Traditional Archery Late Season Drives and Traditional Archery Opportuities in Jersey

[bentpole]

Just a Post here for some of you Trad Gangers that are interested. Here in Sopranoland [New Jersey] we have tremendous amounts of bow hunting opportunities! We have an early season where we have to wack a doe before we are able to wack a buck, then unlimited does. Regular season where if is brown it can go down, a buck and  again unlimited does. Permit season another Buck and unlimited does. Some zones stay open all during the muzzle loader and 6 day firearm season.    Then January 1st starts Winter Bow! Some zones stay open  until the 2nd week in February! Another Buck and unlimited does. Check the game laws as some zones offer more does than others.   Now the important facts. After all these seasons, come January these Whitetails are so spooked they seek the thickest cover.Early morning they seek hillsides with southeast exposures. They like to stay warm too. Food becomes a major factor. If they find a food source they will "yard up" and eat until it's gone. Never straying far from the food source. What our Crew does is seek out these points of interest so to speak and walk threw the cover to try to push the deer to the standers. Now if you do in fact drive deer to the standers you better be ready! Most time they are flying out. Others only walk stop walk. This is when a good skilled Traditional Archer comes into play. Trees and branches have been known to negate shots. As you can see it is a great way to stay off the couch, get together with a great bunch of guys and have some fun.

[bamboo]

yup !!opportunity for sure!!
the public land we were running is around 35,000ac
of thick mixed hardwoods and brush with corn or soybeans planted any where they can draft a plow----
...now trust me the easy to get at spots are under extreme hunting pressure [it is new jersey!]
and all the dumb deer are in someone's freezer!
...but according to the tracks I saw on Saturday there are plenty of deer that survived the pressure!
   and butted up to the recreation area we hunted is a state forest that's 16,000ac we haven't touched.....

[mcgroundstalker]

Wish Winter Bow was in the cards for me this year...  :(  ... Go Get 'Em Boys!

... mike ...

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Sounds like a lot of fun. Kinda like big Rabbit hunting!

[bentpole]

Yes Cyclic-Rivers like rabbit hunting only bigger targets! Well said bamboo!     All the dumb deer are in someones freezer!     This is when Bucks get smarter and get bigger.

[shreffler]

Holy cow that's a lot of deer you can take each season. In PA you get one buck per season (you get to choose what weapon you take it with) - and have to apply for a doe tag over the summer. Usually if you mail it in within 3 days of being able to apply you'll get one, but no guarantees.

Basically for the whole season you get to kill two deer per year (if you got drawn for a doe tag), so possibly only a buck - and then the buck has to have 4 on one side (basically be a 7 point or better).

Now NJ is a lot smaller than PA but those are still pretty favorable limits...might just have to make a trip down there    

[doeboy]

There are no more deer in New Jersey. Please stay home and shoot squirrels...    

Bent pole, send me a pm and we can exchange phone numbers, havent seen you in JC in a while. Think the last time was down at Deutsche Bank.

Red

[bentpole]

shreffler, that's the way it should be! I've seen some beautiful Bucks coming out of Pennsy because of the stricter laws! doeboy sure thing. You haven't seen me in JC because I'm no longer with F&G Mech. It's been 2 1/2 years already.

[joe skipp]

There are plenty of opportunities and that's why I spend my time between NY and NJ.(Every other year CT). Plus hunting with Bamboo and Southpawshooter we are very diversified. Sitting early and late and putting on 1 man drives mid day.

There is a ton of land plus those little patches where they hide. If you don't mind having a black bear stroll by at 15 yds now and then while your on the ground or getting back to a remote spot where this is little pressure, then your chances are real good filling your tags.

[bentpole]

[njloco]

I hate when a black bear, just strolls by and all I have in my hand is a trad bow that I can't shoot him with !

O.K. so how many people will we need to do this slow drive and when are we going ?

[Jerry Jeffer]

All lies!!! No deer left in NJ. We are down to civil war time populations. Yea, that's it!    

[bentpole]

Hey Folks, Dave the retired school teacher highlow here on Trad Gang Wacked a 5 point last night! Was using his Kititinny Delaware Hybrid Longbow! Way to go Dave!        Endeavor to Persevere!

[BUCKY]

Good job Dave! Let's push them Saturday! Last day!

[bentpole]

[Roadkill]

We get three weeks of 90 degree August weather. One deer, draw

[bentpole]

Roadkill    :eek:        :eek:  man oh man that's terrible!

[highlow]

Would love to go out again this Saturday Bucky but it's me birthday (#71) and the kids have some plans. And looking at the weather forecast, temps are going to be what some would call frigid, very frigid. At my age, that's as good an excuse to stay home as any.
I have to agree with Jerry. We're at Civil War level as regards deer density so you out of staters would just be wasting your time and money to come here. LOL
It is rather amazing that this state, the most densely populated in the entire country, has probably the most liberal bag limits in the country. We kill a lot of animals, and some big ones, and yet next year the numbers are right back up. A great state to deer hunt, especially with trad gear.

[Chez12]

I'm in south jersey (exit 36) do any of you hunt private land or is your hunting all public land? I moved back here in 03 and haven't hunted here at all

[highlow]

Hi Chez. I live in Sussex County, very near the Delaware River. I belong to a club and hunt private land but this past winter bow I was hunting public land. It's an area known as Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, federal in other words. As Bentpole related, I took a 5 pt. the other night. Have never even had a shot at a winter bow buck on our hunting club land. From local info, some real monsters were taken off that land this past gun season. I found a dead buck the other day not far from where I shot mine. Looked like a road kill. A friend estimated it at about 135.
Never hunted south Jersey but I know there are some large tracts of state land down there. Wharton State Forest comes to mind. The Ft. Dix/McGuire AFB might also allow hunting. If you do decide to start bow hunting here in NJ, you might just be surprised at what we have.