RE: Maybe Crossbows won't be that big....
 

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RE: Maybe Crossbows won't be that big....
 

As long as PA stays a one buck state what difference does the seasons make? We have basically two months to kill a buck,hell I don't care if you chose to tag a road kill,as long as it stays one and your done.[8D]

RE: Maybe Crossbows won't be that big....
 

Jim,if the number of pre-rut bucks being killedincreases,there is a potential that we'll lose the rut.

RE: Maybe Crossbows won't be that big....
 

I can see that happening,so move the season back two weeks. Its to hot to be deer hunting the first two weeks of October any way.;)A smart man would be grouse hunting anyway.:)

RE: Maybe Crossbows won't be that big....
 

And if we are getting to the point where regeneration allows for some increase in deer numbers we can absorb an increase in buck harvest.
I see a decrease in hunter numbers in the near future,and I think the drop will be dramatic as we age as a group.
When a camp owner dies or just quits hunting so do the other members.I don't see interest in todays hunting increasing any time soon.
And I might be a minority on this but I see no reason in the world to have this mentored youth hunts without limitations, a six year old has no reason to kill a deer except to please his father.These kids will burn out at 14 and we will loose them also.[:@]

RE: Maybe Crossbows won't be that big....
 

That didn't happen in 2B and 5c where 50% of the bucks that are harvested are harvested during archery. The archery buck harvest is directly related to the human population in an area, so many less developed WMUs aren't like;y to see a significant increase.

RE: Maybe Crossbows won't be that big....
 

"As long as PA stays a one buck state what difference does the seasons make? We have basically two months to kill a buck,hell I don't care if you chose to tag a road kill,as long as it stays one and your done"

With over 900,000 hunters, you hafta watch the amount of "opportunity". Doesnt matter one bit that there is only one buck tag apiece. Our buck numbers and age structure arent exactly stellar due to the high harvest level, and thats with only a 10-15% hunter success rate on buck.

RE: Maybe Crossbows won't be that big....
 

As deer numbers fall so will the success ratio, I don't feel with the one and your done buck tag that you can kill to many bucks.Private land ,posted land and just un hunt-able acreage will protect enough to maintain breeding opportunities for the fittest.
Its the uncontrolled doe harvest that concerns me.And falling hunter numbers might solve that too.

RE: Maybe Crossbows won't be that big....
 

Bend over UBP, they are going to allow scopes.

RE: Maybe Crossbows won't be that big....
 

Where are you hunting grouse during the first two weeks of Oct? Doesn't grouse typically open on the third Saturday? Also with so many of our archery bucks killed closer to the rut, I don't think a delayed start would save that many buck. Eliminating the last two weeks of archery would no doubt save a ton, but who wants to get rid of the most exciting hunting of the year, anyway? With proper preparation, the hot weather bowhunting is not a problem. You have to work quickly and cool the carcass asap. You can't hang your deer outside for a couple days before butchering. You just have to have a plan in effect before you kill one. I process all my own deer, always have, but in today's times most guys take their deer to a butcher, so that isn't even a problem for them. Our hunting neighbors in southern states know all about this. It's nearly always warm during their bow seasons. It's the only thing they know.