Much of the best hunting can be determined before you even hang your stand in the deer habitat of Pennsylvania. Habitat can change dramatically within a short distance and a hunter must be able to identify areas of food, security, terrain features, and areas of deer pressure. He or she must also be able to assess how wind is moving through the various areas of habitat and make decisions on where to enter a property for hunting, how to read fresh sign, and make the wise decision to not hunt in areas and under conditions that would result in an unethical hunt. Start with the terrain deer can use repeatedly
The sides of ridges have travel routes through the trees and bedding areas too. Sometimes deer even will travel along ridges in thermals. By studying the crest of a ridge and the leeward side to the bottom of the ridge, one can find a lot of useful information to a hunter rather than just finding the highest point on the ridge and hanging a stand for an overlook.
Bends in land and bench lands are used repeatedly by deer. They provide easy traveling in steep terrain where lots of cover exists and food is found in adjacent fields. Note the many trails on a bench land and determine the origin and destination of each. Also, note the direction of travel on each. Rubs, droppings, and gnawed vegetation indicate current use but that does not mean that all such areas would make good hunting locations. Other factors include wind, approach, and bedding locations.
Be careful to realize that a heavily used trail may be used primarily at night, while a second trail only a few yards away could be a major travel route between bedding areas and food during the day. In addition, the direction of travel, how recently the trail was used, and relationship to cover all are more important than individual marks on the trail. Read food and cover as one system
Deer like to have a variety of types of food, such as mast-producing hardwoods and browse found in low brush, young trees, and regenerating edges. The best area for hunting can change from year to year depending on how much the preferred food has been eaten, and also by weather changes and other attractive areas such as nearby crops and fields.
Determine if the browsed items are currently available at several heights and also look for nipped stems of various sizes. If there are disturbed leaves in the browsed area then recent browsing has taken place. Compare the sign of potential sites to that of nearby areas and determine which are most currently used for food. Note if a worn trail goes through an area with no current food or security and compare that to a fresh looking trail through similar cover with current food available.
It is very important to remember that edge between hardwood timber and very dense brush can be hunted from time to time but does not make for a reliable day time hunting spot. The reason for this is that there is usually a great deal of human activity along the edge of a property including hunting, dogs, road traffic, etc. This type of activity will cause deer to move to the interior of the property and to use cover that has not been previously scouted by hunters.
By asking three simple questions (Where can a deer feed? Where can a deer feel safe? And how would a deer leave an area to avoid crossing open ground?) one can quickly assess the merits of an area with signs of recent deer activity and come to the realization that the area in question is less valuable than the signs would suggest. Find funnels, water, and natural decision points
Natural funnels in your territory are made where the deer's travel routes are funneled through a narrow strip of ground. This can be a steep sloping side of a ridge and the thick cover on the other, a low gap between two hills, a fence line, or where two drainages meet. A good funnel has to have a reason for the deer to travel through it (i.e. bedding, food, water, etc. and perhaps a seasonal change in travel patterns).
Water sources, in the form of small streams, springs, and ponds, may receive increased use during periods of drought or during very warm weather. Areas with muddy approaches or worn paths into and out of water sources can be useful locations to set up. Be aware, however, that if the water source is located near human activity, use by deer during the day may be reduced significantly.
Decision points for deer are important features for a hunter to identify. In ridges, these would be where trails meet, downwind sides of travel corridors, and low points in the terrain where a deer would have to cross versus travel up and over a slope. Decide where on a bench or ridge these points are and how sign will read on the upwind versus downwind sides of these features. Let seasonal transitions change your interpretation
That a Property does not have a fixed Movement Pattern during the Seasons of the Year. While a certain Trail may have been very productive early in the Season for example when Food was abundant on Mast-producing Trees, later in the Season when the Hardwoods come into Food the same Trail may be of little value.
New signs of activity are far more valuable to us during these times of change than old notes and photos from previous years. Rubs, fresh tracks, newly used travel corridors, and recently browsed plants and trees of various heights all serve as indicators of recent activity and can point us in the right direction as to where the deer have moved during these times of change.
A lot of hunters get confused between increased sign in a particular area and increased opportunity for hunting that area. Just because deer are using a particular area does not necessarily mean that they will be there during the time that you are able to hunt them. It is also possible that your presence while scouting could cause them to avoid the area entirely. Plan access around wind, safety, and restraint
When choosing a location for hunting, consider the approach to the site. Traveling through bedding areas, or through areas where deer may be feeding, and approaching up wind of where you will be hunting are all reasons to choose an alternative location. Furthermore, consider how you will leave the area after your hunt, to not disturb any additional cover.
Wind is much more than just looking at a forecast for the day of your hunt. Shifting in the wind as you walk through the woods or traveling in to your stand can give you an idea of what the conditions will be like at stand time. If you find that the wind keeps letting you down at a particular location, don't hunt it anymore.
Safety and ethics, in the form of property boundaries, backstops, other hunters, roads, homes and trails, must also be respected. Ensure you are properly equipped with all required safety equipment to engage in this activity and that you use your firearm or archery equipment within lawful controlled circumstances only.
For the most current information on Pennsylvania hunting regulations, including seasons, licenses, methods of take, reporting, and property-specific issues, refer to the current year's official hunting regulations and check with local authorities as needed. Wait, go somewhere else, or head home if conditions are poor, if you are unable to identify the animal, if visibility is inadequate, or if you are unable to make an accurate shot.
