Bigger bucks … yes; many more bucks … ?
Local bowhunters had one of their best opening days in recent years when it came to killing does, but it was another story where the buck tally was concerned. Each year Kevin’s Archery in Carmichaels has a “big doe” pool on opening day, where hunters sign up and put up a couple of dollars with the money divided among those harvesting the heaviest deer.
Despite a large number of entrants, the total amount of does kills is usually in single digits, percentagewise.
While last year’s pool topped 20 for the first time, this year’s kill was 26 with 23 actually weighed in by the 173 participants.
“It was a fabulous year,” Kevin Polish said. “The weights were up again, indicating that the deer got plenty to eat over the summer.
“The top five does weighed 100 pounds or more field dressed with all entrails removed.”
Since county lines were obliterated by the new Wildlife Management Unit system, hunters were divided alphabetically A to M and N to Z.
John Bungard bagged the biggest doe in the A to M group with a 110-pound Washington County deer. Second place went to Mike Morgan with a 104-pound Allegheny County deer.
A Fayette County deer was the largest taken in the N to Z group. It was a 105-pounder killed by Dave Sadler.
There was a tie for second place in the class, as two deer weighed in at 100 pounds.
Bill Smith Jr. checked in a Greene County deer, and Mark Pavlic bagged his doe in Allegheny County.
That was the good news coming from the bowhunters.
On a more discouraging note, while many are seeing some big bucks, others are not seeing any bucks, and in some cases no deer at all.
Through the first five days of the season Polish said that only one deer was turned in for the buck pool, however, it was a dandy taken by Chuck Spangenberg of Mapletown.
The buck scored 135 Pope and Young. It was a 10-pointer with a 17-inch spread, measuring 5 1/2-inches around the base of the antlers.
“Everyone said they are seeing big bucks,” Polish said. “However, most feel that they have already gone nocturnal. Overall, the hunters say they are again seeing very few legal bucks.”
Polish said one landowner noted that he does not agree with the Game Commission’s current deer management program. He noted that he has seen very few deer on his 490-acre farm. Of 11 that were in a field the other night, the biggest one was only a six-pointer.
Polish said, “I will say that 90 percent of the hunters say they are seeing bigger deer. They are just not seeing many deer.
“I spoke with a business associate in Somerset County this week, and he said that hunters up there are complaining they are not seeing any deer. He said one hunter has been out five or six times and has not seen a deer yet.”
On a positive note, young Cody Decker, a 12-year-old, first-year hunter from Khedive bagged his first buck with a bow, as he took a four-pointer on opening day.
Polish said that he has never seen so many disappointed and frustrated hunters coming into his shop. He said, “People are hunting every day and not seeing a deer. One guy hunted on the game lands for three days and has not seen a deer.”
He also said some hunters felt bucks were chasing does, but that probably has more to do with a quick cold snap and them becoming frisky rather than the rut coming in.
The only other big buck I heard about was a 175-pound 9-pointer taken by Mark Michaux of Donora.
It was his fifth with a bow.
Michaux is also an avid turkey hunter and fishermen who has enough trophy fish citations from the Fish and Boat Commission and Mepps to wallpaper an average size room.
Don’t forget that fall trout stockings are under way, and make time to take a kid hunting. Special youth squirrel and pheasant seasons began Saturday.
Rod Schoener is the Herald-Standard outdoors writer.