Changes in PA

[Slickrem]

This past October l turned 59, and see and feel subtle changes with me and drastic changes in the feild regarding less game being seen. You always get word of guys seeing a few deer here and there. Tracks along the way, more tracks then l’ve seen I quite awhile, bear, coyote, buck and doe.

Can’t blame myself this year considering heard everyone l ran into saying the same thing, don’t see much, if at all.

Couple of groups pushing but nothing around, and got fortunate to nail a buck and a few doe.

Talked to a GW about what’s going on. Said he saw guys pull out some huge buck but had to go pretty far back in big woods. I learned that from one tracker from Maine, Hal Blood. He calls places “obscure out of the way”. Bucks become loners. They get away from does and other bucks who dominate food sources, pressure from people, and other predators.

I walked up a draw the last day l was up north, to find alot of fresh tracks, that went into brush. Some went through laurel, some came out, to drop down the ridge, some l couldn’t circle, too thick to see any tracks coming out to say ok.. l don’t need to go through it to hunt.

My biggest problem is, being alone and venturing too far without someone along with me. A lot of guys team up, which make it easier from what l can tell.

Up until the point of private property harvesting, it was never hunting, which came to a halt once my mother in law passed, and father in law is in a nursing home up there, l started to go elsewhere. Another place where guys rather watched TV and eat all day, no action to speak of and nothing going on at all. That’s when l decided to go up the road to a motel that was surrounded by state forest.

This past summer, l believe, didn’t ask, a clear cut was done, and seen a lot of tracks, but nothing at all during the day even with a push done one day.

Over the ridge from that push l guy l met last year showed a lot of nice buck on camera off a lease they are a part of. He only was able to shoot a doe.

I would say a lot of discouraged people up there not just me.

[765x53]

I hear on the news that Maine has a big problem with crime by illegals'. It would not surprise me to learn that wholesale commercial poaching is one of those crimes.

[Slickrem]

I hear on the news that Maine has a big problem with crime by illegals'. It would not surprise me to learn that wholesale commercial poaching is one of those crimes.

Sorry l didn’t mention in PA.. l changed the thread title

[GunnyMack]

Poaching certainly happens.
In PA's big woods the herds cant grow very large, not enough food. The next couple years around that clear cut you mentioned the population will rise as the cut begins to regenerate trees. The deer will eat all those seedlings( provided invasive weeds dont take over.) Also the ruffed grouse population will grow as they NEED multi generations of trees.

Also to consider, it was a very dry summer, no water and the deer will move.

Deer aren't stupid, they will move to developments when they start smelling man in their woods, happens here in NJ, and they never leave again.

Let's not forget the EHD caused by bugs that kills deer. Wet last year and it could be its just a low population.

So many things effect the animals.

Back in '11 & '12 we had two very hard winters, the deer were decimated here. I had my house deer, at least 12 a day to get corn and I lost all of them. Now I see 6 does and fawns every few days.

Lastly, we cant forget about coyote populations , they decimate fawns every spring, bears too!

[Slickrem]

Poaching certainly happens.
In PA's big woods the herds cant grow very large, not enough food. The next couple years around that clear cut you mentioned the population will rise as the cut begins to regenerate trees. The deer will eat all those seedlings( provided invasive weeds dont take over.) Also the ruffed grouse population will grow as they NEED multi generations of trees.

Also to consider, it was a very dry summer, no water and the deer will move.

Deer aren't stupid, they will move to developments when they start smelling man in their woods, happens here in NJ, and they never leave again.

Let's not forget the EHD caused by bugs that kills deer. Wet last year and it could be its just a low population.

So many things effect the animals.

Back in '11 & '12 we had two very hard winters, the deer were decimated here. I had my house deer, at least 12 a day to get corn and I lost all of them. Now I see 6 does and fawns every few days.

Lastly, we cant forget about coyote populations , they decimate fawns every spring, bears too!

There are plenty of seeps springs so not sure about dry summers. Mature buck were taken from deep woods this year according to one GW from the zones l hunted. After the rut they venture away from people and does. The book l read from a master guide mentioned that buck travel quite a distance to find doe before the rut. So l’m calculating it from remote areas they have food and shelter, and that GW couldn’t believe his eyes how huge these bucks were. Those hunters had to go a few miles or more in the woods to find them.

Any clearcuts l run across don’t show an invasion of weeds but they probably invade saplings in the summer.

Bear and yotes l believe that. No more DMAP tags for me, that’s for sure

[wvfarrier]

I battle poachers every year, its exhausting. I live right on the WV/PA border (my farm IS the Mason-Dixon line). Its a constant struggle with trespassers from both states.

[wvfarrier]

I hear on the news that Maine has a big problem with crime by illegals'. It would not surprise me to learn that wholesale commercial poaching is one of those crimes.

The wife and I had considered moving to Maine until we saw the crime stats. It appears that since the massive influx of Somali's that the crime rates are up nearly 60%

[OldWin]

I hear on the news that Maine has a big problem with crime by illegals'. It would not surprise me to learn that wholesale commercial poaching is one of those crimes.

The wife and I had considered moving to Maine until we saw the crime stats. It appears that since the massive influx of Somali's that the crime rates are up nearly 60%

The taxes are more of a worry than the crime.