PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

I was just wondering how the Pennsylvania archers did this bow season? I'm kinda disgusted on how the season is regulated, they (PA Game commision)take bow season out whenever the rut begins and then they don't bring it in until a day after Christmas. All that down time to do nothing but wait is total BS.

Did many of you guys see very much "rut" activity?

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

It was slow for the most part. But mostly I think it was late. I saw more rutting, chasing and grunting between thanksgiving and gun season then I did in bow season. I sat with my buddies 14 year old son on the first day of gun season, and he killed a 16" wide 8 chasing does hard around our ladder stand. He grunted about 20 times, had a swolen neck, black hocks, the whole deal.

The late full moon had it all out of wack for our bow season.

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

I feel sorry for the does he hooked up with later on after that!!:eek:

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

All I can say is I hunted HARD from the middle of Oct until the end of regular archery season (Nov 15th), and rut activity was virtually non-existent in my area (WMU 5-D)of SE Pa, andI hunted almost 300 hours/12 dark to dark hunts!! Worst season (so far) that I've ever had.[&o]:(

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

I had my worst season by a mile. For me, I believe it was mosty due to the fact that none of my properties had any acorns at all. The deer were just not there. I saw decent rut activity considering the very warm temps. Nothing crazy but it wasn't dead either, the acorns Or lack there of killed me.

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

Where I hunt it was business as usual. I was off work the first week in November. Even with the warm temperatures, I had pretty good deer movement.

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

I hunt southwestern PA (Greene County) and the rut was non-existant here as well. Never saw any bucks chasing does like in the past. The game commission needs to change their rules and let the bow hunters hunt that down time before gun season comes in. Maybe the deer were rutting then, who knows, we weren't allowed to hunt then....???

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

I would like to see the archery season go up to the Saturday before bear season personally! And shorten the gun season to Saturday to saturday! this way gun hunters still get there 2 saturdays to hunt! I would also like to see the state go to shotguns south of 80!

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

In terms of my deer sightings, this was my best season in quite some time. I also felt that I did a lot more things right this year in terms of how I hunted. I'm a bit disappointed in the lack of buck sign, and only one shooter within range this year. I saw a lot of chasing/grunting the last week and a half, but it was mostly 1.5yr olds. I just couldn't get it done this year, but I feel more confident going into next year now that I laid down a pretty good gameplan this year. I know I will need to take more than one doe next season, and that's my goal. We are getting a bit unbalanced here on my property.

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

For me, it was another great season in PA even though it didn't turn out the way I would have liked once I had my opportunity[:@]..

Hunting in Erie County, I saw deer all but 3 trips into my stand. Other than that I had seen 14 different bucks, of which 3 were good ones. Prior to the season I had 5 different pics of good bucks, so seeing all but 2 was really cool.

The quality of the bucks I am seeing improves every year from my area. Good thing was the amount of apples which the deer were hitting early on. Looking forward to next year as none of the 5 were taken at all:D:D

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

As far as buck sightings, mine was down as well but it only took the one and in range!



Does were plenty but this was the first one that decided to be a movie starlet. ;)

VIEW VIDEO, CLICK ME:

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

Very nice video Rob! ThatWAS a big ass doe too.:D I get just aspumped shooting a doe as I do shooting a buck. They're all intense! Congrats.;)

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

Sightings of deer in general where down for me. I do not see alot anyway, but this year was worse. I waited till the end of Oct. to get serious. Then on the first day of my scheduled vacation 11/3 I shot this buck. First one I have taken in 2 yrs due to letting ones like this walk. Thought it was a good idea to take this one out of the
herd.

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

That's a real freak right there! I think you didthe localherd a favor. Congrats.:D

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

I had my best year yet for deer sightings. I only saw good rutting activity during the week of Nov.2, in 3 days of hunting that week i saw 11 different bucks. But overall it was a great year and can only get better with late season.

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

I was just wondering Rob, does your extremely long stabilizer ever hinder you in any of your shots?

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

You really have your wife baffled don't you? ;) That's a 11.5" Octane and no, it never does, never have. I've used 11.5, 12" stabilizers for more years than I can remember. I can't think why you would even think so?

Ya just have to go back and look at all my photos over the years. :)

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

I saw a lot of deer this year, but I do agree the rut behavior I witnessed really seemed to take place after the bow season ended. I was tagged out the second day of the season with my best buck yet. I do hunt in 5-C which is special regs.....so we are able to hunt doe after the regular season ends. During this time I saw alot of chasing going on. So yes, rut was late this year.




Shane

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

Wasn't trying to be a smart ass Rob, just curious because I thought the longer stabilizers were more for competition shooting than hunting. As for my wife (she sucks)...lol Good Hunting.

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

Very nice buck Shane.

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

Nah, if you think about it, your arrow sticks out further than your stabilizer, so long ones aren't as bad as some may think. I'll shoot whatever makes the bow feel good; short, long....whatever makes it balance for me and settle nicely after the shot.

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

Judging by the photo you posted, PA is a very liberal state.

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

Started the season off early harvested a doe the third day.
I saw more deer than normal here in north central pa only
three shooter bucks 8pts 16" or better only one in range in
a special reg area were I needed to kill a doe first and that
didn't happen in that area so I left the buck pass. All in all
a fairly good archery season.

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

Are there earn-A-buck area's in Pa that I'm not aware of, or was that a regulation on some private land?

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

This years rut was incredible here in our part of 4C. We had an 8, 9, and a 10 shot consecutive days in archery. All within a half mile of each other. Plus in the area my buddies dad missed 3 til he shot one. And he must have saw 15 bucks the last 3 days of the season. Are area has been pretty good the last few years. We have beenselective on the does and bucks we have been shooting. And its paying off. I know I posted pic before but here they are again.:)

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

The season started off great for me by harvesting a doe the first morning. After that, deer sightings were very slim for a couple weeks. When Halloween came, buck sightings were picking up but the only shot opportunity i had was at a little 4 pointer, which isn't a legal buck anyways. I hunted an area full of scrapes hard for two weeks and never did get a chance to harvest this buck. I saw him once late morning on the first saturday of november. he was a wide 8 and would have been my best buck ever with a bow.This past thanksgiving i watched from our frontbay window a buck chasing does all day long.I continue to believe that the PA game commission screws archery hunters more than some people realize. I don't believe that we trully get to hunt the rut like other neighboring states. If given the opportunity, i would vote to start our archery season one week later, just to hunt one more week in november. By the numbers, this past season was one of my worst archery seasons ever, for sightings of buck and doe combined. I only released one arrow and thankfully I harvested that animal.

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

I tagged a 6pt. in 5Aopening morning of bow season. I actually had 3 buck all in range and 2 shooters in that bunch. Couldn't pass on the opportunity. After that the season was hit or miss.

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

I smoked this buck during the early part of the rut. I rattled him in from 80 to 20 yards and ripped a rage 3 blade in him.:DI can tell this story over and over again and to me it never gets old.:)
http://i362.photobucket.com/albums/oo69/tim03b/Mybigbuck098-1.jpg

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

I didn't hunt much this year but got lucky on November 11th.

6 hunts
15 1/2 hours
3 Bucks (2 legal) 2 doe, 1 coyote, 1 grey fox

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

I totally agree with you! The PA Game Commission needs to start listening to us hunters. They have a few rules and regulations that definately need changed and they wont do anything about it.

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

Treasurer lake Dubois PA private land community.

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

Had my best season. Where im, at the season starts sept 29 and dont end until jan 15.

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

i saw more does and small bucks this year than in past years that's for sure. i did see alot of movement this year so far. honestly i think i seen less movement during the rut.
shot a buck but it was with the noobtoob.

i wouldnt say my archery season so farwas unsuccessful, just haven't hit my goal yet.

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

This year was similar to last year for me. Overall deer sightings were slightly less than last year but buck sightings were the same. I was lucky enough to harvest an 8 pt Oct. 20th.

As for the future. I hunt mostly in 5B. I would like to see this area go to 4 to a side like the western portion of the state. The majority of the 1 1/2 year olds here still have 3 to a side and therefore are shot. Making it 4 to a side would allow the majority of the buck to make it to 2 1/2. We all know that a 2 1/2 year old has a better chance of making it to 3 1/2 and so on.

Can someone tell me again how they came up with one area being 3 to a side and another being 4 to a side? Wasn't it to see which would provide better results? I realize agriculture vs timber played a roll. Is it ever going to be revisited?

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

We can all pi$$ and moan (Me being the biggest) about our deer herd and the management of them but it could be ALOT worse, like our neigboring state of WEST VIRGINIA and the declining deer and slaughtering of does and sales of extra stamps that has taken it's toll on their harvest's in the recent years. Our (Pennsylvania) management of our deer is bad but not quite as bad as theirs.
There is DEFINATELY room for improvement!

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

As usual, I absolutelydominated the Pennsylvania archery season. Like Tom Brady in the final two minutes . . . like the Intimidator on the final lap . . .like Tiger Woods on the 18th tee . . . like M.J. driving the lane with time expiring. I am the game.

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

I hunted the first 2 weeks of November , usually a hot time where I hunt in Beaver County ,this was the slowest year I have ever hunted in the last 10 . I had a few leagle bucks close but was waiting out a big one , went home empty handed for the first time in ten years , happy with my decisions though .

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

"Yeah Frank, we know, the whole town knows you had a good time"[8D]

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

I live in the western part of the state, where the corn stood for the entire season. 90% of the deer I saw came from the standing corn. But as far as the rut, it was wild here in the west. I tagged out on Nov 3rd. But My son who could only hunt after school and on Sat saw and passed on 15 bucks. He did have an encounter with a very mature 8 that he could not seal the deal. Overall the season was good with deer sightings, but the warm temps made it tough to hunt..

RE: PENNSYLVANIA Archers
 

That's a heck of a buck bullshooter. Congrats.