HU N T I N G GU I DE 2 0 1 4
AS UP P L E ME NTT O:
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• The Bradford (Pa.) Era, October 2014
Sighting in will find problems and assure a pin-point shot By WADE ROBERTSON Special to The Era Hunting season is rushing upon us along with the cooling weather. Red tipped maples are sprinkling the hillsides with color and the feeling of fall is in the air. Now, while the weather’s enjoyable is the time to sight in your rifles and muzzle loaders, giving you the opportunity to put one more task behind you or to deal with any faulty equipment you may discover while there is still plenty of time to do so. Haul out your rifles, check them over carefully and head for the range. If your rifle was sighted in last year you should be on the paper at 100 yards making any final small adjustments quick and easy. However, just because your rifle was dead center last year doesn’t mean it will be this year. If your rifle has a wooden stock all sorts of things can happen to shift your rifle’s zero from last year. Wooden stocks that have not been taken apart and any bare wood sealed with stock finish or varnish, especially underneath the recoil pad and around the action, can take on moisture or dry out. This causes the stock to expand or contract, sometime twisting slightly as it does so. Stocks that were free floating last year may not be today. Your stock’s moisture content can also affect the tightness of your bedding screws. With all this in mind you really need to look your rifle over carefully, check your screws’ tightness on rifle and scope mounts, look over your barrel channel and try your safety. One friend of mine wasn’t able to
get his safety off due to a small chip of wood, a twig actually, that had wedged itself in front of the safety lever. At the range is the place to discover any problems like this that can pop up so unexpectedly, not when a big 10-point is staring at you. Many hunters have synthetic stocked rifles today and they are much more stable being moisture proof. However, that doesn’t mean things haven’t shifted. Your screws need checked as well as the rifle’s firing mechanism. Your scope, its mounts or screws may have loosened, your adjustable power ring may be frozen or the crosshairs shaken loose. Murphy’s Law is always hanging around, just waiting for the opportunity to jump in and make something to go horribly wrong! Check your rifle sling to make sure it is in good shape and the swivels oiled, quiet and working smoothly. Squeaky swivels can be heard at great distances by animals with hearing far better than mine. I like to sight in a .22 rifle at 35 yards for squirrels, a .22 magnum rifle at 50 yards and a .17 caliber HRM at 100 yards. The important thing to remember here is to make the shots you should make, not the rare shot that only turns up occasionally or is a low percentage one. A squirrel is a small target and if you can hit most squirrels you shoot at 35-40 yards you’ll have a great day and get your limit. The .22 mag shoots flatter yet, but zeroed at 50 yards will take care of squirrels out to 60 yards, which at that distance is a tiny target. If I was hunting turkeys with the .22 magnum I FFL Service Firearms Reloading Supplies
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Photo by Wade Robertson Sighting in your rifle is a vital part of preparing for deer season. It allows the hunter to check not only the rifle’s zero, but inspect all the other components of the rifle that allow it to function properly and shoot accurately at the critical moment a buck appears. This nice 9-point was shot at 175 yards with a 30-06 properly zeroed in and checked before the season. would zero in at 100 yards with hollow High power rifles should be given points. Don’t hunt turkeys with solids, the opportunity to reach their potential. it’s too risky and you will lose birds the For this reason I like to zero my rifles hollow points would have killed. in 1.5 inches high at 100 yards. With The .17 is very flat shooting out to almost all rifles legal for hunting deer 100 yards, so why not take advantage a rifle 1.5 inches high at 100 yards will of its trajectory. Still, most of your be dead on at 200 yards, 6-9 inches low shots will be closer than that, but the at 300 yards and about 24 inches low at .17 will let you reach way out there. (See SIGHTING, Page 3)
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October 2014, The Bradford (Pa.) Era •
Sighting in will find problems
(Continued from Page 2) 400. You are unlikely to shoot further than that. Most all scopes have π inch clicks for adjustment. This means the crosshairs move 1/4 of an inch at 100 yards. To move one inch you turn the adjustment four clicks. To move three inches you’d turn the dial 12 clicks, eight inches would be 32 clicks and so on. Your high quality models have accurate adjustments, less expensive scopes sometimes don’t move the distance they should and sometimes adjusting to the left or right will also affect your up and down. As always, its pays to buy a more expensive brand, doing so can save you a lot of ammo and frustration. High quality scopes are also less likely to fog up or move when dropped or fired under heavy recoil.
You also want to recheck your rifle’s zero if you have changed ammo brands or bullet weight. Some rifles like practically any manufacture of ammunition and others can be notoriously fickle to what they shoot most accurately. You can only discover these things at the range. If you have new glasses, have recently gone to bifocals or different prescription contacts you may need to refocus your scope using the rear objective housing. A newspaper stuck up at whatever range you are shooting has many different sized letters on its pages and is a great help adjusting the scope to its clearest focus for you. There are a multitude of reasons you need to get to the range and check out all your rifles. Now is the time to do so.
HARRISBURG — Hunters heading into Pennsylvania’s state-owned woodlands this season will find additional roads open in 18 of the 20 state forest districts. “The Bureau of Forestry hopes to improve accessibility while promoting hunting where it is needed to benefit forest regeneration and the overall ecosystem,” said DCNR Deputy Secretary for Parks and Forestry Dan Devlin. “For that reason, more than 400 miles of state forest roads normally open only for administrative use will again be available to hunters and others visiting state forestlands this year.” More than 3,000 miles of state forest roadways will be open during the statewide archery season, which opened Oct. 4 and closes Nov. 15. They will
continue to stay open through other hunting seasons continuing into January 2015. “Regardless of whether they seek deer, bear, turkey or small game, hunters in our state forests will find more than 90 percent of that land now is within one-half mile of an open road,” said Devlin. Many state parks, especially those in the 12-county Pennsylvania Wilds region, offer inexpensive camping and access to top-quality hunting in nearby public forestlands. Primitive camping on state forestlands is also an option, giving hunters a backcountry camping or hunting experience. Camping permits, issued by the managing forest district, will be required when camping on state forestlands.
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Maybe they won’t notice. . .
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• The Bradford (Pa.) Era, October 2014
Hunting fall turkeys is an exciting time of the year By WADE ROBERTSON Special to The Era
I grabbed desperately for trees as I scrambled up the near vertical bank, my feet slipping in the soft soil, losing their traction and shooting out from underneath me. Finally, I reached a small hemlock covered bench and stood gratefully on its flat surface gasping for breath. Whew, that was a rough hundred yards, but it saved me a long walk. The soft air was absolutely still and the light had increased to the point I could see the trees around me. The forest was solemn in the predawn — deeply silent. There are many different types of silence. Some silences can be uneasy and nervous with tension crackling in the air. Others can be powerfully ominous like the silence just before severe weather when the sky turns black, the wind dies and the entire world holds its breath awaiting the explosive power of a storm. The silence this morning held promise, peace and solitude. The sky was clear, the temperature agreeable, and you just felt like good things were about to happen all around you. The light grew brighter and I hurried
along the bench to a fallen tree crossing a long abandoned leaf covered road. I sat and listened to a hundred small birds welcome the dawn. There was food here and the birds knew it, congregating in preparation for the coming flight south. Suddenly, a dark form moved in front of me. Underneath the hemlocks it was still dark. Initially I thought the form resembled that of a raccoon, but then I saw other forms moving and a small flock of turkeys appeared picking their way through the leaves right at me. Slowly I raised the .22 mag and when a big hen jumped up on a stump at 30 yards to look around the crosshairs settled on her and steadied. Soon she moved off and I looked over the other birds, too. Turkey season was a week away, drat it! Back to hunting squirrels. The first day of turkey season I wore off some boot leather on the same bench and didn’t see a turkey! How do they disappear like that? Walking back, two birds crossed in front of me and climbed a steep bank. Doubling over I ran quietly up the road and slowly straightened up. There they were some 45 yards away. I threw up the 3-inch magnum and picked a spot in the beech
brush. When a gray head crossed I pulled the trigger. Nothing happen! With a rush of panic I realized the safety was still on! What a rookie mistake! I hadn’t done anything that foolish for a long time. Slipping the safety off as fast as possible I tried to get another open shot, but I’d blown my only opportunity. I was disgusted, upset and angry, fuming at my blown opportunity. How could I have forgotten to take the safety off? I stomped dejectedly back to the car and then chuckled at myself. What a chump! There was humor in this if I cared to look for it. Talking to my cousin, Bill Robertson that evening, I found he had done the same thing, had a big gobbler dead to rights in a tree above him and left the safety on. He was relieved to find out he wasn’t the only pitiful person in the woods that day. Misery loves company I guess. The next Saturday, 2-3 inches of snow had fallen and I grabbed the .243. With the leaves off and visibility high the rifle might change my luck. Daylight found Jim Acker and I sitting in a small valley watching the intersection of two old logging roads. RJ had told us a flock of turkeys with (See HUNTING, Page 6)
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Photo by Jim Acker Whether you use a rifle or a shotgun, turkey hunting is an exciting sport with the unexpected likely to happen at any moment. With snow on the ground a rifle can be an advantage in the open woods. The author holds up a nice fall turkey he harvested with a .243 at over 150 yards.
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• The Bradford (Pa.) Era, October 2014
Hunting fall turkeys is an exciting time of the year (Continued from Page 4) some impressive gobblers roosted on the hillside and moved through the area at daylight. We were waiting. It was cold with low gray clouds hanging overhead, but the sudden yelping and clucking of turkeys on the hillside above us seemed to warm things up considerably. Jim called back and then we waited. The cracking of branches and a burst of yelping, clucking and whining let us know when the birds had flown down. Occasional yelps and clucks grew ever closer and suddenly we caught flashes of motion through the trees. It wasn’t long until 15 or 20 turkeys filed through in front of us. Again, I had crosshairs on an old hen, but we were waiting for gobblers and the hens grew suspicious of the odd shaped lumps against the trees and moved off. Hiking around the point we set up and called, but the gobblers weren’t there either. Returning to our original spot we moved up the old road as quietly as possible, intending to set up and call at the top of valley. Suddenly RJ stopped and signaled a flock of birds
was about to cross the road in front of us. I immediately knelt, put on the sling strap and assumed a steady position aiming up the road, taking the safety off and checking it twice as a turkey popped up over the bank and walked across the road. I had the scope set at 12 power and the turkey looked pretty good sized to me. Three or four more birds filed across the road never stopping. Another turkey walked out and stopped right in the center of the trail. I let half a breath out, steadied the crosshairs and squeezed. The .243 barked and a 100-grain spitzer smacked the turkey to the ground like a giant hand had smitten it. I looked up over the scope, but the turkey was finished, it never even flapped a wing. “Nice shot!” Jim said. “That was over 150 yards.” I looked again and he was right. Through the scope the turkey hadn’t looked that far away at all. After arriving home, I called Bill and told him that this time, I’d remembered to take the safety off. He seemed surprised!
Acorn mast will affect game populations By JIM ZOSCHG Special to The Era Since the demise of the American chestnut tree stands nearly a century ago, our oak species have become the most important hard mast crop across most of Northcentral Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, acorns are not nearly as palatable as chestnuts and their mast production is not consistent. Some years oaks produce abundant crops of nuts, but just as often they produce little or no acorns. Nevertheless, hunters in Pennsylvania pay close attention to the acorn crop each fall, because it dictates where to hunt for deer, bear, squirrels and to a lesser extent turkeys. Where there are acorns, deer and bear will be found filling themselves with this calorie-laden food in preparation for winter. In general, this fall there is a good acorn crop in the oak stands of our region that will affect our game species’ movements throughout the 2014 hunting seasons.
According to Quality Whitetails magazine, acorns have up to six percent protein, 10 percent fat and 79 percent carbohydrate levels. Those high fat and carbohydrate levels are just what game animals crave in the fall as they store up energy for winter. In Northcentral Pennsylvania we have five naturally occurring species of oaks that are common and several others that occur in smaller, scattered populations. Chestnut, white, northern red, black, and scrub oak are prevalent throughout most of the region, while populations of scarlet, pin, shingle, chinkapin and swamp white oak are present in scattered populations. Other non-native species of oaks such as sawtooth oak and English white oak are also occasionally encountered in plantings for habitat or landscaping. Oaks are generally classified into two categories, the white and red oak families. White oaks have rounded lobes on their leaves and produce acorns that develop in one growing (See ACORN, Page 8)
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October 2014, The Bradford (Pa.) Era •
Latter part of season can be just as good as start By STEVE SHERK Jr. Era Sports Writer For me, the 2011 deer hunting season could be compared to a roller coaster ride. It was extremely fun, but it sure had its ups and downs. Right off the bat, the second day of the PA archery season, I filled my tag with a nice 10-point. But after that, New York hunting season wasn’t easy. I had some really slow days and when an opportunity did come along, I blew it by missing or making some kind of mistake. It was the last day of New York gun season. Finally, we were blessed with about two inches of snow. Most deer hunters know that a season with very few snow days is usually a tough one. I was in the woods right at the beginning of daylight. Being the final day of the season, I didn’t want to miss a minute of opportunity. My plan was to still-hunt two different areas where two particular bucks were living. I had been hunting a big 8-point for about 10 days, and I have to say that the three times I had seen him with my own eyes, he got the best of me. Each time I saw the big buck, he was always laying down in the bottom of a big wide open valley. He was nearly 200 yards away every time. Much too far of a shot for my slug gun. And when I’d try to make a move on him and get closer, he’d spot me in an instant. He was a pretty smart buck to say the least. As I started to approach the valley the buck was hiding in, I had a different plan of attack in mind. This time, I’d take the chance and try to stalk up on the buck from his own level rather than looking down on him from the ridge top.
Well my stalk had just about ended and I was feeling some surprise that I didn’t even kick the buck out from his bedding area. Then, just a few steps later, I saw a big deer track in the snow and it appeared to be a running deer. My gamble didn’t pay off a bit! By coming at the buck from the same level, he had spotted me from quite a distance before I could have even see him. I wasn’t too disappointed about spooking the buck. However, it was the last day of the season, and I had tracking snow. “I can track him,” I said to myself. I have to say I don’t have a lot of experience tracking deer and what I didn’t know was how far this buck would run. I tracked this buck nearly a mile before he quit running, needless to say I was way behind him. Even worse, as soon as he stopped running, he met up with a bunch of other deer and I couldn’t pick out his track after that. I had to let him go! But I did have a Plan B, and that was to hunt a buck I had never seen. On a couple of previous hunts, I noticed several fresh scrapes and a couple big fresh buck rubs. Each time I went through that area, I’d check the scrapes and they appeared to be freshened up almost on a daily basis. Combined with the big buck rubs, I figured it had to be a good buck. However, I could never find him! I decided to give that ridge another try so I headed that way. The half-mile hike wasn’t too bad and when I arrived at the ridge I was extremely impressed with the amount of deer tracks I was seeing. At least I was likely to see some deer. This time I hunted the ridge with a different approach. My plan was to stillhunt along the top of the ridge and to peak over the edges. This would likely give me an advantage to see the deer without them seeing me. (See LATTER, Page 9)
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• The Bradford (Pa.) Era, October 2014
Acorn mast will affect game populations
(Continued from Page 6) season and have lower tannin levels making them more palatable for wildlife. White oak species found in our region include chestnut oak, white oak, chinkapin oak, and swamp white oak. Another interesting fact about members of the white oak family is that their acorns germinate soon after they drop in the fall, sending a taproot deep into the ground prior to winter. Red oaks, on the other hand, have pointed leaf lobes with bristles on the tips of the lobes. Red oak acorns have higher tannin levels than the acorns of most of the members of the white oak family, making them more bitter. Acorns of the red oak family take two growing seasons to develop, and they germinate the spring after they mature and fall from the tree. Members of the red oak family in our region include northern red oak, black oak, scrub oak, scarlet oak, pin oak, and shingle oak. Out of our five most common oaks, acorns of the white oak are the most preferred by wildlife. They have the lowest tannin levels of our five most common species, making them the most palatable for deer and bear. Due to their small size in comparison with red and chestnut oak acorns, turkeys are also easily able to consume white oak acorns. White oak acorns drop early, maturing in late summer and early fall. On good white oak mast crop years, these acorns are the most important factor in locating deer during the first part of archery season. This year in September when white oaks started to drop their acorns, overnight, whitetail deer became scarce as they stopped frequenting fields and agricultural areas and started spending most of their time deeper in the woods. Often, by the time the rifle seasons for deer and bear open, the majority of white oak acorns have already been consumed, making them less of a factor for locating game populations in late fall. However, in bumper crop years, white oak acorns stay around providing a significant food crop into the winter. Many areas of Northcentral Pennsylvania have experienced a good crop of white oak acorns this year. Northern red oaks are the most important oak for hunters in Northcentral Pennsylvania. In general the northern red oak produces acorn crops more consistently than the white oak. The acorns are also larger and fall from the trees later in autumn. This causes red oak acorns to be the prime deer food later on in the fall during rifle season. During years of exceptional red oak acorn production, the acorns are pres-
ent in abundance throughout winter and into spring, providing good energy for whitetails during their most stressful time of the year. Much of our region has experienced a good crop of red oak acorns this year. Parts of Elk, Cameron, and southern Potter Counties have good chestnut oak acorn crops this year, as well. Chestnut oak or rock oak produces the largest of our acorns. This tree tends to grow on the steep, rocky hillsides and mountain tops found throughout our region. It generally is an inconsistent acorn producer. Although, when it does produce, it frequently covers the ground with acorns. Even though it is not as palatable as the white oak acorn, it has been my experience that deer and bear prefer this acorn over that of the red oak. In a year with a heavy chestnut oak acorn mast crop, rugged chestnut oak covered hillsides will be the prime place to hunt for bear and deer. Black oak trees are not as common as white, chestnut, and northern red oak in our region. In fact, their populations only extend north into northern Cameron County and southern Potter County. However, they are very prevalent in some areas of their range. The black oak tree closely resembles northern red oak in the shape of its foliage, but its leaves are glossy while those of red oaks are dull. Also, the tree bark of black oaks is slightly different and the acorns are significantly smaller and have vertical stripes compared to those of red oaks. Black oaks have very bitter acorns, but they are heavily utilized by wild game in the absence of other oak mast. Scrub oak or bear oak is the smallest of our oak trees and grows only to a height of about 15 feet. Its acorns are quite small, but highly preferred by wildlife. Across much of the region, scrub oak populations are small and scattered, and thus are not a significant factor in wildlife feeding patterns. Nonetheless, thickets of this shrub can be found in some areas, especially in old burns, offering both food and heavy cover to wildlife. When scouting this fall, realize that acorns are number one on the wildlife food list during this time of year. Pay attention to which acorns are prevalent in the areas you hunt. Take into account that due to their palatability some acorns are preferred over others. Yet, often the most preferred acorns are consumed early, causing game animals to switch to acorns of other oak species. Food sources in the forest are dynamic and in constant change. Taking all these factors into consideration will help you scout and plan for a memorable 2014 hunting season.
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October 2014, The Bradford (Pa.) Era •
Latter part of season can be just as good as start (Continued from Page 7) The noon hour had arrived and I knew enough to take my time on that ridge. This was the last good spot I had in mind to hunt that day so I didn’t want to go through it too quickly. I got about half-way up the ridge when a doe ran by me about 40 yards away, then she stopped and looked over her back. My feeling was that she was spooked by another hunter, but I was praying that even though it was mid-December, could she somehow be into her second heat? Would there be a big buck trailing behind her? I was hoping so! Seconds passed by, then she trotted away, and just as I took another step thinking she was alone, I noticed a large rack and a big bodied deer heading right for me. I do like to hunt for big bucks, but since it was the last day of the season, I did lower my standards, so any decent buck would have been worthy for me to shoot. As the buck got to within 40 yards, I could tell it was a little more than decent. The buck stopped right
in front of me. I could tell he sensed something wasn’t right and I took a quick shot. The buck ran about 20 yards and started staggering. I emptied my gun on him anyway. He didn’t go far after that! I got to the buck and counted 10 points. He was a pretty decent buck. It ended up being one of the nicer bucks I had ever taken but that’s not what impressed me the most. What most impressed me about this buck was when the taxidermist told me his age, I was shocked! The buck’s teeth showed him to be six to seven years old. That’s as old a buck as I have ever heard of in Allegany State Park. The point behind this story is to never give up. It was the last day and I still knew I had a chance. Many hunters give up after the first few days of the season. But the truth is, sometimes the latter part of the season can be just as good as the beginning. Don’t ever give up!
By MIKE BLEECH Special to The Era
to interact with bears can be dangerous. That man ran. A human can not outrun a bear. A human can not outrun a threelegged bear. Several years ago while hunting in Chautauqua County, New York, with three companions, three of us had a confrontation with a bear. One of the group had recently helped drag and dress a bear in Pennsylvania. His hunting clothes had strong bear odor. While walking along a well trampled trail through about 18 inches of heavy snow, he noticed a movement to his rear. He stopped and watched in that direction. Soon he realized a bear was following his trail, likely because he smelled like a bear. (See BLEECH, Page 10)
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Give bears the respect they are due WARREN — Pennsylvania hunters and residents who have lived in serious bear habitat for several years at least, tend to treat our black bears with little regard. Some look at bears as clowns. They can look funny, and they can look very cute. After numerous bear encounters and the assumption that our bears are harmless, it is little wonder that people who do not appreciate the potential of bear aggression give them little respect. Our black bears are very capable of injuring or killing people. A recent case in New Jersey of a bear killing a man is a sad example. Not understanding how
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• The Bradford (Pa.) Era, October 2014
Bleech: Give bears the respect they are due (Continued from Page 9) The bear realized its mistake before the hunter even saw more that its upper third. It ran in a loop around him and right into me. Though I did not realize it was a bear until looking at tracks after the encounter, the bear was in thick brush no more than five yards from me. It retreated again, looping to its right and up a steep hill. My long-time hunting pal Bill Anderson was standing at the top of the hill. Not being confident that he was in a zone where bear hunting was allowed, he raised his slug gun but did not fire. For a couple of seconds anyway. Hair was standing up from between the bear’s ears to its rump. The bear was snarling with lips lifted to show its teeth, and headed right toward him. Anderson said when the bear got within about 15 yards he fired. The 180-pound bear dropped instantly upon impact of the well placed 12 gauge slug. Later, after we met and he told me the story, I went to the place where it happened. His 15 yards was more like 12 feet. Anderson is a cool cookie. And yes, he was in a bear hunting zone, but only by hundreds of yards. While dragging the bear out of the woods we met and talked with a few hunters who had hunted that same area the previous day. The bear had been bumped by hunters then, also. Apparently by the time it met Anderson standing right where it wanted to go, it was out of patience and probably plenty mad. Not too many years ago a case of a bear hunter being bitten by a bear in central Pennsylvania hit the news. A friend was in the group including the bear-bit hunter. They had been putting on drives that morning when one of
the group shot a bear. He approached the bear cautiously, but even closeup he did not think the bear was still alive. The bear lunged with its last burst of energy and clamped its jaws on the hunter’s leg. Little damage was done to the hunter’s leg. In fact he was out later that same day with the group. But that might not have been the case if the bear had more remaining energy. I have had several close-up bear encounters. In one case I had my fingers up a bear’s nostrils. That, of course, was not by design. I was fending off a non-threatening bear that obviously had learned to associate people with food. By far my most frightening bear encounter occurred in my own back yard, where bears frequently visit to raid my bird feeders. It was a very dark night, and I started walking across the back yard to the shed. Close to the shed there were loud sounds from breaking limbs. I do not trim the lower, mostly dead limbs of a line of spruce trees. I guessed that it was a raccoon climbing a tree. I tried to see what it was, but the batteries in my flashlight were nearly dead. Then I took another step and heard limbs crashing again, this time closer. Shining the skimpy light that the flashlight provided, all I saw was a massive shape right in front of me. Then the shape seemed to grow larger. The bear roared so close that I felt its foul breath on my face. I am not at all ashamed to reveal that I was terrified. Yes, it roared, in spite of the fact that several bear biologists have told me black bears do not roar. I did not panic. After turning my head to avoid looking into the bear’s face, even though I could not make out its face in the darkness, I started backing away while trying to make
myself look as large as possible. The 12 yards, or so, to the door of my house were some of the most difficult yards I have tread. Turning and running was so tempting, but so wrong. During those agonizingly long seconds of my retreat from the bear, I thought of the bears I have killed and wondered if this was going to be payback. As soon as I got in the house I went to the kitchen window where there is a strong flashlight. With this strong light I saw the bear at my tower-style bird feeder using its incredibly long tongue to lap up the black oil sunflower seeds. It was huge. I am certain it weighed more than 500 pounds. That bear had just been laying claim to the food it had found. Lucky for me. McKean County is serious bear country. The bear population here, and in most parts of Pennsylvania, has been growing. Bear encounters are bound to increase in frequency. While hunting and any time you encounter a bear, give it the respect it demands. If you are hunting bear, place shots well, then approach cautiously.
Photo submitted Back-peddling from a huge bear that roared at me in my own back yard, which the bear had claimed for himself, I wondered if this was retribution for the bears I have shot, like this big New Brunswick bear taken with an in-line muzzleloader.
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October 2014, The Bradford (Pa.) Era •
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Hunting seasons for 2014 in Pennsylvania
Following is an overview of the approved hunting seasons for 2014 in Pennsylvania: WILD TURKEY (Male or Female): WMU 1B – Nov. 1-8 and Nov. 27-29; WMU 2B (Shotgun and bow and arrow) – Nov. 1-21 and Nov. 27-29; WMUs 1A, 2A, 2D, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3A, 3B and 3C – Nov. 1-15 and Nov. 27-29; WMUs 2C, 2E, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D and 4E – Nov. 1-21 and Nov. 27-29; WMU 5A – Nov. 6-8; WMUs 5B, 5C and 5D – CLOSED TO FALL TURKEY HUNTING. BLACK BEAR (Statewide) Archery: Nov. 17-21. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year. BLACK BEAR (Statewide): Nov. 22. Nov. 24-26. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year. BLACK BEAR (WMUs 2C, 4B, 4C, 4D and 4E): Dec. 3-6. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year. BLACK BEAR (WMUs 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D): Dec. 1-13. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year. BLACK BEAR (WMUs 3A, 3B, 3C and 3D): Dec. 1-6. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year. BLACK BEAR (WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D) archery: Sept. 20-Nov. 15. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year. BLACK BEAR (WMU 5B) archery: Oct. 4-Nov. 15. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year. BLACK BEAR (WMUs 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D) muzzleloader: Oct. 18-25. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.
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BLACK BEAR (WMUs 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D) special firearms: Oct. 23-25, for junior and senior license holders, disabled hunters with a permit to use a vehicle as a blind and resident active duty military. ELK (Antlered or Antlerless): Nov. 3-8. Only one elk may be taken during the license year. ELK, EXTENDED (Antlered and Antlerless): Nov. 10-15. Only one elk may be taken during the license year. Eligible elk license recipients who haven’t harvested an elk by Nov. 8, in designated areas. DEER, ARCHERY (Antlerless Only) WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D: Nov. 17-29. One antlerless deer with each required antlerless license. DEER, ARCHERY (Antlered and Antlerless) WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D: Jan. 12-24. One antlered deer per hunting license year. One antlerless deer with each required antlerless license. DEER, ARCHERY (Antlered and Antlerless) Statewide: Oct. 4-Nov. 15 and Dec. 26-Jan. 10. One antlered deer per hunting license year. One antlerless deer with each required antlerless license. DEER (Antlered and Antlerless) WMUs 1A, 1B, 2B, 3A, 3D, 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D: Dec. 1-13. One antlered deer per hunting license year. An antlerless deer with each required antlerless license. DEER (Antlered Only) WMUs 2A, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3B, 3C, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D and 4E: Dec. 1-5. One antlered deer per hunting license year. (Holders of valid DMAP antlerless deer permits may harvest antlerless deer on DMAP properties during
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this period.) DEER (Antlered and Antlerless) WMUs 2A, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3B, 3C, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D and 4E: Dec. 6-13. One antlered deer per hunting license year. An antlerless deer with each required antlerless license. DEER, ANTLERLESS (Statewide): Oct. 23-25. Junior and Senior License Holders, Disabled Person Permit (to use a vehicle) Holders, and Pennsylvania residents serving on active duty in U.S. Armed Services or in the U.S. Coast Guard only, with required antlerless license. Also included are persons who have reached or will reach their 65th birthday in the year of the application for a license and hold a valid adult license, or qualify for license and fee exemptions under section 2706. One antlerless deer with each required antlerless license. DEER, ANTLERLESS MUZZLELOADER (Statewide): Oct. 18-25. An antlerless deer with each required antlerless license. DEER, ANTLERED OR ANTLERLESS FLINTLOCK (Statewide): Dec. 26-Jan. 10. One antlered deer per hunting license year, or one antlerless deer and an additional antlerless deer with each required antlerless license. DEER, ANTLERED OR ANTLERLESS FLINTLOCK (WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D): Dec. 26Jan. 24. One antlered deer per hunting license year, or one antlerless deer and an additional antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.
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• The Bradford (Pa.) Era, October 2014
Knowing when, why bucks leave your hunting area By STEVE SHERK Jr. Era Sports Writer One of the biggest issues buck hunters face is finding a good area to hunt. Bucks can be sparse and even if you do have some located, they are downright tough to hunt. But many times we’ve done everything right, from scouting, to scent control, stand placement, ect. but the season ends and we still have that buck tag left in our license holder. Have you ever looked back on the past season and asked yourself - why you didn’t get the job done? You saw bucks well before the season. There was plenty of sign around, but when hunting season arrived, it was as if all the bucks in your area were invisible. Well the truth is, bucks are quite stealthy, especially the older ones, but they aren’t ghosts. The main reason why buck tags don’t get filled is because antlered deer often make several shifts through the year, including the fall season. SUMMER PATTERNS Summer is great time to start scouting for the upcoming season. By mid-summer, bucks are near full antler development and this can give you an idea of how big the bucks are out there. One of the most unique facts about buck activity during the summer months is that bucks live quite a predictable life style. During the summer, bucks have small home ranges and they are often seen feeding and crossing in the same places daily. The buck hunter who locates several bucks during
the summer and thinks these bucks will be there when autumn arrives will be in for a disappointing lesson. Very rarely do bucks stay in the same area year-round, especially when summer transitions to fall. EARLY FALL VELVET SHEDDING When a buck sheds his velvet, he becomes an entirely different creature. An increase in testosterone starts to rage through his body, and although the heart of breeding season is likely some two months away from the time he shed his velvet, he is already preparing himself for the mating season. Right after the velvet comes off, bucks start to become very territorial. Rubbing and mild scraping start happening and most bachelor groups of bucks start to break apart. This is a key period when bucks often shift to new areas. Through out the summer, a buck’s main concern was food and water, but by late summer or early fall, the upcoming breeding season is at the top of the list. There’s several reasons to why bucks shift to new areas once they’ve become hard antlered. The main reason, I believe, is doe numbers. If the number of does are low in an area, bucks start to investigate other areas where does are more available. Although you will see very little rutting activity this early, bucks are still trying to get an idea of what’s going to be available once the does start coming into estrous. If the number of does are high in a buck’s summer home range, he may not shift too far, but he will likely still be less predictable once archery season arrives. Also, some sub-dominant bucks seek out new home ranges during the early fall months because
they feel they have too much breeding competition. However, a bigger, more dominant buck will likely have a smaller home range than a less dominant buck if the does, food, water and cover are plentiful in his area. DON’T GET FOOLED BY EARLY BUCK SIGN Finding the first rubs and scrapes of the year can always be exciting, but these signs are often meaningless for a buck hunter. Most of your early season buck rubs and scrapes, from late August to late September, are made while bucks are in their bachelor groups. If rubs and scrapes don’t appear to be fresh, or, you don’t notice other fresh rubs and scrapes around older sign, chances are these are early season signs that were made before the bucks began their fall shift. After the first of October, buck sign should be taken more seriously by hunters. By now, most bucks are in their fall territory. A key to identifying a fresh buck rub is the bark shavings. If the bark shavings are on top of the leaves, and it’s after the first of October, you are likely in a buck’s fall home range. If the shavings are under the leaves, there’s a good chance it’s a late summer or early fall rub. Also keep in mind what type of trees are in the area. For example, maple and cherry trees drop most of their leaves by early October, but beech and oak can hold their leaves well into November. FOOD SOURCES Other than breeding, food may be the most important thing for whitetails. In most areas, bucks can (See KNOWING, Page 13)
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Knowing when, why bucks leave your area (Continued from Page 12) survive on a huge variety of browse sources. But when mast crops are available, bucks and does will seek them over just about anything. Early in the fall, mast crops like cherry and apples start falling to the ground. Once bucks find these sources, they will spend more time in areas where soft mast is available. By mid to late October, bucks start focusing more on hard mast sources like acorns and beech nuts. These foods provide more carbohydrates and fats which help bucks prepare their bodies for the winter season. The number one hard mast source for whitetails is acorns. The overall point is, know what foods are available in your hunting area because bucks will move quite a distance to enjoy a more favorable food source. HUNTING PRESSURE One of the easiest ways to make a buck shift to a new area is to over hunt it. If a buck catches on to your pattern and knows you are after him, he will change his routine instantly. The safe way to hunt a big buck, is to go after him lightly. Don’t keep hunting him from the same location, unless you know he’s not coming through that area consistently. Instead, do your buck hunting from several locations. This will keep bucks at ease and it will definitely make them easier to hunt. Also, if an area is being heavily hunted by other hunters, it would be wise to choose a new area or find thick cover where the bucks are hiding from the pressure. HARSH WINTER CONDITIONS Most years, you never know when winter is here for good. But a good telling sign to when it’s not leaving is when we have a deep layer of snow on the ground. Deep snow is a buck’s second worst enemy (number one being the hunter). Bad winters can be a severe threat to the deer herd. Quite often, during tough winters, there are deer that won’t survive. As soon as bucks get a sense that winter is here for good, they shift to their winter home range. Sometimes these areas won’t be far and other times they may be several miles away. Evergreens are the key for winter deer cover, with hemlocks being the best source. In deep snow, areas with thick evergreen cover will be magnets for bucks. Evergreens provide great shelter and bucks spend less energy finding food in these areas. DONT BE AFRAID TO MAKE A MOVE One of my best methods for my success as a buck hunter is I have no problem giving up on an area. Often I hunt several areas because I know bucks can move out at any time. If I’m not seeing bucks or seeing signs of them, I don’t hunt there. I truly believe that many hunters waste their time hunting the wrong areas. Always have a Plan B or even a Plan C. Sooner or later, you’ll stumble onto a legal buck.
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• The Bradford (Pa.) Era, October 2014
Notions about deer hunting By MIKE BLEECH Special to The Era WARREN —Snow on the ground with moderate temperatures for the opening day of deer season. Nothing could be finer for the first day of Pennsylvania deer season. Sure, there is that matter of getting a deer on the ground. Big bucks are out there, many more than most hunters realize. Getting your tag on a deer is a matter of skill, knowledge and luck. This part of the sport can not be changed in a fair chase hunt. Deer hunting has gone through some big changes through the five decades when I have been hunting. Some hunters have elected to take most of the genuine sport out of deer hunting. The surest way to put a bragging-size buck mount on your wall is to buy a hunt inside fences. Evaluating the quality of your hunt is up to the individual hunter. It is not up to me, or to you, to define what a quality hunt is for someone else. So long as a hunter abides by the rules, that hunter is allowed to determine what deer hunting is all about. This is one of the best things about deer hunting. Hunters who have done all of their deer hunting close to home, and in the cases of hunters like us who live close to the New York border may also be hunting a neighboring New York County, generally have pretty firm notions about what deer hunting is all about. Even comparing deer hunting in New York and Pennsylvania differences are few. These hunters typically view the rules of the hunt in black and white. They do not usually have gray areas. Some things are right, other things are wrong. This keeps deer hunting simple enough. One of the perks of my career has been opportunities to sample different kinds of deer hunting. It has been my pleasure to hunt deer in about 16 different states and provinces. Deer hunters look at deer hunting differently from one area to another, I have learned. Soon after some older friends started driving, I started hunting in New York. Even this short distance across the state line was a culture shock. At that time, the mid 1960s, in Warren County where I grew up, very little land was posted ‘No Trespassing’. It was assumed that hunting was allowed if land was not posted. Asking a farmer
for hunting permission was more likely to draw an angry response than hunting without permission on non-posted land. New York was another thing entirely. Finding a place to hunt is not as easy as in this part of Pennsylvania. We started hunting in New York wherever we saw good looking habitat without ‘No Trespassing’ signs. And for some time we had no problems. But the only reason we got away with that line of thinking was because no one caught us trespassing. Then when someone finally did catch us trespassing, the landowner was very polite about it. He took the time to pleasantly explain the real situation, that hunting on any private land required permission. We were also politely told to get off the land and do not come back. Some states require written permission to hunt on any private land other than your own. This, at least, clarifies the situation. Up to that point when we learned about private land hunting in New York, our experience in Pennsylvania was mostly that landowners who did not post their land did not want to be bothered by people asking permission to hunt. Things change over time. Time and experience has taught me to ask permission whenever I want to hunt on private land, here in Pennsylvania and elsewhere. It is better to risk being chewed out for asking rather than break the law. In years past we were under the assumption that land must be posted, and posted in the correct manner, to prevent hunting on private land. But in fact, going onto private land without permission is trespassing whether or not the land is posted. If the land is posted, no matter how it is posted, or, if you have been informed that trespassing is not allowed, going onto that land becomes more severe. It becomes defiant trespassing. For your own sake and for the good name of sport hunting, respect landowners. Always get permission before hunting on private land. Though I do not feel like it, I am now what we called an ‘oldtimer’ when I was a young hunter. This is another of the many things that have changed over time. Maybe the reason my hair has not fallen out is because I do not feel like an oldtimer. Maybe it is only because my business brings these things to my attention, but it does seem that more hunters misbehave now than they did a few
Photo submitted The local forest holds many more big buck than most hunters would believe. decades ago. Whatever the case, a few simple things like trespassing make things tough on all hunters. Trespassing, hunting over bait and hunting at night with spotlights, are some of the more common infractions of hunting regulations. Hunting over bait has become a confusing issue since hunting over bait is commonly seen on television hunting shows. It does not help that as hunting season approaches sporting goods stores start stocking up on deer baits. Hunting deer over bait is hardly a guarantee of success. I have tried it in a few states that allow it, and not once have I taken a deer while hunting over bait. Hunting over bait is most successful where deer have become dependant on feeders, or, at least they have become accustomed to coming to bait. Putting on drives to push deer or bear is a customary hunting style in Pennsylvania. This is not allowed everywhere. I first discovered this while reading a regulations book in preparation for a hunt in Maine. Always read the regulations book whenever you hunt out of state. You may find differences in things like blaze orange requirements, firearms restrictions, hunting hours and other things. You may discover that some of the things you have thought of as universal hunting rules or common practices are not universal at all.
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October 2014, The Bradford (Pa.) Era •
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• The Bradford (Pa.) Era, October 2014