Nov 22, 2022 7 min read

HARRISBURG – It’s one thing to dream of winning the lottery. It’s another to base your entire financial future on the long odds of it actually happening.

The wiser course is to seek an investment offering reliable, consistent returns.

Something that’s as stable as, let’s say, Pennsylvania deer hunting. Over the long term, hunters here take, on a per-square-mile basis, more deer than their counterparts almost anywhere in the country. That’s how things have long been. It’s how they remain.

Hunters now have the opportunity to build on that trend. Pennsylvania’s statewide firearms deer season began Saturday and continues Sunday, Nov. 27, and runs through Dec. 10. Hunting is closed only on Sunday, Dec. 4.

What hunters will encounter is, by all indications, a deer herd that’s doing just fine.

David Stainbrook, Deer and Elk Management Section Supervisor for the Game Commission, said one way to measure trends is to look at the buck harvest per square mile. That’s a good general barometer of deer population abundance.

According to the National Deer Association, in the 10 hunting seasons from 2011 and 2020, Pennsylvania ranked second in the nation for buck harvest per square mile three times, third twice, fourth three times and fifth twice. Buck harvests over the decade averaged 3.2 per square mile, right in keeping with last year’s take.

Of course, the buck harvest per square mile varies between individual Wildlife Management Units (WMUs), with some producing more than others. WMU 2D, for example, produced 4.9 bucks per square mile each season over the last three, on average. That was tops in Pennsylvania. Seven other WMUs also averaged at least four bucks per square mile over that time, though: 1B (4.7), 4E (4.6), 2E (4.4), 3C (4.3), 2B (4.1), 2A (4.0) and 3A (4.0).

Pennsylvania’s antlerless deer harvest, meanwhile, broken down on a per-square-mile-basis, also annually ranks among the best in the country.

Add it all up and hunters can find deer across Pennsylvania, provided they’re willing to work for them.

“Success in harvesting deer starts with scouting and knowing the land,” Stainbrook said. “But patience and putting in time are important, too. Persistence matters, as one additional day hunting can make the difference between a successful season and an unsuccessful one.”

A flexible season designed around when many people are off work – the weekend after Thanksgiving – provides the chance for hunters to get out just that way, all while making memories with family and friends.

“Pennsylvania’s firearms deer season draws more than 600,000 hunters to Penn’s Woods every year and it’s not hard to see why,” said Game Commission executive director Bryan Burhans. “A productive deer herd that, thanks to antler point restrictions, includes a high proportion of adult bucks, spread out across the Commonwealth, together with a season that’s as user friendly as any we’ve offered, set the stage for an exciting time. I can’t wait.”

Field conditions

Hunt where the foods favored by wildlife are most abundant and you just might get to fill a tag. Don’t and you might find yourself doing little more than enjoying the scenery.

Hard mast, specifically acorns, are very sporadic this year. Paul Weiss, Chief of the Game Commission’s Forestry Division, said multiple regions of the state report poor acorn crops this fall, something that can be blamed on consecutive years of heavy spongy moth defoliation coupled with drought conditions in 2022.

That’s not to say all is lost.

There are still pockets of moderate red oak acorn production, Weiss said, especially on State Game Lands sprayed to control spongy moths over the past two years. Red oak acorns take two years to mature, so stands that were sprayed last year are producing acorns now even if they were damaged this past spring.

Likewise, white and chestnut oak acorn crops are down compared to the bumper crop seen last year in areas not impacted by spongy moths. So much like the deer, hunters will have to search a bit to find those places where they’re most plentiful. There aren’t many such spots this fall, but there are enough in some areas to make looking for them worthwhile.

Hickory nuts, by comparison, are fairly consistent this year and can be found in sufficient supply.

As for soft mast, droughty weather also impacted it across much of the state. Still, Weiss said there are pretty good crabapple, hawthorn, and grape crops in most places, if not in the same abundance as last year.

In all cases, deer usually make a mess wherever they eat, so it shouldn’t be hard to sort out whether they’re using an area. Look for raked up leaves, droppings and partially eaten mast for confirmation.

Then, when setting up a hunting stand, use the prevailing wind to your advantage. It should blow from where you expect to see deer to your location.

Finally, dress for the weather and sit tight. There will be other hunters out there, too, some sitting, others still-hunting or driving for deer in groups. They might chase deer your way.

Regulations

Rules regarding the number of points a legal buck must have on one antler vary by WMU. In most WMUs, a buck with three points to a side, counting the brow tine, is legal. But in WMUs 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B and 2D, a buck must have three points not counting the brow tine.

Junior license holders, mentored youth, disabled hunters with a permit to use a vehicle, and resident active duty U.S. Armed Services personnel, can harvest antlered deer with two or more points on one antler, or a spike three or more inches in length.

For a complete breakdown of antler restrictions, WMU boundaries and other regulations, consult the 2022-23 Pennsylvania Hunting & Trapping Digest, which is provided to hunters at the time they purchase their licenses and available online at the Game Commission’s website, www.pgc.pa.gov.

Deer hunters everywhere statewide, meanwhile, must wear at all times a minimum of 250 square inches of fluorescent orange material on their head, chest and back combined, visible from 360 degrees, during the firearms deer season. An orange hat and vest will satisfy the requirement.

Nonhunters who might be afield during deer season and other hunting seasons should consider wearing orange, as well. And on state game lands between Nov. 15 and Dec. 15, nonhunters are required to meet the 250-square-inch fluorescent orange requirement.

Hunters who harvest a deer are required to affix a valid tag to the ear – not an antler – before the deer is moved. Hunters – especially those considering having their deer mounted – can use a large safety pin to attach the tag, as it won’t damage the ear. The tag must be filled out with a ballpoint pen and notched or cut with the correct date of harvest.

Hunters must then report their harvest to the Game Commission within 10 days. Harvests can be reported online at www.huntfish.pa.gov, by calling 1-800-838-4431 or by mailing in the postage-paid cards that are provided in the digest.

Tree stands

As the use of tree stands has grown in popularity, so, too, have incidences of injuries resulting from tree stand falls and accidents.

With that in mind, wearing a full-body harness is essential to staying safe when using a tree stand. But a harness can prevent falls to the ground only if it is connected to the tree.

“That means you must wear your harness, and be sure it’s connected to the tree, at all times you’re in the stand, as well as when you’re getting into and out of the stand, or climbing or descending trees,” explained A.J. Garcia, the Game Commission’s hunter-education administrator.