Having filled my buck tag with a bow in October, the ’07 rifle season found me toting my cameras and putting on a few deer drives for my friends and family. Although most of my time deer hunting is typically spent in a treestand, it was nice to get out a cover some new ground. Several nice bucks had been spotted prior to the season, so everyone’s hopes on opening day were high.

Pennsylvania Game Commission Provides Private Security For High Fence Hunting Lodge in Clarion County.

So many times, we as outdoorsmen and women get so caught up with the size and quality of the targeted trophy, we tend to forget about the real meaning of what makes the outdoors special.

My son and I were sitting at home one evening watching a hunting show on television and he looked at me and said, “Mom…why do you hunt?” This is the question that I feel every person who is new to the sport, or is a seasoned veteran, must continually ask himself or herself. Every person will probably respond in a different way to this question. The answer however, must come from down deep inside of the individual and at times will probably conjure up a passionate response.

This has been one of those years, and for the first time in 15 years, I didn't even get to go out in rifle season.  Our daughter Addison was born on October 24th, and for me to take 3 days away from home to make the trek back to my hunting camp in Clarion County was just a little too much to ask from the Mrs's.

Well the gun season was winding down only a few more days remained and God blessed our family with another successful hunt. It has been six years since my brother Rex has harvested a buck in PA. He attempts to allow younger bucks to walk as to both prolong his hunting season and harvest a more mature deer.

I have to apologize for not writing for a while, but my work schedule around the holidays keeps me pretty busy. Being in Colorado for a week and a half didn’t help either, but as usual, the time out west was worth playing a little catch-up at the office.

The PGC Mentor Youth program allowed me another opportunity and another special time spent with my son on the opening day of PA rifle season. It all started with the “Hunting Camp” experience. Jimmy’s friend Cody and his dad Jim came up to hunt at my brother’s property in Cambria County. This is one of our “hunting camps”.

By Bill Anderson, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
My son Chad and I went to Costa Rica January 25th thru the 30th of January. This was my third year in a row to take this trip. What a place if you have ever wanted to catch a bill fish. We left on the 25th and flew out of BWI at 9:00 am into Charlotte, NC and arrived at San Jose Costa Rica at 3:35pm. We had a driver waiting for us after we exited customs.

By Nick Erway, Newport, Pennsylvania
Hunting season in 2004 found us watching a hay field above Eldridge Lake, more of a large pond that is created by the beaver dam at the road. This is Tioga County, PA. We have hunted here for many years with Terry Jacobson and stay at the farm with his mom and dad who are like my second family It’s is as much a tradition to come hunt the farm as it is a really good location to hunt. We usually go out to a location near Sabinsville as it has been a good place on opening day to intercept deer coming in from the surrounding farms that are being hunted.