Photo by Jeri Bleech

By Mike Bleech

How appropriate it is that the Pennsylvania flintlock deer season is scheduled for the midst of winter - the most hearty of hunters wandering the woods in the most challenging of weather conditions.

Snow and cold fingers make this difficult game even more challenging, but that does not seem to bother this rugged bunch. There is a certain satisfaction that comes with carrying a truly primitive arm into the forest, and while flintlock hunters have the choice of buck or doe, antler restrictions have led to many more bucks being available after the modern firearms season.

Having to pause to count points is not so much of a chore for flintlock hunters, who never have been concerned with making quick shots.

This special season deserves special hunts, special places. Here are some places that will remind you why you have taken up the challenge of winter deer hunting with a flintlock rifle:

The forest includes some oak, maple and a lot of beech, with hemlock along the creeks. Key to locating deer will be scouting for the remaining mast crop.

"Beechnuts in most areas seem to be better than average," said Tim Conway, the Pennsylvania Game Commission's Northeast Region information and education supervisor, noting that beechnut crops are inconsistent. "When they do produce, it's usually great hunting.

"White seem to be of more interest to deer than red oaks," Conway added. "There are some areas with scrub oak and the deer always seem to do real well in those areas."

If there is snow on the ground, look for beechnuts on top of the snow. You should be able to see where deer have been digging in the snow for acorns. Of course, you will save a lot of hunting time if you can locate the most productive mast trees before the flintlock season.

The deer population appears healthy in the region, too.

"Local experts are saying that the population is bouncing back. There is a good doe crop, and they're seeing some pretty good bucks there as well," Conway said.

Another factor limiting deer movement during the flintlock season is the weather. There is a lot of thermal cover on SGL No. 57 in the form of thick hemlock stands along the creeks. During stormy weather and in severe cold, try still-hunting these areas.

"Walking in the big timber at 20 degrees is not going to be very productive," Conway said.

For information about accommodations and other services in the area, contact the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau Inc., 1004 Main Street, Stroudsburg, PA 18360; or call (800) 762-6667.

Schake mentioned specifically SGL 232, which has increased in size considerably during the past few years. Starting close to the West Virginia border in Washington County and extending eastward along Buffalo Creek, it covers 5,266 acres.

"There was a land exchange down there and we ended up with some of the nicest game lands around," Schake said. "There's a nice mix of habitat."

About a third of this rolling terrain is sharecropped, about a third is mature forest and the remainder is a mix of reverting farmland and wetlands. The forest is composed of cherry, sugar maple, red oak, white oak, shingle oak and hickory. But because of the agricultural activity, deer do not have to depend on mast crops.

For information about local services, contact the Washington County Tourism Promotion Agency, 273 South Main Street, Washington, PA 15301; or call (800) 531-4114.

This is rugged, mountainous terrain. Habitat types range from strip-mined hilltops to hardwood forest and deep hemlock bottoms where deer get thermal cover during nasty winter weather. One key to finding deer during the flintlock season is the autumn olive that has been planted at reclaimed strip mines.

For information about local services, contact the Indiana County Tourist Bureau, 2334 Oakland Avenue, Suite 7, Indiana, PA 15701; or call (877) 746-3426.