Pennsylvania Game News - December 2024 - 9

get more snow than State College, where
he lives now. So, too, do those areas impacted
by Erie's lake-eff ect storms.
" Certainly western Pennsylvania,
you'll have a better chance of getting
snow for deer season, " Imhoff said. " But
as you head into the lower elevations of
central and eastern Pennsylvania, it becomes
much more diffi cult to get any decent
snowfall at that time of year. "
The Poconos occasionally see signifi
cant snow, too, and the portion of the
state north of I-80 is more likely to get
snow than that south of the highway.
But there are no guarantees anywhere,
he said, especially in late November and
early December, which is still early in
winter.
Or maybe late in fall. Elliott said meteorologists
have traditionally considered
the period from Sept. 1 to Nov. 30 " meteorological "
fall. Researchers, though,
are looking into whether that needs to
shift to Oct. 1 to Dec. 31 - something
that would make all of rifl e deer season,
not to mention Christmas and New
Year's Eve - " fall " events rather than
winter ones, to better mirror reality.
All of that has implications for deer
and deer hunters.
Not only does a snow-covered woods
provide an iconic setting for Pennsylvania's
fi rearms deer season, there's something
to the idea deer are easier to see
when contrasted against a white background.
There's always the possibility of
following tracks in the snow to the deer
that made them. And while a faint blood
trail might be lost among fallen leaves
and dirt, on snow, it's sure to stand out.
One thing warmer fall weather isn't
doing, though, is causing deer to act differently.
Hunters
might be another story, especially
when warm weather brings rain.
DECEMBER 2024
WARM WEATHER HARVESTS
There was a ti me when having to worry
about getti ng a deer tagged, out of the
woods and to a processor fast because the
weather was so warm was only an archeryseason
thing.
That's not always the case anymore.
And according to Penn State Cooperati
ve Extension, bacteria can grow on food
- including venison - whenever temperatures
are right, but especially when they
top 40 degrees. In some cases, that bacteria
doubles in number every 20 minutes.
This makes proper handling of any harvested
deer criti cal, in warm-weather rifl e
deer seasons or anyti me else.
If the weather is below 40 degrees,
propping a deer's body cavity open with
clean sti cks might be enough to cool it.
When things climb above 40, though, insert
gallon milk jugs of frozen water or plasti c
bags of ice or snow into the body cavity and
secure them by tying the cavity shut with
small lengths of string. Keep it shaded, too,
rather than lying in direct sunlight in a truck
bed, stuff ed into a warm trunk or hung
from the camp meat pole, hide on.
Then, get it home or to a processor so
that it can be skinned and quartered or
hung in a cooler.
Use a spray bott le of vinegar, straight or
diluted - nine parts water to one part vinegar
- to coat the inside of a deer's body cavity
as soon as possible, too. It evaporates
quickly yet keeps germs at bay.
Another thing: if you're going to take a
deer to a processor, have a plan. Processors
are limited in how many deer they can accept,
based on freezer space. Some fi ll up
quickly on the busiest days of the season.
So have more than one in mind. Then,
if your fi rst choice just can't take your deer,
you have somewhere else to go.
In the meanti me, Penn State Cooperati
ve Extension off ers a number of free publicati
ons that can help hunters get a deer
from the fi eld to the freezer in the best
shape possible, including a pocket-sized
fi eld dressing guide, a venison-care pamphlet,
and a guide to processing that covers
not just deer but other fi sh
and game. Search for 'venison
care' at htt ps://extension.
psu.edu or scan the QR code
with your smart device.
9
https://www.extension.psu.edu https://www.extension.psu.edu
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2024

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