Oct 6, 2002 4 min read

HARRISBURG – The boom of igniting muzzleloaders and the crack of discharging deer rifles are becoming common sounds in Pennsylvania as hunters prepare for the start of a seven-day muzzleloader antlerless deer season that begins Oct. 19, and a three-day special firearms antlerless deer season that begins Oct. 24. “These relatively new seasons are helping the Pennsylvania Game Commission better manage the state’s whitetail population, and seem to be increasing in popularity with hunters,” noted Vern Ross, the wildlife management agency’s executive director. “They give hunters a chance to get outdoors before it gets too cold. It’s a great time to be in the woods.”

Pennsylvania held its first October statewide muzzleloader season two years ago. The season ran three days and attracted an estimated 84,000 hunters, who shot about 12,000 deer. Last year, the season was expanded to seven days. The longer season, however, drew fewer hunters -73,000 – and a decreased harvest – about 8,000 whitetails. Hot weather and blustery conditions, as well as other antlerless deer hunting options, may have influenced the reduced muzzleloader harvest.

In July, the Board of Game Commissioners approved a regulatory change allowing hunters participating in the October muzzleloader antlerless deer season to use any long gun muzzleloading firearm 44-caliber or larger. The change aims to provide hunters more options and opportunities in the early muzzleloader season, and allows hunters to use muzzleloading long guns with percussion, inline or flintlock ignition systems.

Under the new regulations, hunters also will be permitted to use scopes, peep-sights and other lawful sighting devices during the October muzzleloader season.

“We do expect more hunters to be afield this fall since the Board expanded the state’s long-standing muzzleloader restriction to allow the use of percussion and in-line muzzleloaders during the fall muzzleloader antlerless deer season,” Ross said. “Increased sales of these sporting arms and feedback received by the agency seem to indicate that hunters support these new options.”

Ross stressed that the traditional flintlock season (Dec. 26-Jan. 11) retains the requirement that hunters use only primitive muzzleloading long guns 44-caliber or larger with flintlock ignition systems, and primitive sighting devices and fiber optic inserts.

Also beginning in 2001, the Board created a three-day antlerless deer season for select hunters to use any legal sporting arm. Those eligible to participate in this season are: resident junior and senior license holders; persons who hold a disabled person permit to use a vehicle as a blind; residents who are serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces; those who qualify for license and fee exceptions under section 2706; and nonresident juniors and those 65 years of age or older.

Last year, about 88,000 hunters participating in this three-day season killed about 16,000 antlerless deer.

In recent years, the Game Commission, which has managed Pennsylvania’s wildlife resources for more than 100 years, has been using the early antlerless deer seasons as a tool to stabilize the deer herd’s growth as well as to improve its breeding ecology. Dr. Gary Alt, who supervises the agency’s Deer Management Section, believes this new approach to managing deer will provide important gains for wildlife, forests, antlered bucks and ultimately hunters if given the time to prosper.

“Taking adult does out of large local populations is the key to balancing deer with their habitat,” emphasized Alt. “It will provide breaks to other forest wildlife that can’t compete with deer in the constant struggle for habitat; lessen the severity of property damage caused by deer; and improve the health and composition of the herd.

“When combined with Pennsylvania’s new antler restrictions, placing increased pressure on adult does offers the state a chance to straighten out the lingering deer management problems that have impacted deer, hunters and other Pennsylvanians for as long as anyone cares to remember. But it won’t happen overnight, or over the course of a season. It’s going to take some time – at least several seasons – to get where we want to be. Then, we’ll have to maintain that positioning.”

Hunters participating in either season are required to wear at least 250 square inches of fluorescent orange clothing on the head, chest and back combined at all times.

Anyone who possesses a general hunting license, muzzleloader license (or combination license) and a county-specific antlerless deer license may hunt in the muzzleloader antlerless deer season, but only in the county or counties for which he or she has an antlerless deer license.

Muzzleloader license sales ended on Aug. 31, and may no longer be purchased, except by active-duty military personnel at county treasurer offices.