I am back from PA's firearms season and had a wonderful time with family and friends. My dad was at our camp for the entire 2 week season. Friends stopped in for a day here and there. My 86 year old grandfather who although he's got Parkinson's, heart problems and a bunch of other issues still wanted to get out there. I went out the first two days with my grandfather. His vision is so poor, I think short of a deer standing 25 yards away waving a white flag he'd struggle to see it, but we gave it a shot anyways. He was able to get a handicap permit from the game commission which allowed him to hunt right from a vehicle and use roads on game lands that are otherwise closed to hunters. I was his chauffeur/guide for the two days since he really can't hunt by himself anymore and I already shot a nice buck this year in VA, so missing for the first couple days wouldn't be the end of the world. Plus, my grandfather has done so much for me over the years, it was the least I could do.
Anyways, we found some good spots where we could park along the game land roads and he could look out the window. I then watched for deer and then tried to point them out to him, get him lined up and see if he could make a shot. We saw some deer, but it was a real challenge with his shaking from the Parkinson's and vision issues. In the end he never killed a deer or even shot at one, but at least he got out there and did a little hunting.
The opening day was mild in the mid 40's and sunny. The second day was even more mild, pushing 50 with rain starting before day break... It rained for the next 2 days dumping over 4". Made the hunting a bit rough and the creek behind our cabin flood!
Although I have yet to see one in person, I've gotten a few on game camera over the last few years. These wild pigs broke lose from a nearby game preserve, started breeding in the wild and began making a mess. The PA Game Commission and the USDA did a lot of trapping in the area and the many hunters in the area cleaned up the rest, but I guess there are a still a few around. Someone obviously wanted to emphasize the need for their removal and show they haven't mastered grammar yet either...
PA deer hunting has gone through a lot of changes the past decade with antler restrictions and a drastic reduction in the size of the deer herd. The hunting is harder but there are more mature bucks running around. Although I never saw a shooter buck and my buck tag went unfilled, I did take a 122 pound after being dressed doe. By far the largest doe I have ever taken. She's frozen solid in the picture as it was into the low teens the night before I took this photo with her...
My dad also shot a doe, sadly this doe had been shot earlier in the season... Goes to show just how tough deer are. It appears the deer was running right at someone, they shot hitting her in the neck near where it met her shoulder, the bullet traveled an inch or so below her skin coming out about 8" away in the middle of her shoulder. My dad said she was limping badly, but was still moving OK. Not sure she would have made it through the winter and I suspect she was in a lot of pain...
A view from one of my treestands before the snow came.
A view from another treestand after the snow had came in late in the second week.
A view of the snow covered valley below our family hunting land.
My wife has certainly put up with me being gone a lot this hunting season, but I guess she knew how it would be when she married me. I am a pretty lucky guy though!
