No Gang? You can hunt solo, or with a buddy or 2, and harvest a bear
Taking a black bear in Pennsylvania is considered quite a feat, since the average rate of success usually runs below 2%.
Juniata River Lewistown Narrows waterfowl hotspot in Pennsylvania
The Lewistown Narrows, as the area has been dubbed, is about a six-mile stretch of the Juniata River which is squeezed between Shade and Blue Mountains to the east of the town.
The stretch sits astride the Route 22/322 four-lane highway on the northern shoreline and Route 333 on the southern shore. Both hunters and anglers can have easy access to many portions of this water as long as you have a boat, canoe, or kayak to use.
Canoe Creek Lake is little-known muskie hotspot in Pennsylvania
As summer transitions to fall, and both the water and air temperatures start to cool, muskie fishermen become excited. They know that some of the most productive days of fishing for this toothy critter are about to occur.
Here’s how to build a safe bullet-stopping structure at home or camp
Having taught hunter education classes for more than 20 years now, we always cover just how far a bullet is able to travel from various caliber guns. Some of the so-called backstops on these home gun ranges would allow a bullet to travel through the target and well beyond.
I’m sure you all have seen them, discarded political posters or real estate signs staked out in a field or nailed to a tree or a fence post with no landscape feature behind them to stop the rounds’ travel.
If you decide to develop a range, to avoid incidents, take the time to build a proper backstop where you shoot. It does not take a lot of time or money to do so and will last you for many years when done right.
Catfish baits: Sometimes the grocery store is better than the baitshop
While on my way home from work one Friday night last summer, I decided to stop by the grocery store to pick up a few things for the night fishing trip I had planned. While there was nothing unusual about that – because you always need to take something to eat and drink on these excursions – it was the purpose of the trip that was out of the ordinary. I was not there to pick up items for me to eat, but rather to gather some catfish baits.
Put a charge into slow summer fishing by targeting carp on artificials
It was the perfect time of year for the method I was employing.
Discarded crayfish shells lined the shallows, and there were a lot of fish looking to feed on the soft-shelled morsels they knew were lurking under the rocks. Using polarized sunglasses to cut the water’s glare, I found one such fish swimming nearby and as gently as possible, placed my crayfish imitation in the water just in front of its nose.
The strike was tremendous, and soon line was peeling off the reel much faster than I could have reeled it back in.
Pennsylvania’s Sweet Arrow Lake in Schuylkill County points to good summer fishing
What originally started out as a water supply first for the Union Canal and later to supply power has now become quite a popular, and good, fishing spot in Schuylkill County.
Rimfire groundhogs: Get in on this overlooked action of summer
There was a time when hunting groundhogs was a very active part of the summertime for hunters. Not so these days, as it is often hard to see any hunters out in the heat.
This could be due to the change in groundhog habits. Many times the reasoning or shooting groundhogs was to get them out of the fields where their burrows posed risk to farmer and livestock, but today it is hard to find a groundhog burrow in a field.
Targeting ‘junk fish’ can be an entertaining diversion
The ripple at the tail end of the pool was being made at regular intervals as the fish fed during the evening fly hatch. Carefully as I could, I eased into position from above, then made the long cast to put my fly in the perfect position.
It worked! The fish slurped in the fly and I set the hook. The fight was memorable to say the least as the fished used the current in the best manner possible to try and get away.
