Deer hunters’ firearm season begins Monday
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Bill Leitsch of South Strabane Township talks Friday about his plans for the upcoming rifle deer season.
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Wayne Myers and his wife Rose talk about his past experiences deer hunting. Myers no longer goes out hunting due to his age but enjoyed it when he did.
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Ryan LaCoe of Washington talks about the differences between deer seasons in Pennsylvania and Michigan, where he grew up and his family has a property for hunting.
The season of ammo and camo is almost upon us.
“Whether we want to admit it or not, we are predators,” said Observer-Reporter outdoors columnist George Block, 82.
A steady stream of camouflage-clad Orions have been coming and going to the Courthouse Square office building, home of the Washington County treasurer’s office, a licensing agent for the state Game Commission.
For antlerless deer-hunting season, the commission has divided the state into 23 Wildlife Management Units, of which Washington County is bisected into 2A and 2B.
It can leave a hunter wondering, “2B or not 2B.”
Ryan LaCoe, 29, of Washington, a native of northern Michigan, hunted in Michigan’s opening week and bagged a doe in an area near Lake Superior.
Exiting the Field and Stream store in South Strabane Township, he said he finds Pennsylvania’s game laws to be more bureaucratic.
“Everything changes by WMU. So in Michigan, rifle season starts Nov. 15. Archery season starts Oct. 1. It doesn’t matter where you’re at. Here, it’s like, well, if you’re on this side of the line. and you look at the map, ‘I’m in 2-A or 2-B? It’s a lot more confusing.
In area 2B, which includes parts of Washington, Westmoreland, Butler and Beaver counties closer to Allegheny County, antlered and antlerless deer hunting season is Monday through Dec. 9.
In 2A, which includes all of Greene County, most of Washington County, southern Beaver County, eastern Fayette County and a small wedge of Westmoreland County, includes antlered the last week of November through Dec. 1 and Dec. 2-9. Antlerless deer can be shot Dec. 2-9.
Pennsylvania law prohibits hunting on Sundays.
Two hunters waved off any questions about the first day of firearm buck season because of their negative experiences.
Bill Leitsch, 58, of South Strabane, will be heading to Greene County.
“A buddy of mine owns a farm down there and there’s three of us that hunt on 100 acres. It’s so much safer,” said Leitsch, who started hunting when he turned 18.
“I hate it when it’s sunny, ’cause you can’t see in the woods. All that sunlight hits all the branches on the trees,” so he prefers cold, cloudy days.
On warm days, the deer aren’t up foraging, he has found.
“We haven’t had snow in hunting season for years.”
Those who don’t have access to private property will converge on state game lands.
Wayne R. Myers, 81, of Canonsburg, has hunted between here and Ridgeway, Elk County, but his favorite place is game land No. 42 in Ligonier, near Rolling Rock Farm, Westmoreland County.
“That’s a country God made for himself and He put in a little bit of land for the hunters. It’s beautiful up there.”
“I butchered my own,” said Myers who recommends marinating the raw cuts in a vinegar-water solution which he or Rose, his wife of nearly 62 years, would cook slowly.
“I’ve had people say, ‘I wouldn’t eat deer meat,’ but after they were done dining his barbecued specialty, he spring a surprise: what they had just devoured with gusto was a steak called venison.
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture encourages anyone who loves to hunt but prefers to donate the deer to those who are experiencing lean times to check the nonprofit Hunters Sharing the Harvest website, www.sharedeer.org for a list of participating processors.
The 2016-17 season set a record with 2,947 deer donated, and the partnership with the processors covered costs of turning 120,515 pounds of meat into 589,400 servings.
This year, the department will cover the service cost of more than 100 processors in 49 counties.