Late September in PA; the apples are ready.

[Adam Helmer]

My loyal hound is helping me pick apples all over the mountain behind our home. The apples are ripe and dropping to the ground and the deer tracks indicate the deer are eating the drops. That is ok and how it should be.

The trees are turning to soft pastel shades of red, yellow and orange. The gardens are nearly done and all is gathered in. Hunting season is about to begin. I like the pulse of Opening Day and can sense the feelings of the young hunters. Some older folks suit up in the old Woolrich garb and put on over the coats the obligatory "hunter orange" to be legal. Some old guys still carry a few old Roll Crimp shells afield from the 1960s and then carefully put them away for another season..... I have a few old Federal Monarch Low Brass shells and a few Super-X High Brass paper shells that have hunted as long and far as I have trekked. Happily, I recently came upon and acquired a nifty 20 Gauge single barrel shotgun made by "Iver Johnson Bicycle Works". This old veteran (circa 1910) will see days afield this Fall. Old shotguns deserve to be afield.

Adam

[skeet]

We have a few apple trees here. Mostly yellow transparents..which are early..also some Lodi..early apples too. The deer were on 'em like stink though..We picked most of 'em and momma made applesauce with 'em...and we must have given away 10 bushell. Gonna try to post a pic of a deer or two trying to eat the taters and maters.. I never saw a deer eat potato plants..now they want to dig 'em up and eat 'em...Well they loaded. BTW these aren't the big ones. These are about a 100 ft from the house

[skeet]

one of the 2 previous is an Eastern 10 point and the other an 8..the big one of the bunch I haven't gotten a picture of. First time i saw him he was eating apples off the tree. !2 point eastern..really wide and heavy..about a 160-170 class deer..If I can get a pic I will post it..He is a spooky one

[skeet]

And another...but a little 6 pointer They won't eat out of the feed pan..less'n I put apples or something like that in it..or sweet corn... the little they haven't already eaten..oh and they like string beans picked of course

[Mr. 16 gauge]

Apples are ready here as well; bow opener is on Saturday (10/1)....my buddy and I will be in Wyoming chasing 'lopes.
I've also found that apple trees attract grouse as well.....bit of a problem when you find your single apple trees on state land (that used to be old homesteads), and there is a bow hunter there....they usually get pissed at you.
I have some paper shells that I reload a few years back (found the hulls in the dumpster and reloaded them). I have a pheasant hunt planned on one of the local preserves when I get back, and I will use them for my little labrador's first bird hunt. For those who have never experienced it, the smell of a freshly fired paper hull is wonderful aroma! If I could find a way to duplicate and bottle it, I think I would have a winner!

....and yes, old shotguns, like old dogs and old hunters, deserve to be afield!

Skeet....great photos of the deer.

[Adam Helmer]

skeet,

Very nice pictures of nice deer. It looks like you can hunt close to home.
Adam

[skeet]

Thanks Adamm. If I hunted any closer to home I'd be in my bed. Those deer are at times 10 yds from the breakfast nook...where we have our meals most of the time. I have a kinda unique place. Had the game and fish people out checking the place over as I applied for a couple of landowner deer permits. They kinda walked through the little copse of woods near the house and they chased approx 45 deer out of it. Whitetails of course. (think I coulda got 4 landowner permits LOL) we have the best cover for a couple of miles so they live here..eat my garden..and have youngun's. Not much woods in this area... The most bucks I have seen at one time is 8 together and in the yard of course...We are going to try to kill off a couple bucks and maybe 6 doe. We'd do more but we have a few night shooters in the area if ya know what i mean..and a very few game wardens in such a LARGE area. But I wouldn't call one anyway. They already know who does it

[buckhunter]

We already have a bunch coming to a crabapple tree on the land where we hunt. The owner told me that he hasn't seen many this year because of the coyote's however turned around and there were 6 of them working this tree over. Our archery doesn't start for a couple of weeks. Plan on setting a few trail cam's up this weekend. Have a nice drop point and a huge 8 running around. Probably will not see them till November. Been hunting there so long we just about have names for the big boys. And yes the tree are starting to change. Only problem we have to rake them.