Pennsylvania Deer Camp

Its a wonderful thing. I love hearing about camps that have been in families for generations. It looks like the stars are starting to align as there should be a good amount of snow in Northern PA to sweeten the experience!

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I've been tenuously watching the forecast and they're hedging on snow, but the temperatures look good. Cold enough to make you "earn" it, but not so cold you question your life decisions. :D
 
Got a camp in Cameron County that we never hunted out of, been in the family probably 60 years. No idea why no one ever decided to go for deer season but that's changing next year. Planning on taking mom, brothers, and friends up to start a new tradition
 
There's tons and tons of acorns everywhere and they aren't in high density spots it's all spread out . Good luck. There's a lot of folks that will say there isn't anything there . You just have to hunt the very very thick stuff and the closest you can hunt to a house or camp likely the better you'll do. I'll be apart of the orange army opening day and likely that'll be it. All the trial cam photos and scouting goes out the window. Especially with the bear season the week before and the woods getting all stirred up
 
CJ_BG said:
Got a camp in Cameron County that we never hunted out of, been in the family probably 60 years. No idea why no one ever decided to go for deer season but that's changing next year. Planning on taking mom, brothers, and friends up to start a new tradition
Click to expand...

Arent we long lost cousins


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Been an equity member of a deer camp in NY since 1976. In the beginning we had 2000 acres to hunt and it was great. Plenty of room for everyone to have a nice hunt and work what they found without interfering with someone else. My dad and I kept advising the board that they need to start purchasing the land we are hunting when it comes up for sale and selectively log it to offset the cost over time. Jump to today the same 40 guys are all hunting on 350 acres we actually own and we are being told to go find our own spots. I haven’t hunted camp property since 2015. Dad is 83 now and still enjoys the camaraderie. I have a farm for him and I to hunt but it ain’t enough during turkey season. I am planning my exit when dad decides he has had enough or just can’t do it anymore. We could have bought 180 acres we have been hunting for decades for 164K with a house on it. They said it was to expensive. The guy who bought it has it on the market for 1.6 mil now. Could have bought the 100 acres right behind camp for 100K and they said that was to expensive also. Penny wise and dollar foolish I say, I tried but they just would not listen. Would love to find another camp in western or southern zone in NY or PA with some owned acreage that can be or is managed for a quality experience. Haven’t missed a work day in 49 years can’t say the same for the rest of them.
 
I’m ready for camp. I’ve been watching the weather hoping for snow, but I’m doubtful. There’s a winter weather warning, but it’s been in the 50’s not sure where this snow is supposed to come from.
 
Sinistram said:
I've been tenuously watching the forecast and they're hedging on snow, but the temperatures look good. Cold enough to make you "earn" it, but not so cold you question your life decisions. :D
Click to expand...
Last year it was a high of 14 in the pocono's, already had a layer of snow on the ground that was frozen and any movement was super loud and was forced to sit and wait. Much more looking forward to this years forecast.
 
summs said:
Last year it was a high of 14 in the pocono's, already had a layer of snow on the ground that was frozen and any movement was super loud and was forced to sit and wait. Much more looking forward to this years forecast.
Click to expand...

Where are you in the Poconos? Our camp is in Albrightsville
 
Having grown up in north-central Pennsylvania in the house that WAS hunting camp for those magical days, I feel the loss of these traditions in my soul.

Dad and Bucky and Lantzy are dead. Uncle Chuck and Old Bert are gone, too. Hell, even my sister has passed There's just me. I no longer live there but I travel up a couple times a year to see the mountains.

Speaking of weather and thinking you're gonna die in the woods... pretty sure it was opening day of the 3 day doe season one year. I was maybe 14 and it was COLD. Unbelievably cold. Dad put me at all tree and told me to wait, he'd be back in a few hours. I now understand that he was waiting for daylight and was going to try to push some deer back to me.

I couldn't take it. I hadn't been on stand long and I was frozen to the bone. Rifle leaning against the tree, almost forgotten, I walked a groove in the snow making a 15' circle around the tree. Round and round, warming myself with activity.

Dad laughed when he finally came back and I seem to remember the radio in the truck saying it was -23°F but I've never been able to confirm this and subsequent life experience seems to say thats not possible but MAN was it cold.
 
Growing up in a deer camp in Pennsylvania was the best childhood I could ask for. I remember the smells, the cold, the cold turkey sandwiches with mayo we'd make the night before.
I miss that, now everyone is hyper focused on "target bucks" and all the current hunting trends. Wood smoke, card games, and hanging bucks outside the cabin have gone the way of the dinosaur here for me, and ive been chasing that high ever since.
Have found a couple cabins that are good groups of guys, but nothing that feels the same as the old family camp.
 
Shout out to all those old school PA camps! I was fortunate to be a part of a few over the years. The history and camaraderie is just awesome.
The best one I've seen is in Honesdale area, what a great group of guys doing it right.
 
My grandfather had a state cabin in Pike County. So many awesome memories. My uncles, cousins, family friends. What a great tradition. Guys drinking beer, playing cards, telling jokes. Man did I love that. We never killed anything big, but we always had deer hanging out front opening day. One year my dad, uncle and his friends were in the paper for all killing 1 1/2-2 1/2 yr old bucks opening day. We wouldn't even shoot bucks like that now. After my Grandmother died, he had to sell it. My uncle wound up buying a place a few miles from there, but it wasn't the same after that. He has his own crew of guys. I actually live in the area now, so I'll stop in, but it's not the same experience of going off to hunting camp.
 
It's nothing like it used to be pre 2000ish.
I remember my uncle digging through the trunk of his car to find a pumkin ball so I had 3 shells for 20ga pump the first day of doe season.
The weather looks great in the mountains as of now. Snow showers Fri, clear Sat, and weather Sun. I'll be sitting food Sat. afternoon trying to fill a dmap tag.
 
Really enjoyed reading this thread, I was never part of a hunt camp, but growing up hunting PA whitetails the stories were always the stuff of legend in my teenage mind. I'm looking forward to next fall, planning to make my out of state hunts be a couple trips back to the old stomping grounds in PA for a bow and rifle hunt. Good luck out there!
 
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