Once a year, for four weekends, novice and experienced archers gather in the early morning hours to participate in a Mentored Deer Archery Hunt run by the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge in Tinicum, the Pennsylvania Game Commission, and the National Deer Association.
The purpose of the controlled hunts are to regulate the deer population at the refuge, writes Ryan Mercado for WHYY.
“We clearly have a habitat and a wildlife management goal, and we have too big of a deer population and we have to lower that population either through hunting or through sharp shooting,” said manager Lamar Gore.
This is the fifth year for the free hunt.
Deer biology and habitat, hunting safety rules and ethics, crossbow tips, field game care and meat processing are all taught as part of the program.
Archers learn the history of conservation hunting and they learn how to aim at the right spot on a deer’s body to make a successful “ethical” shot.
The John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge has allowed controlled archery hunting since 2019. Prospective hunters have to secure an antlerless deer license from the PGC through a lottery to participate.
The season runs October through January.
Find out what a typical controlled archer deer hunt is like at WHYY.
