I am currently in Milan,Pa waiting for the opening day of buck season{Monday} It looks like we will be getting more snow{a very good thing} and in my scouting I have seen VERY promising sign of some really big bucks{well over 200 lbs on the hoof}
Day 1- saw a bunch of does{ huge does} but nothing legal to shoot{ bucks only, and at least 3 points on one antler} The woods were full of hunters all around and I heard at least two shots hit the woods about 100-200 yards south of me, so I know at least two legal bucks did not get shot this morning. I will try again this afternoon.
Well I struck out. No big deal really. I saw dozens of deer but none I could legally shoot thisweek. Next year I will plan my vacation to fall on the last two days of buck season and the first couple of days of doe season.
Thanks for the report, Hoji, and sorry to hear you got skunked. Were you hunting from a stand, or on the ground? If the latter, those wood-cracking shots would have scared me the hell out of there!!!
Oh I was on the ground and it is somewhat disturbing to hear that sound, but I was hunting about halfway up a ridge so Iwas fairly safe{ unles some yahoo shot upslope}
You have to wear blaze orange here and I see why now. I went the state minimum requirement{one dollar plastic vest at WalMart} but next year when I return I will be in a Blaze orange camo parka.
Oh and I saw a group of legal bucks on my drive to the store for red bull for my return drive all in the area where I was hunting. Oh well there is always next year and I still have 3 tags left on my Texas license
Oh, the does up here are on average about 25% bigger than most of the bucks in texas and the bucks here are just huge.
Well I am back. Left Pa at about 1:30 am Wednesday morning,{saw half a dozen legal bucks on the drive out of the property} got a hotel about 50 miles of Nashville Wednesday afternoon, slept till 1:00 am today and finished the trip at my doorstep at 3:30 this afternoon.
Texas 130 is expensive but I was able to get from Walberg{exit 265 on IH 35} to Mustang Ridge in 34 minutes. Worth the 12 bucks to avoid Austin rush hour.