The post Christmas deer hunting season gets underway Dec. 26 in Pa.

If you struck out during the recent archery and firearms deer hunting season, and have unfilled tags for either or both, you get another opportunity when the season reopens the day after Christmas. 

For antlerless deer the extended regular firearms season in WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D runs Dec. 26-Jan. 25 and in WMU 4A, 4D and 5A Jan. 2 – Jan. 20, 2025. 

If hunting with a flintlock, you may take an antlered or antlerless deer in WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D from Dec. 26-Jan. 20, 2025. In WMUs 1A, 1B, 2A, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E, 5A and 5B from Dec. 26-Jan. 20, 2025. 

You may hunt antlered and antlerless deer with a bow or crossbow in 2B, 5C and 5D from Dec. 26-Jan. 25, 2025. Statewide, the season runs Dec. 26-Jan. 20, 2025. 

Of course, you’re only allowed an antlerless deer with a required antlerless license. 

Deer hunting in this late season is tough. For starters, deer have been spooked, chased, shot at and harvested, leaving the crop somewhat thin, especially for bucks. This also goes for deer’s food sources as cornfields and soybean fields have been harvested leaving only spilled pieces of corn, beans and waste grain for deer to scratch up. 

During this late season and since these once abundant food sources are gone, the National Deer Association (NDA) suggests looking for red oak acorns as deer’s favorite white oak acorns are gone. NDA says that unlike white oak acorns, red oak acorns don’t germinate until the following spring, and  their higher tannin levels keep them from rotting as quickly as white oak acorns. 

The other food source is winter wheat or rye that many farmers have planted that also attract snow geese that can wipe out a small field when they arrive from the north country. 

NDA adds that if you examine a harvested late season deer’s stomach, you’ll likely find that their ingested browse will contain woody vegetation and buds at this time of year. 

Added to this, and with shorter days, deer will remain bedded until dusk or night, and always after legal hunting hours. Then they’ll venture out to a food source and feed there for 12 hours then walk back to bed down. 

NDA says that there’s also the late rut at the tail end of December when a doe comes into heat and a time when some fawns are bred. But don’t count on this as the action will never be like it was during the early, primary rut. 

One point about the late flintlock season, it’s been thought that greater range inline muzzleloaders have should be allowed as it’s tough getting close to a deer at this time of year which is the typical range of a flintlock. Good point for the PGC to consider during their upcoming board meeting. 
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