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PA Deer Season Question

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Old 12-19-2008, 10:56 AM
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Default PA Deer Season Question

First time onthis board, and I wanted to share some observations from the last few years and see what you all thought.
I'm fortunate enough to hunt on private land in 5c. Lots of new brush due to cutting operations.Historically, on the three properties that we have to hunt we would (pre AR) would take nine bucks for eleven or twelve hunters. There were some nice ten's and elevens, but the norm was a four to eight 1.5 year old buck. There were quite a few doe as well.
I relocated to DE (Now THERE are some big deer!) and returned home to hunt during the advent of HR and AR. We anticipated seeing quite a few yearling bucks running around that we either couldn't see whether they were legal, or were under the 3pt limit. In a few years of AR and HR we went from seeing quite a few small bucks and does, to seeing virtually no deer at all. Mind you, this is private land, surrounded by agricultural properties and other woodlots, laced with oak and beech. No tracks, no trails, it's kind of sad, actually.
The whole hunting fabric of the community has changed, as well. Very little hunting pressure (perhaps that's why we don't see as many deer). Just wondered if anyone else had seen anything like that in their neck of the woods. Things have sure changed since I moved!
Thanks in advance.
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Old 12-19-2008, 12:59 PM
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Default RE: PA Deer Season Question

could be something as simple as the deer moving....when the cutting operations left thickets before, they may matured some and dont hold deer or as many deer...ive found that on my SGLs i hunt...besides the herd being reduced, the thickets matured over the years and hold less deer than they once did...

and your right...often times to see deer, it takes hunters in the woods to get them moving. one guy told us we couldnt drive his property anymore. no big deal...we got lots of places to push. but, he didnt see a deer ALL season. and last year he didnt either. in the back of his head he HAS to know that he only killed deer because we got them moving. he killed a biggun off one of our drives...due to ME...i set the shooters up wrong and one of the shooters sent the buck right to him instead of right to the shooters lol....he still told us no more hunting after that....whatever...his loss. we still kill deer...we make them move. cant sit around and wait in PA rifle season unless you got a large chunk of unpressured land...ive found it VERY tough to hunt when you got a little bit of pressure...i dont like seeing orange all over the place...but i know it will keep the deer on their feet...


neighboring properties could put a damper on the herd over the years youve been gone as well...but id bet theres still deer there....go in and walk around sometime when theres snow...
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Old 12-19-2008, 01:04 PM
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Default RE: PA Deer Season Question

Thanks for the come back. Actually, we had snow on the ground when we were scouting the Saturday before....desolate.

The brush is actually new growth as they selective cut continuously, same as before. Just wondering if anyone else had seen not only not any bigger bucks, but actually less after hr/ar. Thanks for the response.
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Old 12-19-2008, 01:10 PM
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Default RE: PA Deer Season Question

Well said mauser06. When they detect human activity, deer move just enough to feel safe again. When the pumpkin horde was bigger, we saw lots more deer simply because they kept encountering human smells, sounds and sightings. That kept them moving. Less pressure also means a substantial reduction in the big deer drives. Now our openers and Saturdays are more like the weekdays used to be in the rifle season. The deer encounter just enough human activity to put them on edge and shut down natural movement in the daylight but not enough to keep them moving.
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Old 12-19-2008, 01:16 PM
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Default RE: PA Deer Season Question

My observations are the same as yours. The priivate land with high hunting pressure got hit hard from 2000 to around 2004 or 2005.The herd was reduced significantly and the number of 1.5 buck dropped like a rock. There are a few nice buck around but they are nocturnal and protected by safety zones. The habitat is excellent with unlimited food and cover but the hunting is lousy. I only saw 3 deer in 10 days of hunting. It gets old fast when you're not seeing deer.
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Old 12-19-2008, 02:23 PM
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Default RE: PA Deer Season Question

i think hunting pressure has dropped but i also do not see as many deer in archry either that also makes me think there are far fewer deer it seems you see more nice racks then ever before thou
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Old 12-19-2008, 02:32 PM
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Default RE: PA Deer Season Question

I agree bowtruck that we seen a few less deer in archery butonly in late October. Our experiences have been that we see plenty of deer right up until the early muzzy/ senior/ junior doe season. That activity seems to shut em down for a little while.

JMHO
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Old 12-19-2008, 02:34 PM
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Default RE: PA Deer Season Question

No ,I did not say I see more nice racks than ever before, I said there was a few nice buck around and there were always a few nice buck around.
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Old 12-19-2008, 02:39 PM
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Default RE: PA Deer Season Question

all the stuff that falls in bow anymore cant help you i guess
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Old 12-19-2008, 02:49 PM
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Default RE: PA Deer Season Question

If it falls as a result of my bow , it helps a lot. But the bow buck harvest in 5C makes it tough on the rifle hunters.
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