Pennsylvania Game News - August 2020 - 8

DEER HUNTER FOCUS AREAS
The Game Commission designates
Deer Hunter Focus Areas in areas where
previous forest-management projects
have resulted in new growth that's
drawing deer. Deer Hunter Focus Areas
are selected in the summer months and,
by late August, most can be found by
searching the interactive maps on the
Game Commission's Mapping Center at
www.pgc.pa.gov. For hunters, they're
unquestionably worth a look.

turned broadside. I settled my sight pin
behind his shoulder and watched my
arrow anchor in the ground after passing
through the buck's chest.
While allowing the buck time to expire,
I called my wife and daughter to share my
news, then called Seth.
Although I'd planned to wait for Seth
before tracking the buck, I looked for
where we might get started, and after
going only a short distance, spotted the
dark-antlered 10-point 50 yards away.
Our hard work scouting on public land
had paid off. I tagged the buck, then Seth
and I skinned and quartered the deer, then
bagged the meat.

HUNTING CLEARCUTS
Hunting clearcuts can put you close to
whitetails, and clearcuts can be found on
game lands statewide, especially in the
Game Commission's Deer Hunter Focus
Areas, where habitat management has
improved deer hunting.
Clearcuts regenerate quickly, and
within three years provide substantial
browse, as well as preferred cover.
As you scout clearcuts, look for the
strips that appear where timber was harvested in different years. Depending on
when the strip was cut, it might provide a
travel corridor or bedding area with excel8

lent winter thermal cover.
Look for potential ambush sites. Habitat changes, such as a cluster of pines in
the middle of new growth, create interior
edge cover that holds promise.
A creek can funnel deer movement
through a clearcut, but scout it just before
the season to make sure deer are using it.
A waterhole also is attractive, but note its
distance to other water sources. If it's the
only available water for a few hundred
yards, it could be drawing deer.
Five-year-old and older cuts can be
extremely thick. Islands of seed trees that
were left behind might be difficult to reach
through the brush, but often offer the best
shooting.
Remember, on game lands, trimming
and cutting vegetation isn't permitted, so
you might need to select your stand site
based on where you can get the best view
and shooting opportunities.
Sign in clearcuts is easy to read
because trails are well defined in the
interior. Follow a trail and see where other
trails intersect with it. Then choose a tree
near the best intersection.
Then expect close, "clear-cut" action.

EFFORT'S REWARD
On the ride back to the area we'd
hunted, Warden Macunas commented a
few times about the distance Seth and
I had walked in with tree stands on our
backs.
He said few archery hunters seem to
take advantage of Deer Hunter Focus
Areas, and he was very excited to see the
buck I'd taken, and he took several photos
of his own to share with coworkers.
Seth and my brother were waiting for
us back at the parking lot where we all
shared in the enjoyment.
I can't wait for my next chance at
"clear-cut" success.
http://www.pgc.pa.gov
Pennsylvania Game News - August 2020

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