It is finally “deer season.” Many traditions have fallen by the wayside over the past few years, but deer hunting remains strong.
In spite of the flack that the Pennsylvania Game Commission has received over its deer management or mis-management, Monday will see between three quarters of a million and a million deer hunters head into the woods. The orange army is still out there, though it is not quite as big as it was a few years ago.
Deer season itself has changed quite a bit. Many long for the good old days when we had two weeks of buck and three days of doe season. That was “back when we had deer.” I thought we “had deer” back in the days before bonus tags.
All that behind us, what we got is what we got. There are deer out there, it is just not as easy to see deer now as it was a decade or two ago. You have to use your legs and your brain more now.
I’ve never had a whole lot of luck on the first day of firearms season, so I don’t get upset if I don’t have my tag filled immediately. On the first day, you have to reckon other hunters into your equation. Where will they be, where will they be walking in from and how are the deer going to react to the other hunters. In most places, you have to know the escape routes.
We all know someone who slept in until 9:30, then walked up the mountain, sat down on a log, and a big 10-pointer walked right up to them. I don’t have that kind of luck. I have to be in the treestand at least a half hour before daylight just to see a doe. I know a couple of guys who I swear could sit in the middle of a Weis’ parking lot and see deer, and probably pass up a buck or two until they see one they like.
At least on the first day, luck does come into play simply because you can never know for sure where all the other hunters are and how the deer are going to react. To a certain degree, you have to make your luck. Learn your area and figure out where the deer will go when they get “pushed.” A lot of times, bucks will travel slightly different trails than does. They tend to stay out of sight in the thicker cover. Get out of bed and get in the woods early.
For several years, I hunted with a guy who hunted only for big racks. The primary difference, the major thing I learned from him, was attention to wind direction. It has made me a better hunter because deer live by their sense of smell, especially the big ones.
You need to have several spots in mind for the opening day and any day you hunt. Approach your spot in a way that the wind does not blow your scent to where you think the deer are. Depending on the wind, you might not be able to hunt certain spots on certain days.
Careful attention to scent control and wind direction has a lot to do with “luck.” Know your rifle, know your quarry, use your head and make your own luck.
-- Ken Maurer, Herndon, is a licensed fishing guide and a regular contributor to the Outdoor Section. Email comments to kenrose@tds.net.
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Driven for deer
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