[WOL]

The camp I went to as a kid back in those days must have been lazy. None of those guys were leaving the cabin after dark. I think most of them were happy to get back to the cabin before 5:00pm. Two woodstoves and a fireplace, a cold Black Label and a Marlboro....who wants to leave the cabin?

 

[Goosehunter]

Anyone who was hunting deer in the North Central mountains back in the 1970's knows there were many hunters and bunches of deer. Made for rampant poaching thru out that area.
There were two men in particular, Gerald Shady and his brother Vaughn Shady...plus many cousins, nephews etc. We used to call them the Shady Gang from Lock Haven.
Gerald and Vaughn would often stop by our Camp to chit chat. The one day Vaughan showed us his new pistol with a laser dot scope mounted on top, you know the kind where the red dot shows up on the target. He explained how at night you shine the red dot in the eyes and then drop down and back and pull the trigger.
His brother Gerald laughingly said that Vaughn has his gun sighted in for 5 MPH.

Their deer season started on the first day of Turkey season and then in doe season they shot everything that moved.

 

[R. S. B.]

Well there was always the "cabin meat" deer. RSB tell us about the old timer you had at your tours that showed us the antler collection he shot back in the day. Also tell us what he said when he showed multiple antlers for the same year. IIRC the statement was none were ever wasted and all were used for a good cause. Waugh!

You are kind of close on the story, not exactly correct but the message is the same.

The old guy in question, if I remember correctly, was Roy Esera (not sure of the correct spelling) from up in McKean County. Land Management Supervisor John Dzemyan knew Roy when he was old, but before he passed away he gave John a couple boxes full of his old deer antlers, a couple of which made the state record book, along with the years they were killed and the stories behind some of them.

Roy had always been after the largest bucks around while hunting. Back in the 1920's, 30's and 40's he was shooting big 8 and 10 point bucks. Who knows if they shot legally or even under a spotlight, but they were trophy class bucks by even today's standards. As I said at least one of made the state record book pretty well toward the top. By the 1960's Roy was still shooting the biggest bucks he could find but even the largest 8 points from that time period would easily fit inside the racks of the bucks he had killed in the late 1920's, 30's and early 40's.

Also inside the boxes of antlers was a large spike with nice, curved antlers that Roy said he shot in the 1920's or 30's, I don't remember what year. John said, "but Roy spikes weren't even legal back then." Roy's answer was, "well it didn't go to waste."

There is no question that venison was considered and staple of life for many during those earlier times, especially during the depression years.

Dick Bodenhorn

 

[Teddy (punchie)]

96% of Poaching Cases Go Undetected, New Report Says

Not that I put the 40 hours during rifle season I use to. Cost of meat look for more of this.

I can tell you that one family would pay people to get hunting lic and push deer so they can shoot them.

Other group would shoot every deer they could.

One other group shot many deer going to and from a bird feeder. One time the deer was
50 yds away at most when they finished it off. Heading that way because it was use to being there and felt safe. I was walking a fence line making sure it was up... We always pushed deer through this area from 300 to 500 yards away or more drive would start some 3/4 a mile away. Never shot any around the feeder. Always 200 yards or more away, not a 100.

We still hear a ton... well not a ton but more then a few the 3-5 days before the season starts.

I can understand shooting a few minutes late or what was late years ago, your on stand and you see the deer and mins fly by and dam your like oo $hit it was say 5 min late. But these guys are just ?? in what they do.

Trust me there are a bunch of deer shot illegal every year. Mistakes are one thing but these are some that are just not right. I'll give anyone an honest mistake.

For years we would run these hills only to get home and check on things after dark to find a nice buck in the field at 5:45 PM. Say to each other what hole was he hiding in. Never did we shoot at any deer after hours. Trouble with a gun/someone dropped it or missed a deer and check it late in the day at a target yes, but no deer.

 

[Dusdaddy]

Screw that!!!! That's when we play cards.

And drink!

 

[Dusdaddy]

Back in the 2 weeks of antlered and 2 days of antlerless deer season, my cousins husband would walk a couple of hundred yards behind his house and shoot the first deer he saw on the first day of buck season. Of course, most of the time the first deer he saw was a doe. He wasnt a big hunter, but enjoyed venison. He did this on his own property and processed it himself. His wife finally made him stop doing it. He left this world a few years ago, so hopefully I havent riled up the internet police.....................

I for one don't see that as "poaching" even though I know it is illegal. At least he waited for the season to start! It's how my father fed his family of 8 in the 50s/60s.