This season so far
01-18-2010 | 05:53 PM
#201
Banned
Joined: Sep 2008
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WW, I hear you about ryerson. That place is a mere shadow of what it used to be.
Ehd effect had been and still is downplayed greatly by pgc. I dont know of one area that was "hit hard" that has come back to pre-ehd levels. And even pre-ehd levels werent exactly overly robust thanks to all the years of 55k tags.
I lost a couple of places to hunt due to ehd. Landowners didnt want more deer killed. Perfectly understandable i guess. Funny how pgc says the herd came back, but apparently the aforementioned landowners disagree. Still no hunting.
2A herd is down quite a bit. I'll be absolutely shocked if the harvest figures arent even lower than the last couple years pathetic harvests.
Ehd effect had been and still is downplayed greatly by pgc. I dont know of one area that was "hit hard" that has come back to pre-ehd levels. And even pre-ehd levels werent exactly overly robust thanks to all the years of 55k tags.
I lost a couple of places to hunt due to ehd. Landowners didnt want more deer killed. Perfectly understandable i guess. Funny how pgc says the herd came back, but apparently the aforementioned landowners disagree. Still no hunting.
2A herd is down quite a bit. I'll be absolutely shocked if the harvest figures arent even lower than the last couple years pathetic harvests.
01-18-2010 | 08:00 PM
#202
Nontypical Buck
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 2,623
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From:
I live in Westmoreland Co. and drive about 1 1/2 hrs to get there.
Every year I start thinking whether it is worth it with gas prices and there being less deer.
I understand how they move better in the areas I hunt over there, so I keep going.
I also like the lack of pressure now that the land owner won't let anyone else hunt.
I had a few hot spots at Ryerson, but haven't seen anything there for a couple years.
Use to ride around and see deer everywhere in the fall. Now you only see a few.
You don't hear the shooting like you use to either, during rifle season.
I might have filled a few tags, but I got to say, I'm still disgusted with how few deer I'm seeing.
Every year I start thinking whether it is worth it with gas prices and there being less deer.
I understand how they move better in the areas I hunt over there, so I keep going.
I also like the lack of pressure now that the land owner won't let anyone else hunt.
I had a few hot spots at Ryerson, but haven't seen anything there for a couple years.
Use to ride around and see deer everywhere in the fall. Now you only see a few.
You don't hear the shooting like you use to either, during rifle season.
I might have filled a few tags, but I got to say, I'm still disgusted with how few deer I'm seeing.
01-19-2010 | 09:31 AM
#203
Giant Nontypical
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 7,220
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From: SW PA USA
Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!
I will state for the record, there is a lack of deer.
Just because I killed 3 doesn't mean there isn't a lack of deer.
When I hunt, I hunt hard. I leave the vehicle before first light and don't come back till dark. I spend the entire day in the woods unless I have an appointment to be somewhere.
I'd like to think that after hunting for over 30 yeras I learn a little about how to put a deer on the ground.
I've hunted several days from dawn til dusk without seeing a deer. Hunted a week and a half without seeing a doe.
And to clue you in, I'm laid off and had more time to hunt this year than anytime in the past. Think that had anything to do with it?
I hunt in 2A. One farm in Greene Co. I had to myself all of archery season and only shared with one other guy during rifle season. I'm hunting der that have absolutely no pressure and still having trouble.
This property had been open to the public in years past. The land owner himself decided to post his land because he said there weren't many deer. He let me and the other guy hunt.
I hunt one side of the road and the other guy hunts the other side. Again, no pressure!
There is a big deline in the deer population. Some of it brought about by EHD a couple years ago but much of it hunting too. This land was formerly in a co op type program with the PGC. When the PGC came out to his place a couple years ago he sorta got in an arguement with them over the EHD. He ask if they were going to shorten the season or anything because of all of the dead deer laying around. They said, "No!" He then said he would have to take matters into his own hands to prevent the deer being wiped out. He posted his land! He doesn't hunt but likes deer meat. I usually give him one, thus the reason I get permission.
My bow kill was on another piece of property in western Fayette Co. Private ground also. Limited hunting pressure.
I use to spend alot of time hunting in and around Ryerson State Park in Western Greene Co. I've killed lots of deer there.
Go there today and I don't even find deer sign. I use to hunt around some white oaks. Went there this year and there were white oak acorns all over the ground with no sign of deer eating them. And yes I know the difference between red and white oak.
It was wierd seeing all those acorns and no deer. Most of the trails were all grown in with no tracks.
Areas that always held bucks lacked any rubs.
Yes, there are still deer there but it is getting worse every year.
I will state for the record, there is a lack of deer.
Just because I killed 3 doesn't mean there isn't a lack of deer.
When I hunt, I hunt hard. I leave the vehicle before first light and don't come back till dark. I spend the entire day in the woods unless I have an appointment to be somewhere.
I'd like to think that after hunting for over 30 yeras I learn a little about how to put a deer on the ground.
I've hunted several days from dawn til dusk without seeing a deer. Hunted a week and a half without seeing a doe.
And to clue you in, I'm laid off and had more time to hunt this year than anytime in the past. Think that had anything to do with it?
I hunt in 2A. One farm in Greene Co. I had to myself all of archery season and only shared with one other guy during rifle season. I'm hunting der that have absolutely no pressure and still having trouble.
This property had been open to the public in years past. The land owner himself decided to post his land because he said there weren't many deer. He let me and the other guy hunt.
I hunt one side of the road and the other guy hunts the other side. Again, no pressure!
There is a big deline in the deer population. Some of it brought about by EHD a couple years ago but much of it hunting too. This land was formerly in a co op type program with the PGC. When the PGC came out to his place a couple years ago he sorta got in an arguement with them over the EHD. He ask if they were going to shorten the season or anything because of all of the dead deer laying around. They said, "No!" He then said he would have to take matters into his own hands to prevent the deer being wiped out. He posted his land! He doesn't hunt but likes deer meat. I usually give him one, thus the reason I get permission.
My bow kill was on another piece of property in western Fayette Co. Private ground also. Limited hunting pressure.
I use to spend alot of time hunting in and around Ryerson State Park in Western Greene Co. I've killed lots of deer there.
Go there today and I don't even find deer sign. I use to hunt around some white oaks. Went there this year and there were white oak acorns all over the ground with no sign of deer eating them. And yes I know the difference between red and white oak.
It was wierd seeing all those acorns and no deer. Most of the trails were all grown in with no tracks.
Areas that always held bucks lacked any rubs.
Yes, there are still deer there but it is getting worse every year.
Just curious WW,
did you shoot the doe in the area where you hunted so hard and had a tough time seeing deer because the numbers are low, or did you get her elsewhere like you did the button buck? When you harvested the button buck, did you know it was a BB or did you think it was a doe?
Last edited by BTBowhunter; 01-19-2010 at 10:16 AM.
01-19-2010 | 10:05 AM
#205
Giant Nontypical
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 5,195
Likes: 0
From: PA.
this would give other hunters a chance to get deer,it wont increase the numbers of doe i feel.
but may be a FAIR way to increase a hunters chance of getting a deer.
but with all cheating going on with things i commented on, they would still find a way around rules to get 3 deer...........
01-19-2010 | 11:03 AM
#206
Nontypical Buck
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 2,262
Likes: 0
with the lack of deer in wmu2g of pa.right thing now if they are not going to close doe season is ONE DEER AND YOUR DONE ....
this would give other hunters a chance to get deer,it wont increase the numbers of doe i feel.
but may be a FAIR way to increase a hunters chance of getting a deer.
but with all cheating going on with things i commented on, they would still find a way around rules to get 3 deer...........
this would give other hunters a chance to get deer,it wont increase the numbers of doe i feel.
but may be a FAIR way to increase a hunters chance of getting a deer.
but with all cheating going on with things i commented on, they would still find a way around rules to get 3 deer...........
01-19-2010 | 02:57 PM
#208
Giant Nontypical
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 8,167
Likes: 0
From: PA
01-19-2010 | 03:08 PM
#209
Nontypical Buck
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 2,623
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From:
Just curious WW,
did you shoot the doe in the area where you hunted so hard and had a tough time seeing deer because the numbers are low, or did you get her elsewhere like you did the button buck? When you harvested the button buck, did you know it was a BB or did you think it was a doe?
did you shoot the doe in the area where you hunted so hard and had a tough time seeing deer because the numbers are low, or did you get her elsewhere like you did the button buck? When you harvested the button buck, did you know it was a BB or did you think it was a doe?
Yes, the doe was also from Geene Co. Same place I didn't see many deer. Shot it feeding in a field during early muzzleloader. The landowner wanted a deer and being that only antlerless deer were legal, I got the landowner some venison. Wasn't sure I could get him a buck.
Giving the guy a deer insures I will be welcome back. He doesn't care for beef because of all the stuff they inject them with. He and his wife are into that organic, all natural food stuff. They take pride in there land. They like growing their own food and making furniture and things from trees taken off their land. They cath and eat the fish from their pond. They like the fact that the deer was from their land also.
Yes, I knew it was a button buck. I was hunting a different area. This area is in Fayette.
I know I will get flamed for this but if given a choice, I almost always shoot the button over a doe fawn or the mother.
Good chance of a doe having fawns the next year. I'd rather take the button.
I'm not into trophy hunting. Its nice to take a mature buck, but it wouldn't matter if it was a spike to me.
A dead deer is a dead deer whether it is a doe, button buck or a ten point. Its just a deer to me.
Last edited by Windwalker7; 01-19-2010 at 03:10 PM.
01-19-2010 | 03:26 PM
#210
Nontypical Buck
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 2,623
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From:
You guys act like because I filled a couple tags that all is well and there are deer everywhere.
Here is what it use to be like on that farm. I use to take my daughter over there when she was 12. By 10 or 11 AM she'd usually have her deer. We'd see 25-30 deer and weren't even there half the day.
She quit hunting when she was 16. That year and the year before we only saw about 5-6 deer the whole day. She said she didn't want to go because it was boring sitting there all day and only seeing a couple deer.
This past season I was laid off and had lots of time to hunt. I hunted long and hard to get those deer. Didn't get my buck until Friday the first week of rifle.
A few of her deer