Archery deer season is here. Those of us who have an addiction to deer hunting are feeling the excitement of fall’s arrival. As of October 3, the archery whitetail hunting seasons will be open on both sides of our river valley. With lots of apples this year, a decent acorn mast, and all of the plants surrounding our homes, the deer have plenty of food. They oughta be extra tasty once their backstraps and inner loins hit the grill. 

Archery hunting is something that takes strong mental fortitude, persistence and practice. It requires one to be in touch with nature and its surroundings to enhance the opportunity of getting a shot within a reasonable range. Most compound bow hunters want a shot within 30 yards to ensure an ethical kill to a deer’s vitals. Crossbows have much more power and are more efficient at longer ranges, but still, the closer the deer, the better the shot. 

There are some hunters who choose to use the traditional longbows or recurve bows, which take even more practice and are best at shorter distances. 

Being a part of nature’s process during the frosty mornings and long shadows of fall afternoons is intrinsic to hunters. It makes us feel at home in a treestand, hunting blind, or in any location of a hunt. 

Whatever the target species is, the unique observations hunters have while sitting silent and still in the forest cannot be replicated. I’ve had a screech owl land within 10 feet of me at sunset; I’ve had a timber rattlesnake slither past me, seemingly not knowing I was there. And I’ve watched a battle royale between a red and a gray squirrel end with the red pushing the gray out of a treetop and free-falling 50 feet to the ground. The gray squirrel licked himself off for a moment and continued on with his day, dazed and defeated. 

As an archery hunter, we must be sure to practice our shot process repeatedly, so when adrenaline spikes at the moment of the shot, we can trust ourselves to follow through. This is a true test of performance under pressure. I’d imagine that Jalen Brunson of the 2026 championship Knicks team has the mental fortitude to excel at archery hunting. But still, he would need practice shooting a bow before he had the skill to be successful. 

So with the arrival of the whitetail hunting season, seeing pickup trucks along roadsides in seemingly random places will be more frequent for the next few months. Both New York and Pennsylvania have great public land hunting opportunities nearby. The availability of public land is a privilege that many hunters and recreationists might take for granted. But unfortunately in our current political climate, public land sell-offs have been a hot topic. Please take action to keep public land in public hands by writing to your respective congressmen and -women in regard to keeping public lands public. 

Many hunters in our area own tracts of land very conducive to great hunting. These agricultural-style farms and wooded lots can provide folks the opportunity to create more deer habitat if they so desire, or at least hunt the deer that are already on their land. 

We all know there is no shortage of deer around our region. State agencies allot a certain number of deer tags to help control deer populations through hunters. But it is imperative that hunters do their part too. It is time to place yourself between a deer-bedding area and a known deer food source. This is a simple way to choose a good hunting spot before the breeding season known as the “rut” starts toward the end of October. 

Once the rut begins, just spending time in the woods will yield some great cinema of whitetail deer, and hopefully end with a freezer full of deer meat before winter. Best of luck for a safe and successful hunting season to all of the hunters in our area. Aim true and trust yourself.