Signs point to bountiful deer hunting season
Many archery and early season muzzleloader hunters have already had success hunting deer, and the outlook for the rest of the deer season seems bright.
Since the archery season started Oct. 5, taxidermist Ralph Scherder, of Scherder’s Taxidermy in Clearfield Township, said more hunters have brought in buck deer heads to be mounted than in October last year.
“The season is going great. The bucks are in the rut. The mating season started a bit earlier that usual,” Scherder said. “The hunters that have been coming in have been getting some really nice bucks on their trail cameras.”
Hunters have brought in “solid” 8- and 10-point bucks, including the largest one so far that he estimated to be in the 190-inch class. In most years, archers begin bringing in deer in number in early November, he said.
“I’m excited. I’ve been skinning out buck heads every single day since the season started,” Scherder said. “I’m expecting a pretty darn good season this year, and it started better than I expected, better than last year.”
He said enthusiasm among hunters is exceptionally high this year.
Scherder doesn’t archery hunt, but he said he has seen a lot of deer while pheasant hunting in game lands 304 in Clearfield Township and has seen more bucks than ever while traveling in the area.
A popular place for archery and rifle hunting in the county is Moraine State Park where about 90% of the park’s 17,000 acres is open to hunting.
Acorns, a primary food source for deer and other animals, are plentiful despite dry weather over most of the summer, said park manager Dustin Drew. Acorn production seems a little higher than normal this year, he said.
He said archers have been hunting in areas designated for archery hunting only.
“We do see a good number of hunters at the park,” Drew said. “By no means is shoulder-to-shoulder, but the park does get some hunting pressure.”
Pennsylvania Game Commission regulations on seasons and bag limits are in effect in the park, he added.
The statewide archery season runs through Friday, Nov. 22, and then resumes after Christmas, from Dec. 26 through Jan. 20. Archers can harvest a buck and a doe. Harvesting a doe requires an antlerless deer license.
The early statewide antlerless muzzleloader season was Oct. 19 to 26.
The statewide firearms season runs form Nov. 30 to Dec. 14, and includes a Sunday, Dec. 1.
Last year archers harvested an estimated 154,850 deer accounting for about 36% of the total harvest. The harvest included 83,370 bucks and 71,480 doe, which matched the most recent five-year average, according to the game commission.
The game commission recommends hunters focus their efforts around food and cover. Hunters should look for fresh deer sign around places with green browse and hard and soft mast, which includes everything from apples and agricultural crops to acorns, close to escape and bedding cover.
This story was updated at 5 p.m. Nov. 7 to reflect that deer archery season runs through Nov. 22 and and then resumes after Christmas, from Dec. 26 through Jan. 20. A previous version of this story listed an incorrect date.
