mrfritz44

Yesterday ended a disappointing rut here in PA. Despite good weather, I think the buck's forgot to check their calendars.
With roughly 88 hours spent in the woods this season hunting 3 separate herds, I managed to see:

6 doe out of range on 3 separate occasions

8 doe that I bounced en-route to stands on 3 separate occasions

1 buck that surprised me on the ground and I subsequently missed!

Not that I didn't have my one chance, but with the hours, the sightings, and the history of these spots, I should have had more activity. The areas are rubbed up pretty good, but not a sign of bucks chasing does anywhere. Others who hunt with consistency are also scratching their heads.

Anyone else have the same degree of mediocrity this year in PA?

Fred

PA.JAY

MAN yesterday just plain SUCKED! poured on me 4x the 5x i just left @ 3:00
i seen doe everytime i hunted in this place never a buck ! lots of rubs but never a buck on a doe. I got to say this was my worst year to date ! so im happy for everyone else in PA. that had success ! I'm going to archery hunt in gun season maybe i catch the second rut !

PABuck_HNTR

I noticed the same thing. I could have taken a few does that were in range and I had 3 different button bucks in range too, but I won't shoot them. I did see 3 bucks on Friday the 10th , but 2 weren't legal and too far away anyway and the legal buck was a real small 8 point that I saw twice and he was 50 or better yards out and wouldn't respond to any calling at all. He didn't act like he was horny in the least. I don't know what happened to the rut this year. Maybe a week behind and we as archers are going to miss it.

BarnesX.308

It seems like the best is yet to come. This weekend we really started seeing some activity. It will be prime next weekend and give the turkey hunters a show.

Chipcz

Sorry guys,

I hunt public ground in 4c near harrisburg and kempton and the rut this year was better than I have ever seen. I saw 4 120 + deer within 30 yards on 3 days and shot a big 8 pointer on Friday. More mass than any PA deer I have shot in 30 years. Alt's plan was perfect for this neck of the woods. Same are 5 years ago was loaded with does and spikes. Now all I see are big bucks in 3 different places I hunt.

Great year here. It is not like the old days, now I see just as many bucks as does, but wow most are really nice deer and big bodied.

Friday I had about 5 different bucks running around in the dark and early mornng until this old guy made the mistake of getting too close. The slick trick ended his day. Grunted him in and he wripped apart a tree halfway in to prove who was boss.

mrfritz44

I'm all ears if you care to divulge your neck of the woods. I hunt 4C as well, but in the northeastern protion and I just don't see the same effect. You must be hunting private ground in Kempton? I lived in New Tripoli for 4 years recently and hunted SGL 106 quite a bit. The AR is great I agree, but the HR has taken a noticable toll.

Where you at - public or private?

mathewsfx11

wow you have deer in that area? come to 2g you wont see any deer.i wish they would eliminate doe season all together here. they did cut the license from 60000 to 19000 this year.that might help

Chipcz

I hunt pure game lands near the pinnacle and the property north of Indiantown Gap(kind of) I mountain bike back and I do see what I say. The opportunities are quick and infrequent due to the herd reduction but they are around. Friday AM in the dark I had a 140+ class deer walk within 30 yards through some brush just up on the mountain near Hamburg. You gotta walk to somewhere where it is tough and hard where no one else is going to slaugther them during rifle season. The easy spots are very thin. I drive down 61 and look up an see a mountain full of archery deer.

Beleave me they are there. Get in shape and get inthere.

livbucks

Finally saw some rutting activity on Friday, the next to the last day of PA bowhunting. My Dad saw 9 different bucks on the trail of a doe. He was set up in a treeline in the middle of a field top. A big 8 point came in behind the stand and squared off with a slightly smaller buck. My Dad put the shot on him but ticked a branch. The arrow hit the big buck in the shoulder blade and fell out. NO PENETRATION!
He bled marginally at first and then dwindled to nothing. We were on our hands and knees at times looking for blood. We tracked that buck for almost a mile total walking,but no more than several hundred yards from the stand at any time. He stayed on the doe. We never found him.
My Dad said the shot sounded like an axe hitting a log. When the buck started running after the doe, the arrow fell out. He could see blood high on the shoulder of the buck but the buck didn't limp at all. We found where it eventually bedded and there was just a slight smear of blood on the bed, but no drips or puddles. Dad said he was a very big bodied buck compared to the others.
We went out on Saturday, the last day, and set up around his bedding area to try for a second chance at him. There was zero deer movement on Saturday, All four of us saw nothing.

Chipcz

I am not shooting any doe on public land in 4c. The locals have the herd down to nothing. I have seen drives with women and children just there for their tags and it makes rifle hunting no fun.

The Blue Mtn. is a grat mountain but you have to look really hard for the honey holes like I have. I have shot 8 deer in 10 years from the same tree.