# hunting pa and wv public lands



## nick99 (Mar 8, 2010)

thought I would start here and see how people have done on public lands in pa and wv thinking of giving one or both a try next year and see how it goes thanks nick


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## Mad-Eye Moody (May 27, 2008)

I have hunted public in WV a little. You won't see pressure there like you do here in Ohio. Access to private land is easier in the western part of the state where I hunt so most people wont go public.

Lots of special regs in WV public lands though. Be sure to read up. The one I have hunted a little is antlered only for first three days of rifle, and antlers have to be 14 inches wide.


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## Misdirection (Jul 16, 2012)

A few years ago my brother and nephew came over from Ohio to PA and we hunted public land not far from my property. My brother took a 10 and the next day in the same spot, my nephew took an 11 pt. Both deer are their biggest ever respectively. PA has a lot of nice public land to hunt, you just have to get out there and scout it out. 

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## nick99 (Mar 8, 2010)

Ok thanks for the info gonna try and scout a lot this summer


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

Mad-Eye Moody said:


> I have hunted public in WV a little. You won't see pressure there like you do here in Ohio. Access to private land is easier in the western part of the state where I hunt so most people wont go public.
> 
> Lots of special regs in WV public lands though. Be sure to read up. The one I have hunted a little is antlered only for first three days of rifle, and antlers have to be 14 inches wide.


That has to be one of the best examples I've ever seen of a dumbass game reg! Not killing the messenger here, Mad-Eye. I just wondered how on earth is a hunter supposed to assess the inside spread of a buck from maybe 100 yards through binocs or a scope! And what happens if the spread is only 13 3/4 when the tape is put to it? Does the hunter get fried? There were quite a few folks, not me, who thought the PA antler restrictions were a bunch of hooey. At least all you have to do is count tines!



Misdirection said:


> A few years ago my brother and nephew came over from Ohio to PA and we hunted public land not far from my property. My brother took a 10 and the next day in the same spot, my nephew took an 11 pt. Both deer are their biggest ever respectively. PA has a lot of nice public land to hunt, you just have to get out there and scout it out.
> 
> Sent from my DROID RAZR using Ohub Campfire mobile app


True that! PA has just a freakin' ton of State Game Lands available to hunt. My buddy has a trailer in a campground that abuts a State Game Land. Great situation! Wake up, have breakfast, get dressed, walk out the back of the campground and go hunting! There are grouse, squirrel, rabbit, deer and black bear. Plus, in warmer weather, we can fish for brookies and rainbows in the creek at the bottom of the valley. And, there's good hunting for pheasant about a 30 minute drive away.

Check out the PGC (Pennsylvania Game Commission) website. They have downloadable pdf files for every State Game Land. Over a million acres!


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## nick99 (Mar 8, 2010)

Thanks for the info


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## Wishin4Fishin (Feb 24, 2011)

I grew up in West Virginia and return each year to rifle hunt Thanksgiving week. I hunt both private and public land but focus the majority of my time, the first three days on a public wildlife management area. What Mad-Eye mentions holds truth but is not the "normal" for WV public land. There are only a few "older-aged deer management areas" throughout the state, around 6. But the standard is "free shoot" in WV as most people have the "if it's brown it's down" motto. But he's definitely right when he says read up on the regs, they are VERY confusing.

I can only speak for the public land I hunt, but there is VERY LITTLE pressure on the 1,400 acres I hunt. (there was 8 people in the parking area this year opening day). I've hunted this land since I started hunting (before it was a public WMA) and I hunt there specifically for the big deer (for WV standards). Below is a pic of an 8 I shot opening day this year. I have his twin brother hanging on the wall I killed in 2006 from the same land. These are BIG, WV bucks. I hunted three days on the mentioned public WMA this year and saw exactly 2 deer(this 8 and the doe he was with). I hunted three days last year and saw exactly two deer, one being a buck in the same class, a little smaller, to this one. My number of deer sightings is a fraction of what it used to be but I've been seeing the RIGHT deer. I've seen more "numbers" and killed more on the private land but nothing near this class.

Guys, WV is very similar to Ohio in their deer situation. I have to laugh reading this message board because what everyone is experiencing is not just in Ohio. Many of the guys who hunt in the mountains of WV (where the deer population USED to be) are not seeing near the deer as 7-8 years ago. The guys hunting private land in the areas outlying around the cities (where there used to be no deer) are still seeing good numbers.

WV public land can be very productive but don't think just because you're in WV you're going to go and see huge numbers, it's simply not the case (it used to be). It's tough hunting but to me it's all the more rewarding.


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## nick99 (Mar 8, 2010)

I am not looking for easy just looking to be able to get a chance to shoot a second buck


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## nick99 (Mar 8, 2010)

And would like to kill a deer with a rifle


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## Mad-Eye Moody (May 27, 2008)

You can kill three bucks in a year in WV. Two with a rifle, one with a muzzleloader or two with a bow and one with a rifle, etc etc.


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

Wishin4Fishin said:


> I grew up in West Virginia and return each year to rifle hunt Thanksgiving week. I hunt both private and public land but focus the majority of my time, the first three days on a public wildlife management area. What Mad-Eye mentions holds truth but is not the "normal" for WV public land. There are only a few "older-aged deer management areas" throughout the state, around 6. But the standard is "free shoot" in WV as most people have the "if it's brown it's down" motto. But he's definitely right when he says read up on the regs, they are VERY confusing.
> 
> I can only speak for the public land I hunt, but there is VERY LITTLE pressure on the 1,400 acres I hunt. (there was 8 people in the parking area this year opening day). I've hunted this land since I started hunting (before it was a public WMA) and I hunt there specifically for the big deer (for WV standards). Below is a pic of an 8 I shot opening day this year. I have his twin brother hanging on the wall I killed in 2006 from the same land. These are BIG, WV bucks. I hunted three days on the mentioned public WMA this year and saw exactly 2 deer(this 8 and the doe he was with). I hunted three days last year and saw exactly two deer, one being a buck in the same class, a little smaller, to this one. My number of deer sightings is a fraction of what it used to be but I've been seeing the RIGHT deer. I've seen more "numbers" and killed more on the private land but nothing near this class.
> 
> ...


Dang, guy! That's a nice buck, I don't care where you hunt! What I noticed in particular is that his body looks to be big and healthy. Nice going!


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## bad luck (Apr 9, 2009)

nick99 said:


> And would like to kill a deer with a rifle


+1
makes for a cleaner kill and you can reach out and touch 'em. 

In OH, the naysayers on change can say what they want about shotguns being clean kills, long range, blah blah blah, but rifle is the way to go. Why rifle not legal here, have no idea.....other than fear of change.


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## Misdirection (Jul 16, 2012)

I grew up in Ohio and hunted there until I was about 25. Took a deer most years with a slug gun. Sloppy is an understatement. When I moved to PA I bought a 30-06. When I whacked my first buck with my riffle, it didn't blink before it hit the ground. There is no comparison. And I agree, Ohio should legalize riffles. If guys are gonna use muzzleloaders and try to shoot out to 300 yards, they might as well use a riffle and do it right!

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## Wishin4Fishin (Feb 24, 2011)

buckeyebowman said:


> Dang, guy! That's a nice buck, I don't care where you hunt! What I noticed in particular is that his body looks to be big and healthy. Nice going!


Thank you very much. I don't think I will ever kill a bigger one in WV, but I will sure keep trying!

I made the switch from a 30-06 to a .270 about four years ago and haven't looked back. I found my personal sweet spot with the .270 shooting a 130 grain bullet. I used to muzzleloader hunt back in WV but have never gun hunted in Ohio. I just can't get into the shotguns. I COULD get into those big, corn fed bucks though! The mountains have a lot to do with it for me too. I love going down and stomping around those hills. It makes for an easy drag, as long as you kill the deer ON TOP and are parked at the BOTTOM - but it usually ends up being the other way around!  LOL


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