Five weeks have passed since the opening of Pennsylvania’s statewide archery deer season.
The countdown begins Monday for the final six days of the season, and bowhunters who have yet to fill a tag are faced with two choices: stay the course or switch tactics. No matter which choice is made, however, the most important key to success is spending as much time afield as possible.
Bowhunters have a unique opportunity the final two weeks of the deer season that ends Saturday, Nov. 15, and the five-day statewide archery bear season, Monday-Friday, Nov. 17-21, as wild turkey hunting is also open in Wildlife Management Units 2C, 2E, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D and 4E. Those taking a turkey from a passing bird or flock usually do so while spending time on a stand waiting for a deer or bear to come into bow range.
Then, there is the case of Pete Russo of Pottsville, who ignored less-than-ideal weather conditions last year on the final Tuesday of archery deer season to pursue a buck that had been seen in southern Schuylkill County by several hunters. Russo’s persistence was rewarded when the buck came into bow range, and he made good on his opportunity.
Sharing the news of his success by making some calls on his cell phone, Russo’s excitement was understandable. Fortunately for him he regained his composure when yet another opportunity presented itself while still in his treestand before tracking the buck.
“I knew there were turkeys in the area because the week before I was watching a 6-pointer when a flock of turkeys showed up,” Russo said. “This buck came out just after it got light, and it was after that happened that I could hear the turkeys flying down.
“When I saw them the week before, I didn’t have a turkey call with me. Fortunately, I took the advice of my son and had one with me this time.”
While being at the right place at the right time was the overriding factor in this case of “hunter’s luck,” what some choose to overlook is that those who put in their time seem to have the most luck. That can also be said of those who are willing to switch tactics and hunt aggressively the final week of bow season.
For many that means using one of the most debated, yet, when used correctly, successful tactics in bowhunting. That tactic involves taking advantage of rutting bucks by creating a mock scrape.
There are probably as many opponents as proponents in the archery industry — from television personalities to professional guides — who have strong arguments on both sides of the issue.
The primary reason hunters usually choose not to make mock scrapes is because it seems most who promote their use are those on the pro staffs of companies that manufacture the lures needed to make a mock scrape.
In a perfect world, a bowhunter will find an active scrape, which is nothing more than the name suggests, to hunt over this final week of the season. Finding these open patches of dirt where bucks urinate to attract doe that are ready to breed — and also mark their territory to discourage subordinate bucks in the area — is relatively simple as they stand out on ground covered with fallen leaves.
There is no shortage of theories about why scrapes work even among the strongest supporters of using them as a hunting aid. On the other hand, even the detractors of creating mock scrapes must admit there are times when they produce the desired result of bringing a buck into bow range.
Unless a hunter has captured photographs on a trail camera of the buck suspected of making a particular scrape, it could be wishful thinking to believe that a dominant buck has created the scrape. If there is not a dominant buck in the area, it is not uncommon for lesser bucks — even those that fail to meet the legal 3-points-on-a-side requirements — to imitate their more mature big brothers.
In some ways this is much like the conditions encountered during spring gobbler season when even mature satellite gobblers and jakes will remain quiet and allow the dominant bird in the area to do the gobbling. That is why even mature gobblers will come in silent to a hunter’s call in order to avoid a sparring session with the dominant bird.
While the only sure thing is that there are no sure things, one thing that indicates a buck is working a scrape is the presence of a “licking” branch above the scrape. This indicates the scrape is active and is probably being used by a mature buck
Then, too, there is always the option of finding an area being worked by a flock of wild turkeys and fill a tag before Thanksgiving Day.