Where's all the PA hunters?
 

I've seen one other Hunter out. I just drove three miles through state game lands and there wasn't a single truck parked.

What's the deal? Sat until 9 this morning and heard three total shots.

Used to hear over a hundred the first Saturday.

What's the deal.

-Jake

there ain't many left IMO LOL

I have about 10000 acres surrounding me , owned by gun clubs, over 250+ members in the clubs combined, I have security camera's at my place, for them to access there lands, they have to drive past my place
opening day, 12 vehicles went in, 12 on Opening day of rifle season, second day 8, first Monday 2, Tuesday thru Thursday ZERO
yesterday 7 and today about 10
yrs back it was nothing to shave 70+ vehicles go in opening day and at least a dozen or more every day after! and that was when things opened on a Monday! not a weekend!
opening day around me used to sound like WWII from, before day light, and well after dark, YUP lots cheaters here sadly! )
opening day I heard like 10 shots the whole day, 1 the second day and zero mon tuesday wed, Thursday I heard one guy behind me, shoot 14 times, in under 2 minutes, so, NOT sure he was hunting,. might have been wasting ammo at tree's?(and don;'t laugh, I have asked the guy a few times, and thats what he tells me he does when he gets bored!)

was up at other property I have, near several larger game lands and took a ride thru some just to kill time and maybe get lucky and see a successful hunter or two
I drove thru about 10+ miles of dirt game land roads, and seen 2 trucks , that's it!
drove over 250 miles yesterday thru Pa, and didn;'t see a single hunter hunting in my travels, can see for hundreds of yards into forests and Mt sides, NO orange to eb seen(and yes I know many don;t wear orange liek they used too)
but all the normal parking spots that hunters used to fill, were all empty!
Talked to many guys at my hunting camp(didn't make it there this yr
about 40 hunters up in mixed cabins about us, opening day, by monday ALL were gone but maybe 4-5 guys
25000 acre game lands near camp, and guys tell; me, its vacant this hunting season after the weekend opening
and everyone they talked to was't happy claiming NO deer, and the game commission needs to step up there game with some better habitat to get deer numbers back?/
but these same folks only hunt 2 days, so? take with a grain of salt!

its sad seeing so few hunters anymore in PA, PA once had a super strong number of die hards , hunt dark to dark,,
now, to many fair weather hunters and well, only hunt prime times for a few hours IF that, and most need to have food plots and prime lands, and ground blinds/shooting houses that are like sitting at home,
them days of folks just being OUT there in the weather and just wanting to enjoy a Hunt have LONG passed IMO!
The Pa might be in trouble in a few decades when lic sales drop even lower as hunter numbers fade away!

I was out today trying to push some deer to my nephew along with my BIL form 10:30 am to 1:00pm. In that time I did not hear one shot from surrounding properties when on the first Saturday of the 2nd week in other years there would have been lots of other hunters out on surrounding properties. It is a sad situation.

But WHY? Is everyone getting it done in archery season now? Or what.

I seem to remember reading in either PA or Ohio that last year the archery harvest passed the gun harvest.

So I'm sure that factors into it.

There's still lots of deer. There's just no one out moving them around anymore.

We still do drives. One of the last groups in our area that do it. We piss allot of people off too. Nobody likes drives anymore.

But I saw 40 some deer today including 6 bucks. Nothing legal though.

I did finally see one other Hunter up on a hillside about 3pm. Very little shooting all day.

We used to run 15-20 out of our camp every year. This year we had 9 the first day. 7 today. But 3 of those were junior hunters. It's hard to drive stuff without willing guys. We do the best we can.

Of our 9 from the first days day so far 8 have tagged a deer(I'm the only one that hasn't! Lol I've been passing doe looking for a 'good' buck) Including 4 bucks. We do alright.

But hunting in PA is certainly changing.

-Jake

Jake the only time I see hunters is driving on the highway. I assume they're hunters because they're in blaze orange! I haven seen another hunter since the beginning of archery season in the woods. Normally I used to like when grouse season opened because they would jump deer as the strolled through they woods chasing Mr. Ruff or squirrels. I got quite a few deer that way while in my stand. But my year has been slow too. I saw one deer tail in early muzzy season and this past Saturday I thought I was going to connect as I watched a deer walking through the thick brush. As it entered an opening for a shot I gave a bleat and it stopped and looked in my direction showing me his little spikes!
I'm just tickled pink that my grandson finally connected on a nice little buck. I put him in one of my favorite spots (but you know all about that!)

IMO< yes there are a lot more archery hunters now than ever, and BIG part of it is, well warmer weather
many folks just don't like the cold
as I said , I spend a lot of time in deer processing butcher shops, and and friends with a ton of folks in large hunting clubs, add in all the farmers I talk to and friends with
and a HUGE reason IMO for not so many hunters in PA< is, sadly, MANY don't see game anymore on game lands
I hear so many folks complain there are NO deer, NO grouse, no small game, minus squirrels, which everyone seem to say there is a lot of!

like it or not, IMO< in PA< there is a HUGE difference in land quality, some places yes have lots of deer and some places have almost NONE
it comes down to food
and like it or not, many state game lands don;'t offer much in GOOD food to widlife anymore
the damages done from having TOO many deer for too long, has really effected forested lands, causing them to have little to no GOOD browse
add is so few fires anymore, and fire was a HUGE help in keeping forested land always growing new foods for things like deer and other critters!

which is WHY so many hunters in PA< talk so badly about game lands,
they rather hunt there own lands where they can make them into places wildlife strives ,
or they just won't hunt game lands
or will with a lack luster approach, not willing to put the work into things
add in all the negativity you read online about game lands being unsafe(countless folks tell how they WON"T take there kids to them to hunt out of fear of some IDIOT shooting them, even when this is far from true!)

game lands get a bad rap
yes, some do SUCK, but some are also super quality hunting for those willing to find the places!
I know OT might have an issue with em saying thisand I DON"T mean to offend him!

but I know a LOT of game wardens in PA and have for decades!
I know that of the one's that hunt, almost NONE deer hunt on game lands, they ALL hunt private lands, NOT game lands!
which IMO< sort of says something about quality of even its worker think of the game lands?
Sorry OT< just being honest!
and if ANYONE should know the best spots on game lands well, GW's should?



and truly, IMO<
forested land in PA< is in serious need of HELP I

drive about highways and just see how far you can NOW See into the woods as you drive, with little or no growth that a deer can reach and eat, yet alone be quality food for it!
FIRES are needed, but NO one will allow them, anymore, too much fear of law suits
and controlled burns was a MAJOR tool for game commission for decades, before all the layers scared them!, and why IMO< wildlife was way more abundant on game lands!

but timbering on MORE acres of game lands should be happening IMO< as that is also a great tool for the state to use to MAKE lands better for wildlife
I get on some very LARGE game lands all over PA< and I see so little timbering going on and I don't get it
IMO< win for wildlife, win for game com,mission, as they MAKE money off it!
don't get why its not used more!

Hunters have been complaining there are no deer on game lands since I started hunting deer. Many don't see deer when they walk by them. I don't know where they look or if they are paying attention to their surroundings. I have stood in the woods on many occasions and watched deer walk by hunters and when I approached and checked them they would complain about no deer. When I told them I watched deer walk by them within very good rifle distance they didn't believe me. I am convinced some people are hunters and some are not. Of course these are many times the same hunters that I walked up to and I had to stop and cough of call out so I didn't startle them sting there with a gun in their hands.

Again....

Plenty of deer. Very few hunters and no one out moving them around.

We put the work in and see/tag lots of deer. I'm just amazed at the lack of hunters and lack of shooting that I hear.

I used to count the shots in the morning. Usually get to 100 before 8 am. And this was when it was buck only still.

Very little shooting the last few years.

-Jake


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Jake, there was little shooting in my area down near Clarksburg. from the first day until now there hasnt been much shooting at all. a lot of schools changed Monday as a school day now. they no longer get Monday off like they used to. as soon as they made Saturday the first day the schools changed their schedules. from those ive talked to there seems to be fewer deer being shot.

Due to lack of Hunter cooperation I don't think we'll ever know how many deer actually get shot in PA.


It's good to see you on here Mr. Slim. I was thinking about you the other day wondering how you were doing. Hope all is well.

I'll be out Saturday for one last go at it. Been a long while since I didn't fill at least one PA tag. This might be the year.

-Jake.

Same here Jake.I bet its been over 30 years since I've been skunked! I still have the flintlock season though so I'm not giving up yet.

Same here didn't see a deer all season. I'm praying I at least see something during our late ML season

i think another reason there arent as many hunters is the amount of posted land. a lot of ground that used to be open to hunting is now leased and posted. at least that is what its like in my area. myself, i blame it on antler restriction being in place. too many people want big bucks and by leasing ground keeps other hunters off. no one to walk and push deer anymore.

You're spot on slim. Everything is posted.

We used to have permission to hunt allot of properties that are now posted.

A few things happened in my opinion. #1 being the owners passed away, sold off, retired, whatever it may be. When the younger generation took over the posted signs went up.

And the leases are starting. If it follows the Ohio trend everything will be leased before long. I don't blame the owners. If you can make a couple grand a year letting people hunt- why do it for free?

-Jake

my boss owns around 5400 acres here in wv, he leases the hunting land out for 10 bucks and acre and there is a waiting list a mile long.

How about $500 for a week on 6 acres? That's Ohio.

I'll find another hobby.

-Jake

Does he split it up into smaller sections? That seems like allot of work to keep track of.

But that's bringing in allot of money for him each year. Again, I've said it a hundred times. I don't blame the owners one bit. People are willing to pay. Might as well make money.

It's just out of price range lol
-Jake

Well I used to be a PA hunter, per my user name. I hunted in the eastern areas of the state. I'm in California now, and I miss white tails and eastern gobblers. But there are some great opportunities out here, and some big mountains. I'm going to try and get out to PA next spring for turkey hunting. Hopefully my old spots are still productive. I want to try and get out there for deer this year, but that's my busy time of year at work.

In PA we have thousands of acres to hunt. We have national forests, state forests, and lots of game lands with more being purchased every year. In addition there are many state parks that are open, at least partially, to hunting. I hunt exclusively public land and last year was the first year in about 30 years that I didn't fill at least one tag.
Also, Oldtimr's post was accurate as many guys walk right by deer and don't see them. My friend was out checking for stand sites on his ATV the other day and driving down the old strip mine road with a bank on one side and a narrow 20' wide strip of woods between the road and the RR tracks he drove past a big doe lying in that strip of woods and it just watched him drive by! Probably had a fawn or two close by but still it just goes to show you how still they can be. Several years ago I was walking a trail that made a horse shoe turn going down a hill. I looked to my right and saw a color that was out of the norm. I stood there for several minutes watching it and it turned out to be a bedded 8 point buck. I saw the rack when it lifted his head to scratch an itch. I walked by that buck at no more than 50 feet but he was lying at the foot of a drop off where I couldn't see him from above. one well placed bullet from my 7-08 and he never left his bed.

Anyone looking to help a new to PA hunter as a hunting partner this year. I just got my Lic for hunt and fish and looking for good time hunting/fishing/shooting/ meat in the freezer makes me happy, Inline .50 Muzzel, 3006, Armalite223/22, .357 Hand hunting, crossbow, of course 12guage Fowls. I also reload and have a bunch of 40 cases if anyone needs them. I don't have alot of stamina anymore, but would love the chance to hunt again. I am just busy with my move here( still getting house in order)to the northeast from Colorado. May Biden's shorts burn when he speaks.
Bob

What county are you in Bob

Im in York close to Red Lion.

here in western Pa. there are gamelands, but during hunting season the parking lots are usually full. with the leasing being used in Pa. now a lot of private land is being posted and being lost to hunters. places i used to hunt are now posted because of leasing. im glad that the eastern part of the state is more open then the western part. im not one for traveling to hunt.

Does anyone need a treestand/tree ladder and a harness? I don't think I can use them anymore.

Very few hunters around this past season in SW PA. Nobody to get the deer moving around.

so quite here.

I think people are getting tired of the spam. It is a shame, this site used to be active all year.

I think I am going to go shoot some this Sunday at State Game Lands 242 range. If you show up around 1pm Say Hi. Red 4runner.

Does anyone want to share with a new to the York area hunter? I don't have all the time with moving and setting up a new house to go looking for a hunting location this year. Thanks in advance.