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Hunters successful north of U.S. Route 6
By JOE VINELLI
Era Sports Editor
Hunters had success north of U.S. Route 6 on the opening day of deer season Monday.
That’s the word from John Dzemyan, conservation officer and land manager for McKean and Elk counties.
“Most of the nice buck were taken in Unit 3A (north of Route 6),” Dzemyan said. “That’s where there is better habitat.
“In Unit 2G (south of Route 6), I want to remind people they cannot harvest antlerless deer until Saturday. The hunting pressure there was lighter, and the success rate was little lower. That reflects heavily on the habitat.
“The habitat in 2G is not as good as it is in 3A. Without good habitat, you won’t have as nice a deer, and you won’t have as many deer.
“If hunters can locate spots with black cherries, beechnuts or apples, then they should be able to find a good amount of deer sign.
“The biggest thing that would improve the hunters’ success rate is to have more hunters moving around in the woods.”
Dzemyan said there were some “beautiful buck” harvested.
“It snowed an inch or two Monday night,” Dzemyan added. “With this fresh snow on the ground, it ought to make for a good day Tuesday. The outlook is good. There are enough deer left to make for good hunting the rest of the season. The main thing is getting enough people in the woods to get the deer moving around and get a little action stirred up.”
Dzemyan said he spent a good portion of Monday in Potter County helping with mistake kills.
“In McKean County, there were very few mistake kills,” he declared. “In Potter County we had more, but they always have more in Potter County for some reason.”
Dzemyan said he received a lot of positive feedback from hunters.
“It seemed like the hunters were happy with the size of the racks they were seeing,” he commented. “They reported seeing a few more deer than they had the last couple of years. Overall, they seemed to understand the forest ecosystem better.”
Wildlife Conservation Officer Tom Sabolcik said hunting pressure was light, but he did see some nice buck harvested. Sabolcik covers the Port Allegany, Eldred and Duke Center areas.
“There were not that many hunters, so the deer weren’t moving around,” Sabolcik said.
Sabolcik said a butcher shop in Indian Creek had “five really impressive buck among the 30 that were there.
“During the course of the day, the buck that I did see were 11-, 9- and 8-pointers. One had a 21-inch spread. It was a beautiful deer.
“The conditions were perfect for hunting. It’s the first good snow we have had for deer season in six or seven years. There is still a tremendous cherry crop that deer are feeding on.”
About 900,000 hunters took to the woods on opening day. The season runs through Dec. 13 in most areas of the state. The game commission says deer license sales are up this year.
About 323,000 deer were harvested by licensed hunters last year, down from nearly 362,000 in 2006.
Across the state, a shotgun slug was fired through a home window, and two hunters were taken to hospitals after falling.
Pennsylvania Game Commission officers are investigating who fired a slug that broke a bedroom window in West Cocalico Township in Lancaster County at about 7:30 a.m. Nobody was hurt.
In Berks County, a hunter had to be rescued in a remote wooded area in Spring Township, near the Lancaster County line, after falling 30 feet off a tree stand before dawn.
Scott E. Schweitzer, 56, of Adamstown called family members on his cell phone shortly before 6 a.m. and said he had fallen and hurt his back, police and fire officials told The Reading Eagle. Family members called 911, and emergency crews found Schweitzer about an hour later.
There was no immediate word on the extent of Schweitzer’s injuries.
In York Township, an 85-year-old man was taken to York Hospital after falling while hunting.
The man was found by his daughter after failing to arrive home for lunch as planned, York Area Regional Police Sgt. Rod Varner told the York Daily Record.
The unidentified man was found just after noon on a wooded section of his farm in York Township, police said. Officials said it wasn’t clear if he fell from a tree stand or tripped. His loaded shotgun was found in the tree stand.
Police said the man was being treated for an injury to his head. His condition was not immediately known, police told the newspaper.
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