4 week season
Pennsylvania
I was sitting in my stand in the dark this morning, waiting for the sun to come up and watching the fog get thicker as it got lighter, and, I remembered that if this was 28 years ago (or so) it would be the last week of bow season, which would have ended on Friday. You would have to be at least 40 years old now to have hunted then. Is my math right?
I am on my 57th consecutive PA hunting license. WOW. I know there are a couple of you out there who have seen more than that and some who might have missed a couple seasons during the 60's while over seas. And, IMHO, the best part of bow season is yet to come.
I remember them days Art
I also remember Rep Godshall trying to have the 2 weeks gained in Nov taken away from us.
I memory serves me right, there was a year or two with no bear season at all back in the late 70s or early 80s. Please correct me if I am mistaken.
You are right about suspension of bear season Griz. I remember going on a bear hunt to Tioga county in 1976 then the next year there was no bear season. It may have gone into the 80's but I am not sure.
And you guys are at least 40 right? LOL.
I remember the first year we only got the 5th week added and my buddy got a nice 8 point over in Gulph Mills that week that year. Didn't Ted Nugent come and testify at a PGC meeting on our behalf?
I remember if you shot a doe in archery that was your deer , you were done for the year....
Dang! You guys are OLD! ;-)
Yes, I’d always wait until the last few days of the season and if the bucks weren’t cooperating with me I’d shoot a doe, then I’d be done for the year. I would rather shoot a doe with my bow than a buck in rifle season. Killed a lot of my biggest bucks in those days, things were a lot simpler. It was “archery season” only, the only other thing in during archery was small game and you could hunt for weeks and not see another hunter. Not saying I’m not grateful for the longer season we have now, but I kinda miss them days…..
Me to banjo, I'd rather shoot a doe with the bow or flintlock then shoot a 10 point with the rifle... I'm 51 not that old rut... lol....
I miss the time when I wasn't worried about getting shot with an in line, or shot with a rifle by the two age groups with the worst judgment. These intrusions in the name of science suck bad!
Oh wow Shawn- I’m actually older than you. But I only started hunting after college. I often forget some of you started at 12 y/o!
My recollection......Ted came on the last day of public testimony and CLAIMED......
Well Im going to praraphrase here.... That Basically Nugents group had been working on getting the extension and the UBP followed along. Thats what he basically tried to convey. He did nothing on behalf of the UBP. And then later supported cbow inclusion.
**edit- Ted went public, claiming his group fought long and hard for the 2 weeks. We did the work. Some of his guys were on our committees, hence he could make a claim. In fact there were several UBP execs, county reps, and others that were members of both groups. Good guys too.....Not long after that vote was taken and we won, Teds group requested to meet UBP reps end execs at a concert, and go to backstage meeting with him and his group. I was told that "Ted wanted to meet me". Rofl he never heard of me...lolol Hayl Red Beastmaster is the most popular guy at Sheetz:)
What it came down to......to now at this time, is that we lost many good reps, officers, that were being "Cherry Picked" not only to Nuges group but SCI and other Pa groups.
I remember no bear season in 76,77 or 77, 78. I remember a four week archery season buck or doe. Shoot a doe, you were done. I remember the PGC moving flintlock season from after Christmas to right after the three day doe season. That only lasted a year. '83 I think. I remember in 1993 the first full six week archery season. I remember Gary Alt implementing herd reduction and point restrictions. I remember hunting Perry county in the early to mid 2000's and went from seeing a dozen or so deer each sit, to maybe a dozen over a week. I remember when the woods were mostly quiet between the 3rd and 4th Saturday in October. And lastly, perhaps most importantly, I remember went hunting was about hunting. Not age class, inches, and hit lists.
I remember shooting a doe with a bow in early October when I was 13. It didn't sink in until later that night that I was done deer hunting for the year.
I don’t remember because it was before my time but believe it or not there once was a time in Pennsylvania when it was illegal to shoot a fawn or a cub, imagine that!!! A baby animal was protected!!! Makes you wonder who the Einstein was who decided to change that. I guess enough people complained about the extra 10# of meat they could have. I was at my local butcher shop last week to drop my deer off and there were 26 deer in the freezer, 14 of them were fawns and 8 of the fawns were button bucks. Imagine how many more bucks there would be if fawns were protected. Really it makes no sense to have an antler restriction if you’re just gonna let them kill off all the button bucks.
I don’t remember because it was before my time but believe it or not there once was a time in Pennsylvania when it was illegal to shoot a fawn or a cub, imagine that!!! A baby animal was protected!!! Makes you wonder who the Einstein was who decided to change that. I guess enough people complained about the extra 10# of meat they could have. I was at my local butcher shop last week to drop my deer off and there were 26 deer in the freezer, 14 of them were fawns and 8 of the fawns were button bucks. Imagine how many more bucks there would be if fawns were protected. Really it makes no sense to have an antler restriction if you’re just gonna let them kill off all the button bucks.
I agree banjo... ?? why even shoot a fawn...
We hunted small game after the four week bowseason ended. Typically hunted deer with recurves but always switched to longbows and flu flus for squirrels. Man, I miss that. We had so much fun.
Dave, I still get out with my recurve to squirrel hunt once in awhile but not nearly as much as I used to, it’s a blast.
There were a few years when the game commission was limiting the number of bear licenses issued. I believe there was language in the comic book about the wanton waste of game. Once cubs became legal there was language, not law, in the comic book that said whereas cubs are legal and bagging any bear is a trophy , if you see a large bear with small ones with it perhaps you should let them pass
