Yes, there are wild deer in Virginia, Pennsylvania and some live in Central County. In a recent administrative survey of 3,428 state residents, 62 percent of respondents did not know the Keystone State was home to wild deer. I hope 62% of them are not Center Daily Times readers.
About 1,400 elk live in north-central Pennsylvania, including about 100 in Center County. Like Snowshoe, Pine Glen and Yarnell escaped to state college. They do well to catch the permitted deer hunt each fall, when hunters take about 100 deer. The 2023 general season is over and one of the biggest elk in the Central District has taken home trophies. Below is a hunting report.
Pennsylvania's general season deer hunters faced rain on the first day and light morning snow on the third day of the state's limited permit deer hunt.
Jeremy Banfield, Pennsylvania Commission deer biologist, described the rest of the week as "nice hunting weather, temperatures that will make drying and meat preparation easier." Thanks to the excellent weather, the hunters counted on the success of their discovery.
Lock Haven hairstylist Gio Montarsi never waits for good weather. He braved the rain on opening day.
Before noon, I left with my Elk County tour guides and friends Ross Weaver and Chris Albright. “The day before we checked the field where the big bull was seen, but he was not there,” Montarsi said.
Despite the heavy rain, guide Brian Hale suggested a walk through the fields, but without the bananas. At 8:15 a.m., while returning to the car, driver YR Rozamalia saw from a distance something that looked like a large bull.
“We went down the hole so they wouldn’t see us coming,” Hale said. “The goal is to get closer to the bull. We did it, but there was no bull.
Montarsi avoids pain, especially during walks in the mountains. Before the planned hunt, it is important to carry out back surgery. But after the bull was released, his doctor agreed to postpone the operation until January.
A large bull appeared on the other side of the road, about 750 meters away. Hunters and guides pursued the deer, but its friends remained behind.
“We saw an 8x10 bull about 150 yards away, but he wasn't there anymore,” Hale said. I hung up.
Montarsi ran a perfect 185 yards. His Winchester 180 300 grain rifle did the trick and the moose fell after traveling about 60 yards.
“I don’t remember exactly what I said so close to the dropped banana, and it probably won’t be published,” laughs Montarsi. "I was a little surprised; I literally started shaking trying to fill out the loot tag. This is the best hunting in Pennsylvania.
The unusual Montarsi bull is green in color and measures 376 centimeters high.
Another deer on opening day was taken by Christ Yoder of Belleville. Yoder and his guide were painting in the woods of State Game Land 100 in Center County. They didn't see a big deer, but suddenly a big deer passed by. Yoder and his handler at Trophy Rack Lodge, David Kurtz, decided it was a good bull. Yoder made a perfect shot at 75 yards in the Model 88 Winchester. The bull only ran about 20 yards from Hornaday's 180-grain .308 load.
Interestingly, in the 1990s, Yoder worked for Kurtz on a dairy farm. They hunted and fished together. Kurtz has known him as a reindeer guide for 10 years.
“I was surprised to learn that Christo was arrested for obtaining a Zone 13 beef permit,” Kurtz said. “He got a call from the gaming commission and five minutes later I got a call asking if I wanted to be his driver.”
The unofficial green trophy for Yoder's raw deer is 386 points. Rangers Boone and Crockett do not officially measure deer until after the 60-day dry period. Banfield called Yoder's bull "the most exciting deer crop of the year."
On opening day, October 30, 24 moose were killed, 15 on the second day and 9 on the third. The moose season ended with hunters recording four moose on the fourth day, seven on the fifth and only one moose. The last day. In total, 29 of 30 deer hunters were successful, and 31 of 42 elk hunters took a total of 60 deer between October 30 and November 30. 4. All bananas must be taken to the control area for inspection.
“Inspections conducted at the Elk Country Visitor Center provide the Pennsylvania Commission with a unique opportunity to collect a large number of samples from many elk in a relatively short period of time,” Banfield said.
Tissues collected at checkpoints or provided by hunters, Banfield said, include brain stem samples for CWD testing, tongue samples for DNA testing, fat samples from cattle and deer to assess their general health and blood samples for pregnancy tests. Studies on brucellosis in women and both sexes.
“Liver samples were collected as part of a study in Kentucky to measure mineral levels in wild deer,” Banfield added. “We would like to thank the hunters for their cooperation at the checkpoints and their patience while collecting samples.”
The heaviest was the 865 lb 4 6x6 for deer hunting. Taken by David Sutley of Titusville during the September archery season. Heaviest of the season was Francis Wurtenberg from Croydon with a 6x6 bull weighing 815kg at EHZ 3. The heaviest bull ever to go to EHZ. 10 John Bonner Holland, Pennsylvania. Live weight was 618 kg.
“Most cattle weigh between 450 and 550 kilograms,” said biologist Banfield. - For more than 600 cows, this is a significant figure.
Pennsylvania's limited deer permit season runs from December 30 to January 30. 6 Hunting 46 hunters (17 antlerless and 29 antlerless) try their hand at elk hunting.
Mark Nail, who lives in Bald Eagle Valley, is a member of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association and can be reached at MarkAngler@aol.com.