DEER HUNTING SEASON BEGINS
Hunters take to the woods around Marsh Creek
WALLACE >> While many Pennsylvanians were drawn to their computers for cyber-Monday shopping deals, outdoor enthusiasts took to the woods for the start of rifle hunting season Monday.
One of the few spots open to public hunting in Chester County is Marsh Creek State Park were the western sections of the 1,727-acre park are open to hunting.
On Monday morning, which dawned damp and overcast, there was no shortage of hunters headed out looking to bag a trophy buck.
The Pennsylvania State Game Commission estimates that 45 percent of the season’s buck are taken on opening day. Last year, 163,750 bucks were taken by hunters in Pennsylvania.
“Opening days have been drawing the largest crowds of hunters for a long, long time,” reports Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans on the commission’s website. “It’s that day when anything really can happen, when lifetime bucks are taken, when hunters are bound to see more deer than any other day of the hunt-
ing season. It’s when every hunter wants to be tucked away in the woods waiting for a big buck to come his or her way.”
“We’ve been out since 5 a.m.,” said Jason Rajan of Coatesville, who was with his brother Jordan Rajan of Glenmoore. “We saw some non-legal bucks (less than three points on one side of its rack), and some other knucklehead hunters coming through at 6:30 with flashlights, but nothing legal.”
By 11 a.m. the brothers, who have been hunting together at Marsh Creek for nearly 20 years were headed back to their truck to try their luck at another spot.
Around the time Frank Grasmuck of Exton was calling it a day over near Chalfant Road. He was out with his brother Ed, and nephews Dylan and Hunter. Despite coming up empty-handed the men were in good spirits.
“It brings everyone together,” said Ed Grasmuck of Glen Moore. “But there are not as many hunters out as in the past.”
“We’re running out of open land,” agreed his brother. Just across from the park homes have sprung up which restrict spots for hunters.
Further down Chalfant Road, Michael Finger of Narvon was also hunting with family, including his brother Matt, father Richard Finger and his son, Michael Jr. who took a 10-point buck.
“We come back every year to hunt here,” said the elder Finger. “Our family lived here before the lake, when it was Milford Mills.”
As a drizzle became a downpour, his son pulled the large buck onto the road to be loaded into their car. They had field dressed it, and for the son it was a practiced routine; he had just taken a nine-point buck during a hunting trip in Missouri the week before.
“There were two other bucks with him,” said Michael Finger Jr. 17. “It looked like it had hurt its front leg, maybe from an accident.”
“He was lucky,” joked his uncle Matt. “We pushed it toward him.”
Finger wasn’t there only hunter who bagged a buck at Marsh Creek, G. Kauffman took a seven-pointer at 9 a.m. and was waiting for his friend to come and help him drag it out of the woods.
“I come out here with a couple buddies every year,” said Kauffman. “We’ll be out here for two days then head up to the mountains later this week. This isn’t bad, in the mountains, it could be two miles to get to a road.”
Not everyone out Monday was hunting. A woman was walking her two dogs near the lake. She didn’t want to be identified but said she is concerned about the different activities that draw people to the park will come in conflict. For protection, she had tied an orange strip to both her dogs and her hat. Told that it was opening day, she decided to walk closer to the lake safety zone.