The first of three Sunday hunting dates will be held on Nov. 15, which is for the last week of Archery Season, which ends on the 20th.

In my area, the deer hunting has been slow, but it appears that the extra week of archery season may pay off with the buck activity picking up during the rut. The PGC extended the hunting for one week to coincide with the predicted full swing of the whitetail deer rutting period, which really has the deer moving about and giving hunters really good opportunities to see a buck moving about at any hour.

Not only has the deer rut been active lately, but there is also activity at the local rifle ranges as hunters get ready for both the bear rifle season and the opening day of buck season, which will also feature two more back-to-back Sundays which allow hunting for black bears and then deer.

The folks at the ranges are pulling out their favorite rifles and cartridges and trying to hone their marksmanship accuracy. A couple of the fellows discussed their rifles as the best that a PA hunter could use for hunting and of course there were many dissenting arguments.

I thought of all of the rifles that I have hunted with and that is honestly quite a few different calibers, however, most were bolt action rifles. Needless to say, I am sure that there are plenty of lever action rifle fans as well as the pump or slide action fans as well.

Growing up, we hunted with all of the actions mentioned as well as pumpkin balls from a slug throwing smooth bore 12 gauge. I can’t say much for the old-time set up as I missed a really nice buck as a kid and watched it walk away as my shots went all over the place …maybe buck fever … but still a pretty lousy gun for accuracy!

Today’s calibers that are most popular among hunters contains some old stand-bys as well as new rifles that are asking us to make room for them in the gun cabinet. The calibers that many hunters depend on would have to include the .30-30 Winchester, the 30-06, the .270 Win., the .243 Win., the .280 Rem., the .300 Savage, the .308 Winchester and the Remington 7mm Mag.

One of the newest rifle calibers to hit the gun racks is the 6.5 Creedmoor, which is being offered by about every rifle manufacturer. The key to its success is that its accuracy is renowned and that both the rifle and its ammunition are readily available by many manufacturers.

You should never take ammunition availability for granted as many events influence the sales of ammunition. Currently, finding a ready supply of hunting cartridges is a challenging task. I recently looked at many sporting good locations and found that their shelves were lightly stocked as most cartridges were not in supply.

The problem with this shortage isn’t just the higher costs when you find your bullets, but also the question of whether you will find the right bullet weights for your rifle. I am very particular when I choose a cartridge for my rifle … not all bullets are the best for all rifles!

My Remington 700 likes certain ammunition much better than others and the proof is easily seen on the range. Show me a rifle that likes all ammunition equally and I will buy it on the spot … it’s likely not going to happen for most rifles.

I stocked up way back when I found an accurate load, bullet weight and bullet design. For example, with my 7mm-08, I like to use 140 grain Federal spire point boat tails.

These really are great on the range and do the job in the field when Mr. Whitetail bounces by my stand. Years of experience on the range have convinced me that this is the right match for this rifle. I am sure that every hunter out there has a similar experience that helps them make an informed choice with both rifle and ammo for it.

The three Sundays open to hunting this year will follow each other from archery season, followed by bear season and then the opening weekend of deer rifle season.

Once again, the opening day of buck will be the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the Sunday and then the two-week season were both bucks and antlerless deer are legal quarry in WMU 2D which is most of Butler County east of Route 8 and into Armstrong County and north.

Get out there and enjoy the opportunity and don’t forget to share the harvest with your friends and neighbors who might not be hunters!

Jay Hewitt is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle