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PA deer tags 2023
- Thread starter FrogFire7
- Start date
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FrogFire7
Well-Known Member
Idk. Same reason you couldn't find TP a few years ago I guess.
birddog 68
Well-Known Member
I just received a email from the game commission apologizing about delays. He mentioned that there wasn't any WMU that was even close to being sold out yet.
And yea @FrogFire7 it's just like the TP a couple years ago.
jimbires
Well-Known Member
I get out hunting groundhogs . the current license expires June 30 .
birddog 68
Well-Known Member
Local farmer has been wanting me to help him with the hogs since the older hunters don't get out much anymore. I just can't find the time when weather is decent.
Ben Gallardy
Well-Known Member
I got in the que around 0750 and my number finally got pulled around 1445….I saw the screen say I was being redirected to the issuing website. As soon as it took me into that section, it told me my 10 minutes had expired and offered a link to get back in line. I clicked it and went back to 139K in line! To say I was torqued was an understatement! So I left work, went to the local hardware store, waited in line for an hour, and snagged my license. And a 2G antlerless tag….which is the only reason I went today. I had bad luck with the pink envelopes that last 2 years and did not draw 2G unfortunately. So, all is well that ends well. For me. I did hear a lot of stories of unhappy guys, which can put a damper on things.
But I do agree with an earlier comment that if you want an antlerless tag in an area with plenty of tags, you can wait a few days until it calms down and then it should work pretty slick.
As far as hunting up north in the bigger woods…a lot is mystique and nostalgia. I kill plenty of deer in the flatlands of southern Pa and MD….but there is just something about the big woods. I enjoy the hunt, the camaraderie, the lifelong memories and the kill 1000% better at camp. But that's just me!
But I do agree with an earlier comment that if you want an antlerless tag in an area with plenty of tags, you can wait a few days until it calms down and then it should work pretty slick.
As far as hunting up north in the bigger woods…a lot is mystique and nostalgia. I kill plenty of deer in the flatlands of southern Pa and MD….but there is just something about the big woods. I enjoy the hunt, the camaraderie, the lifelong memories and the kill 1000% better at camp. But that's just me!
birddog 68
Well-Known Member
I used to love going to my uncles cabin up north for the opening couple days. Back then it was nothing to see upwards of 40 deer daily. Cabin has been sold since his passing. Friends have a cabin near the Allegheny national forest and they are not sure they will be going this year. Between 4 guys last year they seen 7 deer in 3 days of hunting. I enjoy going to the big woods but I enjoy seeing deer even more so I stay closer to home to deer hunt.
FrogFire7
Well-Known Member
That's good to know. When you see almost 100,000 people ahead of you in line makes you a little nervous
Ben Gallardy
Well-Known Member
We actually skip the first week and hunt the second…..no one in the woods. The deer numbers are not where they were 20 years ago, that's for sure. And if we were seeing no deer, I would probably feel the same way. But we do our homework throughout the year and understand year to year where the food is and where the deer go, and adjust accordingly. Results have been consistently good. Hunting state land is tough, but worth it. I saw over 30 deer on the last day of rifle season last year and killed a nice 8 pt.
I'll take seeing a nice 8 and a few does daily over 40 does and a spike any day. As a bonus, last season, I saw bear, a fisher, plenty of turkey and a bobcat. Enjoy that diversity over just seeing a bunch of deer like I see in the lowlands.
birddog 68
Well-Known Member
Totally agree. 40 day means there's way too many!
FrogFire7
Well-Known Member
Farm country here at the base of the mountain, 40 would be a high day but not necessarily unrealistic. Top of the mountain on game lands the story is very different. Game lands is rewarding when you cash out, though!
jimbires
Well-Known Member
I've got a couple good ones on game lands . I've also hunted game lands and seen nothing for days .
yobuck
Well-Known Member
As for deer numbers in the northern counties, there is no doubt that the numbers are down when compared to past years.
And much of that is by design on the part of the game commission.
When i was young we had a camp in what was to become the Quehanna Wilderness area.
There were more than 300 camps, permanent homes and a few farms within that area at that time, and all were demolished.
It would be very common to see 30 to 50 deer on just one deer drive with our group.
But our buck kill numbers were not good, especially nicer ones.
1954 was our last year using that camp, after which the entire area was closed off completely.
It was closed for about 5 years, after which it was reopened for public hunting with shotguns only for a couple years before rifles were permitted again.
During that period the deer herd had multiplied considerably.
And as a result of that the hunter numbers were very high.
Yet nothing much had changed in the nearby areas.
But deer numbers were high even in those areas.
A late afternoon drive from Sinnemahoning up to the state park would show lots of deer in the fields along the way.
After dark the same trip with a spot light might show you a dozen or more bucks, some very nice ones.
Today very few people even bother taking a drive to look for deer.
40 years ago a trip from Driftwood to Bennezete might show you over 50 deer or more.
Today you would be apt to see no deer on that trip, but you could very well see 50 Elk instead.
So it might be a fair question to ask if this is part of an overall plan in order to promote tourism in that part of the world?
I mean what else does it have to offer?
The only busineses in both Sinnemahoning and Driftwood are 3 bars, but you cant buy a gallon of gas or a quart of milk in either place.
But back to the deer, of coarse food is and has always been a factor, and that changes pretty regularly.
Those who put in the time before season as a rule are more successfull than those who dont.
Also make no mistake that deer habits have changed as well due to being pressured more, especially by Coyotes.
But dont rule out the long archery season as well, with increasing numbers of hunters using cross bows.
For the last few years my oldest son has been living at our camp.
Last year shortly after the close of the season there was a pretty bad storm there.
So he put some corn out mainly for the turkeys about 100' behind the camp.
The evening after he did that he called to tell me that there were 6 legal bucks feeding on that corn.
Mind you, they got none at the camp during the season.
And much of that is by design on the part of the game commission.
When i was young we had a camp in what was to become the Quehanna Wilderness area.
There were more than 300 camps, permanent homes and a few farms within that area at that time, and all were demolished.
It would be very common to see 30 to 50 deer on just one deer drive with our group.
But our buck kill numbers were not good, especially nicer ones.
1954 was our last year using that camp, after which the entire area was closed off completely.
It was closed for about 5 years, after which it was reopened for public hunting with shotguns only for a couple years before rifles were permitted again.
During that period the deer herd had multiplied considerably.
And as a result of that the hunter numbers were very high.
Yet nothing much had changed in the nearby areas.
But deer numbers were high even in those areas.
A late afternoon drive from Sinnemahoning up to the state park would show lots of deer in the fields along the way.
After dark the same trip with a spot light might show you a dozen or more bucks, some very nice ones.
Today very few people even bother taking a drive to look for deer.
40 years ago a trip from Driftwood to Bennezete might show you over 50 deer or more.
Today you would be apt to see no deer on that trip, but you could very well see 50 Elk instead.
So it might be a fair question to ask if this is part of an overall plan in order to promote tourism in that part of the world?
I mean what else does it have to offer?
The only busineses in both Sinnemahoning and Driftwood are 3 bars, but you cant buy a gallon of gas or a quart of milk in either place.
But back to the deer, of coarse food is and has always been a factor, and that changes pretty regularly.
Those who put in the time before season as a rule are more successfull than those who dont.
Also make no mistake that deer habits have changed as well due to being pressured more, especially by Coyotes.
But dont rule out the long archery season as well, with increasing numbers of hunters using cross bows.
For the last few years my oldest son has been living at our camp.
Last year shortly after the close of the season there was a pretty bad storm there.
So he put some corn out mainly for the turkeys about 100' behind the camp.
The evening after he did that he called to tell me that there were 6 legal bucks feeding on that corn.
Mind you, they got none at the camp during the season.
birddog 68
Well-Known Member
From what I have been told black bears eat as many fawns as coyotes. And I don't think I need to tell anyone from Pennsylvania what has happened with the bear population in the last 10 or so years especially northern Pa.
Yes if someone puts in the work and knows the terrain they can be successful. The thing is that most have better hunting close to home and don't have the time to drive a couple hours one way to scout.
I would love to get back up there but with only so many vacation days a year I have to play the odds and stay close to home.
Yes if someone puts in the work and knows the terrain they can be successful. The thing is that most have better hunting close to home and don't have the time to drive a couple hours one way to scout.
I would love to get back up there but with only so many vacation days a year I have to play the odds and stay close to home.
