Now East to Pennsylvania

[gophergunner]

My hunting done here in Mn., I'll be boarding a plane Thanksgiving morning and heading east to Pennsylvania for a few days of deer hunting out there.  Pa.'s deer season always comes in the Monday after Thanksgiving, and we've got five of us including my brother and son showing up for the opener.  Another chance to spend time with friends and family making some great memories.  My brother's bringing up about 50 lbs. of Lake Erie perch fillets for our weekend fish fry.  This has become somewhat of a tradition, and many hunters from the surrounding camps will join us in gorging ourselves on some excellent fried fish and fried spuds. 

Good luck to all our members working hard to fill their tags here too.

[Coffee118]

What area of the state do you hunt? We would finish thanksgiving diner, help mom clean the dishes then jump in the car and head to camp until Tuesday night. Deer camp memories are always some of the best. I'm going to say it was in 1985 they finally stated giving the kids Monday off of school because almost all of the boys weren't there. Have fun and be safe out there.

[Boar]

Wow for fun! Good luck and be safe!!

[gophergunner]

What area of the state do you hunt? We would finish thanksgiving diner, help mom clean the dishes then jump in the car and head to camp until Tuesday night. Deer camp memories are always some of the best. I'm going to say it was in 1985 they finally stated giving the kids Monday off of school because almost all of the boys weren't there. Have fun and be safe out there.

We hunt central Pa. Clearfieild County on Boone Mountain.  We're between the towns of Sabula and Penfield.  It's old exit 17 off I-80.  I believe they switched over to numbering their exit by the mile marker, which would make it about 102.

Our camp was built by 5 guys, including my dad, all from the Youngstown, Ohio area. The lot was bought in 1950.  My son is the first 3rd generation member of our family to hunt from our cabin.  Sadly, all the original members have passed, and the camp has come down to me and my brother.  None of the other guys had any kids that showed any interest in it, so we ended up with it. So many great memories.  The albino buck, the great trout fishing, turkeys, grouse, and squirrels galore, and of course, the great deer hunting.  Prior to Pa. going to QDM, it was a slow day if we didn't see 45 deer on the opener.  Spike bucks were the norm, and man, did we get a lot of them.  Back in the camps heyday, there'd be 10-12 guys in for the opener.  Dad and another member by the name of Bud Streit were the best hunters of the bunch.  Dad carried his beloved 300 Savage, and Bud did his hunting with a Remington 721 chambered for .270 Winchester.  They were both excellent shots.  If Dad or Bud shot more than once, somebody better get over to them, as there were two deer laying dead somewhere. I shot my first deer when I was 21 years old.  Dad was so excited.  Sadly, he died the following spring.  My brother and I were the only ones in camp the following deer season, and we were really just going through the motions.  My solemn vow was to do good by Dad that year.  The Red Gods cut us a break, as we both filled our tags by 8:30 a.m. the first morning.  Two spikers.  Dad wouldn't have had it any other way.

[Boar]

Thanks for sharing!

[LPS]

Ya Gopher that is a great story.   I am still thinking about it.  Thanks  I will be thinking about it tonight in bed.   AND that is a good thing...

[Coffee118]

Thanks, I am just off of I80 myself but a little west, I'm at the Kennerdale exit. Like I said some of the best memories are created at deer camp. Small world, I would hunt with a couple of guys from Youngstown myself. It's been a few years since I've been up since I bought the shop, I have to get back up there before the older guys are gone, they thought me a lot, not only about hunting but about life also

[gophergunner]

We'll have five guys in camp for the opener this year, and sadly, that's the most guys we'll have had in over a decade.  Can't wait to get out there.  I'll be arriving next Friday afternoon.  Hope to get in some grouse, squirrel, and turkey hunting on Saturday if there's not too much work to do around camp.

[glenn57]

Good luck have fun!;;