PA Long Range Season

[gunsmith1012]

Hello to all forum members. I don't post on here but have bin a member for years always enjoy reading the reviews and the ongoing debates written by some very good writers. I am starting this post with a little bit of back story on me because possibly some may have ran into me in the field or I may have helped some in the woods as well. I started the long range pursuit in 1998 in the mountains of Potter and Tioga County PA. My hero was a man by the name of Lowell Amand. I watched him for many years and learned from him through his stories of the field told in a place called Hotel Manor, Slate Run PA. He inspired me into the game and molded my direction into gun building, wildcatting, optics, and hunting. So I became what is known as a Pine Creek Shooter, A Big Gun, Mountain To Mountain Man, a Canyon Shooter. These terms mean something to the people of the endless mountains of the northern tier and I hope there are others on here that can identify themselves as my bothers of the ridges. Over the years I have seen guys disappear from there spots and I always regret never really even learning there names but somehow feel i knew them. Now after returning from two weeks of glassing from bear season to buck season, I wonder if any of them are on this forum. Love to hear the reports and the stories of the season. I don't do any of the social networking stuff so this is the only way I know to reach out is this forum. I hope my personal story will connect with some members of the forum and if you guys are still up in the valley of the pines I will be returning to my rock Saturday morning to glass the distant sidehills.

 

[Joel Russo]

I frequently hunt in those areas, and know Lowell Amand.. hunted near Leetonia this year for bear... Perhaps we have crossed paths on the mountain.
What is your last name Ryan?

 

[gunsmith1012]

I frequently hunt in those areas, and know Lowell Amand.. hunted near Leetonia this year for bear... Perhaps we have crossed paths on the mountain.
What is your last name Ryan?

 

[gunsmith1012]

Boyer. I was on the Wilson point pipeline and cedar mountain road in bear. All Francis so far for deer.

 

[6.5x47hunter]

look up YOBUCK on here, he knows a lot of history there. I hunted Cameron County @ 8yrs with him. Great guy and full of great information.

 

[drags]

I have long range hunted up at Sinimahoning years ago my brother long ranges deer and bear about 15 miles from Medix run. We used to hunt a old strip mine in Irishtown Pa. but they re striped it. Our guns back then were chambered by the Late Howard Wolfe we used 7x300 wby, 300 wby, 30-378 wby 6.5x06. Another place to post this is wwww.huntingpa.com as the have a long range hunting and shooting thread.
Joe

 

[Joel Russo]

Boyer. I was on the Wilson point pipeline and cedar mountain road in bear. All Francis so far for deer.

I was off Reynolds Spring road in bear season... then rode out to Elk Run Vista to take a peek...We may have passed each other up there.
I'll be up there next week, camp off Francis Leetonia Road, get ahold of me if you'll be there...

 

[gunsmith1012]

Joel, dont know what next week looks like yet. I will be up there shooting between shady rest and red rocks camp. Not sure which days yet. Are you the camp by kramer hollow. I knew of some shooters from francis leetonia that shot off cushman lookout before the chopoff grew up.

 

[Joel Russo]

I never shot off the Cushman, but drove past and saw guys there over the years.
Camp is 3990 Francis Leetonia Road, can't see off road, locked gate to access.
Let me know about next week, maybe we can hook up.
7178050940

 

[RCB6582]

Hey gentlemen, hunt in the Kettle Creek area here. Lots of us shooting mountain to mountain in Clinton and Cameron Counties. Always fun to meet up and share stories.

 

[gunsmith1012]

Joel i will try to meet up once i hear from engineering for my work schedule. I know where your at. My cabin is off big dam hollow road. Im sure we have glassed the same mountains together without knowing each other. This was what i was hoping for when i made the post. Try to connect the guys together that hunt in the birthplace of longrange. Between bear and buck season i counted 10 big guns, not including myself, throughout the mountains of lee fire tower quad. Seemed like most guys left after tuesday. Good luck shooters going up next week and watch out for the log trucks on cedar mountain.

 

[drags]

Hi guys, how did you fellows do this season so far? Did anyone get any deer if so how far, did you see many deer, also what equipment do you use rifles, glass, calibers, ect.
Joe

 

[Joel Russo]

Joel i will try to meet up once i hear from engineering for my work schedule. I know where your at. My cabin is off big dam hollow road. Im sure we have glassed the same mountains together without knowing each other. This was what i was hoping for when i made the post. Try to connect the guys together that hunt in the birthplace of longrange. Between bear and buck season i counted 10 big guns, not including myself, throughout the mountains of lee fire tower quad. Seemed like most guys left after tuesday. Good luck shooters going up next week and watch out for the log trucks on cedar mountain.

Let me know when you figure it out, I'll hang loose on my plans.. text is easiest.

Hi guys, how did you fellows do this season so far? Did anyone get any deer if so how far, did you see many deer, also what equipment do you use rifles, glass, calibers, ect.
Joe

I only hunted up there for bear. Didn't see any. Here's my one set up...

 

[gunsmith1012]

Joe, once i figure out how to post photos i will. I use a tripod for my gun which is a mbr weighted stock 338 improved LM, 32 inch barrel. I then setup two sets of optic tripods. A 20x60x85 spotter next to the gun and 20x80 set of big eyes on the other side. Usually i will hang a rangefinder from the big eyes and a weather station from the spotter. Before the season i will place surveyors tape somewhere out in the distance to see wind movements. Most of my shots are predetermined before the season, ranged, and logged. The range i shoot mountain to mountain is 450 to 1250 on average. Pipeline shots can go to 1500 yards max factoring elevation changes where im at. I keep drop charts and dope values logged that where shot under field conditions and hold zero at 1000 yards. I only take shots where i can retrive them also. One thing i never see metioned much in the forums in the ability to recover game. Many times its not the distance of the shot and the kill of the animal but how one will get it out. Remember the guys up here are not killing in wide open western country. We are shooting mountain faces sometimes 3 4 valleys over with all kinds of hell in between.