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Dec 29, 2023 By Ben Moyer 4 min read

Deer season 2023 is history. I never like to see it pass but all good things must. The best thing about its ending is that we can begin to anticipate next year’s hunt.

Still, there remain details to deal with from this recent season.

Report your kill

A large percentage of successful deer hunters — meaning those fortunate enough to kill a deer — never follow through with an important responsibility they owe to the whitetail resource and the science of wildlife management. That responsibility is to report your deer kill to the Game Commission. According to Game Commission statistics, only about a third of deer killed by hunters each year are reported, even though hunters are legally required to do so within 10 days of their kill.

Reporting aids the commission in more precisely estimating the total harvest, and in management decisions like deciding the number of antlerless licenses to allot for each Wildlife Management Unit next year.

Readers may wonder how the Game Commission knows that only about a third of deer get reported. You could assume that if a hunter-killed deer isn’t reported, then it never existed, statistically speaking of course.

The agency is confident about that 30 percent reporting rate because it sends out teams of biologists and wardens each hunting season to check and record deer at processing shops. The teams check thousands of deer in every county of the state. They then compare the list of those deer they’ve personally checked with those reported by hunters. They calculate the percentage of all checked deer that ultimately get reported. When they assemble the figures from across the state, they arrive at an estimated statewide reporting rate, which always runs around 30 percent.

Wildlife managers are able to work with that 30 percent cooperation. But if more hunters reported their deer, resulting in a higher reporting rate, Game Commission deer data would be more precise and all subsequent management decisions would be better informed.

Reporting your deer is easy. The Game Commission gives hunters three reporting options. Most hunters who report probably do so online. You can go to the Game Commission’s website (www.pgc.pa.gov) and click on “Report a Harvest.” The prompts will lead you from there.

Some hunters find it easier to report by phone. The number is 1-800-838-4431.

Or you can report the longstanding traditional way by mailing in the pre-paid, pre-addressed card that comes with every hunting license.

Hunters who fail to report their deer have no grounds to complain about deer management, because they haven’t contributed to the data on which deer management decisions are based.

Store guns responsibly

An even more important after-hunt detail is safe storage of firearms. After the season, all rifles and shotguns used in the hunt should be cleaned and locked up separately from ammunition, inaccessible to children and irresponsible or disturbed adults. Politicians are unwilling to do that, but you can do it yourself by safely locking away firearms where they’re out of reach of those who have no business having them.

Enjoy your venison

Venison is too good a food to waste away in a freezer. Now, a week after the season closed, most deer have been processed in a shop or by do-it-yourselfers at home. But you may have some choice cuts reserved and refrigerated, still unfrozen, that you can fashion into jerky, sausage, hot-packed canned meat, or other treats.

Hunters unsure about venison cookery can consult an excellent guide on the Game Commission’s website (www.pgc.pa.gov). It’s titled Cooking Venison 101, written by Allie Doran of Pottsville, PA and host of the Miss Allie’s Kitchen videos and blogs. I couldn’t find a direct link to the guide on the Game Commission site but typed “Venison Cooking” into the search box. That prompted a link to Cooking Venison 101.

Prepare for late seasons

Deer hunting isn’t completely over. The late flintlock and archery seasons begin the day after Christmas and run through Jan. 15, 2024. Hunting these seasons is a challenge. Late archery and flintlock offer quality recreation, but a reduced likelihood of bringing home venison. If you make a kill then, your skill likely surpasses the average. After the late seasons end in January, remember to report any kills and safely stow guns and ammunition.