Advertisement

Local hunters turn out in force for bow hunting season

Kevin Edwards, Tri-County Independent
·4 min read
11
Longtime local hunter Justin Collins harvested this beautiful 9-pointer while patrolling the woods near Waymart. He used a Martin compound bow to make the shot from about 25 yards.
Longtime local hunter Justin Collins harvested this beautiful 9-pointer while patrolling the woods near Waymart. He used a Martin compound bow to make the shot from about 25 yards.

Archery hunters all across the Commonwealth have been patrolling Penn’s Woods in recent weeks looking for that elusive trophy buck or big bear.

The first stage of the 2023-24 season in Pennsylvania began September 30 and ran through November 11. The second segment commenced November 13 and ended four days later.

According to Game Commission officials, the final phase is scheduled to start Tuesday, December 26 and last until Monday, January 15.

It is expected that nearly 350,000 hunters will participate in this year’s archery seasons before it’s all said and done. And, if those early estimates are any indication, a harvest comparable to last year is certainly possible.

Final figures for the 2022-23 season released by the Game Commission back in March reflected a total of 146,650 deer taken by PA hunters. Of that number, 75,770 were bucks and 69,870 were does.

More: Wayne County Hunters Bag Big Bucks

Also by Kevin Edwards: Local legend Clarence "Juney" Rickard bags another Big Buck ... at age 96

Big bucks and black bears

Local hunters have enjoyed solid success with the bow so far this fall, checking in with trophy bucks and big bears from all over the county.

Justin Collins was a multi-sport star during his varsity days at Western Wayne. He’s now the school’s highly-decorated indoor and outdoor track & field coach.

Collins is an avid outdoorsman who’s been hunting in Wayne County for the better part of three decades. This year, he headed back into the woods for archery season and returned with a memorable mount.

On Monday, October 30, Collins was beating the brush near Waymart when he started stalking a big 9-pointer. It was nearly five o’clock when he finally made his move.

Collins drew his trusty Martin compound bow and made a picture perfect shot from about 25 yards away.

“I’ve been hunting since I was 14 and this is my biggest buck ever,” Justin said with a smile.

Jesse Jones of Liverpool Borough bagged his very first archery season buck while hunting in Equinunk. He used a Bear LEgit compound bow to bring down the big 8-pointer.
Jesse Jones of Liverpool Borough bagged his very first archery season buck while hunting in Equinunk. He used a Bear LEgit compound bow to bring down the big 8-pointer.

Meanwhile, many miles away up in northern Wayne County, Jesse Jones was moving into position to harvest his own big buck.

A standout distance runner at both Brockport High School and Mansfield University, Jones is the husband of former Honesdale and California University of PA star Summer Hill.

Jones is a veteran outdoorsman with 15 years of hunting experience who just recently embraced archery.

Last Sunday he was manning a ladder stand on his father-in-law’s property in Equinunk when a big 8-pointer trotted into view. The buck was pursuing a trio of does down an old logging road and didn’t seem all that concerned about the presence of a human.

“He and I had a staredown for a minute or two,” Jesse said. “We looked at each other twice before he carried on with the does. That gave me a window to take the shot.”

Jones used a Bear Legit compound bow from a distance of less than 10 yards and his aim was true as the buck dropped almost immediately.

“I had multiple encounters throughout the pre-rut and rut on several different bucks,” Jesse said. “But, they just never presented a good quality shot or were too far away.

“This is my first buck during archery season and my personal best overall between rifle and bow hunting.”

While trophy bucks made up the majority of reports we’ve received to this point in the season, big bears were in the mix as well.

Honesdale's own Shane Rickard harvested the fifth bear of his hunting career using a Mathews compound bow. He took the shot from about 45 yards while hunting in Oregon Township.
Honesdale's own Shane Rickard harvested the fifth bear of his hunting career using a Mathews compound bow. He took the shot from about 45 yards while hunting in Oregon Township.

Case in point: Former Honesdale football player and wrestler Shane Rickard.

Another veteran outdoorsman who graduated in 2011, Shane honed his skills hunting side-by-side with his grandfather and local legend Clarence “Juney” Rickard.

Back on November 4, Rickard was hunting on private property in Oregon Township when he encountered a black bear. He used his Mathews compound bow to make the shot from approximately 45 yards.

“I shot my first buck with the bow at 12, so I’ve been hunting for just about 20 years now,” Shane said. “This is the second bear I’ve taken with the bow and fifth in total.”

Send us your photos!

The Tri-County Independent ran its annual Big Buck contest for nearly 40 years.

Sadly, the pandemic and related factors spelled doom for the tradition, but we’d still love to share your photos!

Please send any Big Buck pix with the relevant harvest information to Sports Editor Kevin Edwards at KEdwards@gannett.com.

We’ll be happy to share them with our readers throughout archery season and the upcoming rifle season, which runs from November 25 through December 9.

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Archery season is in full swing among local hunters