Thanx all!
I'm still torn. I think ultimately it'll come down to how my PA season goes. If I tag one here early, Ohio makes more sense and will allow me to go over a few times opposed to one trip to bow hunt. If I don't tag one here, I will goto NY and gun hunt.
If I'd tag out early in PA, I could go archery hunt Ohio for a week or so then come back to gun hunt.
My "problem" is bow hunting will take more time/scouting/fine tuning etc. NY with a 308 in my paws, I can scout a day or 2 and find a couple likely looking spots. Sit one opening morning and still hunt and scout the rest of the day..stand hunting a different spot each morning and still hunting the afternoons. That's how I hunted Michigan the last 2 years. I was able to log a lot of stuff in my GPS while I "hunted" and had a reasonable chance to shoot a buck.
I don't expect either hunt to be easy. I fully expect the first season to be mostly a scouting and learning trip.
Southeast Ohio?
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Re: Southeast Ohio?
Like other have said it seems the big ones were plentful about 10 years ago. I grew up and lived there for 23 years, hunting a little public ground, but mostly private.
I went on a main gun season hunt in 2012 and there wasn't near the number of gun hunters there was when i was growing up. I read that the last couple years the bowhunters have filled more tags than gun hunters now. I think thats what a lot of guys are seeing....more bowhunting pressure.
EHD has played a part, having it pop up every 4 years keeps some big deer from getting big. I honestly think deer numbers are down, hunters are getting smarter, and theres more bowhunting pressure. Which equals harder to hunt.
Athens is a good area, those AEP lands which dont show on OnX should have some really good deer.
I went on a main gun season hunt in 2012 and there wasn't near the number of gun hunters there was when i was growing up. I read that the last couple years the bowhunters have filled more tags than gun hunters now. I think thats what a lot of guys are seeing....more bowhunting pressure.
EHD has played a part, having it pop up every 4 years keeps some big deer from getting big. I honestly think deer numbers are down, hunters are getting smarter, and theres more bowhunting pressure. Which equals harder to hunt.
Athens is a good area, those AEP lands which dont show on OnX should have some really good deer.
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Re: Southeast Ohio?
So....my PA tag is punched. Season lasted all of about 2 hours.
Now I'm very torn on what to do.
Probably won't go anywhere till November. Finish up work the 14th and not back till the 22nd. So hunting would be like the 15 or 16 till the 20 or 21st.
I'm also off the first 2 days of the Ohio gun season....so, if the deer kick my but, I can go back and hunt a day or 2 with a little longer range...
NY would be gun only. The areas I'm looking at have buck kills of about 1.5 per square mile....lol.
I'm torn because I think I'd be happy either way.
Decisions decisions.
Now I'm very torn on what to do.
Probably won't go anywhere till November. Finish up work the 14th and not back till the 22nd. So hunting would be like the 15 or 16 till the 20 or 21st.
I'm also off the first 2 days of the Ohio gun season....so, if the deer kick my but, I can go back and hunt a day or 2 with a little longer range...
NY would be gun only. The areas I'm looking at have buck kills of about 1.5 per square mile....lol.
I'm torn because I think I'd be happy either way.
Decisions decisions.
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Re: Southeast Ohio?
Well, I sat back and read this thread and found everyone's posts interesting. I'm a local here and I tend to agree with what everyone has said.
-Payne
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Re: Southeast Ohio?
I think I'm back to my original idea for the year.....the Adirondacks. Lol.
I think this winter/early spring I will take a few days to scout some places in Ohio. Between the fragmented public/private and wanting to archery hunt, I feel like scouting is worthwhile....where my big woods rifle hunting, I feel like I can walk around with my rifle and scout as I go and see what I can find. And...I've always wanted to hunt the Adirondacks just because of the big woods hunt and challenge. I love the adventure of it....
I think this winter/early spring I will take a few days to scout some places in Ohio. Between the fragmented public/private and wanting to archery hunt, I feel like scouting is worthwhile....where my big woods rifle hunting, I feel like I can walk around with my rifle and scout as I go and see what I can find. And...I've always wanted to hunt the Adirondacks just because of the big woods hunt and challenge. I love the adventure of it....
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