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Tree Stand Dreaming
Hunting season is right around the corner and preparation is under way. This of course includes shooing bows, sighting in rifles, prepping gear, and a laundry list of other items. To me, it also includes utilizing & checking trail cameras. I have used trail cameras since I was about 16 years old. I have enjoyed having them and mainly used them to see what deer are in an area. For many years, this required physically going to “check” the camera to see what pictures it took. In recent years, I have picked up a couple of cell cameras. These have been awesome, especially considering cameras I have set up at…
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Shed Hunting PR
Once again I found myself headed Northeast on I-80 at 5:30 AM. It was Saturday March 9th and I was driving to camp to get a morning shed hunt in. The forecast for the day wasn’t great (at least from a walking perspective). It was looking like steady rain all day – perfect for making antlers easier to spot. Vince and Dan were originally planning on making the trip as well, but the rain scared them off. Heading out alone, I opted to once again hike behind camp rather than the Wilderness. I started off at 7:00 AM to hit some new areas before taking one last trip through the…
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Shed Hunting Tips & Tricks
Shed hunting is addicting. Over the last 4 years, I have spent at least a few days each spring in the PA big woods in search of shed antlers. While the world was on lockdown from COVID, I decided to give shed hunting a go. I thought they would be nearly impossible to find, especially where we hunt. Food sources everywhere and there’s not one central location where finding an antler would be “easy”. I soon learned they certainly weren’t impossible to find, but it took a lot of work. From the moment I laid eyes on the first one that spring, I was hooked. I have to admit that…
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Super Shed Sunday
I decided to put a different spin on “Super Bowl Sunday” this year. I set the alarm for 5:00 AM Saturday night and was up bright (dark this time of year) and early Sunday. By 5:35 AM I was headed for the mountains for half a day of shed hunting. This is the earliest time of year I have shed hunted, but I knew from trail camera pictures that the snow was melted and Saturday afternoon brought rain. The wet, dark ground of compressed leaves and underbrush would make for perfect shed hunting. I arrived at camp at 7:35 AM and after checking to make sure everything was in good…
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Hot Spot
The PA Rifle Season opener has come and gone, and while it didn’t bring with it the action we were hoping for, it turned out to be a great weekend in Penn’s Woods. Saturday morning, our crew made our annual hike into the Wilderness. I had high hopes, especially with the big set of sheds I found there this spring. I was set-up in the same spot I have harvested 2 big bucks in years prior. The morning was slow, with none of our group seeing much action. I did manage to see a coyote around 9:00 AM – my first while hunting – but he busted me as I…
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Guys Weekend 2023
Our Annual Guys Weekend trip has come to a close, and it was certainly one for the books. A record number of deer were taken for our crew. While we failed to see the “peak rut” activity we were hoping for, it is hard to argue with the results. After getting settled into camp Tuesday evening, I hit the woods first thing Wednesday. Robert and I sat for about 3.5 hours in the Graveyard area and failed to see a deer on stand. We decided to head back to camp to re-group before heading out for a long evening sit. Uncle Rob and I headed out near his spot where…
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The Rut
The time of year we hunters dream of will be starting any day now. When bucks are chasing doe with only one thing on their mind. Deer running all around without a care. They are the days where you can seemingly do no wrong, and those days are here. “The Rut” is upon us. With our annual Guys Weekend trip coming up this week, I was able to get up to camp for a pre-trip hunt and scout. I was up at 4:00 AM today, showered, packed up my lunch & coffee, and was out the door at 4:45 AM. The drive up was eventful in and of itself. On…
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Swing And A Miss
My first archery hunting trip of the season finally came as I headed to camp the evening of Friday October 13th. I made it up in time to get set-up for an evening hunt, and with the gate behind camp closed I decided to set up just 75 yards into the woods behind the edge of the yard. I made the switch from my tree steps to a one-stick set-up this year and this was my first hunt putting it to the test…it did not go well. I spent half the climb dangling as my feet continuously wanted to kick-out from the tree. Once I got set, I decided to…
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Dove Opener 2023
The annual dove opener has quickly become something I look forward to as summer turns to fall. While archery season is still a month out, it is a nice mental check that it is time to start getting ready. Last year, I hunted some managed dove fields in Transfer, PA for the opener and while my shooting was less than stellar, there were plenty of birds flying. I seemingly couldn’t keep my gun loaded fast enough. Needless to say, after telling some of my buddies about all of the action they were eager to join in on the fun. Zach, Kyle and got to the dove fields at 5:45 AM…
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Burnin’ Rubber
With my last shed hunt resulting in the two biggest sheds of my life, I couldn’t wait to get back out in the woods. While it has been a mild winter here in NW PA, we have had a few late snows as of recent. With some good weather finally in the forecast, I decided to take Monday 3/20 off of work to head to camp. I hit the road at 5:20 AM and made it to camp to shed hunt around 7:30 AM. I had a full day planned out and hit the big woods. After hiking down and across the meadow onto the Second Finger, I came across…a…
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Perfect Pair
The winter months have slowly drug on, and I have been thinking about shed hunting since the 2022 hunting season ended about two months ago. With others posting pictures of sheds they were already finding, I have been itching to get out in search of the “white gold”. With a few warm days behind us and a nice weather weekend in the forecast, I planned to take a day trip to camp to shed hunt and check in on camp on February 25th. I got up early and started the drive to camp at 6:05 AM Saturday. As I left, snow began to fall, which wasn’t in the forecast as…
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Bringing Memories To Life
For as long as I can remember, there have been shoulder mounts on our camp wall. Both at our “Camp Bucks and Beards”, as well as at the Werner’s “Camp Triple Trophy”. The 8-Point Uncle Rob got (long before my hunting days) has been engrained in my mind as a memento of successful hunts of the past. I had always wanted a shoulder mount of my own, and I have certainly had my chances over the years. Regardless, it wasn’t until recently that I was able to successfully connect on a mature buck worthy of a shoulder mount. My 2020 PA buck from the Allegheny National Forest near camp was…
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Saddle Up
Sweet November. As hunters, and archery hunters specifically, there are few better days spent afield each year than those of early November. Each and every year, our family spends a few days in early November at camp for our annual Guys Weekend. It is one of my most anticipated weekends of the year, and this year was no different. I got on the road on Wednesday around lunchtime and got to camp in time to start smoking the ribs and head into the woods for an evening hunt. It was a beautiful warm weather weekend – seemingly a theme so far this year. I was hunting in the “Graveyard” spot…
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Steep Country
“Out West”. That is a phrase I have said many times over the last bunch of years. For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to take a trip “out west” in search of elk, mule deer, and beautiful country. It is something my grandpa, dad, uncles, and cousins have all done. I have spent hours on end watching YouTube videos of others doing the same and I know it is something I have to do. When going on one of these western hunts, there are many ways of doing so. Many choose a guided or outfitted hunt where the outfitter either takes you in to an area…
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Go Time
Deer season is finally here. As a hunter, there is no better time of the year. The leaves are changing colors, temperatures are dropping, and the deer are moving. What seems like it takes forever to get here will have come and gone before we know it. Over the next 4 weeks I have 3 hunting trips planned. The first to camp, then a camping/hunting trip in Southern Ohio before our annual Guys Weekend trip. All of the scouting and preparation throughout the year is about to pay off. Good luck to all this hunting season, and be sure to check back in for some (hopefully) successful and entertaining stories.…
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Wingshooter
Over the last few years, Uncle Rob has talked highly of the annual dove opener. He has even mentioned that some of his kids like it better than the opening day of deer season. While I found this hard to believe, it certainly had me intrigued. When I bought my new side-by-side about 6 months ago, I had high hopes of getting after bird this fall, doves included. With that, I decided this was the year I would give the dove opener a go. I was up at 5:00 AM sharp Thursday September 1st, and by 5:40 AM was out the door and on my way. I had done most…
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Uplander
I have wanted an over & under shotgun for as long as I can remember. Growing up, my dad had a beautiful 12 gauge Browning Citori that I had always admired. Similarly, Uncle Rob a stunning 12 gauge Beretta. I recently got the shotgun bug and went down a deep rabbit hole of gun shopping that inevitably we have all dove-in head first on numerous occasions. My search led me through many brands and guns, and with it came a something I never previously considered. The classic side-by-side. Generally thought of as a tougher gun to shoot, the side-by-side over the years gave way to the new and improved over…
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Miles for Piles
The traditional shed hunting phrase, “miles for piles” generally refers to the amount of walking needed to lay eyes on, and accumulate, piles of antlers. However, this past weekend we gave the phrase a whole new meaning. Brandon and I had planned a weekend full of shed hunting and skeet shooting. We were headed to camp by way of St. Mary’s, PA to pick up a new 20 gauge CZ Bobwhite G2 side by side shotgun I had reserved. We hit the road Friday around 3 PM with ample time to get to St. Marys before closing time at 6 PM. Immediately upon arrival at the gun shop, I had…
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The $450 Shed
Prior to this weekend, I had been able to get out and shed hunt twice so far this spring, and neither were in great conditions. I took a drive up to camp on February 19 for a day of shed hunting, hopeful to get back on the government road. While I was able to hike about 4 miles, the government road was ice covered and I had to hike behind camp. Additionally, there were still a few inches of snow on the ground, making an already difficult task even more challenging. Not exactly what I had hoped for, but a good day nonetheless. I did another 5.7 miles on February…
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Gar-Hole
Yes, you read that right. The dreaded “Gar-Hole”… I’m not sure where the term originated, but it has come to rival that of “Honey-Hole” in Southern Ohio, at least in our crew, the past few years… Back in mid December (2021), one week before Christmas, I took a trip down to Dan’s in Southern Ohio for a pre-Christmas muzzleloader hunt. Myself, Dan, Aiden, Rob, Robert, Nathan and Cole headed over to Lowell’s and the state forest surrounding the property. We were coming in for the late gun hunt; a muzzleloader-only season in hopes for a nice buck. Dan sent me up through the “honey-hole” (read: gar-hole) where I planned to…
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Double Down
I am still processing the events of the opening day of the 2021 PA Rifle Season. It was a day that provided a story that likely won’t ever be repeated, but you never know. Here it goes… Following our annual tradition, our alarms went off at 4:30 AM. Rob, Robert, Ken and myself rounded out the crew making the pre-daylight trek. Vince and Aiden would be coming in at first light. Less than an hour later, we made the hike into the big woods for the first day of deer season. It’s a little under an hour trek to my spot on the First Finger if I take my time.…
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Rutcation
It has been a wild season in the deer woods (no pun intended) and there is plenty to recap. Luckily, I have been able to take a few days off to spend my “rutcation” in the stand this fall. While the season thus far has certainly been worthy of many posts and stories, the schedule has been busy and I haven’t done as much hunting or writing as I would like. I decided the cumulation of the events would be better summarized in one post as it has been a whirlwind. So here we go. Uncle Rob and I headed to camp the weekend of October 15-19. This would be…
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Reflections
The 2021 Pennsylvania hunting season is officially underway, and I am often finding myself reflecting on last season. It was without a doubt my best year in the woods to date, and one that I will not soon forget. The year started out with trying my hand at shed hunting. It was something I always wanted to get into, and COVID shutting everything down gave me a great excuse to head to the woods. I ended up finding 4 antlers over the course of 2 hikes. Two of which ended up as matching sides (from the 2018 season) to a nice 10 point that I actually ended up harvesting in…
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Keystone Bugles
There was a time when elk roamed throughout the Pennsylvania Wilds. Bulls could be heard letting out roaring bugles throughout the Allegheny Mountains, across the surrounding fields and through nearby valleys. Unfortunately, due to settlement and lack of regulation, hunting wiped out the state’s native herd in the 1870s. There wouldn’t be an elk in Penn’s woods until the dawn of the new century. The early 1900s arrived along with the re-introduction of elk by the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Shipments made from the west and Yellowstone National Park brought bugling bulls back to Pennsylvania. Luckily, they have since remained. As yet another century began, so did modern elk hunting in…
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Needle In A Haystack
Many have compared looking for shed deer antlers (shed hunting) to trying to find a “needle in a haystack”. Over the course of the past year, I have found this to be a pretty accurate statement. As many of you know, last year I ventured into shed hunting and upon finding my first antler, was instantly hooked. We closed up camp just after the first of the year, and I was already looking forward to shed hunting once the snow had come and gone. The past few weeks have left me more and more eager to get back in the woods. Day by day, I watched the weather forecast, wondering…
Pennsylvania Hunting Stories
