Pennsylvania Red Tag Program

[jdf]

Easy solution... Don't gut them!!¡!
Old PA tradition of gutting and dragging.
So much easier just quarter them and carry quarters out.. same for PA elk..

 

[Jmorton1]

Don't gut them just quarter them out. The red tag program designed to limit damage so 2 for 1 is what they were I expecting I believe.

 

[Nuts]

So this didn't quite go as planned. With that said I leased part of this site unseen. I thought the half I originally leased was decent. When he offered me 343 additional acres across the street I said sure why not. I walked this 343 acres Friday for the 1st time. No gun or tags in hand. Wanted to get an idea of the land before taking kids or having guys shoot deer. I walked a loop around it. Mostly with in 200yds of the property line. I walked this with a good buddy. But we all have that one who if you were actually hunting you don't walk with. He is loud talking and it was crunchy. Here is what we found:

1. (3) Coyote kills, 2 were hide only. 1 had some bones
2. Deer trails in the 8" of snow down to bare dirt
3. Many areas where you could not avoid stepping in deer poop. Literally no place to step it was touching and piled. Like your neighbor with 3 labs who dont clean up there small yard. Other areas had a lot but you could find a place to step
4. A group of (8) deer who some how didn't hear us
5. A group of (4) deer who some how didn't hear us
6. (2) sheds. A 3pt and a 4pt
7. A lot of coyote tracks
8. Turkey tracks

So I think it will hunt well. The snow wasn't fun to walk in with a crunchy layer on top and then you went through. There was bare spots where the sun hit though to. We were unable to get back to our cabin as the sun doesn't hit the 2.5 mile lane back in. There was ice under the snow and we struggled to make it 100 yards in. And that is the easiest safest part. After that it gets steep up and down with drop-offs on 1 side the entire way. The 1st time I have ever not made it back in. So the deer shooting is postponed for a couple weeks. TBD.