Pennsylvania Game News - October 2021 - 13

first light to get your chance.
Evening hunts are best focused on
known food sources. This could be an acorn
flat or a cornfield, but you'll want to hunt
those food sources whitetails and bears are
targeting. Using trail cameras to keep tabs
on game activity is a great idea. With food
sources rapidly changing at this time of the
year, today's draw might not be bringing in
game tomorrow. In a weeklong season, your
ability to quickly adapt to changing behavior
might mean the difference between a filled
tag and a missed opportunity.
One of my favorite places to hunt during
the early season is in an unpicked cornfield -
with permission from the farmer, of course.
It still amazes me how many deer hole-up in
such cover. Bears, too. I've yet to introduce a
bear to my smokepole, but I've taken several
does in cornfields over the years. It's upclose-and-personal
hunting, one that might
see more blown opportunities than success,
but every encounter is a thrill.
Midday hunts can pay off, too, but you
might want to look to other locations. If the
weather is warm, look for an active water
source that might be a daytime draw. A
small, tucked-away spring trickling from
the side of the mountain can be a great spot
to punch a tag.
If you have the day to hunt, but don't
want to spend it all sitting on stand, stillhunting
- or maybe even teaming with
others to put on drives - might be another
way to get into the action.
I usually end up doing both during the
course of the season, but typically stay away
from areas I like to stand hunt.
UPPING YOUR ODDS
Using weather to your advantage always
is good strategy. We all know weather fronts
put deer on the move, potentially at different
times of day. I like to hunt right after
rainstorms as it allows for moving quietly
through cover. If rain persists, hunting out of
a pop-up blind is a great option, as it literally
OCTOBER 2021
ORANGE AND SEASONS
Many hunting seasons overlap during
the weeklong October muzzleloader season
for deer and bears, which this year runs
Oct. 16-23.
The archery deer and bear seasons
are open statewide at this time. And from
Oct. 21-23, the special firearms season for
antlerless deer, which is open to juniors,
seniors and certain other hunters, is held.
Different seasons have different fluorescent
orange requirements. Archery deer
and bear hunters are not required to wear
orange, but the use of orange is highly recommended,
especially when moving.
Those hunting October deer or bears
with muzzleloaders or firearms must wear,
at all times, 250 square inches of orange
on the head chest and back combined, and
orange must be visible from 360 degrees.
This requirement applies, as well, to
those hunters who carry both a muzzleloader
and a bow or crossbow during the
week the archery and muzzleloader deer
and bear seasons overlap.
will keep your powder dry - and yourself,
as well. Just be sure to post the required 100
square inches of fluorescent orange material
within 15 feet of the blind, and continue
wearing the required 250 square inches of
orange (hat and vest) while in the blind, too.
In rainy conditions, also consider keeping
your muzzleloader in its case while you
walk to and from the stand. That can help
keep everything in working order.
I advise using a shooting rest whenever
possible. Even with the advanced performance
of most modern inlines, there's still
a slight delay between trigger pull and the
charge going off. But shooting from a solid
rest diminishes the chance you'll pull a shot
off target. Muzzleloaders give you only one
shot to get the job done. Wait for the best
opportunity possible, and if you don't get it,
there's nothing wrong with letting one walk.
While the window for taking a doe or
bear with a muzzleloader isn't open for
very long, another chance still might be just
around the corner, and often it is.
13
Pennsylvania Game News - October 2021

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