Pennsylvania Game News - December 2024 - 12

warm themselves, stirring deer up in the
process.
But it looks as though more hunters
now than ever sit tight, high in the air.
The Game Commission does periodic
deer hunter surveys, asking people all
sorts of things, including how often they
hunt in various seasons, where they hunt
and how they hunt. Most often recently,
that's from a tree stand.
The just-released 2023-24 Deer Hunter
Survey revealed that 58% of hunters
in the 2022 firearms deer season hunted
from a tree stand. Younger hunters especially
like taking to such a perch. Sixtysix
percent of those younger than 17
hunted from a tree stand, along with 64%
of those 17-45, 53% of those 46-64 and
47% of those older than 64.
By comparison, only 20% of hunters
hunted as part of a drive.
That seems different from the past.
The 2011 survey phrased the question of
stand use differently, asking hunters not
just if they hunted from one, but whether
they used portable or permanent tree
stands. Hunters could indicate using one
or the other or both.
But neither type alone drew more than
40% of hunters, whereas 28% hunted as
part of a drive.
So, just maybe, more hunters are sitting
in one spot all day long, rather than
moving and pushing deer.
None of this suggests deer hunters
should trade in their Woolrich " Pennsylvania
tuxedos " or their modern, heavilyinsulated
equivalents for fluorescent orange
Bermuda shorts and tank tops just
yet, Imhoff said. But this warm weather
figures to be around a while.
Elliott agreed, saying this winter -
like most of those in recent memory - is
likely to be another mild one. Hunters,
for better or worse, need to get used to
12
Dress for Success
So, Pennsylvania's deer season might
be warm, at least compared to seasons
of decades ago. Or, because Pennsylvania
Novembers are so fickle, it could be
bitter cold. Or it could be both, all in the
span of a week.
How to deal with that: dress in layers.
Layering
your clothing allows you to
take clothes off or put them on to match
the weather and your activity level. If a
warm, sunny morning turns into a cold,
wet afternoon, for example, or you go
from sitting in a stand to putting on a
deer drive, you can adapt by tweaking
your wardrobe.
Think in terms of a base layer, a middle
layer and an outer layer. The base
layer should wick moisture away from
your skin. The middle layer insulates to
retain body heat and the outer layer is a
barrier against wind and rain.
Each layer can consist of one item -
a jacket or shirt - or multiple pieces of
clothing. The key is not to wait too long
before adding or taking layers off. It's
better to shed a layer before you start
sweating too badly, for example. Likewise,
don't wait until you're shivering to
add warm clothes. If you do, your body
has to work that much harder to make
itself comfortable.
And don't forget your head, hands
and feet. A beanie or hat combined with
a jacket hood, thick gloves over thinner
ones, and wool socks over liner socks all
work together as needed.
Finally, pack some pocket warmers.
You can use them or not, depending on
just how cold things get.
what is, rather than what was.
" We're likely going to be in this
warming trend for an extended period of
time, " Imhoff said. " For the foreseeable
future and probably for our lifetimes, we
won't see anything different than this increasing
trend of temperatures.
" This is going to be the normal for
now. "
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2024

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