Hunting for the first time this year

[AlwaysTraining]

Hi,

I am a fairly adequate woodsman, I have did my share of backpacking and camping in my youger days. I also have done a fair bit of shooting, punching paper mostly. My gun collection won't stop growing. Back in my childhood we would "hunt" squirrels birds and chipmunks with BBs/pellets.

I never have done any real hunting, but want to this year. I submited online for my PA License, after taking a very good online safty/basic hunting course.

My father didn't hunt, and I just didn't get the oppertunity to learn when I was young. My son is 1 year old now. I don't want the same thing to happen to him. I also think it is very important as a tradition and a mechanism to maintain our natural resources.

I live only 10 miles from State Game Lands 203 north Pittsburgh. I drove out there today to take a look. I don't have my license yet so I couldn't shoot on the range. I was pleased to see a lot of people out at the range. Then I took my dog on a leashed walk up a gated grassy road/trail to take a look.

I have a lot of questions, and am starting to do some reading try to figure things out. I was fairly active back on gapacking.org, and figured I would see the same quality sportsman experience on this site, so I am just going to fire off some questions on the top of my head and see how the discussion goes.

I anticipate the first thing I will do is try some rabbit/squirell hunting in October. I didn't see any wildlife out today when I was there except a few birds. I don't know where to find rabbits out in the woods, but see them all over my neighborhood lawns. I think I saw some signs of deer out there. I would love to get a turkey, just thinking I would get more meat for the work of cleaning the game.

So, is any game that is in season fair game on the State hunting lands? I didn't see anything posted in this one that said otherwise.

Also the gamelands I was at is only 1x2mi square. From every place I was it sounded like a war zone from the shooting range. How is it possible that any wildlife would be out and about in that? Or does the range use die down in season? I think I saw that you can't use the range during deer season. Perhaps this gamelands is a one-off because it is a range close to Pittsburgh it is just going to be like that, and I should concentrate my efforts somewhere else?

The information out there I have seen isn't tailored for a complete newbie, and I have tried to piece it together. Is it correct that You can't take a doe (antlerless deer) without having purchased a tag for it? Where do you get these tags? wallmart? And you can take 1 buck, but do not need a tag for that?

And this may sound like a stupid question, how do you get a dead deer out of the middle of the woods? Do they open up those gated roads so you can drive in closer and then take it to a processing place? Do people butcher deer themselves? I have seen carts and dragging harnesses and things in catalogs? Would you just firemans carry it out if you didn't have that? I don't really see how you could carry all that gear to pack it out/butcher it on you while you hunt. Do you usually hunt with a partner, one person stays with the deer while another goes and retrieves the packs? The course I took recommended always hunting with a partner. I haven't located a partner yet. Is it even possible to hunt deer alone?

I am not so sure I am ready for big game, this being my first season and all, I just have a lot of questions, as you can tell.

[Dredly]

Read the annual rule book, should answer most of your questions

http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/portal/se...unity/pgc/9106

[Ranger P229]

You can hunt anything in State Game Lands that is in season and you are licensed for. So you need the archery license to archery hunt, the waterfowl stamp for waterfowl, etc.

Your basic hunting license covers small game an antlered deer, turkey, and the seasons and bag limits are all listed in the guide that you'll get when you buy your license.

Game that is exposed to any loud man-made noise on a regular basis becomes used to it. I've hunted out of a treestand that was maybe 60 yards from I-79. The deer just ignore all the noise of the expressway. They also learn to ignore the sound and sight of tractors, lawn mowing equipment, and things like that if exposed to it regularly.

I've never hunted those game lands, so I can't give any advice about where to go in the SGL. In general, food=game, be it deer, squirrels or turkey. If you can find a stand of oaks that are producing acorns its a good area to hunt.

West of Pittsburgh just past the airport are Raccoon Creek State Park, Hillman State Park, and State Game Lands 117. All three have good populations of squirrel, turkey, and deer (not as many as the backyards in Allegheny County but not bad).

Dragging deer- Some people use carts, I use one of the drag harnesses. If you tuck the deer's front legs up behind their ears (or antlers if you're lucky enough to get a buck) they drag a lot easier. Generally, getting the deer out of the woods is the most work, and sweating, you'll do in a year of hunting.

Hunting with a partner is nice when you get a deer. You can take turns dragging the deer and carrying packs/guns, or whatever other way makes it easy. When I shoot deer and I'm hunting alone I do it like a relay. Put my gun/bow and pack by tree X that I can see, drag my deer to that place, put my stuff a little farther away, etc. Trying to carry all your gear and drag a deer is darn near impossible.

People butcher their own deer, and take them to processors. When the weather is cold I butcher my own. When the temps are freezing I can gut, skin, cut the carcass in half and let it hang over night without needing to rush the whole process. If the weather is warm, like the first month or so or archery, I pay to have it processed.

Its possible to hunt deer alone. I never archery hunt with a partner, but I will make some phone calls once the deer is dead to enlist some help if I know friends and family are available.

[knight0334]

With rabbits - you don't typically find rabbits in the woods. Rabbits have to eat from pretty much ground level, and tree's tend to block the sun. Which limits the amount and type of undergrowth. You'll find rabbits in fields, and long the edges of hedgerows and woodlands. ...thus is also why you don't normally find groundhogs in the woods either.

Squirrel - for gray squirrels you want to hunt around nut bearing trees like oaks, apple, and chestnut. For red squirrels - around spruce and pine trees. Red squirrels are smaller than grays, with less meat. ....so you might want to stick with the gray's.

Dead deer - you gut it and drag it out. You're not allowed to take vehicles into gameland(very few exceptions). Watch what part of a deer you grab hold of to drag it out.. If you grab ahold of a scent gland you can play hell trying to wash it off your hands, and can contaminate your meat if you try to butcher it yourself.

[jeepin]

Take a look on amazon for small game books. There are a lot of them, and they are pretty cheap. You can find anything from tactics to getting and cooking.

What are you hunting with? A .22 is a good small game rifle and a good challenge. A 20, guage is also good especially in the early season. I would personally suggest a shot gun no bigger than a 20 when you are first starting. Good gun with a lot of uses.

Remember you are not stuck in the game lands. Public parks have legal hunting as well. Grab a map of any local parks and chat with the rangers if you can. They will have clearly defined areas and are often a wealth of info.

Lastly read the handbook that cones with your license. It is a wealth of information, and has all of the laws and regulations about what and where you are hunting. It will tell you everything from what type of gun, amount of Orange to wear, to seasons and bag limits. The WCO who did my hunting class years ago spend half a day going through it.

When I am not on my phone I will add some tips

[yukon375]

you may find this link helpful.http://www.huntingpa.com/

[dk99358]

Doe tags are sold by county treasurers and are specific to each Wildlife Management Unit. You can check on the PGC website to see if there are any left for the unit you want to hunt.

Firemans carry of a dead deer is not a good idea. Think about it, you would be wearing a brown fur coat while walking through the woods during hunting season.

Dig back in this forum to about this time last year, there were some new guys then with many of the same questions.

Good luck and don't hesitate to ask more questions.

Dale

[AlwaysTraining]

What are you hunting with?

I have dbl barrel 20ga, and 22's. One of them is single shot bolt action, I guess I would take that but would prefer my 10/22 if it were legal. I also have good 22 pellet rifle airgun that I could hit squirrel size target out to 100'. I believe I would start with the 20ga.

I just looked and there are a lot of small game hunting books. I will have to read the reviews and pick what I think a good one will be and order it.

The SGL is very close to my house, so it is a natural starting point for me, eventually I will branch out somewhere else.

I have ordered myself an oarnge cap, and have a oarnge saftey vest I plan on wearing. It is a bit flimsy and may get hung up on brush, so I may have to upgrade that.

Thank you everyone for your input. I have learned almost a lot so far from your comments.

[Neilthepilot]

When you say you took the course on-line, did you go to the Hunter Education Class to take your test? If you didn't pass the test and get your orange card your license isn't valid. Just checking because the way I read your post.

[knight0334]

Doe tags are sold by county treasurers and are specific to each Wildlife Management Unit. You can check on the PGC website to see if there are any left for the unit you want to hunt.

Firemans carry of a dead deer is not a good idea. Think about it, you would be wearing a brown fur coat while walking through the woods during hunting season.

Dig back in this forum to about this time last year, there were some new guys then with many of the same questions.

Good luck and don't hesitate to ask more questions.

Dale

Not to mention all the ticks and other parasites that will be dropping off the dear and onto you as you carry it out. Can we say "Lyme Disease"? ...drag it out.