Friday, June 26th, 2026

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Friday, June 26th, 2026

Breaking News for

Sportsmen Since 1968

Ben Moyer

Hoping tiny snails are native in Pennsylvania waters of Ohio River

I was thinking about weeds when I noticed them – tiny mollusks, clinging to my canoe’s hull.
Sometimes, I hit a good crappie bite at Cranberry Glade, a weedy but appealing Fish & Boat Commission lake perched on a mountaintop inside State Game Land 111 in Somerset County, Pa.
The fish tend to be smallish, but if I get enough of them, their fillets are more than worth it.

Hoping tiny snails are native in Pennsylvania waters of Ohio River Read More »

Old Crow Wetlands in Pennsylvania: Replace a replacement?

The Old Crow Wetlands issue near Huntingdon, Pa., embodies a weakness in our process for protecting natural spaces, wetlands specifically. 
It should be noted, though, that only those who value natural spaces, wetlands in this case, perceive a weakness. Others argue that our process of reviewing and issuing permits to developers, builders, and government agencies wishing to site projects on or near wetlands is not weak enough.

Old Crow Wetlands in Pennsylvania: Replace a replacement? Read More »

No-kill brown trout rule in Pennsylvania warrants caution

It is encouraging to learn of creative new initiatives in Pennsylvania trout management. For a long time, there was little real management in trout management. We raised lots of any kind of trout we could, then dumped them wherever they could live long enough for fishermen to have a go at them.
It amounted to a sort of industrialized outdoor recreation, with scant consideration of impacts on native stream ecosystems.

No-kill brown trout rule in Pennsylvania warrants caution Read More »

Quality angling, on the fly: Catch-and-release trout fisheries have their place

I adhere to different degrees of catch and release in different angling contexts.
For myself, catch and release is always, universally, appropriate with native trout in ours and neighboring states. These, after all, are brook trout, and though they’ve shown amazing resilience to be here at all, they are confined to shreds of their original range, and merit release after capture and careful handling.

Quality angling, on the fly: Catch-and-release trout fisheries have their place Read More »

A new direction in Pennsylvania’s state park management

Visitors to some Pennsylvania state parks this spring may notice something different, and some may not like what they see. But some will.
From a wildlife perspective, big winners in this management shift should be species like ruffed grouse, white-tailed deer, and songbirds such as the golden-winged warbler, which needs shrubby (native) old-field habitats that benefit from prescribed fire and some logging.

A new direction in Pennsylvania’s state park management Read More »

Invasive plants making it harder and harder on Pennsylvania wildlife

No observant person would dispute that popular small game species have declined in recent decades. There’s a tendency to quickly blame predatory wildlife for the collapse of pheasant, grouse, rabbit and, in some regions, wild turkey populations. There is every possibility that a newer threat is far more damaging to small game than our default scapegoat – predators.

Invasive plants making it harder and harder on Pennsylvania wildlife Read More »

Sunday deer opener in Pennsylvania would be an attractive, but risky alternative

Another constructive aspect of the conflict over when to open deer season in Pennsylvania less is that some hunters have suggested alternatives that carry appeal for both Monday and Saturday opening day proponents. Put bluntly, compromise. They deserve credit for creativity.
Most alluring among these proposals is to open the season on the Sunday following Thanksgiving, sandwiched by the two contested dates.

Sunday deer opener in Pennsylvania would be an attractive, but risky alternative Read More »

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