Off to Pennsylvania for Rutting Whitetails *Updated with a few Pictures*

[WFGinNM]

No western hunts for me this year, so I'll be spending 10 days in PA perched in trees hoping for a decent whitetail buck, and a few fat cornfed doe. Hopefull I'll have some pictures in couple weeks to post.

 

--Bill

 

Had a great time as usual. We were in Berks County just north of Philly in 5C. I told myself I wouldn't shoot the first buck I saw unless it was 130"+. First morning I had a 118" - 120" 8 point come in to 18 yards to freshen a scrape, he gave me 3 chances to kill him but he was headed towards my friend that had never hunted the bigger whitetails, so I stuck to my plan of something bigger or just a couple doe. After a few days of hanging out in trees waiting for the right buck, passing legal bucks that just wasn't what I was looking for we moved to an area that needed some doe thinning.

 

We each killed 2 doe this day.

 

 

I saw 3 bucks that I would have been glad to kill, just didn't get any shots (or pictures, had my bow in hand).

 

Here are some pictures of the hunt.

 

 

 

Interesting treestand I wasn't about to get in.

 

Waiting on a decent buck I saw chasing a couple doe while I was on the ground.

 

Not a bad rub for a Whitetail.

 

 

 

Meat wrapped and in the freezer getting ready for the trip to NM.

 

I really enjoy hunting these deer, and there is no shortage of them. On the way to the airport I saw about a dozen dead deer along the road, with at least that many more standing on the shoulders waiting their turn with the traffic. I can't wait to return, I still have a buck tag that is good through the end of January, and could probably pick up a few more antlerless tags if the chance arises to get back.

 

--Bill

[CouesWhitetail]

Have fun!! and I am looking forward to your pics.

[gotcoues]

I'm bummed, been to PA 4 yrs in a row to hunt. I have licenses for my two boys and I and we each have a doe tag for mercer county. Until this year I have only bowhunted, but the three of us were going during the rifle hunt. We're going to have to abandon the hunt this yr. due to fact we are remodeling a new home and it's over budget and my timeline is streching out too long.

 

What part of PA do you hunt? I've still yet to see a bruiser buck in PA, biggest being a 120ish buck.

[GameHauler]

Where are you going Bill?

I am from Clarion and plan to go next year.

Money providing.

[WFGinNM]

We hunted the southeast part of PA just north of Philly in Berks county. The weather was perfect, cold nights, cold mornings and clear skies.

 

--Bill

[vinihunt]

sweet! sound like FUN hunt!

 

vinihunt

[SunDevil]

that looks like some good eats right there.

 

they say if you take the number of deer that die from being hit by cars in PA each year it equals the TOTAL number of deer that we have in the entire state of AZ.