Michael Kensinger, Author at Outdoor News

Frozen flight feathers cause barrage of birds to fall from the sky in central Pennsylvania

Featured, Home Page News, National News, Nature Page & Night Sky, News, Pennsylvania / Michael Kensinger

On the morning of Jan. 16 the phone at Centre Wildlife Care in Port Matilda, Pa., was ringing off the hook, according to Robyn Graboski, who has been in wildlife rehabilitation for 35 years.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” she said. “My phone has been lit up all morning with calls about grounded grebes.”
It appears the culprit for the “fallout” was a jet stream of arctic air that froze moisture on the bird’s flight feathers during their nocturnal migration. Unable to remain airborne, a barrage of birds fell from the sky.

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How common is it for hunters to shoot antlered does?

Featured, Hunting, News, Pennsylvania / Michael Kensinger

On Dec. 1, 2020, Tyler Zeiders had no idea what a fantastic day he would have as daylight broke.
Clutching his 6.5 Creedmoor rifle, Zeiders, of Duncansville, Blair County, Pa., was filled with the anticipation that came along with the opening day of “buck season” as he stared down through the woods. As luck would have it, at 8:38 a.m. Zeiders made a clean 135-yard shot on the most unique deer he ever would harvest; an antlered doe.

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A fungal ‘fight club’ in Pennsylvania’s woodlands: Understand your mushrooms

Featured, Nature Page & Night Sky, News, Pennsylvania / Michael Kensinger

When meandering through the crisp and colorful hardwood forests this autumn, you may notice a myriad of different mushrooms fruiting around almost every turn.
Some mushrooms are perched from the leaf litter like small umbrellas. Others have colorful caps dotted in scales, while others grow off decaying wood like colorful rosettes of coral, doing their part to break down logs into nutrient-rich soil. On your way to and from the treestand this season, perhaps take a moment to get to know the fungi of the forest.

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Pennsylvania’s Scotia Barrens in Centre County is teeming with outdoor opportunity

Hunting, Lake Profile, Lake Profile, Pennsylvania / Michael Kensinger

Just northeast of State College lies a 6,500-acre geological wonder. This area is known as the Scotia Barrens.
Offering many outdoor recreational opportunities, the location is a unique “frost pocket” in which currents of air are trapped as they drift down into lower lying areas. This effect creates extreme temperature differentials, which may cause the area to be cooler than the places surrounding it.

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Talking turkey: Know what you’re saying and when to say it

Featured, Features, Hunting, National Hunting, Pennsylvania, Pro Tips / Michael Kensinger

Hunting turkeys offers a unique and challenging hunting experience in which hunters must rely on the knowledge of the language to communicate with their quarry.
While it’s true that we use artificial calls to communicate with other game species, few have as diverse a language to be understood as the wild turkey. Because of this, it is important to know what you’re saying, and when to say it.

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Take this primer on wild mushroom hunting before hitting the woods

Featured, Features, Hunting, Ohio / Michael Kensinger

This time of year can be almost overwhelming with the number of pursuits it has to offer. Soon, thousands of people around the state will be hunting the elusive morel mushroom, and many for the first time.
When it comes to hunting wild mushrooms, Ohio is one of the best places in the world to forage.

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