How do I get a big buck?

When's the best time of year to get a big buck. I always hear how
all the big buck are gone, that we no longer have them here in
Pennsylvania. I believe it's true that the coyote's, bobcats and
mountain lions (well, according to the game commission, we don't
have them here, but they're here!!) have depleted our deer
population. It's so unfortunate, because it truly brings a bit of
revenue to our area as well as the state of Pennsylvania in the
form of licensing fees. Oh well, another form of government
control and the insurance companies part in all of the lies in
regard to the non critters that live here in our wilds. I tangent :-)

First part of the article reads:

The whitetail rut is one of the most studied phenomena in hunting, so you’d think we’d have had it all figured out long ago. But no—only recently, with the boom in deer populations and the growing popularity of trophy deer hunting, have many of the finer points of the whitetail breeding season been closely examined by biologists and observed by hardcore hunters. We may not have it all worked out yet, but we understand the rut much better today than we did only a couple of decades ago.

Just like old habits, though, traditional ideas about the rut are hard to break away from. Here are five persistent misconceptions about the whitetail’s breeding season.

Understanding the real facts can help you fill your tag now.

Myth #1 The peak rut is the best time to take a buck. It’s easy to have a Pavlovian response to the words peak rut. We can’t help it. Decades of magazine articles and deer-camp conversations have created a conditioned response that makes us take our vacations during the height of the whitetail breeding season.

Instead, we should be taking off a little earlier. Bucks are actually most mobile and vulnerable just prior to the most intense breeding activity, during a seven- to 10-day period called the “seeking” or “chasing” phase of the rut. By contrast, the very heart of the whitetail breeding season can bring some pretty lousy hunting because a large percentage of bucks are likely to be holed up with receptive does.

According to noted biologist and whitetail expert Grant Woods, the seeking and chasing phase is a time when bucks are raring to go but few does are yet in estrus. As a result, anxious bucks can be found on their feet at almost any time of day—checking scrapes, making rubs, and seeking and chasing does. “For anyone who knows their hunting area and its deer well,” Woods says, “this is the best time to take a buck.” My own experience has certainly confirmed this: The last four trophy bucks I’ve killed with my bow have all fallen during the seeking and chasing phase. I’d choose that period to hunt instead of the peak rut every time.

To read the entire article in regard to more myths....
check out the article on Field and Stream.

Giant Black Bears in Pennsylvania

I've heard them say we have some monster black bears in this state, but I've only ever seen the average size ones, but of course, I never got close enough to weigh
one.

Here is the article which talks about 700 lb bruins:

When is the best time for trout fishing?

In Pennsylvania, trout fishing is year round, but the fall has also been known
to be quite lucrative and relaxing for the fisherman. The best time is before the waters get too cold. You can read the full story on the Pittsburgh Tribune Review via Pittsburgh Live

Hunting with a decoy - One man's adventure

SUCCESS STORY
by Zack Below, as told to Dave Hurteau

I took this 130-class buck on a farm about 10 minutes from my house in central Wisconsin. My dad and I had found a partially cut cornfield that a lot of deer had been visiting. It was a perfect place to put out a decoy, so we hung a stand and waited for the right opportunity.

Two days later, while I was in biology class at the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point, my dad left a message on my cellphone: “The wind is perfect. Today’s the day.”

After classes, I went back to the field, set up a buck decoy on a highly visible knoll, and climbed into my stand at about 3:30 in the afternoon. Only 15 minutes passed before a couple of does showed, and I started rattling and grunting. After a while, two more does saw my decoy and moved in to investigate, but they stopped short and stared in my direction as if they’d made out my silhouette. It wasn’t long before they were stamping their feet, and I thought my hunt was about to be over.

But suddenly, something big started crashing through the swampy cover over my shoulder. The does turned their attention to it, and I drew my bow. I saw the buck at the edge of the swamp. The buck saw my decoy. And he instantly charged right past my stand.

I released my arrow as he jogged by broadside. I knew I’d made a good shot, but it all happened so fast I had to sit down in my stand, hold on tight, and take a few deep breaths. This was the first buck I’d ever taken over a decoy, and I don’t think I’d have gotten him without it.

My dad, uncles, and I are a tight-knit family of hunters. The first thing we do when one of us gets a buck is call the others to help track. Before long, my dad and I found the deer less than 100 yards back in the swamp. Though I’ve taken a number of bucks in the 120 to 130 class, this is one of my bigger ones and the rack has great character. There was a lot of hugging and high-fiving in that swamp just then. It was great.

source "Field & Stream":

NORTHERN COPPERHEAD in the Allegheny National Forest

Copperheads are found mainly on the southern half of the Allegheny National Forest. They favor wooded hillside particularly rocky outcrops on south facing slopes where they can bask in the sun on warm days.

Rock piles, rotting logs, and wood piles may harbor copperheads.

Copperheads are copper to hazel-brown in color with darker hourglass shaped bands. They are stout-bodied and reach a length of 24 to 36 inches. Copperheads are sometimes confused with the nonpoisonous milk snake which has lighter colored cross bands.

(The book "Pennsylvania Amphibians and Reptiles" contains detailed descriptions and color photographs.)

source and see a picture of one: