McClory: State deer hunting season starts Monday

This Monday, Dec. 2, deer hunters in this state will enter the woods at sunrise, dressed in hunter orange for the traditional opening day of the 2013 deer season. Because of the mild winter conditions of last year, wildlife managers are predicting above average harvest numbers. If you are planning to hunt this season, take advantage of the opening day crowd. Remember, the average hunter never travels any more than two to three hundred yards into the woods from their vehicle. Get up and go out an hour earlier and put your compass or GPS unit to work. Take a reading and get in deep! Determine where the most hunting pressure will come from, and position yourself to be on the receiving end of a wary buck. Typically on opening day, whitetails will be out of their comfort zones and moving unnaturally. Set up near a major escape route that leads to the thickest of the thick, and play caution to the wind. Be patient and stay put, and be ready because it usually takes a while for deer to get there. Remember, mid-morning is when antsy hunters get up to move and could unknowingly push a heavy-weight buck by patient hunters. Locally, the season will be open for two full weeks until one half hour after sunset on Dec. 14. The best opportunity to encounter a deer is still from the central part of the state to the east. As a bonus, Black Powder Season starts on Dec. 16 and runs to the end of the year. Don’t forget, you need a doe tag to shoot a doe and a primitive firearm stamp. Good luck, and be safe.You may wonder where is it legal to hunt for deer. Locally, there is a considerable amount of public land open to deer hunting. The most popular are Harold Parker State Forest in Middleton, North Andover and North Reading, Rowley State Forest in Rowley, Boxford State Forest, off Route 133 in Georgetown, and Willowdale State Forest in Ipswich. If you don’t mind driving, Berkshire County has over 20,000 acres of land open to public hunting. Ideally, obtaining permission from a private landowner is most desirable, but don’t wait until opening morning.If you are fortunate enough to harvest a deer, it must be checked in within 48 hours from the time of kill. The Division of Fisheries and Wildlife reminds deer hunters that during the shotgun deer season, all harvested deer must be checked at a physical check station. Online checking through MassFishHunt will NOT be available during this time frame. Reporting deer at check stations during this time period allows DFW biologists to collect valuable data needed for deer management.Over the years, I have noticed a lot of hunters neglecting to tag their deer prior to dressing it and dragging it to their vehicles. Here are the steps required of you to be legal and to ensure you do not have your deer confiscated if you are caught by a warden. Attach your tag to black bear, deer, or turkey immediately upon harvesting the animal. Report the harvest of black bear, deer, or turkey by bringing the field-dressed carcass (not skinned or butchered) animal to a check station within 48 hours of harvest where an official metal or plastic seal will be attached to the animal. Keep the official (metal or plastic) seal attached to all above game until butchered, brought to a meat processor, or a taxidermist to be prepared for mounting or tanning, or the pelt is tanned or sold.The following is a list of local deer checking stations in this district: MassWildlife Northeast District HQ, 85 Fitchburg Rd. (Rt. 2A), Ayer, 978-772-2145; Martin Burns WMA, Orchard St., Newbury, 978-465-8012; Harold Parker State Forest; 301 Middleton Rd., North Andover, 978-686-3391; Hunter`s Trading Post, Zero Winter St., Weymouth, 781-331-1151; Danvers Fish and Game, 20 Birch Rd., Middleton, 978-774-9870; Essex Aggie, 562 Maple St., Danvers, 978-265-3220; North Walpole Fish and Game, 40 Brook St., North Walpole, 508-668-6991; Merrimac Sports, 130 E. Main St., Merrimac, 978-346-8835; A. Arena & Sons, 159 Ash St., Hopkinton, 508-435-3673; and Tepee A