Today is the opening day of the Pennsylvania archery season. This is a day thousands of hunters anxiously wait for every year. Nonetheless, the early part of archery season can be some of the toughest deer hunting there is. Minimal deer movement. Swarms of gnats flying around you the entire time. Not to mention the endless to-do list that must get completed before winter arrives. One thing’s for sure, the best days of bowhunting are yet to come. You don’t have to swing for the fence just yet.
Most often, the early archery season is accompanied by warm weather. Deer move best in cooler temperatures, preferably in mornings no warmer than 50 degrees, with the best movement being in the 30s and 20s. The first cold front of October can be a phenomenal day in the deer woods. When the high temperatures are in the 60s and 70s then suddenly drop 10 to 20 degrees in a 24-hour period, you’ll see a great spike in deer movement. My favorite cold front to hunt is the first cold snap after Oct. 15. This is a time that is very close to the whitetail rut and often a cold blast of air will finally get mature bucks on their feet roaming during daylight hours.
The first frost every year is also a time when deer movement intensifies, especially during the morning hours. The biggest buck I ever shot was during a 20-degree morning. I could see frost on the buck’s back as he was coming toward me. That cold, frosty morning is one I’ll never forget.
An October or early November snowstorm is also a key day for bow hunters to take advantage of. There is something about a fall snowstorm that will trigger deer movement. Research has shown that snow can absorb scent molecules and enhance smell, which I believe gets bucks to cover more ground in search for estrous does. I’ve always noticed bucks to cruise more in the rut when there’s snow on the ground.
Every Halloween, my social media is blown up with pictures of hunters killing bucks that day. In my opinion, it’s the best day of the year to bow hunt whitetails. Back in 2016, I harvested a massive 8-pointer on Halloween that tipped the scales at 215-pounds, dressed weight. I shot that buck in the morning hours and was still able to go trick or treating with my son that evening. The end of October is most often the seeking phase of the rut. This is the period when bucks cover endless miles searching for hot does that are few and far between. For archers that love to sit on stand in hopes of taking advantage of cruising bucks, Halloween is the day you want to do it.
I’m also a big fan of mid-week hunting. If possible, do the majority of your hunting during the middle of the week, unlike most hunters who just hunt the weekends. You’ll find deer to be more patternable and less spooky during the middle of the week when there’s less hunting pressure. I love a Tuesday through Thursday hunt. Those mid-week days can often mean you have the woods all to yourself. Deer also can sense an increase of human activity by noticing an increase of traffic and gun noise from small game hunters. When deer sense human pressure, they lay down and do most of their moving at nighttime. This scenario makes it almost impossible for archery hunters to have success.
Lastly, I might have mentioned a lot of key times and situations that bowhunters should be taking advantage of this fall. However, most hunters are not always able to pick and choose when they want to go hunting. The average, working hunter usually just hunts Saturdays. If you find yourself with limited flexibility when it comes to hunting, don’t be discouraged. Some of my best days in the woods were when I least expected much for action. Even when conditions aren’t so ideal and the deer aren’t moving, there’s no place I’d rather be during the fall months than in the Pennsylvania wilds.
