To: STATE EDITORS

Contact: Jerry Feaser of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, +1-717-705-6541, PGCNews@state.pa.us

HARRISBURG, Pa., Oct. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The state's early firearms antlerless deer seasons - early muzzleloader season, Oct. 18-25, and special firearms season for junior, senior, active duty military and certain disabled hunters, Oct. 23-25 - will start up this weekend, along with seasons for squirrels and grouse, so there will be plenty of activity in the state's forested areas for the next week, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

"In addition to small game and firearms deer hunters, bowhunters also will be afield, entering their third week of the six-week fall archery deer season," said Calvin DuBrock, Game Commission Bureau of Wildlife Management director. "Some of our most popular hunting seasons are about to begin and hunters are looking forward to heading afield.

"Of course, the fall firearms deer seasons are relatively new when compared to the decades -- old small game seasons," DuBrock said. "And it wasn't that long ago that Pennsylvania had only a four-week archery season. But these early deer seasons have been warmly received by many deer hunters, because they have extended the window of opportunity for them to take a deer and typically are held when the weather makes it more comfortable to be afield.

"These seasons provide Pennsylvanians more ways to fit deer hunting into their busy schedules, and offer a more relaxing hunt to people who dislike cold weather and woods filled with large numbers of hunters."

But the October firearms seasons are so much more than another time and another way to hunt deer, emphasized DuBrock.

"These October firearms seasons are part of our deer management strategy to stabilize whitetail numbers in most areas of the Commonwealth, and in the process, improve forested wildlife habitat and deer health, and reduce crop damage and other deer-human conflicts," DuBrock emphasized.

"Although the October antlerless seasons increase hunting opportunities, their harvests still are controlled by antlerless deer license allocations, which are set to remove a pre-determined number of antlerless deer from a Wildlife Management Unit (WMU).

"These October seasons contribute to a balance Pennsylvania has long-strived for, but only recently realized through deer program changes. Today, Pennsylvania is better for it. And tomorrow, it will be better yet."

Hunters heading afield for the October firearms seasons should find fair to good numbers of deer in most areas, but others will support substantially less or more, depending upon how close you are to Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, or if you hunt exclusively on crowded State Game Lands or other lands open to public hunting. Agency field officers are offering their observations - even some where-to-go information - in the Game Commission's "Field Officer Game Forecasts," found on the agency's homepage at www.pgc.state.pa.us. Visit this section of the website for a closer-to-home overview of what is going on afield.

Last year, according to the agency's Game-Take Survey, the 75,000 hunters who participated in the early muzzleloader season took 10,000 deer (12,300 in 2006). The 50,000 participants in the special firearms season harvested 6,400 deer (8,500 in 2006). Those figures compare with 12,200 in the 2005 October muzzleloader season and 6,400 in the special firearms season. The combined total of both October firearms seasons comprised less than 10 percent of the 2007 antlerless deer harvest, which was 213,870.

Hunters who wish to participate in the early muzzleloader season must have a general hunting license, muzzleloader stamp and an unused antlerless deer license or Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) antlerless deer permit. Hunters may use in-line, percussion and flintlock muzzleloaders during the early muzzleloader season. They also may use scopes, peep-sights and other lawful sighting devices on muzzleloaders during the October hunt.

Properly licensed hunters may hunt with both a muzzleloader and bow during the October muzzleloader antlerless season. The muzzleloader may be used only for taking antlerless deer, which must be tagged with an antlerless deer license harvest tag. To use both a bow and muzzleloader while afield in the early muzzleloader season, a hunter must possess a general hunting license (with an unused harvest tag if you plan to take a buck), an archery license, muzzleloader license, and an unused antlerless license. In WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D, hunters may hunt with a muzzleloader and either a bow or crossbow; licensing requirements remain the same.

To participate in the special firearms antlerless season, hunters must have a general hunting license and unused antlerless deer license and qualify in one of the following license categories: resident junior and senior license holders; nonresident junior license holder; nonresident adult license holders age 65 and older; persons who hold a disabled person permit to use a vehicle as a blind; residents who are serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces; and those who qualify for license and fee exceptions under section 2706. Sporting arms permitted include: manually-operated center-fire rifles, handguns and shotguns; 44-caliber or larger muzzle-loading long guns; 50-caliber or larger muzzle-loading handguns; long, recurve or compound bows; and crossbows. These two antlerless deer seasons are not open to participants of the Mentored Youth Hunting Program, which was created for those under the age of 12, since mentored youth may not harvest antlerless deer. For more information on the Mentored Youth Hunting Program, please consult page 15 of the 2008-09 Pennsylvania Hunting & Trapping Digest (www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/lib/pgc/digestpdfs/2007/youth_hunting.pdf), which is provided to each license buyer.)

Hunters are advised that they may take only antlerless deer in the early muzzleloader and special firearms seasons and that they may hunt only in the Wildlife Management Units or Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) areas for which they have obtained antlerless deer licenses. An antlerless deer is defined as a deer without antlers, or a deer with antlers, both of which are less than three inches in length.

Muzzleloader and special firearms season hunters are reminded that when multiple harvests of deer per day are permitted, only one deer at a time may be taken. Before attempting to take an additional deer, the first deer must be lawfully tagged. However, in Special Regulations Area counties of Allegheny, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia, hunters may shoot multiple deer before tagging. Deer must be tagged immediately after they are harvested and before the carcass is moved. The tag must be attached to the ear and remain attached until the deer is processed for consumption or prepared for mounting.

Any hunter who by accident or mistake kills an illegal deer is required to deliver the carcass - entrails removed - within 12 hours of the kill to any Game Commission officer in the county where the deer was killed. A written statement also must be provided to the officer explaining when, where and how the accident or mistake occurred. The deer must be tagged with the appropriate deer harvest tag.

Hunters may purchase muzzleloader licenses at any time. The license entitles them to hunt in both the fall antlerless muzzleloader season and the traditional flintlock season (Dec. 26-Jan. 10). Regulations for the after-Christmas muzzleloader season remain unchanged: hunters may use only primitive type muzzleloading long guns .44-caliber or larger with flintlock ignition systems and primitive sighting devices. Fiber-optic inserts are permitted in sighting devices.

Hunters in either October firearms season are required to wear 250 square inches of fluorescent orange clothing on the head, chest and back combined at all times. Bowhunters afield during the overlap of the archery and October antlerless firearms seasons also must wear at least 250 square inches of fluorescent orange while moving and display an orange alert band while on stand.

WARM-WEATHER VENISON CARE

Improperly field-dressing a deer carcass and warm weather can impact the quality of venison quickly warns Dr. Walter Cottrell, Pennsylvania Game Commission wildlife veterinarian.

"After properly tagging their deer, hunters should wear latex gloves to remove the entrails," Dr. Cottrell said. "Great care should be taken to remove entrails without rupturing them, and hunters should drain excess blood remaining in the cavity. Do not wash out the deer in a creek. Wipe down the cavity with a dry cloth."

Once entrails are removed, the deer should be taken from the field and cooled down as soon as possible. In warm weather, the cool-down process begins when you field-dress the deer. To improve the cool-down process, consider skinning the deer and hang the carcass in the shade, refrigerating it or placing a bag of ice in the body cavity. Never place a deer carcass - with or without the hide on it - in direct sunlight.

If a hunter plans to process the deer by his or herself, the first step - after tagging and field-dressing the deer - is to remove the hide, which comes off easier if the front legs are cut off at the wrists, and the rear legs are removed just below the knee joint, with a saw. Use a knife to cut the hide from where each leg was sawed off at the wrist, back to the body trunk. Cutting the rear legs at the joint also makes it easier to hang a carcass on a gambrel or meat hooks. Hang the carcass by the large tendons on the back legs.

Next, the hide is pulled from the carcass, starting at the rear end and working downward toward the head. Peel it from the hind quarters first, then cut the tailbone and pull it down to the shoulders. Work the hide over the shoulders and pull it away from the legs. Finally, pull the hide down the neck as close to the base of the skull as possible and cut the carcass free from the head with a clean saw. Remove the trachea.

The remaining hide-free carcass should be wiped off immediately. If you use water to clean the cavity or carcass, dry the meat immediately. Wet or damp meat spoils more quickly and is more prone to cultivate and nurture bacteria. Rinsing meat with water also can hasten the spread of bacteria. Any blood clotting and hair should be removed. It's also a good idea to remove large fatty deposits to improve the quality of your meat. It helps lessen that "game taste" some people dislike about venison.

Following these steps will prepare your carcass for hanging in a meat processor's refrigerator, or quartering and placing it in your refrigerator. If the air temperature is above 50 degrees, hunters should get their carcass refrigerated as soon as possible.

"Deer harvested in warm weather have a higher bacterial load, so it's important to dress the deer as soon as possible, transport it from the field and remove the hide, and refrigerate the carcass," Dr. Cottrell said. "Cooling the carcass will prevent bacterial growth."

Hunters who are interested in becoming more self-sufficient also can de-bone the carcass. The cuts are relatively simple and can be made while the deer is hanging or from a plastic sheet-covered table. Use a plastic fluorescent light cover for an inexpensive cutting board. They can be purchased at any home supplies store. First, remove the front shoulders with a filleting knife. This can be done without cutting a bone by cutting behind the shoulder-blade. Next, remove the meat from the shoulder with a filleting knife.

Hindquarters can be removed from the carcass next by using a saw. If you plan to have steaks or jerky made from them, don't make any cuts. Leave them intact.

Inside the body cavity, against the backbone, are the tenderloins, considered the best cut of meat on a deer. Use your hand, and a knife when necessary, to pull them free. Outside the cavity, along the backbone, are the loin muscles or back-straps, which also are outstanding cuts. Using a filleting knife, slide the blade along the spine to separate each back-strap and then finish each piece by cutting in along the top of the ribs and under the muscle to the first cut you've made.

The remainder of the carcass can be de-boned with a filleting knife. Try to trim fat from meat where you can and wipe off blood whenever it is encountered. De-boning can be done relatively quickly, but remember, every ounce of meat you remove increases your trimmings for sausage, bologna, meat sticks or other products. De-boned meat can be taken to a meat processor immediately, or frozen and taken later. Hindquarters may be frozen for processing later as jerky or dried venison. Steaks should be cut fresh.

"It's always a good idea to become self-sufficient as a hunter, because of the satisfaction you'll derive from processing a deer all by yourself and the extra care and quality control you'll provide," noted Cal DuBrock, Pennsylvania Game Commission Bureau of Wildlife Management director. "It also broadens your hunting experience and makes you more conscious of where you need to place the crosshairs when you shoot."

The Game Commission offers two free brochures on venison care and field-dressing deer. The first, "To Field Dress a Deer," offers step-by-step instructions - with illustrations - on how to field-dress a deer. The second, "Venison Needn't Be Pot Luck," offers field-dressing instructions and cooking tips.

To assist hunters in getting the most of their wild game harvests, the Game Commission is offering a six-tape "Wild Harvest Videos," (www.theoutdoorshop.state.pa.us/FBG/game/GameProductSelect.asp?catid=VID) produced by Jerry Chiappetta and featuring Certified Master Chef Milos Cihelka. These videos show step-by-step the best care for game animals from the field to the table. The videos are available from The Outdoor Shop (www.theoutdoorshop.state.pa.us/FBG/game/GameProductSelect.asp?catid=VID ) on the Game Commission's website (www.pgc.state.pa.us). Go to The Outdoor Shop (www.theoutdoorshop.state.pa.us/FBG/game/GameProductSelect.asp) choose "Videos," (www.theoutdoorshop.state.pa.us/FBG/game/GameProductSelect.asp?catid=VID)

and then scroll down to the video you are interested in and complete the order form. Each video costs $9.95 ($13.50 including tax and shipping/handling).

The Game Commission also offers a "Wild Game Field Care and Cooking" DVD, which is a compilation of three Wild Harvest Videos: Big Game Butchering: Field to Table; Venison Cooking Healthy & Tasty; and Venison Aging, Smoking & Sausage Making. There also is an "Upland Game Bird, Small Game & Waterfowl" DVD. Both DVDs sells for $18.87 (plus tax and shipping and handling).

Finally, for recipes that will make venison tastier, consider buying the Game Commission's "Pennsylvania Game Cookbook" for $4.71 plus tax and a $1.25 for shipping and handling. The book and aforementioned free brochures are available by writing: Pennsylvania Game Commission, Dept. MS, 2001 Elmerton Ave., Harrisburg, PA 17110-9797.

Note to Editors: If you would like to receive Game Commission news releases via e-mail, please send a note with your name, address, telephone number and the name of the organization you represent to: PGCNews@state.pa.us

For Information Contact:

Jerry Feaser

717-705-6541

PGCNews@state.pa.us

SOURCE Pennsylvania Game Commission

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