Nov 29, 2015 5 min read

It is here! You know what I am referring to. Tonight, many adults will have trouble sleeping, much like a child on Christmas Eve.

For those living in another universe, Monday is the opening day of the traditional statewide deer season. Today, the woods will look black and white with various shades of grey. On Monday, they will resemble a pumpkin patch and will only need Linus to make the scene complete.

Photos taken with a cellphone will be passed back and forth, and everyone will hear of a new state record buck being bagged, while other hunters will be pleased just to fill the freezer. That’s just the way it is.

Some tales are true, some photos will be from game farms and other states. It was once said believe half of what you see and none of what you hear.

Fortunately, we live in a state with a big whitetail population. No, we do not have mule deer other than those in a zoo or privately raised. Much the same could be said about deer from Michigan. While a few were released in Pennsylvania at one point, by now the Michigan imports’ genetic pool have been watered down to a point of non-existence.

There was a time when many hunters went north to mountain camps to bag a deer. They discovered there were larger deer in our area and started to hunt at home. Fortunately, depending on how you look at it, I was among that group, downing my first buck in 1956. I used to go to the mountains for the first two days. If I failed up North, I’d hunt the rest of the season here at home. Finally, I just stayed home.

With a drastic decline of deer in the mountains, Washington and Greene counties started to look better and better. But the pendulum swung a bit. I started to see some true trophies coming from the mountain counties.

The point I am trying to make is the fewer deer up there is allowing the remaining deer to find adequate food during the winter months and that, coupled with a decline in hunters, is allowing them to mature. When talking of mountain deer, I am reminded of a big nontypical taken in the Tionesta area by Jim Riggle a few years ago. It scored close to 190.

There is no question I miss the mountain experience, but fill that need with the earlier bear season. Again, we who reside in a state blessed with miles of forest land where we can hunt unchallenged by “No Hunting” signs, and, perhaps more importantly, hope.

Hope is expectancy that keeps us out in the cold or other adverse weather. You don’t down a buck sitting in the living room and those who spend time afield longer than another increases their chance of success.

Back when my beard had a bit of color to it, 7 a.m. would find me in the woods and if a buck didn’t pass my way I would still be there at 5 p.m. I never claimed to be the best of hunters but always said I outnumbered them all by myself.

Knowing the terrain is extremely important, as is the understanding of deer movement. But equally important is knowing and taking advantage of people movement.

Knowing when and where hunters are moving is knowing a place where the deer will also be moving. Another thing to keep in mind is, locally, big bucks will take sanctuary in a small patch of cover when people enter the woods.

I used to say the smaller the briar patch the bigger the buck. Many times the hunter can almost step on a huge buck and not see it or panic it.

Another tip when walking is to keep in mind you down a buck with your eyes and not your feet. Move slowly and use your eyes and ears. Don’t look for the deer to be standing there like in a photo but instead look for parts of a deer.

The horizontal back line is a telltale sign, as is the y shape of the head and ears. I tend to notice legs but this can be summed up by saying look for something that looks out of place.

If you see a buck and fail, don’t worry, there will be another time. After all, a hunter can fail more than once, while the deer, on the other hand, can only fail once. Keep trying continuing to hunt safely and legally.

• Back a time ago, I wrote an article which was published in the Pennsylvania Game News titled “Ronnies’ Dumplings,” which emphasized what is important to deer hunting.

It was not the taking of a buck but instead the little things that happen during the course of the season. The card games at camp, the tall stories, some funny mishaps and of course the rotten cooking.

Couple this with the hunt itself and you have what I call “Ronnies’ Dumplings.” Have a great day tomorrow. The Good Lord be with me and I will be out there with you so be safe.

George H. Block writes a Sunday Outdoors column for the Observer-Reporter.