It’s really hard to find time to hunt deer when your job revolves around giving other people opportunities to hunt deer. As NDA’s Director of Hunter Recruitment, I make plans to get out there for myself, but those plans mostly fall through. So, I got smart and looked into Pennsylvania’s agricultural tags, or “Ag tags,” which allow farmers to enlist the aid of hunters. Ag tags help farmers mitigate crop damage and can be used prior to and after the regular and extended deer seasons.
But getting Ag tags was not that easy. A lot of farmers don’t want strangers on their land, or there is a waiting list to get access on local properties. There are some programs in the works that will probably make this easier, but it took some time to find a farm that would grant me permission. Shortly after, a second offer came.
After getting a tour of the second farm, I hopped on an ATV, tossed some milkweed fluff into the air, and confirmed the wind was coming from the east-southeast. I had a choice to make. I could sit on the northwestern edge of a cut cornfield so that my scent would be carried into the river or sit on the northern edge where some of my scent would likely drift into the timber, but I would have shot opportunities in two directions. I chose the latter and headed for a wooden box blind overlooking the western half of the field.
A bulldozer was at work preparing areas on the south side of the field for planting. I assumed deer were bedded in the timber to the north and would likely come out to check on the disturbance, passing by my blind and probably to my right. But I didn’t factor that into my approach as much as I should have.
I left the ATV halfway across the field and traveled the rest by foot. When I was almost to the blind, I spooked a group of deer that were hanging out in the timber only 30 yards behind my destination. White tails flagged and bounced away into the distance. I was disappointed in myself that I had ignored my instincts as to where the deer would be and realized I should have swung wide and used the blind itself as a barrier to conceal my approach. But I was also feeling lucky and decided to sit there anyway. Maybe they would come out again.
“I’m always a little disappointed when I only see bucks on my game cameras. Population management starts with does.”
Flocks of geese were migrating north to return to their spring breeding grounds. Squirrels gave me heart attacks by jumping onto the tin roof of the blind seemingly out of nowhere. This particular blind was nicknamed the Taj Mahal. It featured a short ladder that led to a trap door that you could close under your feet after entering. There were a couple of 5-gallon buckets hanging on the walls overhead. I was pretty sure I knew what those were for but decided not to check.
As the light began to fade, I heard heavy footsteps to my right, snapping twigs as they went. The deer were aiming to come out in an unusual spot, not a well-worn trail, hence all the noise. My heart started beating quickly. Would they wind me? I let another piece of milkweed fly. The air was cold and still, and the milkweed sank straight to the ground.
A few feet away, between me and the sounds, was a shallow ditch partially filled with water. If the wind picked up, I hoped the ditch was enough to keep my scent from reaching the deer. I leaned forward and placed my cheek on the rifle stock. Heart pounding. Waiting. Waiting. Were they ever going to come out? The lights on the bulldozer hundreds of yards away grew brighter. Shadows began to look like deer, and I had to double-check in my binoculars. More waiting.
As shooting light was about to end, a figure stepped out into the open. I almost couldn’t believe it. I was going to get a deer. After months of watching all my friends and coworkers post picture after picture of deer, I was about to get one of my own.
NDA’s shot-placement video played in my head. Straight up the front leg, halfway up the body for a rifle. Some other deer were coming up from behind but there was no time to consider them. I stayed on the doe, and as soon as she stopped walking, I pulled the trigger. She did a quick U-turn and dropped. Perfect shot placement.
I was telling a friend recently that I think I finally realized the main reason I like to hunt, at least as far as a typical hunt for me is concerned. If friends are involved, the camaraderie is hard to beat. But more often than not, I’m hunting alone, and I’m hunting as a service to a landowner. In these times, I truly enjoy the service aspect of it. I enjoy the time outdoors and the meat of course, but even more than that, I enjoy providing meat, helping farmers protect their crops, and helping landowners with their habitat management goals through antlerless harvest. I know this to be true because I’m always a little disappointed when I only see bucks on my game cameras. Population management starts with does.
This doe went in my freezer. The second one helped feed the hungry. I used NDA’s Venison Processor Map to find a place that takes donated deer right down the road from the farm. Maybe because of my harvest, someone will get their first protein of the week. Maybe someone else will get to keep their farm in the family for another year.
Then there’s another part of me that yearns for a wilder connection to nature, spending time in a place that feels vast, endless, and free. To know that I can wander for days on end and still have many miles left to explore. I’ve been thinking about hunting Allegheny National Forest in my home state of Pennsylvania for this exact reason. Half a million acres of public land in an area known as the Pennsylvania Wilds. Home to deer, elk, bear, turkeys, bobcats, rattlesnakes, and porcupines. That sounds like good medicine. And whether I come home with a big buck, a doe, or nothing at all, it will be time well spent.
Editor’s Note: With deer populations growing in many areas, doe harvest is a key that can open access to private lands where deer damage is a problem. Farmers, suburban homeowners, and other landowners may need assistance managing deer density. Your offer to hunt does only, or does first, can help you stand out from other permission-seekers. Many states like Pennsylvania also offer programs, such as “Ag tags,” that connect hunters and landowners for deer damage control. NDA encourages deer hunters to serve landowners needing doe harvest, and we urge state wildlife agencies to assist with programs that help connect both groups.