Whitetail Archery Hunting Tips in Pennsylvania

Bow hunting is a great way to even the playing field between you and nature. It is slightly more difficult than hunting with a gun, and for that reason it requires a little more practice and expertise. Pennsylvania, particularly the western region of the state, is an excellent place to bow hunt for whitetail deer, and with a little practice you could be eating venison for weeks and months to come.

  1. Practice

    • Plenty of practice is always a good way to improve your bow hunting skills, but some kinds of practice are better than others. To get the most out of your target practice, make sure you are using the same kinds of points you will be using in the hunt. Many people use field points for target practice, but these will fly a little differently than broadheads. Some manufacturers make practice points that fly like the actual hunting point, so you can make sure your target practice will serve you well on the hunt.

    Check your Scent

    • No matter how good a shot you are, you won't be able to hit a deer that ran away from you before you even saw it. Unlike us, deer have a highly evolved olfactory sense, which means they can smell you just as easily as they can see you. That means your top-of-the-line camouflage is no use if it smells like laundry detergent. There are a number of steps you can take to keep your smell neutral. The first is to wash with un-scented soap and shampoo. This will emanate the kinds of odors we recognize, but it's still not enough to fool a whitetail deer. To really throw them off the scent, try using a scent eliminator. Scent eliminators slow the growth of bacteria on your body and keep aromas to a minimum. Don’t bother with human cleansing products like deodorant and toothpaste, since they’ll only stink you up again by deer standards.

    Choose the Right Stand

    • Bow hunting in Pennsylvania is all about choosing the right stand. The first requirement of a good tree to place a stand in is that it should have easy and silent access. If you can’t get to it without making a racket, it’s not a good stand. The location of your stand is also important. It should be close to a major deer run, and ideally downwind from the run so the deer won’t smell you and run away. If you plan on coming back to this spot the next day, make sure you can get back to your truck without too much noise and effort. This could cause a buck to change its course, which will lower your chances of a kill the following day. The best way to get to your stand without leaving a scent is to walk down a stream or river. This will leave no trace whatsoever, and the water will help wash the scent out of your boots. If you choose a stand near a food source such as an alfalfa field or clover plot, you’re setting yourself up for a great day of hunting.