PORT MATILDA — The six-week statewide archery deer season is underway, and hunters have an opportunity to harvest many very respectable bucks.
So far, archery season has been mild and wet, but that will change as we move toward November and the rut — the whitetail’s mating season. Last year, the three biggest archery deer harvest days were the last three Saturdays of the season. If the same holds true this year, the big days this fall will be Oct. 29, Nov. 5 and 12. The rut peaks in mid-November and makes the bigger-racked bucks slightly more vulnerable.
A very heavy hard and soft mast crop is available in most of Centre County. Oak trees are dropping acorns and apple, hawthorn, crabapple, winterberry and dogwoods are loaded with fruit. Soft mast crops on State Game Lands 176 west of State College are tremendous, and the oaks are loaded with acorns on SGL 33, south of Philipsburg. Abundant food means that deer move less and are more difficult to hunt. Locate the food and you will find the deer.
Last fall, it seemed that animals ate or gathered acorns as soon as they dropped — maybe even before they dropped. This October is different, with the ground literally covered in some areas.
The early season on mourning doves ends Saturday, Oct. 8, and the second leg of the season begins Saturday, Oct. 15, and runs through Saturday, Nov. 26. The statewide woodcock season also is Saturday, Oct. 15, through Saturday, Nov. 26.
The first mourning dove killed by West Nile virus in Pennsylvania was discovered in Taylor Township, Centre County, in late August. According to Pennsylvania Game Commission wildlife pathologist Justin Brown, West Nile virus has likely contributed to the steep decline of the ruffed grouse population, but is not expected to drastically reduce dove populations. West Nile virus is transmitted from bird to bird or to humans by mosquitoes.
“A high number of bird species can be infected with West Nile virus, but few actually are affected enough to die from the disease,” Brown explained. “Almost all crows and most grouse die if infected with the virus, but the case of this mourning dove dying from WNV might just be the result of individual variability.”
The early duck, coot and merganser seasons begin in Pennsylvania’s North Zone on Saturday, Oct. 8, and in the South Zone the following Saturday.
Throughout Centre County, I-80 delineates the boundary between the north and south zones.
The resident Canada geese season across Centre County and most of the state starts up again Saturday, Oct. 22, and runs through Saturday, Nov. 26.
Small game seasons begin with grouse, rabbit and squirrel Saturday, Oct. 15, and continues through Saturday, Nov. 26. Pheasant season comes in Saturday, Oct. 22, and also ends Nov. 26. Junior seasons for squirrels, rabbits and pheasants will be held the week prior to the opening of the regularly scheduled openers.
Statewide, the Pennsylvania Game Commission will stock more than14,000 pheasants prior to the junior pheasant hunt, Saturday, Oct. 8, through Saturday, Oct. 15. Approximately 177,860 pheasants will be stocked the week prior to the regular opener, set for Saturday, Oct. 22.
In Centre County, 100 birds will be stocked for the junior hunt and an additional 910 ring-necked pheasants will be released the week before the regular season. These 300 cock birds and 610 hens will all be stocked on the Penn State Toftrees property and in State Game Lands 333 — the former Rockview property. The vast majority will be stocked at seven locations on SGL 333. These county pre-season numbers are just slightly higher than last year’s stockings.
Four in-season stockings will also be made in these same areas — one stocking each week from Tuesday, Oct. 25, through Friday, Nov. 18. This will total more than 1,900 pheasants. An additional 180 hens will be released at those areas just prior to Christmas.
In Centre County, both gobbler and hen turkeys are legal game when the fall season begins Saturday, Oct. 29, and runs through Saturday, Nov. 12. The second leg of the season will be Thursday, Nov. 24, through Saturday, Nov. 26. This year, fall turkey seasons in both Wildlife Management Units 2G and 4D are the same. The seasons are shorter in WMUs 1B, 1A, 2A and 5A and longer in WMUs 2B, 2C and 4E. According to PGC wild turkey biologist Mary Jo Casalena, season lengths are determined by the status of the wild turkey populations in each WMU.
Season details, zone maps, bag limits and license information can be found in the “Pennsylvania Hunting & Trapping Digest,” which comes with hunting licenses, or can be found by visiting the Pennsylvania Game Commission website, www.pgc.pa.gov.
