About the Deer-Forest Study
Pennsylvania forests face many challenges - invasive plants, insect outbreaks, soil acidity, tree diseases, and even deer. This study is being conducted to better understand the role of deer in the context of all these challenges and to help Pennsylvania’s forest and wildlife managers better manage deer and the forest.
May 1, 2023
It’s a trap!
Homo sapiens – we are a complex species. And that’s putting it mildly. Modern humans burst on to the scene […]
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April 24, 2023
The Human Shield
It’s been a minute since we’ve visited one of our deer. And with the fawning season approaching, we decided to […]
November 18, 2022
Shift or Shrink?
There have been a number of blogs on how deer respond to the rifle season. There is my favorite, Hillside […]
July 12, 2022
Travels of an Average Joe
Most people are average. It’s the very essence of the word. A value that represents many; common. That’s not to […]
January 6, 2022
Yes!
It was 11 °F when I got up this morning – not much motivation to go for a run even […]
December 17, 2021
Are there any deer in Pennsylvania during the gun season?
I’ve been hunting deer a lot longer than I have been doing research on them. And I ask the same […]
October 29, 2021
Unpredictable Prey
You are a predator. Deer aren’t going to just stand there and wait to be eaten. Humans often forget that […]
August 23, 2021
The Line in the Sand…or Forest
Recently a reader shared with us a video of one of our radio-collared bucks that is at least 6.5 years […]
June 23, 2021
Caution!
We talk about deer movements a lot on this blog. Movements before the rut, during the rut, after the rut, […]
March 31, 2021
An Old Friend
Recaptures are a part of deer trapping. You read this in some of the crew diaries. Recaptures increase the longer […]
March 2, 2021
The Real Does of the Deer Forest Study: Holiday Drama and Life Lessons
If you know anything about deer, you know that fall is a very important season in their life. I know […]
February 22, 2021
The Real Does of the Deer Forest Study: Love and Loss
When last we left Doe 12866, she had fawned in the little State College woodlot 6+ miles from her established […]
November 25, 2025
Rut Tracker is Updated
We have posted deer movements collected through 24 November. This has been a below-normal year for males and females – […]
November 15, 2025
The rut is half over
If you wanted to wager when 50% of females are bred, I’d recommend picking November 13th. Every year. The PGC […]
2025 Rut Tracker
Last updated through November 24, 2025 (As data are uploaded, the most recent estimates may not include data from all […]
September 6, 2024
Pennsylvania’s Wild Kingdom
When I was a kid, I was a voracious consumer of facts. We had the Encyclopedia Americana and all the […]
February 7, 2024
Deer Crew Diaries – Entry 24-4
[Comments in brackets are by Jeannine and Duane] ———————————————————————————- From the Northern Crew: Greetings from the North. Last week we […]
August 16, 2023
Better than the Lottery
There is an ongoing debate in my house. Well, there are a lot of ongoing debates in my house, and […]
May 18, 2023
Pieces of the Puzzle
Springtime has always been a favorite for me. Even though we didn’t have much of a winter, I can’t wait […]
February 7, 2023
Deer Crew Diaries – Entry 23-1
It’s that time of year again! After a bit of a rough start filling positions, the trapping crews have started […]
November 2, 2022
Playing the Lottery – Part 2
I was sitting in my daughter’s tree stand this week (it’s really my tree stand that is named for her, […]
October 26, 2022
Playing the Lottery – Part 1
What’s the chances a buck lives 3 years? When you radiocollar a deer to monitor movements and survival you need […]
November 24, 2021
I’m Outta Here!
Don’t panic, neither Jeannine or I quit (although some days…). But we do have a buck who said “See ya […]
November 22, 2021
Thinking About Rifle Season
It has been a busy fall. In fact, so busy that Jeannine and I have had little time for writing […]
