VA HEAD HUNTER

well i just have to say that i feel sorry for you guys in pa cause i know how much i love the sport and it is more then that too me since i have been doing it since i was 6 years old and im 31 now so that is along time for me and it is a way of life and i cant imagine what it would be like if that was comprimised. i hope things get better there with the deer populations and i hope a happy median can be forged between the hunters and the state to make for good experiences for all. the ones that should really be pissed are the young people who have never experienced the harvest and may not get the chance because of the laws associated with the ar's. i would just be sick if my son would not be able to experience it when hes old enough to go out for the first time. good luck to you guys and hope it gets better

rybohunter

Well if a person is going to quit hunting because they can't shoot the 1st scrubby buck to walk past them then I am not going to miss them in the woods that's for sure.

davidmil

I would imagine in 4 or 5 years when they start seeing monsters coming out of PA the hunters in states around them will flock to PA for a chance at a big buck. You'll have people leasing up land, overrunning public land etc etc AGAIN. Heck, I haven't had a PA license in about 3 or 4 years. I might have to buy another.

Deleted User

[Deleted by Admins]

wingbar

davidmil: I got news for you, the land is being leased up already has been in parts of Pa for several years now.

VA HEAD HUNTER

davidmil: if it is bad enough for ar's i serioussly doubt youll see alot of people rushing to pa for monsters especially when the neighboring states like ohio, west virginia, virginia, and md all produce bigger deer and they are easier to get. to help the numbers of deer and the quality of deer a shorter season and correst management is what is needed

wingbar

maybe we should go back to a 3 wk archery season, 2 wk buck gun followed by 2 days doe with an 1 day extension on doe if weather is bad.......that way we will have completed the full circlle from hence we began! Oh yes no youth deer days too

chickory

That was funny... I'm glad to see some still have a sense of humor. I'm still wiping my eyes from that doozy...wheewwww. Good one.

Pa was harvesting 203,000 bucks in 2000 now this year we are estimated to harvest somewhere in the neighborhood of 110,000. And they are he same size bucks we have harvested for the last 10 years according to most I talk to, and to Commissioner Mohr, a sitting member of the Pa commission......

And you think by magic, some fairies are going to somehow leave a few Saskatchewan booners under a fern leaf for you if you buy a license...

Hehehehehe......to funny!

Lefty26

I quit hunting in PA about 5 years ago when I moved from PA to MD. Next year I think I will start hunting in PA again. After seeing the bucks my buddies are taking I think its time to go back to PA and dip into some of your big bucks. From what I have seen in PA AR is working and its time for me to take advantage of it. I cant wait until MD sets up an AR system to help let our little guys grow.

JerseyJim

I just got permision to hunt a 105 acre piece in Pa. I will probably go next year! There is a cabin on the property and I'm going for the experience of camping out and spending quality time with my old man. I couldn't care less about AR's. If I see a legal buck I'll take it. If not I'll still have a good time with who ever go's with me. The more I think about antler restrictions the less I like them! I thought I liked the idea at first but my first buck was a 2x2 and would'nt have been legal under AR rules. That was my favorite buck I killed. Thats an experience I wouldn't have had under those rules! A buck is a buck! If we have them all grow into trophies then are they really still trophies? I grew up around a lot of deer hunters NOT trophy hunters. I like being a deer hunter! I love taking any antlered buck. When I look at the smaller racks on my wall the experience of that hunt comes back to me just the same as when I look at the heads I have mounted! I can't tell you how many ear to ear smiles I've seen on young hunters dragging thier spike or small racked bucks up to the check in stations! Don't try to tell them that deer isn't a trophy! It would be a shame to lose those young hunters to frustration of not being able to kill what in thier minds IS a trophy! We as hunters need all the help we can get to get young people into hunting. Our numbers are shrinking and the anti's are growing! There is nothing wrong with holding out for a bigger buck if thats what YOU want to do but don't try and force you idea of what hunting should be on other hunters! My 4 point is my favorite set of antlers I have! It brings back the best memories and the biggest smile. Under AR rules I would have missed that! Young minds are discouraged very easy. Making them wait to kill a buck because the only ones they see have less then 4 points on a side might be enough to turn them looking for another pass time! Just my .02