Pennsylvania Game News - December 2022 - 4

Don't touch or brush against anything
going in.
BUSTED GOING IN
Just because a whitetail detects you
heading to a stand in the dark doesn't
mean you won't see deer.
On at least three occasions, I have had
whitetails alarm-snort at me going in. Two
times the snorts were caused by flashlight
beams - no breeze, no noise. The third
was by surprise: A deer was hanging out
where I planned to hunt.
The farther away this happens from
your stand site, the less you have to worry
about. Interestingly, the deer I startled near
my mountaintop stand tree on an opening
day hung around. Setting up in the
dark, I could hear it occasionally sneaking
around in nearby mountain laurel
patches. After first light, that deer, a lone
doe, eventually appeared about 80 yards
out and then slowly closed. I eventually
dropped it.
Deer snort for many reasons. All are
intended to announce a threat, but all
deer hearing snorts don't bolt to the next
county. If you're walking in, you're better
off disregarding that snort than returning
to your car and driving elsewhere.
Follow your plan; it's the best option
you have an hour before sunrise!
SQUIRRELS & DEER
Sometimes squirrels tolerate whitetails.
Other times, they bark, particularly
when whitetails clean up acorns under
trees squirrels are working.
Squirrels also might bark annoyingly
at us when we're on stand.
Here's what to make of all this barking:
First, squirrel barking doesn't trouble
deer. It might get their attention, but it
won't change their travels. But if you're
on stand, and hear squirrels barking inces4
santly
100 yards out, consider it a tipoff
that deer might be approaching.
There's always a chance a red-tailed
hawk or fox is the recipient of this barking,
but if you remain alert, you won't get
caught empty-handed.
If that squirrel happens to be barking
at you, know that it isn't chasing away
approaching deer. The stiller you sit, the
sooner that squirrel - or chipmunk - will
get back to what it was doing, or move on.
Scolding by squirrels also might draw
a deer, particularly in the rut; whitetails
know squirrels bark at them.
Finally, if you're still-hunting, don't
pass up a chance to investigate a barking
squirrel. It just might get you into range
of a whitetail.
OLD TREE STANDS
Sometimes we get a chance to tap
in to another hunter's success. This is
especially true on mountain summits, in
expansive forestland and other relatively
hard-to-reach hunting locations.
On two occasions, I've found remnants
of constructed tree stands - one on a
mountaintop, another on a high bench - in
remote areas that immediately appealed to
me. Both went on to become great places
for my portable tree stand for more than
10 years.
One was so good it earned the name
Meat Stand.
So, when you find a deteriorating stand
back in - good proof it's no longer used
- try to assess what drew its user. If you
like what you see, give the area a try. It's
a chance to capitalize on someone else's
guile, and maybe relive a little of the
magic that once brought that hunter there.
STAND-JUMPER
Hunters too often give up on spots after
a poor opener performance. But one day -
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2022

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