Pennsylvania Game News - December 2024 - 56

FLORESCENT ORANGE
Regardless of your sporting arm, all
hunters afield in the firearms season are
required to follow fluorescent-orange
clothing requirements.
I prefer to wear camo-florescent orange
clothing with a black or green camo pattern.
It blends better against a forest's drab
surroundings. The addition of regular
camo gloves and face makeup also help
hide you.
Although I've shot a lot of whitetails
wearing solid fluorescent orange, I believe
you must be extra careful when wearing
it on stand, because it accentuates your
human form and magnifies movement,
particularly when you maneuver into a
shooting position. And don't forget how
critical it is to move only when deer can't
see you, regardless of which orange you
wear. If you're caught, the game usually
is over, because it doesn't take much
reaction from a deer to exceed your bow's
maximum effective range.
EARLY AND LATE
The best times to be afield are dawn
and dusk. This is when deer tend to
move more naturally between feeding
and bedding areas. This strategy works
well for the opener in areas with little or
no hunter competition, but it'll also offer
you a better chance to get close to deer on
high-use lands on those quieter weekdays,
when the hunter participation usually
drops substantially. Check parking lots
to measure hunter pressure a day or two
before you commit. And try to be on stand
45 minutes to an hour before dawn, or at
least two hours before sunset.
Also important is sneaking in to your
stand location. Your movements in a latefall
forest can be detected from greater
distances. Sound also reaches farther in
cold air. So, keep your flashlight low
56
ORANGE REQUIREMENTS for HUNTERS
Regardless of the sporting arm carried,
whenever hunting a regular firearms
season for deer, bear or elk, fluorescent
orange is required.
During the October muzzleloader seasons
for antlerless deer and bear, muzzleloader
hunters must wear orange.
And, during the extended firearms
seasons for antlerless deer in WMUs 2B,
4A, 4D, 5A, 5C and 5D, all participants must
wear fluorescent orange.
250
SQUARE
INCHES
of daylight
fluorescent
orange material on the head,
chest and back combined,
visible from 360 degrees.
if you must use one, walk carefully to
avoid breaking branches, sidestep frozen
puddles, and don't brush against anything.
Wearing knee-high rubber boots also is an
important part of hiding your presence.
A lot of hunters afield during the first
week of firearms season come unprepared.
It's not intentional; they just haven't
found the time to get ready, and might not
have scouted their huting spot before the
season. A recent Game Commission Deer
Hunter Survey revealed 31% of hunters
don't scout before firearms season, and
about half of deer hunters hunt at least 11
miles from home.
Your understanding of these deerhunter
characteristics should help you see
why preseason scouting is necessary and
getting in the woods early enough helps
your cause. If it can't, carry a rifle; you'll
be better off.
Bowhunting in December isn't about
dark-to-dark hunts, taking tough or long
shots at deer, or rushing in to beat other
hunters to choice spots. It's really about
being on location, where other hunters
aren't, and ready well before deer come.
Good luck out there!
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2024

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