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Mostly — bowhunting season

A large maple up the street from my home is a large maple that has the most beautiful fall colors in the neighborhood. Every day the increase in red is evident. American goldfinch have lost their bright yellow. Most of the guys I know are wearing camouflage clothing. Some even stop at a store on the way home without removing their camouflage face paint.

Of course. We are into bowhunting season. For some bowhunters it is an annual spiritual

awakening. It is a big deal to the rest. But unlike all of the past several archery seasons, I have yet to capture the image of a real trophy buck on any of the nine trail cams I have been using. All of these set-up locations have shown trophy bucks in the past, leaving me wondering where the bucks are.

Does and fawns, yes. Coyotes, yes. Bears, yes. A bobcat, yes. But no trophy bucks.

Usually in early October there is a distinct increase in buck activity. Nothing like the increase again in the third week of October, though, then a still bigger increase starting about November 10 when the actual breeding accelerates.

But usually by now some big bucks have been caught by my trail cam’s. Not much can be gathered by this, since I am running only nine trail cam’s, a few less than usual. All that can be surmised by the observations of one person and his, or her, trail cameras is relative (to previous years of scouting in the exact same places) deer density in specific small areas.

Even then, deer sometimes change or alter the trails they use at any particular time. Probably this is most often due to changes in food availability, and sometimes due to human activities.

You should have been noting deer trails and movement areas wherever and whenever you hunted for anything, or while just walking in the woods or scouting specifically for deer. Probably you do. Trails that you see outside of bowhunting season may not be the same trails used at a different time of the year. But at least when deer are in that general area for whatever reason, you will know the trails they most likely will use.

And you should know enough from scouting to be quite sure which area deer are using. But of course those patterns will change when the rut gets serious.

When does are ready to breed they tend to stay in small areas, probably not moving more than 100 yards from a central point. In a very short time bucks will be nearby, since a buck can smell a doe in heat for a fairly long distance, depending on wind currents.

This year, as has become my habit, when it comes to placing tree stands I concentrate on funnels rather than on specific trails or on available deer foods. A hunter should see deer, bears also, in funnels for the reason of definition, a funnel constricts deer movements into a relatively narrow area.

Of course for most bowhunters, it would be almost disrespectful to go hunting without some of the newest hunting gadgets on the market. For me, this all too often goes in the way of grunt calls. I have more faith in grunt tubes than in any other sound-related deer attractant. I have actually gone bowhunting with so many grunt tubes that clicking and clanking them together was impossible to avoid with any small amount of movement, including while the grunt tubes were hanging in a pouch near my tree stand and a gust of wind came by. Get more information at their web site, www.bloodsportarchery.com.

The very sleek looking and modestly priced Instigator Deer Call, from Hunters Specialities, is easy to use with a two position adjustment allowing quick switches from young buck to mature buck authentic sounds. Check their web site at www.hunterspec.com.

Evidence and Onyx micro-diameter arrows, from Bloodsport Archery, employ technology that results in small diameter shafts, R.O.C Insert System, Rugged Wrap construction, 100 percent thick wall carbon, and Blood Ring Technology. With the Evidence line they add .001 straightness tolerance. These arrows are designed for excellent penetration and toughness.

Be sure to go to the Pennsylvania Game Commission web site, www.pgc.pa.gov, first to read the section about tree stand safety, then to check the State Game Lands Maps section. These are excellent maps which can be a very big help for anyone who hunts on state game lands.

Any small scale topographic may can be very useful for bowhunters. One good use is plotting buck sightings. This can reveal buck travel corridors, bedding areas or other places where bucks are often seen.

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