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While I appreciate your attempt to explain “hiking”, the question was - why would you chose to wander (aka hiking) around the woods during deer season? Deer season being that time of year when states schedule a few weekends or a week or two for firearm hunting of deer.
I have no wish to stop you from hiking anywhere, or at any time, you wish to do so.
Never encountered something like that, and that’s fine for what it is. But I don’t think it’s particularly relevant to the current discussion.
To see the deer of course. During deer season the deer are done hibernating and are out of their caves and wandering about.
That was part of my explanation. People hike in spring. They hike in summer. They hike in autumn. They hike in winter.
People hike in all seasons!
People like to hike on weekends. Many people work during the week. The weekend is the only time they can hike.
If you have any more questions about hiking, please feel free to ask!
Firearm season in NH this year is November 12-December 7. That’s almost a month of prime hiking season. Hikers and hunters have coexisted for a long time without significant conflict up here, no reason to do much beyond taking reasonable precautions. Besides, the OP was taking place on Sunday when there is no hunting so this whole hijack isn’t really in play. Sunday isn’t deer hunting season in PA.
This is a very thorough explanation of hunting in specific areas of Wisconsin and Illinois. In the future, Kayaker should plan his hikes in a different state, maybe sticking to private property, and if he’s smart, do it on a Sunday when hunting is not permitted. Thank you for clearing things up.
OK, then if they are that well trained and stay that close, how are they gobbling down gut piles? 
You see, your OP hinted strongly of unsupervised dogs wandering hither and yon, and you were concerned about them finding gut piles, so you found and buried them the offal.
But now you have your dogs staying close and being on a “tight verbal leash”.
Not only in deer season, but in areas approved for deer hunting,* and* off marked trails. :dubious:
It’s like choosing to go hike in the Baja desert in the path of the Baja 500.
Sigh. I keep them close if there is deer hunting going on. No hunting on Sunday, and for much of the remainder of the year, so they are allowed to cavort a bit, wandering the woods and returning when called. Also, when we hike with them, they are off-lead. They chase/tree squirrels, explore, and generally exercise. They can gorge quickly on a gut-pile even if we are 50 yards away.
Still confused?
Just want to say that you have some nice-looking dogs, kayaker. And attentive!
No, it’s really not. First, which seems to be ignored repeatedly in this thread, the OP was out on Sunday which means there is NO HUNTING going on in Pennsylvania. Second, I’ve hiked in hunting season for decades in the White Mountain National Forest and almost never encountered hunters. Most of those encounters happened near trailheads so hunters were aware of the risk. Finally, I’m not a big bushwacker but those who are know the risks and take precautions to know where hunters typically travel.
Be dubious all you want, but it’s been happening for a long time. As long as all parties take reasonable precautions it’s quite safe. There are far more hunter shooting hunter incidents than hunter shooting bystander incidents, but they don’t make the news as often.
Here are the stats for Pennsylvania, and while the data isn’t complete for the earlier years they do seem to track whether the victim was a hunter or not in more recent years.
http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/document/901453/pa_hrsi_summary_1982_-_present_pdf
You are arguing with the wrong person. I agree with you. What I was saying is that no sane hiker wanders thru the deep woods during hunting season without taking reasonable precautions. Like you said the OP was not actually out on a hunting day. Thus there doesnt need to be any more rules regulating deer hunting as hikers who take reasonable precautions are not in any significant danger.
Like no sane desert rat would wander the Baja desert in the path of the Baja 500 while it was being run.
My apologies, I misread your post or confused it with another poster. I agree, the key is understanding the situation and reasonable precautions.
Kumbaya, my Lord, Kumbaya…
I have to agree with you. The big guy with the dark muzzle is particularly handsome.
It’s illegal to hunt deer during the spring and summer. Archery deer season, depending on the state, can extend from some time in autumn until some time in winter. Firearm seasons are much, much shorter.
Deersnake molting season is even more visually exciting!
Thanks! They are all good girls, eager to please and happy to pose. The big, tan mix breed in the left or back of the pics is particularly a success story. We got her from a shelter that was going to put her down the day we took her for a trial-run. She had been in 3 homes and did not work out at all. We put a lot of effort in, and it has paid off big time. You would never guess she was once a “bad dog”.
Ah, good on you.
Pizza dough is made from flour, water, yeast, and salt. “Deciduous” can refer not only to trees, but also to periodically-dropped body parts such as antlers and milk teeth. Thirty days hath September.
Your turn!
Let’s try and keep this on topic, please. We’re trying to have a civilized conversation about deer guts, let’s keep it that way.
Hal Briston – IMHO Moderator
Who said that??