I'll be 51 in a few days. I've hunted in PA on public land most of my life and I'm in NE PA. We consistently kill deer. Since the antler restrictions and the increase in doe tags, we have been seeing much bigger bucks. I try to kill big bucks but usually end up with a something around 3 yrs old that's decent. I'm far from an expert.
One guy to check out on YouTube is Dan Infalt. His channel is the Hunting Beast. He has some great advice. He also has a hunting forum. He hunts Wisconsin, a lot of swamps but he spent a lot of time hunting hills. His advice made me a better hunter.
Some things to try:
Drive around any road that goes through land you can hunt and look for deer. Especially at first light and right before dark. When spotting is legal, do that too. Anytime you see a deer crossing or standing by the road, mark it on whatever hunting app you use. Get a hunting app if you don't have one. I've been using Onx for about 6 years and the historical data I have saves me so much time. Go back later and scout the areas you saw the deer. I killed the biggest buck of my life doing this. He died within sight of the road.
If you find awesome deer sign right next to the road, hunt there. Don't walk in a mile when you have rubs and scrapes next to the road. Put up some cameras, cell cams if you can afford them. Deer like areas people avoid. If you see a spot and think who in their right mind would hunt there, check that spot. Most of my best spots are within 100 yards of a major road.
Look for public land that buts up against private. Especially communities, stores, schools. Anything that would make people think it's a waste of time to hunt there. It also gives the deer a place where they are safe. They usually still wander onto public. They only care about people in the woods.
You have to go where the people are not going. Whether it's three miles deep or 40 yards off the freeway. You also have to hunt fresh sign. Find where they are digging up acorns right now. Fresh scrapes, tracks. Look for heavy trails. Put cameras up to verify. Don't hunt it until the wind is right. Sometimes you don't know which way the deer will come in, just do your best.
Always look for transitions. Swamp to woods, thick brush to open woods, walk that transition looking for sign. My buck this year walked a transition line where it went from oaks to mountain laurel. I was blind calling with a grunt call, and he came running in.
Be mobile. If you aren't seeing anything, move. Hunt during the week if possible. There's a lot less pressure, especially during archery.
I hope this helps. I really want you to kill more deer. Check out Dan's channel. He actually teaches you how to find deer and kill them. Good luck.
