I have been hearing very little in the way of "good" things about this archery season. In fact, Im a bit surprised at how bad things are being reported. The local buck contest was a big flop. Very few entries compared to previous years, and the quality is far less than usual.

I have noticed a good amount of grumbling among hunters in my travels as well as on message boards like archery talk etc.

I have noticed that there have been VERY few pics in the paper, when usually there are a few every week, there has only been a few ALL SEASON!! With most weeks having none!

Outdoors writer Rod Shoeners statement in the Herald Standard this morning was this:
"--By the lack of photos in my mailbox and my e-mail, I guess most bowhunters' have not done too well. I'll just wait to see what this week holds!"


I feel the weather has been BEAUTIFUL by archery season standards and the fact we started later than some years and took us deeper into the rut should have helped the harvest, as should have the claimed deer saved due to weather last year.

Are you guys seeing and hearing the same?

(btw, not whining about MY lack of success, I DID harvest a buck, though sighting were low, yet not really any worse than last couple)

I don't bowhunt, but I have 3 brothers, 5 nephews and 4 cousins that do. None scored. 1 brother had a chance at a buck. The rest seen a few deer here and there but nothing to get excited about. All 3 brothers agree that it was the worst bow season for them since the mid 70s.

I know of three nice buck taken in archery. My brother has seen multiple buck but has not been in the right place at the right time. I have not been out since I broke my arm, I'll be ready for the rifle opener though.

We are seeing more Buck than does in 2D.I would say a good mix of young and old w/ at least 2 mosters missed. Again, the boys in the camp have made a conscious decsision to not shoot young bucks. So far, a few just shaking there heads at night by the fore and mumbling about the stupid rules but nonew have pulled the trigger on a small buck per/se.

Great season here...

In Pa only one person I know got a buck in bow. In WV I know only 8 people that bow hunt . 3 got 2 buck and the others each got one.

Im having a decent season for my first year at archery. I was having some trouble at first judging distances and was very lucky i cleanly missed and didnt wound an animal but my PA buck and2 DE bucks are all decent deer. My PA buck is first then my DE bucks. Ive also got a few does but dont have pics of them.

Here are some trail cam pics of PA buck, as well as the three buck I know of that were taken in archery.

i hunt in wmu2g clinton county,pa.

i only heard of 1 buck killed in archery here but its hard hunting as no apple trees etc to make it easy.


now, down in southern counties i heard a lot of hunters got their bucks.

hunting is much easier and you can pattern a buck coming into fields for food.

so, hard hunting areas of north central, not many bucks killed or seen.

southern counties, lots of bucks taken.

This is without a doughtTHE WORST archery season I have EVER experienced in my hunting life!! Period!![:'(]The rut in my area (5-D) never happened as far as I'm concerned. I have been hunting since Oct 16th most days. Actually I've hunted 25 days with a total of 209 hours on stand and seen 11 deer. That's sad. Of those 25 days, I sat dark to dark 12 of them!! I have not seen a single buck chasing a doe. Not once!![&o]
I willsay that I let a few (4) small yet legal bucks go. They we NOT in a rutting mode!I drew on this one at 10yrds (notice the date)but didn't get the clear shot that I wanted, and didn't shoot. He walked past my trail camwhile leaving. I am now regretting not shooting him. It was just a real small bush right next to his body that I would have gone right through. I try and go the ethical route.
I really have no explanation for whathas taken place (or not)this year. Some say late rut because of the second full (rutting) moon coming late which I say BS to because I've hunted since the full moon on the 13th. Some say warm temps, which I also say BS to because I saw plenty of rutting activity last year at the same timewith similar temps. Some say it's going on at night, which some of it might be. But you should still see daytime activity. What, a buck hooks up with an almost ready doeat night and she wants to feed a bit during the morning and he lets her go because it's light out? I hardly think so!! So once again I say BS to this theory too. Now what? Lets hear from the rut guru's.
I guess I'll just have to get a buck in Alberta next week. Good luck with the rest of your season guys.