cant seem to find any speed beef in the woods any more

[b44mag]

     i ve been hunting hard for last couple  days cant seem to find any been out in central city,vittondale,colver,elton ,quee dam,i even went to a couple of small spots in richland but still have not had any luck ive shot deer in almost all of these plases in the past but nothing this year ive herd everything from too hot to cyotes that were left out by state farm n nationwide to cut the deer to car pay outs whats going on this year guys let me know if you know who knows i know a bad day of hunting is always a good day any 1 have a decent spot that they already got the 1 they wanted seconds are better than none at all  i have some heart problems to deal with so no 3 mile high mtns please thanks for any or all help cant wait to make bbq backstraps   

[Star1pup]

I hunted near Kane.  Saw one doe about 4pm the first day and that was the first deer I've seen there in 2 years.  I talked to other hunters who said the same.  Saw onlt 2 deer hanging on our way out.  There were a lot of hunters in the woods on the second day, but we heard no shots.  I think PA needs to stop doe licenses for a couple years.  Fortunately for me I live in Ohio and got my Ohio deer during bow season.

[Rummer]

I saw over 2 dozen deer opening day.  I was holding out for a buck but didn't see one with enough antlers to be legal.  I broke under the pressure and took a doe monday at about 4:00pm.  I still have 3 days to hunt before I go back to Reno.

I think we have overharvested some of our hunting areas and underharvested others in PA. Making less doe licenses available in some areas probably isn't a bad idea.

Rummer

[jpsmith1]

Rummer is exactly right.  Perhaps a 're-districting' of the WMUs and a subsequent re-allocation of doe tags.  Here in Lawrence county where I live and will no longer hunt deer, I think that there are about 4 deer left and I'll bet 3 got shot Monday.  Due to a number of factors beyond my control, the deer population has been reduced severly around here. 

Our deer herd is spotty now.  Where hunting is allowed and access is easy, deer are slim because the past few years they have been slaughtered.  In areas where hunting is tough or access is difficult, whether due to private property or rough terrain/remote woods, the deer populations are better.

Look at areas in suburban Pittsburg... there are deer EVERYWHERE.  Many residents are complaining about the number of deer and I heard about a deer attack recently where a buck attacked someone near Pittsburg I believe.

This problem will not be solved by stopping doe hunting.  The reduction in deer herd was necessary and in some places, still is.  What needs to happen is that hunters will need to get smarter and work harder for their deer.

[manofthe45]

This problem will not be solved by stopping doe hunting.  The reduction in deer herd was necessary and in some places, still is.  What needs to happen is that hunters will need to get smarter and work harder for their deer.

The problem is that the game commission needs to stop counting deer on private land and only count them on state and land open to public hunting..  Getting access to private land is next to impossible in my area.  Public land we have aplenty, but he only thing you will see is orange.  While I do agrree that you can still get deer if you work harder and smarter,  I laughed my butt off when the orange wave dropped by 50% 200 yds off the road, but the problem I see is every hunter needing to hit the powerball to lease some decent land

[jpsmith1]

Hunting access will not get any easier.  With the recent court decision/ legislative activism, private land hunting may dry up even worse.  However, that doesn't mean that the PGC needs to stop counting deer on private land.  Deer do not care about our property boundaries.  I do see a redistricting in the future.

Look out for slug-guns to be the next big thing.  With rifles now being too dangerous for the average idiot to hunt with, watch for slugs to be mandatory in the suburban/half rural WMUs now.  I still don't see slug-guns in the large tracts of state forest in the north woods, but maybe...

Even though most of us know that there is little difference between a slug-gun and a rifle as far as long range danger, the public impression is that there is less danger from slugs at longer range.

[The Gamemaster]

   i ve been hunting hard for last couple  days cant seem to find any been out in central city,vittondale,colver,elton ,quee dam,i even went to a couple of small spots in richland but still have not had any luck ive shot deer in almost all of these plases in the past but nothing this year ive herd everything from too hot to cyotes that were left out by state farm n nationwide to cut the deer to car pay outs whats going on this year guys let me know if you know who knows i know a bad day of hunting is always a good day any 1 have a decent spot that they already got the 1 they wanted seconds are better than none at all  i have some heart problems to deal with so no 3 mile high mtns please thanks for any or all help cant wait to make bbq backstraps   

The deer are no longer standing next to the road and if you want to get one - you have to hunt them.

Pay some kid to drag it for you - or get some kids mother to allow you to teach a kid how to hunt and loan him your gun in return for the experience of learning how to hunt.  Since most boys around my house are in single family homes = the mothers would love it for someone to take them hunting.







Edited by moderator

[goodwrench6710]

Hunted the whole season in Bedford County. The whole season, I only saw one deer, was in my last resort place of seeing a deer (in a friends christmas tree farm). It ran past from behind me right into a posted area. The places where you would see 50-60 deer, there are none. One hunter killed a cyote there. I think they are doing some serious deer kills. Used to have at least heards of 10-15 deer come into my yard in the evenings, now there are none! Thinking of getting a trapping license & dispatching every cyote possible! Not very happy at all.

[manofthe45]

Thinking of getting a trapping license & dispatching every cyote possible! Not very happy at all.

sounds like a good plan.  Shot some myself this year.  I personally won't shoot them this time of year, but then while I have had to work harder to do it I am still seeing deer. 

[BattleRifleG3]

I read that this winter was particularly hard on the deer population.  I was surprised that a couple years ago Westmoreland county issued unlimited doe tags.  The hunting that year was good but not incredible.  The next year I barely saw a buck all day, and only on brief occasions saw any does, in the same excellent spot.  Why not issue unlimited licenses in Allegheny county, where the deer are everywhere and few people hunt, and cut back on the others, where everyone hunts?

[manofthe45]

The problem in most of the areas that are still seeing to many deer is not the number of tags issued but in access.

[shotgunner]

I hunt in the North Central part of the state. I am seeing as many or more deer now as ever. I am seeing a lot more big bucks than I ever have, that is in 20 years of hunting this area. I killed a 10 pointer on the first saturday. I do notice that there are no more deer drives, like there used to be. I think you have to hunt harder, or smarter, to take the big bucks. I like the fact that the juniors can take a fork horn as there are a lot of them being pushed around by other hunters. Shotgunner