Sep 24, 2006 4 min read

HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania’s longest, uninterrupted big game season begins before daybreak Sept. 30, as bowhunters head into the hills, woodlots of suburbia and even up trees in pursuit of white-tailed deer, according to Pennsylvania Game Commission officials. Thousands of archers will shoot a deer on the opening day, always the season’s most productive hunting day. But most of the state’s 300,000 bowhunters – roughly one in three of all hunters is a bowhunter – won’t. It’s a feeling most archers are accustomed to; they know the action often can be slow in the six-week opportunity – Sept. 30 to Nov. 11 – that is Pennsylvania’s early archery deer season.

“Hunting with a bow-and-arrow is challenging and requires a tremendous commitment from a hunter if he or she wants to be successful,” explained Calvin W. DuBrock, Pennsylvania Game Commission Wildlife Management Bureau director. “Bowhunters must be exceptional woodsmen just to get themselves within 20 yards of a deer. Then they have to make a move on that incredibly perceptive animal that concludes with making the shot. Pulling it off is exhilarating, an exceptional accomplishment.

“Field officers are reporting that whitetails are available in fair to good numbers throughout most of the state, and that deer populations near our urban centers are still larger than they should be. Many Wildlife Conservation Officers (WCOs) reported that although buck numbers are not what they were prior to antler restrictions, there are more older-aged bucks in their districts than many have seen during their entire careers with the agency. Hunting in Pennsylvania will be exciting this fall.”

“Pennsylvania deer hunters are the primary managers to keep deer populations at levels where we have healthy deer and healthy habitat, while minimizing deer-human conflicts,” added Dr. Chris Rosenberry, Game Commission Deer Management Section supervisor. “Bowhunters are the start of this process, and an integral part of the Pennsylvania deer hunting heritage.”

The Game Commission encourages bowhunters – in fact, all hunters – to spend more time afield this fall prior to hunting seasons to pattern deer movements and identify areas where fall foods are abundant. Even as the season unfolds, hunters can increase their chances of success afield by doing in-season scouting, and keeping an eye on areas adjacent to their hunting locations while on stand. Patterning daily movements in relation to feeding areas and noting the prevailing wind direction are critical components to scouting and hunting.

It seems unlikely that hunting will be less demanding or easier in Pennsylvania’s upcoming seasons. That means hunters must put in more time and work harder to find and take whitetails. Receiving permission to access private property, particularly in urban/suburban areas, can provide distinct advantages over hunting public lands. So can morning hunts on weekdays before work when fewer hunters are afield. The more time a hunter spends afield seeking fresh sign, the greater his or her chances will be. Hunting from a tree-stand can improve a hunter’s odds, as will hunting in multiple locations, and as undetectable as possible.

The Game Commission expects many hunters to find satisfying hunting opportunities afield this fall, but that doesn’t mean hunters should expect to find deer populations unchanged, or at pre-antler restrictions levels. Nor will they necessarily find deer where they have found them in past years. Deer numbers vary from one Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) to the next, even from township to township or within a township. There are areas with sizeable deer numbers and areas with limited numbers. Deer, however, can be found everywhere; they’re just not as abundant or as visible in some areas as residents have become accustomed to seeing them over the past 10 years.

Antler restrictions, implemented in 2002, have led to an increasingly higher percentage of 2.5-year and older bucks being available to hunters each year. Last year, about 50 percent of bucks taken were 2.5 years old, or older. Typically, about 80 percent of the state’s overall buck harvest is taken in the concurrent rifle season. But archers still manage to take their share. Older bucks offer a more challenging hunt, since many bucks also have another year of experience to draw upon.

“Over the past five years, the deer management program has succeeded in reducing deer numbers across much of the state,” Dr. Rosenberry said. “Although hunters may see fewer deer, opportunities to see and possibly harvest a 2.5-year-old and older buck are better as a result of antler restrictions.”

The best hunting days of the 2005 early archery season were the first day, followed by the last Saturday, the sixth Saturday and the fifth Saturday. That pattern was duplicated in the firearms deer season, when hunters did their best on the first day of season, followed by the first Saturday and the last Saturday of season. Increased hunter participation likely influences hunter success on these openers and Saturdays.