Rut Photography Ends in a Bang

 

As daylight creeps across the Pennsylvania landscape the sound of gunshots will be heard in the more rural areas.  Firearms deer season will open with antlered deer being legal statewide and antlerless being legal in a few management areas.  While Monday morning will be the beginning of "deer season" for the firearms hunters it will signal the end of photographing the whitetail rut.

The whitetails two most important defensive tactics are stealth and speed with this racing buck illustrating the latter.

 

Thousands of hunters across the state will fill their tags tomorrow while many will return to home or camp with the story of the deer they missed.  Along with the successful kills and the misses will be a significant number of deer wounded and unrecovered.    

 

 

A casualty from and earlier year, this old buck actively participated in the 2014 rut even though his left front leg was missing.   For any hunters reading this please remember, Safety First!  Be sure of your target, make sure you have a safe backstop, and choose your shot carefully.  Remember once fired a bullet is a lethal missile that cannot be recalled.  

 

Pennsylvania Antler Restrictions: My Opinion

When this Pennsylvania firearms deer season draws to a close Saturday we will have ten years of antler restrictions behind us.

Prior to the 2002 season Pa regulations required a buck to carry either a 3" minimum length spike or two points on one side to be a legal antlered deer.  Starting with the 2002 season to be legal; a buck had to carry at least 3 points an inch or more in length on one side and some regions required at least 4.  This year after much complaining from hunters in the 4 point region as to the difficulty in determining whether a buck with three points on top also had the required brow tine the PGC changed the 4 point region to requiring 3 points on top; brow tines do not count.

At the same time the antler restrictions were instituted antlerless rifle deer season, which had previously been the Monday through Wednesday following buck season, became concurrent with the two weeks of buck season.  Since then due to hunter complaints about lack of deer much of the state is now buck only the first five days followed by seven days of concurrent antlered and antlerless hunting.

Legal buck prior to 2002

 Prior to 2002 1 1/2 year old buck made up 85% of the buck harvest.  Leaving only 15% of the bucks to have a chance to become 2 1/2 years old.  At 1 1/2 bucks are simply too young to grow nice antlers.  Spikes were so common that it was the running joke that they were Pennsylvania 11 pointers.  If I remember correctly studies were reporting that the adult buck/doe ratio was somewhere around 14 does for each buck following the hunting season. 

 Another legal buck prior to 2002

Willard and I both became interested in our local whitetails at an early age and have hunted, watched, and photographed them extensivily over the past forty plus years.  Prior to 2002 we would have refered to the buck pictured in the first photo as a big buck for our area and indeed he may have been the biggest buck we spotted during the course of the year.  Today our standards have changed.  Now I would refer to him as a little eight pointer as bucks of his size are quite common.

After nine years of antler restriction it takes a buck like this to really get my attention

Pennsylvaina was never known for big bucks.  Our deer herd was managed for quanitity and quanitity only.  With 750,00 to 1,000,000 hunters in the woods a buck did not have much of a chance to live to adulthood.  Our problem has never been geneticts, it has always been age.  No buck can grow impressive antlers at 1 1/2 years of age.  2 1/2 year olds can grow some nice antlers but they simply cannot be big.  Its very simple, it takes time for a buck to grow.  Our current antler restrictions are designed to protect yearlings and is producing a good crop of nice bucks each year.    

I have listened to many hunters discuss antler restriction and surfed message boards.  What I find is that some hunters swear by them while others swear at them however, surveys of hunters finds that support for antler restrictions is very high.  Personally I would never want to go back to the old way.  If change were to be made I would like to see the entire state changed to 3 points on top however the way it is now suits me just fine!

Pa Deer Season Opens

As daylight seeps across Pennsylvania the firearms deer season will open.  Thousands of hunters will take to the woods in hopes of bagging a deer and while they are waiting for a deer to appear there will be other wildlife to entertain during their wait.

Birds such as this Tufted-titmouse will be flitting around in search food

The deer will be on heightened alert and ready to burst into flight at the least sign of danger

And by evening many hunters will have the story of "the big one that got away"!

Thoughts on Scents

I was busy photographing this young rutting buck when a stray gust of wind carried my scent directly to him.  Immediately he burst into flight; as did the dove trying to escape his pounding hooves.

Woodland Whitetails: Firearms Season Nears

Pennsylvania's firearms deer season will open in less than a week.  It has been an incredible season photographing the whitetail rut both in Pennsylvania and SNP Virginia but, as with all good things it must end and here in Pa with the season opener my buck photography will end literally with a bang.

The First Morning Continued........

Upon approaching the party at the downed bull we learned that two elk had been harvested.  The guide was with two clients; one with a bull tag and the other holding a cow tag.  Both had successfully harvested their animals.

Pa Deer Season Opener

As daylight creeps over the rural countryside in the morning the sound of gunshots will echo between the mountains and across the valleys.  In some areas it will be lawful for hunters with the proper tags to harvest either bucks or does while in others the season will be for bucks only.

Buck hunters must also be mindful of the number of points the deer carries as in some areas it takes three points on one side while in others four.  Most importantly hunters need to be careful as no deer is worth taking a chance that may injure another human.

Sightings like the image above will provide grist for hunting camp stories to be told for years to come of the "big one that got away".

Good luck Bucks, I'm rooting for ya :)

Some Thoughts on Hunting

Myself admiring one of my Dad's bucks during my early years

I grew up on a small farm in rural Pennsylvania.  Deer hunting was a fact of life and venison was a staple on our dinner table.  Each fall we butchered the hogs on Thanksgiving and buck season opened the following Monday.  Mom would always hold the sausage until she had some venison burger to mix with it to increase the lean content.  Harvesting deer and butchering the hogs, no difference, it was a way of life; a way of putting food on the table.

A I grew older I could hardly wait to join the red-coated men as they went hunting for the mysterious critters that wore antlers and as soon possible I was out there with my little hand-me-down Winchester M1892 38-40 shooting Remington Core-Lokt 180grain slugs.  My first two bucks and a doe fell to that little rifle and what a thrill it was!

As time went by I continued to hunt.  I became interested in longer range rifles, better accuracy, good optics and learning more and more about those mysterious creatures of the wild.  I hunted everything that our area of Pennsylvania offered and I must say I enjoyed it immensely.  My intense interest in hunting took me to the Pennsylvania Game Commission where I served as a Deputy Wildlife Conservation Officer for 23 years.  Although a deputies busiest days were the peak hunting days I still found time to pursue my hunting and balance both with my full time career.  During those years I also found time to visit Ontario for bear hunting and Quebec a few times in pursuit of Caribou.

As the years passed these mysterious denizens of the woodlands were no longer so mysterious and I began to understand that as much as I enjoyed watching the wildlife that when it was killed it was no longer there.  Seems pretty simple to understand, but its not when your view of the wilds is full of mystery, you just knew that what was killed was only the tip of the iceberg, there was always plenty more just below the surface where they could not be seen, a bigger buck just over the next knoll; or was there?

I remember a favorite uncle of mine who hunted with a gang some distance from home telling of all of the does the gang killed.  I remember him saying that it seemed that the more they killed the more there were.  Then a few years later the gang broke up and he began hunting closer home.  Why?  Well they just weren't killing the deer like they used to.  And I wonder why?

Yes I still hunt (consumptive) some and yes I still consider venison a staple on our dinner table but now I question the hunting community more than ever.  I full well realize that the reason that we are blessed with the wildlife populations that we have today is because hunters demanded wildlife departments and laws to protect wildlife to provide huntable populations.  I understand that hunter dollars finance wildlife management and have paid for the reintroduction of many of the species that uncontrolled slaughter decimated or eliminated from many areas.  I also understand that certain keystone species must be kept in balance with the environment and hunting is the most economical way to do this.  But I do call into question some of the things people are doing in the name of hunting.

Anyone who visits this blog regularly knows that I am opposed to the Pennsylvania elk hunt as it is currently conducted.  The elk that live in or visit the elk viewing areas around Benezette and Winslow Hill have no fear of humans yet the bulls are targeted annually in a "trophy" hunt.  How can an animal who has no fear of humans become a "trophy"?  I don't know, the concept escapes me.

Recently the story of "Bozo" the 879 lb tame bear broke here in Pa.  It seems that a man fed this bear from the time it was a cub up until shortly before it was killed by a group of three archers.  It is said that this huge bear was a frequent visitor at a local resort and people would gather just to see Bozo.  The man who fed him could pet him, hug him, and lie down against his side.  Wild bear...Not!  Many in the hunting community demonize this man for feeding the bear; crying its illegal to feed a bear!  Yes it is, Now; but he fed it for 17 years.  It wasn't illegal when he started and only in the past few years has it been unlawful. 

The man who killed him said that he had hunted "this bear" for three years but then is surprised when what should have been the pinnacle of his hunting career is called into question.  If you wish to read more about the incident click Here and Here or just Google Bozo tame bear.

Apparently the shooters knew full well that the animal they turned into a living pin cushion (7 arrows shot by three people) was this exact bear and knew full well this animal's history from some of the comments posted on hunting forums allegedly by members of the party.  Then I read a poll on an archery hunting forum asking who would or would not shoot this animal if they had known its history.  55% said they would shoot!  Is this what hunting has devolved into?  Is this what hunting is all about? 

Last Saturday I took a good friend who is an avid hunter along to visit the local bear check station on opening day of bear season.  There were some very nice bears being brought in along with a number of small cubs.  Looking at the kill map I noted two kill sites with three pins sticking in close together.  Speaking with one of the men on duty they confirmed my suspicion that these sites denoted where a mother and her cubs were killed.  While there my friend overheard a person bragging about his gang getting up four bears and killing them all.  It turned out to have been a sow with three small cubs.  Killing cubs is legal in Pennsylvania, a bear is a bear in the PGC's eyes.  Every time I have talked with my friend since he keeps bringing it up saying how pathetic it is for hunters to do this.  He questions why that its legal, then says "that's not hunting".

Back when I read the hunting magazines I remember they portrayed most hunters as ethical sportsman who were careful to do their best, be beyond reproach and represent the sport of hunting well to the non-hunting public.

Now I read the message boards, see what real hunters think and I question; do I really want to be a part of this?  Its no wonder that so many hunters are concerned about the "anti's"; quickly branding everyone who doesn't agree with everything they do with this negative tag.  Hunters have become their own worst enemies, Along with what I mentioned above are high fence hunts where some "hunt" admittedly tame animals for "trophies" not to mention the poachers who know no limits and have no boundaries.  I have came to the place to where I don't want to be called a "hunter" any more.  55% of respondents would knowingly kill a tame bear roaming free, 20,000 apply for a Pennsylvania elk tag each year hoping to shoot an elk that has no fear of humans.  The hunting community attempts to portray hunters as being for the most part good decent people with deep concerns for our wildlife and our environment with only a few bad apples but 55% would knowingly kill a hand fed bear, that's a majority not just a couple of bad apples.

What ever happened to hunting?  Or has it always been this way?  I have never known an anti hunter to become a hunter but I do know a hunter that is very close to becoming an anti.  Thanks a lot guys your doing one heck of a job.

On Guard

Come the morning all of the deer in Pennsylvania’s hunting country will need to be on guard as about one million hunters.take to the woods. All deer will be legal game depending upon the tags that the hunter carries.

Hunting is the tool that wildlife managers use to control the whitetail population. Long ago when wolves, cougars, and other top level predators roamed the woods deer numbers were controlled naturally but that isn’t the case today. Without these predators deer numbers must be controlled otherwise damage to agriculture, vehicle accidents, and damage to the habitat will ensues when deer numbers are allowed to become too high.

Tomorrow will see many happy hunters taking home the venison. It will also see some who would not play by the rules who will take home citations from my friends working for the PGC. Others will have run-ins with landowners over trespass issues.

I have enjoyed the most fantastic whitetail rut with encounters like that I have never had in past years. Much of this I have shared with you here on the pages of Country Captures. With the hunting season opening tomorrow my fall deer photography will effectively draw to a close. It’s been a great year; I hate to see it end but as the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end.

Pa Rifle Deer Season: Its Over

As dusk fell across the countryside this evening another Pa deer season closed. Slowly life will return to normal for the deer as the winter chill deepens.

Many have voiced their sentiments in comments here both pro and anti hunting. I do respect everyone’s opinion and am glad that you all feel free to share. I grew up hunting and continue to hunt although my weapon of choice today is usually a camera but not always. Hunting is a very useful tool for the modern wildlife manager to control certain wildlife populations. Hunting also generates considerable economic activity. Fees and taxes paid by hunters provide the majority of the money spent on wildlife conservation in this country.

My attitude towards many hunters or so called sportsmen has been tainted by the actions of many that I have had contact with over the years. Too many hunters disrespect the wishes of those controlling property and could not care less about infringing upon landowners rights. Frequently this type of hunter also cares very little about wildlife or the regulations that govern the taking of it.

I shot this photograph today. The hunters who were cruising a back road with the window down (temperature was below freezing) had just observed me with the camera. There is little doubt the only reason the window was down was so a rifle could be thrust out quickly if deer were sighted. This is just some of the actions that give hunting and hunters a bad name.

For more Camera Critters click Here

Monday Morning: Pa Deer Season

Dawn, normally a quiet time of day in rural Pennsylvania, will be anything but quiet tomorrow. Well before the first light of day people all over the state will be rising from their warm beds and preparing to spend the day in the cold wet woods.

The Monday after Thanksgiving has been the traditional season opener of the Pennsylvania’s buck season for more years than I have been alive. With time comes change and it is now the opening day of rifle season. We have more seasons in which to hunt deer than you can shake a stick at; two archery seasons, muzzleloader season, flintlock season and rifle season not to count the deer damage seasons that run independent of the regular seasons.

Depending upon which part of Pa one is hunting in, for a buck to be legal for most hunters, it must have either 3 or 4 points on one antler. Most areas are open for the harvest of does, but not all. Since Pennsylvania is a state that does not discriminate, if the hunter is currently active duty military or is less than seventeen years old then a legal buck is defined as a deer having one antler 3” or longer. If the aspiring deer hunter is less than twelve years old a hunting license is not required. Believe it or not, if a baby is accompanied by a controlling adult, that baby is allowed to legally kill a buck in the upcoming season. That’s right; there is no minimum age requirement for one to hunt deer in Pennsylvania.

Are you confused? I doubt that Pennsylvania has cornered the market on confusing regulations, but our legislature and the commission bureaucracy has certainly done a great job of making a mess out of something that once was simple and straightforward. I have not even touched upon the regulations governing the wearing of safety clothing, that in and of itself would make quite a few post.

In only a few hours hundreds of thousands of people will brave the weather and the morass of regulations to pursue the Pennsylvania whitetail deer. This season opener will effectively close the book on my Pennsylvania buck photography for 2008.

Red-Breasted Merganser

As any regular visitor to Country Captures knows, I have been having a great time this spring photo-hunting waterfowl. I have become particularly focused on capturing wildlife action photos. I consider this photograph of a Red-Breasted Merganser to be among my top shots of the spring.

I have carried a keen interest in wildlife since my boyhood days and it has not dimmed one bit as the years pass. Early on my interest centered on hunting and fishing as this was the only way I knew to interact with these interesting creatures. As I matured my interest in wildlife drew me into the field of wildlife conservation where I served as a Pa. Deputy Wildlife Conservation Officer for twenty three years.

Hunting presents a set of challenges that the hunter must overcome to become successful. The challenges begin with locating suitable habitat and locating the query to the end game of firing a well placed shot to bring the hunt to a successful conclusion.

I do continue to hunt for the table a little each year but now the camera has replaced the deadly weapons for the vast majority of my wildlife interaction. I find the challenges of wildlife photography are even more difficult than that of conventional hunting. Photography negates a few of the challenges that face the hunter as there are no set hunting seasons or bag limits to contend with. Also we can photograph where animals are to some degree acclimated to people; areas such as National Parks and nature reserves.

The photographer faces additional challenges such as amount of light, lighting angles, subject positioning, motion, and suitable backgrounds to mention a few.

I find a close encounter with wildlife that results in a successful image capture every bit as exhilarating and satisfying as any encounter in my younger years and much more so than bagging any animal does today.

Visit Misty for more Camera Critters

Jacklighting, Tools of the Trade

For those unfamiliar with the term, Jacklighting is the act of unlawfully shining a light on an animal in an attempt to kill it. While spotlighting (the act of shining a light on wildlife) is legal in Pennsylvania within certain hours; the possession of weapons capable of killing game is not, with few exceptions.

As a young Deputy Conservation Officer I was assigned to work under a District Officer who had came to the conclusion that jacklighting was to be our major focus. He reasoned that jacklighting; while very prevalent at the time was a socially unacceptable violation and one we could do something about. At the time we were a force of nearly a dozen officers with a county of four hundred square miles. By concentrating our efforts in a particular area on any given night we were able to increase our odds of apprehending jacklighters significantly. The following is a short story about one of the more unusual apprehensions from those early years.

Thanksgiving had just passed and our rural county was experiencing its annual population increase as hunters arrived. As some hunters cannot wait until the season; we officers were working patrols all throughout the nights. On this particular night a fellow officer noticed a vehicle spotlighting after hours along a secluded forestry road that follows a mountain top for many miles. As he could watch the vehicle’s progress from his vantage point some ten miles away; we decided that I would attempt to get into position for the stop. I knew it was a long shot as I had many miles to cover so I felt no need to hurry.

Time flew by as I traveled the country roads and some forty five minutes had elapsed by the time he informed me that I was getting near. The suspect’s vehicle had been moving south the entire time and as I had entered the south end of the road a head on encounter was about to ensue. As I needed to observe the spotlight coming from the vehicle prior to the stop, I pulled over and shut down.

In a few moments I could see their vehicle slowly approaching as they shined the spotlight into every nook and cranny in their attempt to locate deer. I can imagine their surprise when their night took a turn for the worse as I activated the red lights.

Soon the incident was under control, they looked on in astonishment as I removed the loaded rifle that had been between the two occupants, along with their spotlight. They had felt secure in this remote area while they went about their deadly task. Little did they realize that what appeared to them to be heavy forest along the road was only a thin screen of trees that allowed an officer, miles away, to follow their every move as they searched for a buck.

Neither could they have imagined that I had traveled twenty two miles, much of it over back country roads, to be in position to apprehend them.

Deer Hunting, a Dark Side

Willard mentioned in his previous comment that I should post about a story that appeared in Pennsylvania Game News, November 2006 entitled Mike’s Backyard Bruiser.

The following is a much abbreviated version of the story. Early on in the article we are introduced to Mike as a “life long Pennsylvania gentleman and a fine role model of what a sportsman should be”. Also it is stated that “he harbors a deep love and respect for both the animals he pursues and the environment they inhabit”. The story takes place in Mike’s backyard in southeastern Pa where he has a tree stand.

About 8:00 a.m. Mike shot an arrow into a large buck’s rib cage. The buck moved away about 50 yards and lay down. During the day Mike attempted a number of times to approach the deer close enough for a finishing shot but the buck would move off a little each time only to lay down again. At one point he did attempt a shot only to miss and the buck walked away into some brush and again lay down. Upon returning the next morning he found the deer dead where he had left it the preceding evening.

To be entirely fair to the hunter, once the deer was injured he had no legal way of finishing the job other than with a bow as archery gear was the only allowable weapon during this season.

The part that really gripes me about this article is the last paragraph.

“The trophy now hangs over Mike’s mantle – a vivid reminder of one awesome day spent interactively immersed in God’s creation and a culmination of many wonderful years spent afield in pursuit of the big one”.

Speaking as a hunter, to be involved in a situation such as described in this article would be a Nightmare to me!

I was not born with the code of ethics that I hunt by nor was I taught it by any one particular person; rather it has developed over four decades of hunting and living closely with wildlife. I have killed deer; I do not know how many as I have not kept count. Not only have I killed while hunting but my work in conservation required mercy killing many times over the years.

To me there is no joy in bringing suffering to any creature. I accept death; for in death there is life. Anyone who enjoys a steak, hamburger, pork chop or even a hotdog must accept that an animal was required to die to provide that meal. I see little difference in harvesting a wild animal for food than killing a domestic animal reared by humans for that purpose. In reality the wild animal in many cases actually lived a better life being free up to the time of being harvested. The duty of the hunter is to accomplish his goal as quickly and painlessly as possible and not take joy in any suffering they happen to inflict when things go wrong.

The above photo is of two young bucks sparring, not of a pitched battle. After a good tussle the two “boys” made up by licking

Ps. Abe, I promise to digress from the hunting issues in my next post and return to unspoiled wildlife and rural photos.

Deer Hunting; Making the Shot

As I review my buck photographs from this autumn this photo stands out.

This capture is typical of the view a deer hunter hopes to see. Very seldom does the hunter get a completely unobstructed view and usually the deer will not stand around for long. To be successful the hunter must stay alert and be ready to react quickly at a moments notice. The ethical hunter will be prepared to do the job safely, legally, and humanely.

A hunter must be efficient in the use of his/her weapon. Nothing will replace practice. Firing a weapon repeatedly from a bench rest; while excellent for sighting in a rifle is not practical practice. Practice must involve shooting from the various positions one can expect in the field. Often overlooked; learning ones limitations cannot be stressed too much. Shooting at living targets is no time to learn that one is not up to the task!

My goal is to deliver one well placed shot that kills the animal either instantly or within a few seconds. Many years ago while visiting with an old friend on deer stand he made a statement that all hunters should consider. Billie said “I shoot deer on my terms, not theirs”. By this he meant that he would not take a shot that he was not totally confident of.

As a conservation officer I witnessed many times “hunters” blasting away at deer they had little hope of ever hitting. Gut shots, blown off legs, blasted jaws, etc were frequently the results of their efforts. More often than not after firing they would not even take the time to search for wounded animals, content that none had dropped on the spot.

These actions by the uncaring have always left me sickened

Lip Curling and the Past Two Weeks

I have had the distinct pleasure of being away from work for the past two weeks. During this time I have spent most mornings and evenings pursuing wildlife. The time was very productive and I will be posting these images for quite some time to come.

Rutting Whitetail Deer have always fascinated me. During the rut bucks that otherwise are primarily nocturnal begin moving freely in daylight checking scrapes and following does in estrus. This in turn gives the Whitetail Photographer the opportunity he has been waiting for. This image depicts a nice young buck exhibiting the lip-curling or flehmen response as he checks for a doe in estrus.

The window of opportunity for photographing rutting bucks in our area was quite short this year with the rut beginning two weeks late. This in turn allowed only a few days action before the rifle hunting season opened, totally disrupting the deer’s normal patterns. With the opening of the hunting season my attention shifted to birds and watching for road-hunters and unwelcome trespassers.


Deer season has been relatively quiet although yesterday we had an incident on our family farm where a hunting guest of a neighbor thought it his “God Given Right” to shoot onto our property and kill a young fawn and then go and retrieve it with out asking permission. Perhaps this individual has a learning disability and cannot comprehend that no trespassing means to stay the “H…” OUT and that includes his unwelcome bullets!

As a footnote we had a problem with the neighbor (his first year living here) last year when he shot an illegal buck on our property, drove his atv in and retrieved it and our District Conservation Officer, allowed it all to pass with only a warning. The Pennsylvania Game and Wildlife Code provides charges for trespass while hunting as long as another game code violation is present. In this case I believe this officer is so opposed to personal property rights that he allowed an illegal deer kill to go uncharged just to avoid pressing trespass charges. He assured me that this individual had “received his message”, now it is quite apparent that was not the case!

Hunting Collage

This is the collage I created of the Pennsylvania buck I harvested this fall. My brother captured the shot of him standing in the field previous to the hunting season. The background is old barn siding.

Deer Season. The End

Although our deer season runs through next Saturday, mine has ended. This morning shortly after first light I bagged this nine-point as he was moving to his bedding area. This buck is considerably larger than average for our area and is possibly the largest I have harvested in my hunting career.

For most of my life Pennsylvania law only required a buck to have three inches of visible antler to be considered a legal buck. Starting in 2002 the law was changed. Since that time bucks in our region are required to have three points on one side and each must be a minimum of an inch in length. The effect of this regulation change has made it possible for more bucks to survive to become true trophy animals. At the same time efforts were made to reduce the doe population. We now have an improved buck-doe ratio and a much better population of large bucks although the total deer population is somewhat lower.. Not all hunters are happy with this change, but how much of a trophy is a yearling buck sporting three inch spikes?

I for one support and appreciate the efforts of our Game Commission in improving our deer herd.

Pennsylvania’s Rural Holiday

Of all the holidays celebrated in rural Pennsylvania, Monday will be the largest. This holiday is always celebrated on the first Monday following Thanksgiving. Schools will close for one to two days. Factories will close for as much as the entire week! Many other businesses will be closed also. The population of our county began to rise Friday and will reach its annual peak by dawn Monday morning.

Hundreds of trucks and SUV’s will be parked by the roadsides. All available camping spots on state forest land will be occupied and blaze orange will be visible in nearly all vehicles moving on our country roads.

What is the cause of all this fervor and celebration? Deer Season!


I now look back at my youth; deer season was a big event for me, it was the time that Dad and Granddad would go out before dawn and oft times return with a mystical, nearly supernatural, mythical creature from the forest, The Buck! The buck would be hung to be admired and later processed into delicious venison.



In this photograph I am posing with one of Dad’s bucks around 1960. I remember his story of how he dropped this buck on what had been my Great Grandfathers farm at very long range. I never knew Dad to take a quick shot, and he very seldom missed. Now with his advancing years he has no interest in taking another deer.

I began deer hunting in 1966. My Grandfather and I set out to hunt the woodlot on our family farm. Shortly after dawn the rain began. Soon it was coming in wind driven sheets. I had no rain gear and was soon thoroughly soaked. I sat at the base of a tree I had picked because of the deer trails running near. In the downpour my youthful patients wore thin very quickly and by 8:00 I was wondering just how long I could hold out! A few minutes later I noticed a deer moving in the brush behind me. In a few moments his head and neck appeared from behind the small pines. A BUCK!!!

I could not believe my luck! My little Winchester 38-40 was already up, the front sight settled in the rear notch, I trained the sights on his white throat patch, as if by magic the little rifle cracked. At a mere fifteen yards, I had taken my first deer, a small eight-point! I felt like a king! I had just accomplished a right of passage into manhood. I was now a Deer Hunter!

Soon Granddad and Dad arrived and helped drag my trophy out. With the rain pouring down, they were glad to call it a day and retreat to the warm dry house. I remember the temperature dropping and by evening the first snow of the year was on the ground.

We never thought to photograph my buck until it was nearly too late

That was forty years ago! I can scarcely believe that time has flown so quickly. I have never missed a deer season, never missed opening day and have never gone a year without harvesting a deer. Many things have changed in all those years, but God willing,

I will be there, In the Woods
Silently
Watching and Waiting For

The Buck

Pennsylvania Bear Season

Today was opening day of Pennsylvania’s state wide three day bear season. When I was young, bears in huntable numbers only existed in the northern most counties of the state. With the habitat changes and reintroduction efforts we now have a growing population of bears in nearly all rural areas.

Of all the game animals in Pennsylvania, only bear and deer must be hunted to control their numbers. Without hunting their population will grow beyond socially acceptable levels. Bears can cause considerable damage and can present a danger to the people who live with them. They will damage crops, orchards, bee hives, livestock, garbage cans and sometimes even homes. The hunting of them tends to remove the more aggressive animals who have less fear of humans thus reducing future conflicts




All bears legally harvested must be transported to a check station. There they are examined by Game Commission personnel. The bear is weighed, a tooth is removed, and hair and tissue samples are collected. The tooth will be examined later at the lab to determine the bears age.

A group of hunters arrived with what appears to be a bear family, a large sow along with two cubs. Although legal, I find the hunting down and killing an entire family of bears appalling.

A Game Commission Biologist interviews a successful hunter. The information he obtains will be entered into a data base. He will record time, date, and location of kill along with the hunter’s identification.

Once the check-in is complete a permanent tag is affixed to the animal identifying it as a legally harvested bruin.