Poconos Hunting

The Poconos
Hunting

The Land of Plenty

White-Tailed Deer

The Poconos area is an amazing fantasy land for deer-hunting tourists...the whole state of Pennsylvania is a superb hunting ground for white-tailed deer, but the Poconos region offers a special kind of beautiful wonderland in which to hunt and enjoy the outdoors. There are somewhere between a million and a million and a half deer in the state of PA, and in Wayne County, in the Poconos, it's estimated that there are almost 40 deer for every square mile. More deer are caught in PA each year than any other state except Texas. And you know how big Texas is. Texas has six times more land than Pennsylvania! To many locals, the booming deer population means having pesky vermin eat shrubs, gardens, and trees. Pennsylvania needs more deer hunters! There are 1.2 million acres of state land in the state, and much of it lies in The Poconos.

Other Things to Hunt

Wild Turkey, pheasants, ruffed grouse, rabbits, groundhogs, Canada geese, mallards, pintails, and yes even squirrels are all hunted in The Poconos. You can start looking for your Thanksgiving turkey as soon as the season begins, right before the holiday. Be careful when hungting turkey...more people get shot accidentally during Turkey season than any other hunting activity. People get mistaken for turkey in the woods, which is easier to do if you're not wearing bright orange hunting clothes. Don't even think about going out turkey hunting without it. The rules mandate the orange, but every year there are people who don't heed the rules. Accidents happen every year.

There is a controversial new hunting season for bobcats, although only limited permits are issued each year. There is a lottery for the bobcat permits each September. Other more unusual prey are those of trappers, who try and get mink, coyotes, opossums, skunks, weasels, foxes, raccoons, and beavers.

Where to Go

Here are some of the public lands on which you can hunt.

Beltzville State Park for pheasants, ruffed grouse, waterfowl, deer, and rabbits.
Delaware State Forest for deer, turkey, small game, and black bear.
Big Pocono State Park for same as above.
Promised Land ditto.
Tobyhanna State Park for the same.
Gouldsboro State Park also for deer, turkey, black bear, and small game.
Hickory Run State Park for deer, black bear, squirrels, snowshoe hare, and turkey.
State Game Lands #141 & #129 in the Jim Thorpe region are good, too.
State Game Lands #209, #116, #180, and #183 in the Lake Wallenpaupack area totalling over 20,000 acres, have tons of deer and some black bear.
State Game Lands near the New York State border are good too: #299, #70, and #159.
Prompton State Park near Honesdale has 850 acres of public land for hunters.

Some Critters You Just Can't Take

These species are off limits to hunting. Never shoot or trap any of these animals at any time:

pine martens
fishers
sharp-tailed grouse
Hungarian partridges
otters

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