[Pahunter0213]

Hello all,

I stumbled upon this website, and decided to join. I am a die hard hunter (understatement) in northeastern pa. I have, in the past 2 or 3 years started really commiting to QDM. I have yet to harvest a buck over 90 inches. And I have been hunting for about 17 years. I have a huge interest in hunting other states for deer. But I am unsure on how to get started. I would ultimately like to find public land or private farms to hunt in Ohio, Illinois (Yeah right, I know) Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Wyoming, Dakotas, ok, pretty much anywhere. I would prefer to stay away from outfitters, (not that I have anything against them), but I would like to reap the benefits of my own work. I have 3 up and coming hunters, and would also like for them to have these opportunities as well. So any help any would could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

 

[BruceBruce1959]

Greetings from Vermont Glad to have you join the Club. I think at some point all hunters develop the hopes of hunting other states.. I think you'll find Most states offer good areas for public hunting,, here's a link to a list of state wildlife departments and their links where you should be able to get all the info you need about hunting those areas.. States List.. Good Luck

 

[timberghost]

Hello Pahunter0213 and welcome aboard. Greetings from WNY.

 

[onehorse]

If you are interested in hunting Montana, I'll be glad to help. I moved here 14 years ago just for the hunting, and I haven't been disappointed one bit! Welcome to the club!

 

[critter gitter]

Big welcome from Wisconsin.Lots of public land here too.

 

[joel the signman]

welcome to the campfire.lots of public land in NY we see a far amount of PA hunters every year:yes:

 

[Pahunter0213]

Thank you for the greeting. I have hunted Upstate NY . I actually have been in the Adirondaks 5 times hunting. And in those years of hunting, I unfortunately only managed to stumble upon 1 buck. A massive 3 pointer. Jk There is some of the most beautiful spots up there though. I have come across lots of big buck sign up there, but they have never graced me with there presence. I hunt the Indian Lake region. And in my experience there seems to be quite alot of hunting pressure there. So if I was to return, I think I would look for another area. My uncle and I usually make a trip up there around the first week of November. We always try to catch it as close to the rut as we can. He has shot some nice bucks up there. He also hunts property in the lower region as well. And again shot some really nice bucks with a shotgun. I would imagine I will be back up there again in the next couple of years.

 

[Hunting Man]

PA hunter hello, I have hunted PA for for 34 years and believe in the antler restriction that they have imposed. We went from spikes and three pointers to now eight/ten pointers. The price everyone had to pay was doe harvests and now a reduced deer herd. I am still waiting for onehorse to let me in on his secret spot out west. Before I hang up this hunting sport I would like to put my tag on a nice muley and a bull elk. I hunt the north central area around Clearfield/Dubois. I'd like to hear some hunting observations from your area.

 

[Pahunter0213]

Well Hunting Man,
In the begining of this whole shoot the does, and antler restrictions, I was skeptical to say the least. But just from watching TV, and my own personal beliefs, I totally support the game commision in there efforts. When I started hunting way back when I can remember seeing 20 to 30 doe's on stand. That is all well and good. But back then you were happy to see anything with antlers. It was hard to see even a spike then. Now, we are seeing about the same as you, in Wayne county. This year alone, a good friend of mine, who I regret letting him hunt the area first, shot a buck with a bow that measured roughly 135 inches. I am kidding, I am glad he shot it. He is the nicest guy I know. And another guy shot another buck that measured roughly 150 inches. I have never even heard of such bucks before this. And they were killed no farther than 5 mile radius from where I live. I see nice bucks quite often. Only problem I have is area to hunt. Again, when I was younger I could walk for miles and hunt. Now I am hard pressed every year to find a place to hunt. And the other thing is when you see those deer I am not the only one. I hear it from everyone. So everyone is after that same deer. So as far as the antler restrictions go. A+ for the commision. Now if they could only set aside more ground for hunting it would be perfect.

 

[Hunting Man]

PA Hunter, same thing for me we would see 30 deer but no quality bucks. Now in archery season we see nice 6,8, and even ten pointers pretty regularly. We started putting in small food plots in an attempt to help the bucks get some additional protien. With the deer population reduced the food competition has been reduced and the deer have started to put some extra weight back on. We don't have many hunters in our area, in fact we never see another flintlock hunter and rare that we see a bowhunter. Last year we took a wide 6, nice 8, a 7 on one side that lost his other side, this one was mine. We saw a nice 10pt several times but no one shot him.This was archery season with only 5 guys hunting.

 

[wmi]

Pa. has some huge bucks granted past regulations hurt the state in general. With your new regs Pa. is going to come on strong over the next 3 to 5 years. If you stay within your state look really hard at the areas around New Stanton and SW of Pittsburg. Knock on a lot of doors and approach as a bow hunter only. I am not from Pa. but have 3 friends there that all take hammers every year and no they don't own their own land. By hammers I mean 150 to 170 class. Definitly nothing to sneeze at. I have hunted up there with them and they are serious trophy hunters. I saw several in the 130 class but was forbiden to shoot anything under yea you guessed it 140. Really good genetics in that area. Hope this helps.