Vabowman

Oh it is definitley a lot easier to see deer/kill deer now Im sure, it has to be with so many around. I just want to hear some old school products and hunts for some reason, take me boys!!!

Schultzy

That would of been a site to see!![8D] Glad you came out of it ok.

Cougar Mag

I started bowhunting for deer in 1977. In all honesty I had as much fun(maybe more) then as I do now. In the late 70's through the early 80's I had more land to hunt than I do now but never saw nearly as many deer back then. It was much easier to find land to hunt, more land than I could successfully scout and hunt. One permit was all we were allowed. Seeing any deer was a treat back then, now I am so spoiled because I am sorely disappointed and surprised if I don't see at least a few deer every time out. Two of the first three seasons I bowhunted I filled my tag on Oct. 17 and Oct. 9. I remember being so pumped after filling the tag those two seasons, but also being a little depressed knowing my season was done so early.

Buck_Slayer

I have read 2 books are pretty good, they are based off hunting stories from way back. Kind of gives you an idea of how things have changed.
The books are Dawn of the Deer Camp, and A Hundred Hunts Ago

LKNCHOPPERS

I started bow hunting for deer in 1978. We had recurves and thought they were great and deadly accurate (Compared to Some Stick Bows). I remember my first tree stand was in the crotch of a tree with two 2x4s and a small piece of paneling for a platform, it was about 12" long, the tree was wobbly and I missed deer. We built a couple of other stands where we would see deer enter a huge field, they were not much better. There were no other bow hunters around in that area. There were many deer in that area of NY (Dutchess County) much more than where I live now in NC. I wish I could go back and hunt that 100 acre sanctuary again but it's all big houses now. That was a special place, I ran my first trap line there a few years before. I could walk there from the house.

MeanV2

Amen to that!!!

Dan

early in

I started hunting (gun) in the early '70s in Bradford Co. Killed my first deer, a 6pt in '75.There were a ton of deer in the northern tier counties back then, that's not the case today. I hunted SGL 36 near Stone Mt. I saw my first bears, four of them over the years in Bradford Co. I also saw lots of Turkey as well.
I started bowhuntingin '75 and hunted from the ground only. I would put a natural blind together and hunt frombehind it. Igot my first 4 or 5 bowkills hunting this way. Around this time,Baker came out with their tree stand.I still hunted from the ground.
Today I hunt deer with bow only, and only from a tree stand!I hunt not far (12miles)from where I live (5D) and there are a bunch of deer! It's pretty easy to kill one or two.I also travel to Alberta each year for a chance at a real monster.I've killed around 30deer so far.

jmbuckhunter

I started deer hunting in 1974. Back then you pretty muchshot the first deer you saw, it might be the only one you saw all season. There just weren't that many around.

Hunting seemed more fun back then too. Not as competitive as it is now. And definately not as commercial. Now hunting is a Multi-Million dollar Industry. Back then it was a tradition and a time for family and friends to get together. Now noone has time to hunt together. They are headed in 10 different directions.

Don't get me wrong, I still love hunting. But it is a different sport nowadays.

MeanV2

To all you PA guys! That is the State that really sparked my interest in Deer, and the possibility of Bowhunting them. It was back in "67" my Dad was test coring for a Dam project somewhere around Huntington/Huntingdon?? I never saw a wild deer until the summer I spent out there with Dad. We saw Deer every morning on the way to the rig. I spent most of my days hiking around the Mountainsides. So PA will always have a special place in my memories.

Dan

PABuck_HNTR

I started deer hunting in 1977 or 78. I remember seeing deer, but not as many as today. One thing for sure was their was rarely a buck found in the herd. It was a big deal to shoot ANY buck back then.

One thing I remember about hunting back then was the rifle scopes always fogged up. I remember sending many scopes back to the factory to have them refilled with nitrogen. Every year someone complained of their scopes fogging up. Nowadays the only fog you get is by breathing too heavy on the scope...nothing inside anymore even with the cheap ones.

But now that I Bowhunt mostly I don't need to be out in that cold weather.