New hunter

[Slotimus]

So, lets start this thread with a fact.

I AM from Texas. I have NEVER hunted deer (just bird and pig).

Now that the embarrassing facts are out on the table... I live in Allegheny county and I am looking for some info on hunting. I bought my first hunting rifle about a week ago (Its a 770 as I was a bit low on funds) and I am looking to eat some venison this coming season.

Does anyone know of a relatively nice, sparsely populated (with humans ) area within 100-200 miles of here?

Should I get a buddy to hunt with?

Am I going to have issues dressing/skinning a deer after watching videos and reading manuals about it?

In Texas it seemed most people hunted on private lands... Is this the fact here too?

Are there any Hunter Ed/Safety courses in the area any time soon?

I will likely come up with more questions as time goes on, I just wanted to start getting some answers

Thanks!

[God's Country]

So, lets start this thread with a fact.

I AM from Texas. I have NEVER hunted deer (just bird and pig).

Let me be the first to tease you for moving from one of the best deer states to one of the worse and then taking up deer hunting.

Does anyone know of a relatively nice, sparsely populated (with humans ) area within 100-200 miles of here?

Sorry can't help you there, but Pa does have large tracts of public land.
You need to think about how you want to hunt. Pa has some diverse topology

Should I get a buddy to hunt with?

Again it depends how you want to hunt.

Am I going to have issues dressing/skinning a deer after watching videos and reading manuals about it?

I don't see why not. It's not difficult

In Texas it seemed most people hunted on private lands... Is this the fact here too?

Do you mean people openly hunt on each others land or belong to clubs and such?

Are there any Hunter Ed/Safety courses in the area any time soon?

Try here
http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/v...a=461&q=153086

FYI:
If you have held a Texas hunting license you do not need to retake a Pa exam. Just bring your old license although you likely won't even be asked.

[Slotimus]

Do you mean people openly hunt on each others land or belong to clubs and such?

We call them deer leases.

FYI:
If you have held a Texas hunting license you do not need to retake a Pa exam. Just bring your old license although you likely won't even be asked.

Don't have the old one. I haven't hunted in about 5 years. And most of it was on friend's land.

[God's Country]

We call them deer leases.

That works here too. If that's what you want you'll need to do some research, or possibly someone in your area will step up with suggestions.

Don't have the old one. I haven't hunted in about 5 years. And most of it was on friend's land

Well the deal is you're suppose to either take the Pa test or proof that you held a license in any other state, or if you took a hunters safety course in Texas and have the certificate or can obtain a copy( that is usually not difficult),or if you are/were in the millitary and can prove your honerable dischagre or active ID. Anyway courses are usually if not always free, and you may tag up with someone there. Plus brushing up on safety can't hurt.

[Jared McLaughlin]

So, lets start this thread with a fact.

I AM from Texas. I have NEVER hunted deer (just bird and pig).

Welcome to our fine state. Much enjoyed your former home the short time I was there. Don't take other comments to heart, we welcome all new hunters and shooters.

Now that the embarrassing facts are out on the table... I live in Allegheny county and I am looking for some info on hunting. I bought my first hunting rifle about a week ago (Its a 770 as I was a bit low on funds) and I am looking to eat some venison this coming season.

Good news and bad news. Allegheny is shotgun with slugs only. The new rifle won't help ya. Good news is, the borders aren't far and there's some decent hunting if you want to do some rifle hunting. We have alot of public land.

If you want a buddy to hunt with, and to help you with skinning, quartering, etc.... I'm always open to new hunting buddies. My family takes deer hunting serious, and I'm getting to be a pretty good butcher.

Are there any Hunter Ed/Safety courses in the area any time soon?

They are usually listed in the newspaper, I believe. Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions, or want to take a drive around to some of the good hunting spots in and outside of the county. I know where there are some good ranges, and I generally enjoy showing new people where to hunt/shoot.

[91xlt]

pa game commision has a class, you are supposed to take, unless as stated, had a license.

i would recomend taking that class anyhow...probably answer alot of your questions.

[soberbyker]

Took the Hunter Trapper Education class this week, 3 hours Monday, 3 hours Tuesday & 8.5 hours today. PASSED, one question wrong that I had correct and changed to the wrong answer.

This link is to the PA Game Commission web site and will tell you all you need to do and know ....

http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/v...a=461&q=153086



[/QUOTE]

[27hand]

Older hunter here.

Allegheny County has some prety good hunting.

The northern tier counties which used to be prety good (and probably are in many areas) had fewer hunters and deer than some areas local to us.

I have been hunting in Washington County the past few years.

The spot I hunt has many many hunters but lets take stock of this past seasons result.

My buddy shot a 9 point buck First day rifle deer season (in the rain)
I shot but didn't get large 8 point( another friend of mine finally downed this deer).
My kids baseball coach shot a 7 point. I shot a button buck with a handgun.
I missed another 8 point with same handgun. I saw another legal racked buck ( but out of range). There were some 4 inch trees rubbed up pretty good and saw a fair amount of doe in the few days i went out.

This was in an area of about 2 sq miles. There were probably 25 to 30 cars parked near the access to this land so there were a shitpot full of hunters which can be good for moving deer around.
I crawl into some real thick stuff which is where the deer go when pressured by 100 hunters running through the woods.

Good luck. Do some scouting early. Ask for permission on posted land( sometimes thats all it takes ). The game lands are usually packed with people.

When you sight in your weapon of choice off bags, shoot the damned thing alot like you would if you were actually hunting. I move very little during the day so practice sitting, kneeling and offhand standing. I shot the button buck leaning on my back one handed with a Ruger redhawk in .44mag. I don't practice this a lot but that was the shot available to me.

I missed the big 8 pt the same way. I stood up to stretch,the deer and I saw each other at the same time. The pistol was hanging at my side. I raised the gun as the deer decided it was time to go and pressed off a round at the embankment directly where the deer used to be.

Gotta go.

Good luck

27hand

[JoeWilliams]

We call them deer leases.

Don't have the old one. I haven't hunted in about 5 years. And most of it was on friend's land.

You don't have to show the old ones. Cathy and I just had to sign affidavits that we'd had the training, and in which states.

[Xringshooter]

All the state game lands are open to hunters. About 125 miles from you in Centre Co. we have some good size game lands (just outside State College). Or you can look around (check some of the gun ranges) there are sometimes people with camps that may be looking for new members or ads for land that you can hunt on (for a fee).