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Deer may not be on the move this hunting season

Commentary

Do you remember the freaky weather we endured last deer season? Opening day was cold and the wind blew steadily at a 30-40 mph clip making just standing up in the woods an uncomfortable effort. The next two days it rained. After that the temperature went up to 50 to 65 degrees every day.

As if deer hunting isn’t hard enough with deer spooked into hiding and becoming nocturnal, they too suffer in their winter coats with 60 degree temperatures. The always-hoped-for couple inches of snow certainly never materialized and so it was an unusual deer season last year.

This season shows signs of being a different weather situation. Perhaps we will have some snow this year but also possibly bitter cold.

“Possibly to blunt the diminished number of deer available for hunters this year, the Game Commission is predicting that the prospect of bagging a trophy buck has never been better,” Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Matthew Hough said. “More and more of the buck harvest is being made up of mature bucks. In the 2015-16 seasons, an incredible 59 percent of bucks taken by hunters were ages 2¢ or older. And many of these deer are absolute wall-hangers that any hunter would be proud to take.

“But whether you’re fortunate enough to encounter one of these trophies this season, or your buck of a lifetime will have to wait for a future season, the coming firearms deer season is something to which we all can look forward,” Hough said. “It’s a tradition that’s about more than just harvesting deer. It’s about family and friends enjoying the outdoors together. Moreover, it’s what being a Pennsylvanian is all about.”

In past decades the prospect of seeing a lot of deer skulking about on opening day and being able to shoot any deer with any size antlers was the sugar plum dream of hunters. Now, we see many fewer deer but those we do see have bigger racks than we used to see. Whichever your preference, opening day of deer season is still a magic day in all of Pennsylvania.

This year, according to the Game Commission has been one of the best in memory for red-oak acorn production statewide. While that’s a good thing for the deer that live in areas where red-oak acorns are especially abundant, it could make for tougher deer hunting there.

When mast crops are abundant, deer, like turkeys, don’t have to move much to find food. And studies show deer harvests tend to drop in years of abundant mast. Studies have shown, however, that deer by far prefer White Oak acorns to Red Oak so as you still-hunt watch for White Oak. That will be your hot spot.

“The opening day of the firearms deer season is like no other,” the Game Commission said. In 2015, 27 percent of the total deer harvest — and 47 percent of the buck harvest — occurred on the opening day. And this year, an estimated 550,000 hunters statewide are expected to take part in the firearms season’s opening day, which widely is regarded as an unofficial holiday in Pennsylvania.

Rosenberry said 59 percent of the bucks harvested in the 2015-16 seasons were 2¢ years old or older — the highest percentage recorded in decades. Back in 2002, only 20 percent of the bucks harvested were 2¢ years old or older.

The Disease Management Area 2 permit, which was created to mitigate the effects of chronic wasting disease in free-ranging deer, can be used only in Disease Management Area 2, which encompasses more than 2,800 square miles within Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Clearfield, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon and Somerset counties. Meanwhile, regular antlerless deer licenses can be used only within the wildlife management unit for which they’re issued.

Please take a last minute look at all the antler restrictions, Management Unit restrictions, and all other rules and regulations. I’ve always joked that you need to have a lawyer hunting with you to be able to abide by every detail of all the laws.

So, like you, I’m probably traveling to deer camp even as you read this. My spirits are high, my anticipation level is sky-high and I so enjoy that feeling. For my 62 years of hunting deer, the breaking of dawn on opening day is an exquisite time. Even though I have rarely bagged a buck at daylight opening day, it signals the beginning of an exciting 2 weeks.

As I drive I rehearse in my memory all the exciting hunts I’ve had with my husband, son and other favorite hunting buddies. My buddy, Joanie Haidle, bagged her buck in archery season this year so I have a built-in driver for the first 5 days of season. What more could you ask for?

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