Hunting Public Land In PA: Big Wood Bucks with Steve Sherk

In this video we interview Steve Sherk Jr. of Sherk Guide Service. Pennsylvania deer hunting is not an easy task for even the most seasoned hunter, but the public land opportunities in PA are too big to not be ignored. That's why we had to meet up with Steve Sherk and talk about hunting big woods bucks at his family's historic PA deer hunting camp.
Steve has been hunting Pennsylvania public land in the Allegheny National Forest for many years with a strong level of success.
Finding and hunting PA public land bucks is no easy task, but Steve has proven his ability of finding high caliber bucks in the big woods of Pennsylvania.
In the video we discuss:
- Hunting Scrapes on Public Land in Late October
- Finding Bucks in the PA mountains
- Understanding a Bucks Travel Patterns
- Year Round Approach to Scouting Bucks
- Using Trail Cameras to Find Bucks on Public Land
Connect with Steve:
- sherksguideservice.com
- / sherksguideservice
Connect with Exodus Trail Cameras:
TRAIL CAM RADIO PODCAST: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
FACEBOOK: / exodusoutdoo. .
TWITTER: / exodustrailcams
INSTAGRAM: / exodustrail. .
WEBSITE: www.exodusoutdoorgear.com/
#PublicLand #PAHunting #BigWoodBucks

[@jordanfournier1719]

I’m from NH! Great show. I agree 100% on hunting the last week of October and then it goes silent until around the 12th of November here. Love you guys and Dan Infault is the man. You too Steve!

[@reedmitchell6716]

Family camp is in Forest County PA NORTHWOODS. Game lands 24 and ANF. No place I would rather be. Live it !

[@brianfaulstick7927]

This guys spot on at 26:00..can tell he is a PA guy!! Week of the 18th the big bucks are up during daylight looking for the first doe to come into heat. Been watching / tracking this pattern for over 10 years!!!

[@HomeGrownPyro1]

Yes a deer hunting podcast about my home state👍...Good luck to everyone this season!

[@gregmulfort9577]

Northern MN and especially NE MN has vast public lands. Extremely remote areas with very little people.

[@playbytherootz4777]

Yup agreed, come up to Wilmington newyork, big mountian terrain w huge mountian bucks. Webbed antlers heavy heavy frame deer. Lots of hardwoods , and spruce nolls

[@stevesherk4504]

Thanks for all the great comments everyone! Love to see that there are so many passionate big woods deer hunters out there!

[@Billy-rq9hs]

WPA guy here. Steve is the real deal and knows the PA big woods like no one else I’ve learned a lot listening to him. I have a deal with my 11yr old that if his grades stay good when he’s legal will go on a hunt using Steve’s guide service.

[@billyedwards5716]

I believe "the shift" has a lot to do with cover falling as autumn pushes forward.

[@HardwayOutdoors]

814 represent!! Love it guys, great content. Learning a lot 🤘

[@DfI8587]

Thanks, Guys! One of the only to hear the ppl saying PA public land and doing something about it!!!

[@happyhunter6306]

Awesome! I hunt Central PA public land and I have had drags that have take 4 hours or more to get a deer out.

[@ExodusOutdoorGear]

We can believe that! There's some big country in Pennsylvania!

[@wpak4482]

We go to camp near Tionesta - the ANF gets in to your blood. I think about that place daily! I'm with you Steve, there is no other place I would rather be to hunt.

[@ExodusOutdoorGear]

Wpak4 too cool!

[@ridgeraisedoutdoors]

Some giants in the ANF, we hunt there! Check us out!

[@stevesherk4504]

Heaven on earth my friend!

[@jake-hofer]

Was a pleasure to sit down with Steve- this interview is packed with great info!

[@whitetailpoet4243]

Love this. Thanks!

[@francischerry398]

Great video guys! Well Done! 👍

[@richiestephens7568]

Great conversation!,

[@ExodusOutdoorGear]

Richie Stephens thanks for watching!

[@williamhollaway4174]

I like the information I get from watching your videos. You guys do an awesome job keep them coming.

[@ExodusOutdoorGear]

Thanks William!

[@kstimberghost3283]

42 min mark. 👍👍👍👍👍 The harvest season might end but deer season never ends!!!

[@ExodusOutdoorGear]

KsTimber Ghost amen 🙌

[@SouthernOutfitter]

Up here from north Alabana working in monaca hoping to get some hunting in! Glad to be up here! Great vid!!!

[@ExodusOutdoorGear]

Bamaguy84 good luck!

[@chadsyl23]

Awesome info here Steve! Thanks for sitting down with us!

[@stevesherk4504]

Thanks a lot bud!

[@radamrussell]

Totally agree with 14:00 about diet, especially high-protein grub like acorns. I think does know it too. But like he says later.....good, familiar bedding is the sun in a mature buck's galaxy...everything rotates around it.

[@2012lineman]

Great video with excellent info. I am an ANF hunter also. Quick question for you guys, you mentioned creekbottom scrapes and buck sign usually happens at night and they stay on top during the day. I am seeing lots of scrapes and rubs in low lying areas with less sign on the top of the mountain. Any insight for me? Thanks again and great information !

[@chadsyl23]

I think we were just speaking in generalities there about sign laid down at night. I would recommend relating all sign back to bedding. If the sign is within 150 yards of bedding you're in the right area. Dan Infalt and The Hunting Public talk a lot about just that, relating sign to bedding. The common though amongst public land hunters who are consistently killing mature deer is you need to be within 100 yards of bedding. If the sign is telling you that you are there, well then you're in the game. And of course this is subjective to the hunter but all the greats have that same thought. Hope that helps!

[@stevesherk4504]

2012lineman. I see a ton of sign in creek bottoms. It usually showed up around Oct. 15-25. This is when bucks do a night shift of breaking out of their core areas and start marking territory away from their bedding areas. But avoid these spots, except maybe during November you will catch a buck cruising though as he’s passing from one area to the next! Good luck!

[@dakotaboy]

Claims to the Eastern big woods is the ultimate challenge but hasn’t ever hinting anywhere else

[@tikasiwakoti7114]

I learned so many things how to hunt. I am looking to get help to be a good hunter . I am really excited and interested to be a hunter Thanks

[@hammonds82]

I watch all the videos but I wish y'all would interview someone in my area cause I'm in NC and alot of these strategies don't apply to my hunting. We don't have hills in the swamps around here

[@southgajeeepers2416]

Hunting hunters. Or scouting for hunter sign is something I do more than I scout for deer

[@ExodusOutdoorGear]

South ga jeeepers helps eliminate areas quickly!

[@jakegilly6438]

When he looks for bedding in his area say on a point does that point have to thick with cover or does he still find them using the point if it’s more so open then thick?

[@stevesherk4504]

I usually find the best bedding in cover. But some areas I hunt have no cover at all. Deer seem to always be at least mid way up on the ridge for bedding. But like I’ve said, if you can combine cover, feed and ridges/points all together, you will have the best success in these spots.

[@jakegilly6438]

Steve Sherk right on thanks!

[@gramps5157]

Absolutely, you have to know what the deer do in that particular woods you hunt. I know certain sections of my woods the deer just don't hang out in, they are not attracted to that certain area. You learn this from years of experience with that property. Nothing like really knowing a property. Sorry to say, but I like the old days better, seeing 30 deer a day and then you shoot a spike or possibly a 6 or 8 pointer was fine with me.

[@JS-xu4jv]

What camera do you recommend for best quality and a flash that is less likely to spook deer?

[@ramrodrymensnyder2648]

There are no big bucks up that way. Gotta go to Ohio to find big bucks.

[@ExodusOutdoorGear]

Ramrod Rymensnyder a common thought 😂

[@ramrodrymensnyder2648]

@@ExodusOutdoorGear SHHHHHHH.

[@bigdaddy6482]

There is, you’re just not going deep enough to find the BIG BOYS! 👀

[@jimlahey3919]

Big Daddy he’s making a joke

[@MrRichgounder1969]

I hunt ANF in Warren County SGL 29 and finally put up 4 Trail cams back about 2 miles where I hunt last year and was shocked at the big bucks I got on video. Don’t see anything during rifle season but in October/November they are there. I live 3 hours away and can’t put in the needed time but it’s nice to know they exist.

[@hancharik6678]

I watched a buck from mid July, august, September, and killed him October 13th. He was in a bean field all those months and never left. I keyed on his pattern and knew where he was basically living and killed him at night 6:30pm 100yards from bean field. 155" 12pt

[@LouStoriale]

Fact: Mature bucks and does avoid cameras. That’s why you get 1 set of photos and then never see that buck again. Love your channel teach how to set up cameras so big bucks don’t know the cameras are present. I think the mechanism of turning on and off is heard.

[@ExodusOutdoorGear]

L. S. Thanks for the comment! We have discussed this topic various times and preach keeping the camera out of sight- especially in high pressure areas. However, it’s fair to say there’s no hard and fast rules when it comes to deer hunting. There’s a lot of ways to find success and everyone we interview does just that. Good luck this season and thanks for sharing your thoughts!

[@benlittle3286]

Area code 814 #killers

[@ExodusOutdoorGear]

Ben Little there’s no doubt!

[@ridgeraisedoutdoors]

814! That's where we hunt, check us out!

[@allannesss7782]

"i'm an outfitter" ... shut off podcast.

[@ExodusOutdoorGear]

That’s too bad, missing out on a really good conversation. He guides on all public land and is a fountain of knowledge.