PITTSBURGH — For the opening of buck season on Saturday and the rest of firearms deer season, many local hunters won't be leaving Allegheny County.

More than half a million hunters are expected to take to the woods for the post-Thanksgiving tradition of white-tailed deer hunting from Nov. 30 until Dec. 14, excluding only Sunday, Dec. 8.

In at least the last three deer seasons, Allegheny County (Wildlife Management Unit 2B) ranked highest in the state for the number of deer harvested per square mile, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

"Growing up, I looked forward to the first day of deer season all year," said Game Commission Executive Director Steve Smith in a press release.

"I'm hardly alone that way. For many of us, hunting, and deer hunting in particular, isn't just a hobby. It's a part of the fabric of our lives."

Non-hunters and their pets are urged to wear fluorescent orange if outdoors near a hunting area.

Last deer season, hunters bagged an estimated 430,010 white-tailed deer, with 171,600 bucks and 258,410 antlerless deer, according to the Game Commission.

Pennsylvania typically ranks in the top five states nationally for the highest antlered buck harvest, antlered buck harvest per square mile, antlerless deer harvest, antlerless deer harvest per square mile, and antlerless deer per antlered buck harvest, according to the Game Commission.

In 2023, hunters took 23,000 bucks and does at 16.9 deer per square mile in the Allegheny County area.

Deer harvests increased by almost 8.5% in the county from 2020 through 2023 from 21,200 to 23,000 deer.

A graphic shows the number of deer harvested in Allegheny County since 2019

"We are still seeing a large abundance of hunters around in Allegheny County," said Lt. Andy Harvey, information and education supervisor and a state warden with the Game Commission's Southwest Region office.

"In the past few years, I've been hearing hunters say they aren't going to the north central parts of the state, that there are hunting opportunities closer to them."

You don't have to be a hunter to know that there are a lot of deer in the county.

PennDOT recorded 309 deer-vehicle-related crashes in 2023 in Allegheny County, the highest in the state.

Pennsylvania ranks No. 1 in the nation for all animal-vehicle collisions with more than 150,000 claims filed from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, according to State Farm.

The University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs released a detailed report earlier this year on the explosive growth of white-tailed deer in city parks.

In Frick Park, an estimated 50 deer lived per one square mile in 2010 compared to 300 per square mile from 2010 to 2023.

Pennsylvania offers deer habitat just about anywhere the animal's needs are met — food, cover and water, and they love habitat edge and transition areas, said Jeannine Fleegle, Game Commission wildlife biologist.

"If you look around the Pittsburgh area, all of this exists in abundance," she said.

"Add to that limited access to hunt-able land and deer can live a very long time with few threats. They reproduce annually adding to the population. Few deer become many deer in a short amount of time."

In Allegheny County, hunters are not necessarily in the woods, game lands, or secluded areas.

Most of them hunt on private property.

Chuck Bartus, 37, of Harmar, and his wife own six acres around their home and their property abuts undeveloped areas.

"I can put clothes on and can be in my tree stand in five minutes," he said.

Holding down a full-time job and going on a "destination kind of hunt" isn't possible every weekend or during the week for Bartus.

"First and foremost is the convenience and the number of hunting opportunities I have," he said.

Growing up in Ross, he took hunting trips to North Fayette Township as a boy.

He liked the camaraderie of a deer camp but as he grew older, his priorities changed.

"I hunt for venison not necessarily for trophies. I harvest deer to fill the freezer and feed my family."

An avid archer who also hunts during firearm season, Bartus usually harvests between two and three deer per season.

When Wes Morosky, 55, co-owner of Duke's Sport Shop in New Castle, Lawrence County, hunted in Allegheny County in his 20s, he bagged some nice bucks.

He stopped going there after the private property he frequented was sold and developed.

Some sportsmen in the New Castle area would like to hunt in Allegheny County, Morosky said, because of the volume and large size of the deer.

But it's hard to get permission to go on private land, especially if you don't know many people in the area.

A lot depends on where you hunt in Allegheny County, he said.

"In Millvale and Shaler, you just can't shoot a rifle. The police would be up there."

Places where you can shoot a gun, like the state game lands in Franklin Park and Marshall townships in Allegheny County, are busy with hunters, he added.

One hunter said in a social media post on huntingPA.com: "If you can find a spot in Allegheny County that has not been already pounded by hunters, you have found a potential gold mine."

The Allegheny County sites with easy access that are not posted can get hit hard by hunters.

Bartus has seen plenty of posted areas forbidding hunting while many places are not posted.

"I've never had a problem finding places in Allegheny County, especially with archery hunting," he said.

For archery, there is a 50-yard safety zone from an occupied building while with firearms, it's a 150-yard safety zone.

"There are a lot more areas I can legally hunt with a compound bow than a firearm," Bartus said.

The Game Commission's Hunter Access Program in Allegheny County — which matches hunters with landowners — has 48 properties totaling 6,450 acres, Lt. Harvey said.

Hunters should approach private landowners, whether in the program or not, for permission to hunt on their land ahead of time.

"Property owners want to make sure their property and the regulations are respected," he said.

For hunters to gain their trust, they might want to provide some venison or help with small projects, Lt. Harvey said.

Archery hunting is more conducive to smaller wooded areas and fields.

Hunters, trappers, and landowners can find more information about the program on the Game Commission's website.

"As a reminder, all hunters and trappers are required to get permission from the landowner prior to going on the property," Lt. Harvey said.

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