 years that I didn't fill at least one tag.
Also, Oldtimr's post was accurate as many guys walk right by deer and don't see them. My friend was out checking for stand sites on his ATV the other day and driving down the old strip mine road with a bank on one side and a narrow 20' wide strip of woods between the road and the RR tracks he drove past a big doe lying in that strip of woods and it just watched him drive by! Probably had a fawn or two close by but still it just goes to show you how still they can be. Several years ago I was walking a trail that made a horse shoe turn going down a hill. I looked to my right and saw a color that was out of the norm. I stood there for several minutes watching it and it turned out to be a bedded 8 point buck. I saw the rack when it lifted his head to scratch an itch. I walked by that buck at no more than 50 feet but he was lying at the foot of a drop off where I couldn't see him from above. one well placed bullet from my 7-08 and he never left his bed.