Pennsylvania Game News - January 2013 - 33

of success as did our ancestors. If the cartridge used is not capable of dropping a moose or an elk in its tracks at 500 yards it is not a good cartridge for deer. Because most deer harvested by hunters in Pennsylvania are taken within 100 yards, the need for that much power is questionable. After WWII many returning servicemen brought war trophies home. Most of these were bolt action riﬂes that were converted into sporting arms. The Mauser was popular and accurate. Surplus U.S. Springﬁelds also were very desirable. Big game hunters took to them in droves. When the domestic manufacturers began producing incredibly handsome and accurate riﬂes, the bolt action became king. Along with the bolt action riﬂe came telescopic sights. It’s hard to say which had the most impact, because today you seldom see a big game riﬂe without a scope. The strength of the bolt action allowed development of more powerful cartridges than those used in most lever and pump action riﬂes. The bolt action is also credited with better accuracy. There are those who think most of the cartridges developed after WWII were not needed. Calibers such as the .30-06, .270, .300 Savage, .300 H&H Magnum, .257 Roberts, etc. were all in existence before the war and were more than adequate for big game hunting. Shotguns have also undergone quite a few changes, both in style and gauge. The over/under is now more popular than the side-by-side, and the semi-auto is probably as popular as the pump gun. Now we have 3- and 3½-inch magnums (a magic word) and the 16-gauge has fallen in popularity while the 10-gauge increased, especially with turkey hunters and waterfowlers. Archery was not popular before and for some time after WW II. The few archers seen were armed with long bows. Then special areas were set aside for archery hunting for deer and the sport took off. Development of the bow went through recurves of various materials and now to
JANUARY 2013

the current compound. There are some who think the compound bow resembles a machine more than a sporting arm, but it is effective. Now we also have the crossbow as another legal sporting device. If there is a vehicle in those old photographs we spoke of earlier in this article. It was probably a sedan (black) with rear-wheel drive and a 3-speed manual transmission. How such a vehicle ever got hunters to deer camp and back home boggles the mind. Now the vast majority of hunting vehicles are 4-wheel-drive pickups or SUVs. On the first day of the firearms deer season in 2011 my grandson, Jaryd, and I hunted on two State Game Lands in Schuylkill County. At the ﬁrst parking lot there were 18 vehicles — one sedan, one SUV and the remainder pickups, mostly 4-wheel-drive. The ratio on the second parking lot was about the same. How did we ever get around in the old days? One advantage to the old sedan was the front fender. There was a space between the fender and the hood that cradled a deer nicely. When I started hunting deer, the more afﬂuent hunters wore a Woolrich outﬁt. These were said to be very warm and comfortable, although a bit heavy and even heavier when soaked by rain or melting snow. I cannot vouch for any of this as I never reached “afﬂuent” status. Most of my hunting clothing was ill-ﬁtting hand-me-downs whose only commonality with Woolrich was the ease with which it got soaked and heavier. It was never warm or comfortable. Footgear was always either wet or cold or both. Today, even the most inexpensive outdoor gear can keep you warm and dry. Ah, yes, we’ve come a long way technologically. But have we become better outdoorsmen because of it? That’s debatable.
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Pennsylvania Game News - January 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Game News - January 2013