Hunters both young and old will rise before the sun Monday to find their perfect spot as firearms deer season kicks off in Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission expects around 750,000 hunters, or around six percent of the state’s population, to take to the woods in a season that runs through Dec. 12.“For most hunters, opening day is as much about enjoying the company of family and friends and carrying on a rich tradition as it is about harvesting a deer, and that speaks volumes about why so many Pennsylvanians love to hunt,” Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director R. Matthew Hough said. “And countless hunters are sure to get everything they want, and more, out of their deer seasons.”Gerald Kelly of Albrightsville said he plans to hunt on family property as he does every year. “This is the third year my son will be coming out with me,” he said. “It’s a great bonding experience. Hopefully we have some success. We’d like to try some new sausages this year.”Weather shouldn’t be an issue as AccuWeather meteorologists predict a clear to partly sunny day with a high of 45 degrees.Hunters bagged 303,973 whitetail deer in Pennsylvania last year, including 119,260 bucks and 184,713 antlerless deer.The tally is down from 2013, when 134,280 bucks and 218,640 antlerless deer were taken.While deer populations are being tracked as stable or increasing in each of the state’s 23 wildlife management units, many other factors, such as food availability, influence local deer movements and deer hunting, said Christopher Rosenberry, who supervises the Game Commission’s Deer and Elk Section.Mast crops are particularly spotty this year, said Dave Gustafson, the Game Commission’s chief forester.While production of acorns, beechnuts and soft mast crops such as apples, berries and grapes, is more consistent in western and southern portions of the state, in much of Pennsylvania finding mast is hit and miss, Gustafson said.“Acorns or apples might be present on one ridgetop or slope, then you might not find another like it for miles,” he added. “In some areas, there are pockets where mast production is good, and then a sizable surrounding area where mast doesn’t appear to be available. It’s one of those years where hunters might have to look hard to find those food sources that are important to deer.”Rosenberry said 57 percent of the bucks harvested in the 2014-15 seasons were two-and-a-half years old or older — the highest percentage recorded in decades.“Most years, the buck harvest is split evenly between yearling and adult bucks,” Rosenberry said. “We don’t know if last year’s result was an anomaly or the beginning of a trend, but older bucks were well represented in the harvest.”

Stores are busy Area sporting goods stores were busy Sunday as hunters stocked up on the necessary items.“We’ve been doing a lot of licenses this weekend,” said Jerry Dunkelberger, of Dunkelberger’s Sports Outfitter in Brodheadsville and Stroudsburg. “There are also a lot of ammunition and rifle scope sales. About the only sales that are light are the heavy hunting clothes because we have had warmer weather.”Dunkelberger’s extended its hours all weekend, staying open an extra hour until 6 p.m. Sunday.Sales were also normal at Buck’s Sporting Goods in Lehighton.“A lot of last minute things,” owner Tony Schmalzel said of what was flying off the shelves. “Vests, umbrellas, that type of thing. It’s always busy right now.”

LicensingHunters during the statewide firearms season can harvest antlered deer if they possess a valid general hunting license, which costs $20.70 for adult residents and $101.70 for adult nonresidents.Each hunter between the ages of 12 and 16 must possess a junior license, which costs $6.70 for residents and $41.70 for nonresidents.Hunters younger than 12 must possess a valid mentored youth hunting permit and be accompanied at all times by a properly licensed adult mentor, as well as follow other regulations.Mentored hunting opportunities also are available for adults, but only antlerless deer may be taken by mentored adult hunters.

Ticks a concernPennsylvania continues to lead the nation in Lyme disease cases as more than 10,000 cases were reported through Friday.That is about one-third of all cases in the country reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.As deer season kicks off, hunters are sure to be on the lookout when they leave the woods.Penn State University’s Department of Entomology warns hunters to be cautious when the hunt ends.Hunters increase their risk of encountering a blacklegged tick by following deer trails and by resting on the forest floor, according to a PSU report. Studies have shown that a high density of nymphal blacklegged ticks is present in leaf litter.Adult ticks more often are collected from narrow forest trails than from general sites throughout the forest, and they are more prevalent in high, brushy vegetation.Terry McCullion of Lehighton said he has seen a record amount of ticks while small game hunting this year.“In two or three weeks of small game hunting, I’ve pulled 27 ticks off two dogs,” he said. “Between my brother, nephew and myself, we pulled 36 off ourselves in one day.”Prevention is a difficult task to achieve for those heading into the woods, but McCullion said a dirt-scented repellent is available on the market.Checking one’s skin for ticks, he added, is likely to last longer than a day.“I’ve already checked myself, had my wife check, taken a shower and still find some on me the next day,” he said. “I’ve had six of them embedded in my skin.”Despite the hassle, McCullion knows it comes with the hobby. “All for the love of hunting,” he said.