Pennsylvania Mixed Bag: Game Land 159 Range closed for repairs

Harrisburg — The Pennsylvania Game Commission shooting range located on State Game Land 159 in Lebanon Township, Wayne County, was closed for upgrades and maintenance April 5.

According to the commission, overhead structures will be added to each shooting station to better protect shooters from inclement weather. New target stands will be installed as well as general maintenance performed on the entire shooting range.

Required upgrades will take approximately two months to complete with the goal of having the range reopened to the public by mid-June 2024, said Northeast Region Land Management Group Supervisor James McCarthy.

He said the upgrades will improve the quality of the shooting range and the overall experience for shooters.

Angler Catches Md. State Record Fallfish

Annapolis, Md. — Blake Cronk, of Westernport, Md., has been recognized by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources as a new state record holder for fallfish in the state’s nontidal division.

Cronk caught the 3.2-pound fish on April 1 while fishing in the North Branch of the Potomac River, below the Piedmont Bridge in the Westernport area.

He was fishing with worms and spinners in an area where he had caught several goodsized trout and is also known to have frequent occurrences of large fallfish.

When he hooked the fallfish, a member of the chub family, he thought he had a nice brown trout at first. Cronk caught the fish on a new light-spinning rod and reel he had recently purchased.

The fish was weighed on a certified scale at a grocery store in Keyser, West Virginia. The species was confirmed by Maryland DNR.

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Pine marten comeback plan is delayed ‘indefinitely’ in Pennsylvania

RGS Bird Dog Training Clinic May 18

Johnsonburg, Pa. — The Ruffed Grouse Society’s Upland Bird Hunt Chapter will offer an individual, one-on-one, bird dog training clinic on Saturday, May 18, at the Rolfe Beagle Club here.

This training clinic is for new bird dog handlers or experienced bird dog handlers who want additional help with training their dog. This training is an extension of the Upland Bird Hunt Chapter’s popular Future Hunter and Handlers’ Clinic.

Only eight dogs will be accepted into the clinic. All dogs must be of a pointing breed and at least 8 months old.

Dogs must be registered in advance. Send questions to Tommy Launer at tslauner@gmail.com. Entrants can sign up for the 7 a.m. or the 10 a.m. start time.

ANF Reveals Spring Prescribed Fire Plan

Warren, Pa. — The U.S. Forest Service plans to use prescribed fire as a forest management tool from early April until mid-May in the Allegheny National Forest.

Exact dates were not determined by this issue’s deadline.

Operations are weather-dependent, and prescribed fires will be implemented at the optimal times to achieve the best results, the service announced, saying this spring it planned to treat 400 acres across five project areas in the Warren County portion of the Bradford Ranger District.

Communities near burn sites will be notified 24 to 48 hours before ignitions. For public safety, road signs will be posted, and road guards will be utilized if necessary.

Dam Replacement at Tobyhanna State Park

Tobyhanna, Pa. — The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources recently announced a dam replacement project at Tobyhanna State Park in Monroe and Wayne counties.

This project will consist of a full replacement of the existing dam and spillway structure and will include the altering of fishing restrictions before a complete lake drawdown.

Originally built in the 1950s, the dam at Tobyhanna will be brought up to current standards with the replacement project.

As part of the project, the Fish & Boat Commission alerted anglers that effective April 6, all seasons, sizes, and creel limits for all species except trout, were lifted on Tobyhanna Lake.

National Safe Boating Week May 18-24

Harrisburg — National Safe Boating Week is a reminder to all boaters to brush up on boating safety skills and prepare for the boating season, according to the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission.

This observance week is the annual kick-off of the Safe Boating Campaign, a global awareness effort that encourages boaters to make the most of their boating adventures by being responsible.

The commission offers safe-boating events across the state, including “Kayaking Basics,” “Y Drown? Water Safety Event,” “Basic Boating Course” and “Water Safety.”

To learn more, go to fishandboat.com.