SLOW January in PA- DOE KILL

 

    January 15 and January 16 Hunt Recap

January in PA has been nothing short of SLOW to say the least. With just one week of the season left I am still looking to fill the freezer with a few does, along with trying to get a good friend (Dan) on his first buck. And neither of these goals have been working out too well.... On the 15th Dan and myself decided to take the afternoon and do some 2 man drives on local public ground, while still hunting/ wind bumping toward each other hoping to smack a few does. Before I could even arrive from work he had a doe on the ground. Still hunting into the wind and pushing through thick cover paid off for Dan early in the afternoon, as a mature doe held up in front of him and he was able to drop her at 15 yards before she could bust out. Once I arrived we began still hunting toward each other, bouncing from spot to spot, trying to cover as much ground as possible. Our goal here was to push through the thickest cover we could find and locate where these herded up, late season deer were spending the daylight hours. I have found that on public ground, walking to and through places other people wont go, trying to find the thickest, nastiest cover will almost certainly lead you to the best deer habitat. On our last walk I was able to bump 8-10 does and had the safety off but a clear shot never presented itself . They cut out the side and never made it up to Dan either. Our day ended with just the one doe Dan was able to shoot early in the afternoon, and you know how the saying goes "Any public land deer is a good deer!"

Saturday, Jan 16, found myself and Dan back on public ground employing the same tactics as the previous day. The weather was less than ideal for hitting PA public land (or any Public land in a suburban area) in January, as temps soared into the low 50s. We encountered hikers, hunters, and dog walkers at almost every single spot we hit. And when we did seem to find a spot with little to no pressure, there were no deer or fresh sign to be found. Through early afternoon we were unable to get on a single deer or find any fresh sign to hunt, so we decided to switch up and sit for the afternoon. We we unable to get on the board or really find any deer at any point throughout the day. Finding no fresh sign, no new spots, no action and lots of pressure can make for a long and fruitless day. These days are always hard to swallow for someone who puts in countless hours scouting, hunting, and thinking about chasing deer. But I know I am not the only one who feels this way, and oddly enough by the time I wake up the next morning I am biting at the bit to be back at it again!