Finally was able to get back in the mts today. And collect some trail cams.

Early this morning before light I drove back to a favorite spot and hiked in. Come along and enjoy a few days this winter, of a few bigwoods deer and life "back in"

These deer live out their whole life with virtually no human contact except during firearm, deer and bear season.

They don't know what agriculture is, or the benefits of getting fat on corn and beans, I sometimes marvel at the ability of wildlife to survive.

This area does not support the deer per sq mile of areas closer to agriculture.

Its a tough area, hard to hunt, hard to be routinely successful. But it has a rugged attraction that gets in your blood.

first area is located at the rim of a large basin, I found the spot by studying topo maps and putting some good old fashioned shoe leather to the ground.

second area is about a 1/2 mile from the basin on a almost impenetrable laurel bench. I hesitated to put a cam there, wasn't sure if I'd ever FIND IT AGAIN! lol this morning I plowed through the nasty stuff and stopped and was thinking "it gotta be right here somewhere close" and i'll be darn there it was.

I had both cams out since Dec and only had about 40 pics on each.... That's not many compared to agricultural areas but A real hotspot in this area.

this little guy was browsing for his supper I'm sure, evening solitude, and a meal of scant browse, and if he was lucky, a leftover acorn or two that was still good.

I spent the day hiking around, and picking teaberrys, I one watched a bear eating them and had to think, wow would take a lot of teaberrys to fill a bears belly. Not sur what this pic is but it almost looks like the head and ear of a big bear in the bottom right corner.

For some reason the area has a higher buck to doe ratio, I often see more buck than doe. These guys still had headgear in Jan

That's what it takes to find them!

I notice old trails and old does. They both lead off spring down the same path again.

It's in the DNA. Ours and theirs.

Love the hunt.

oh that's bottom left on the "is it a bear" pic

not only where the buck still sporting headgear but they were still feeling a little frisky.

I titled this pic..."heading back to bed" I imagine he came up over from the bottom and was going to bed in the thick laurel of the bench. The side he just came up over is really steep, you don't walk down it you slide down it. I use a hickory walking stick, helps a lot to have a third leg on those steep mountainsides. Its thick with pine, laurel and big rocks..Buck grow big here simply because its tough hunting, low pressure, and rugged. This little guy may one day be a old mountain monarch.

Very cool!!! I live and hunt flat farm country mostly but thru a great friend I've gotten to spend a few weeks in the VA mountains. Its a moving experience out there in the silence and you for sure earn every deer from up there. Thanks for posting!!

Another little buck, shortly after daylight, sun is just coming up over the opposite mt. Many a morning I sat shivering on the shady side, and the sun came over the top and lit up the mt across from me and I thought..."man I wish I was over there"

this little guy will soon be enjoying the suns warmth here on the sunny side.

Deer in areas like this don't live near humans. I've had deer in agricultural areas seem almost trail cam shy...this guy seems curious..."hmmm, what the heck is that hanging on that tree?"

hmmm...a closer look

only has one horn left.....but he'll still fight.

I titled this pic..."crossing the rim" as mentioned, its at the to of a big bowl shaped basin, the sides are really steep, creating a natural funnel.

i'll sit here next season I'm sure. And true to the area, more than likely it will require a number of long uneventful hrs on stand with few deer sighted. But with enough patience, sooner or later i'll hear that unmistakable sound of a deer coming. And days and hrs spent will evolve into a brief moment in time when it all comes together. which reminds me i better go practice a little before it gets dark.

There is something about a morning hunt in the mts. From the early morning alarm going off, the temptation to roll over and not get up...but you know if you do you'll later regret it.

The loooong hike in in darkness, the howl of a distant coyote. climbing into your stand and witnessing a world of forest awakening around you....the sunrise then the sound of deer coming.

Neat, I miss the hills on PA.

This winter has been a series of off and on snow and cold and winds that gusted to 60 mph and wind chills far below zero. Deer are hardy animals. I did find one that didn't make it this winter this morning. So much of the forest here is an endless sea of mt laurel, not much in the way of food once the mast is gone. deer go through a cycle of spring and summer plenty, to fall the rut, storing for winter, and then simply surviving..

I titled this one...."COME ON SPRING! "

state Forest roads can get almost impassable in winter, no winter maintanence, tire chains on a 4x4 often are necessary.

In my younger more adventurous days I've had my share of white knuckle grips on the steering wheel sliding down a mt, or digging and pawing your way through, or putting tire chains on all 4 tires with cold frozen hands. Or hiking a couple miles out when your stuck.

not so much anymore...just aint worth it.

So trail cam pics like this....I just title......"wish I was there"

It is so QUIET in the dead of winter.

Yes love in the woods , I could not have said it better Shade you do a great job telling and pictures to go with IT.

mt laurel droops and curls when it gets bitterly cold....mornings like that the whole forest eagerly awaits the suns warmth.

and hunters sit shivering, longbows across their laps, and after a week of hunting and no deer sighted....begin to question their sanity.

Very nice!

Thanks.

Thank you!

Do you ever stay back in overnight or for days?

I have already yes. I enjoy that, its nice to be able to hunt right from "camp" Ive tent camped quite a bit, but my fondest memory's are from an actual cabin.

We owned a camp that was "back in" surrounded by the sproul state forest. There was no electric available anywhere close, doubtful there ever will be. We used gas lanterns, an outhouse and water from a spring. I spent a whole winter there hunting and trapping. Come spring I fished for trout. I ate so many trout that spring its a wonder I didn't grow fins.

At the cabin you could get snowed in, no way to get out until it thawed or you dug yourself out with 4x4 tire chains and lots of shoveling. The state forest roads would become treacherous smooth and glazed from snowmobiles, and freezing and thawing.

There was no cell service, no way to communicate with the outside world. That winter it dawned on me one morning that I hadn't spoken or heard a word in 2 weeks, funny but you don't think about how odd that is till you do it.

Being a self employed contractor enabled me to arrange it, doubtful i'll do it again, and we've since sold the cabin.

Nice photos Steve. Those big woods have a draw that can only be appreciated by those who have attended to them.

My buddy has a cabin that his family built in 1936 in Moshannon State Forest. Lots of family and club cabins were built back then since they were allowed to own the cabin but not the land.

There are literally hundreds of cabins around the State Forest land and many are falling into disrepair or abandonment since the modern generations are not into "back in". ;) His cabin only has five folks that are still involved so at some point, that one will either be sold or abandoned too.

Good looking mountains and woods. Nice to see some wild animals, thanks.

Great post shade! Really enjoyed the pictures!

Would really like to get a cabin, "back in" but Texas doesn't have much of that.

During the winter here in PA this is the biggest problem with "back in" during the winter.

Talked to a buddy who tried a no maintainance road from Kelletville to Marineville along Salmon Creek last winter. He got about half way, cost him $1200.00 to get pulled out by a dozer. That a rough road for Spring Gobbler if you meet another car.

Great photos, Shade! I enjoyed them and your descriptions. Jawge

I love your mountains!

Very enjoyable post Shade, many thanks. How long does it take to hike back to a stand in the dark?

Depends on where Mike, those particular spots are fairly accessible simply because I can drive back a state forest rd and park. Only takes about 1 1/2 hr to hike in from the truck.

If it were not for our driveable state forest roads and trails, many spots wouldn't be accessible for a day hunt.

Even with the state forest roads, some areas especially up north are pretty far to get into for your average day hunt. Areas like the hammersley wild area, the whole Fish Dam run drainage, Boggs hollow drainage, many places in the pine creek and canyon, parts of the Quehanna, the interior areas of state game lands 13, 57 and 75 and on and on see very little to no archery pressure especially during the week.

Many of the more remote areas, till you drive back a state forest rd, and hike in, just not enough time for a evening hunt on a workday. Sometime i'll hunt close to a state forest rd, and I might only be a 1/2 hr from the truck, even though your still back in.

But I normally have anywhere from a 1 hr to a 3 hr walk to a stand from the parking lot.

an example would be...you can drive a couple miles back in a dirt state forest rd to places like this...but once you park you still have a pretty good hike to get to where your going. Not the same as More remote areas out west I'm sure, but still remote enough to make it tough for a hike in and hike out day hunt.

We have a camp in Clinton County just before Renovo so these pics and scenes are very familiar. Gonna have to get down there and spend a few days in the woods and on the streams come May.

Wow, what a hike in the dark to a stand. I hunt whitetail in Illinois and have a ten minute walk and sometimes still walk by my stand. Of course hunting elk in Oregon is different. We do often hunt a long ways in, but often hunt our way in and don't have to find a tree stand in the dark either. My hat's off to you. That looks like a grand adventure!

Steve; I left PA about half way through college. As a young man I used to hunt the thick stuff along Laurel run and Paddy Mt. During archery season that was never much pressure in central Union county.

I don't hunt to much over on the union county side of the Bald Eagle SF. I do hunt the Mifflin , centre, county sections a lot though.

I have hunted the white mt wild area a number of times, which is on the other side of penns creek from Paddy I really enjoy trout fishing penns creek between swift run and weikert.

That's a really great stretch of water. The fact that you have to hike in to fish that stretch makes it even better.

How do you get one out from that far back in when you can't quarter and pack them out in PA?

you can quarter and pack out in PA, but I've drug the hair off them MANY times...lol

Killed my last elk in this spot, 3 miles back in on the Pacific Crest Trail, WA. I would like to be back in Washington. That's Mt. Hood, Oregon, about 45 miles as the crow flies.

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