There’s a right time and wrong time for everything in the deer woods. As much as the peak of the rut can be a promising window to get aggressive in your hunting style, opening day and the immediate weeks following call for a more measured approach to…
Low-impact strategies for early-season bowhunting success Read More »
A cooling breeze swept across the early morning water as guide Zak Marinkov launched his 18-foot Rock Proof boat into the Susquehanna River a few miles north of Harrisburg, Pa.
It had rained overnight, pulling days of heat and mugginess out of the air, and the sky remained darkened by overcast clouds blocking out the sun. I had linked up with Marinkov, a middle school teacher who guides for Ken Penrod’s Life Outdoors Unlimited during his summer break, to sample a morning of smallmouth bass fishing on the river.
Top Water lures tempt shallow-water smallmouths on Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania Read More »
One boat. Four presidents. Dozens of fish. Sound like an interesting combination? It most certainly was, as a foursome of former leaders converged on the Juniata River in Pennsylvania last month for the presidential treatment of angling enjoyment.
This collective quartet, vaguely reminiscent of Mount Rushmore busts, did not feature the likes of national dignitaries; no Roosevelts or Washington – not even a Bush or Clinton — but was comprised of past presidents from the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association.
Fishing with the presidents in Pennsylvania Read More »
While moseying through a historic log cabin on my parents’ property a few years ago, I came across an old dusty box of magazines. Within the stack, a July 1963 issue of Pennsylvania Game News caught my eye. Thumbing to page 55, I discovered the inaugural edition of the long-running column, “Straight from the Bowstring,” established that very issue.
This column was launched and written for many years thereafter by Keith Schuyler, who, more than a decade earlier, wrote a feature for Game News about a group of friends electing to bow hunt during the statewide firearms deer seasons. This story, along with urging from other archery lobbyists, led to the first official Pennsylvania bow season taking place in 1951.
It’s easy to overlook the significant role dead trees play in the years after they perish.
Seldom do we pay much heed to “insignificant” relics of the past such as a rotting log, but when one pauses long enough to take a closer look, a world of new discoveries can be revealed. Recently, the kids and I celebrated the first official day of summer break with a leisurely woods-walk for some good old-fashioned, Ned Smith-style nature snooping.
Looking closely at the ecology of a rotten log Read More »
Pennsylvania notoriously sits in the top 20% when it comes to tick-borne illnesses in the United States, with more than 400,000 people estimated to be infected with Lyme disease annually.
With expansive tracts of fields, forests and meadows, high host population densities and strong participation in outdoor recreation, there’s no wonder Pennsylvanians have a fair risk of encountering the villain at the root of the problem — the black-legged tick.
New research takes closer look at tick hosts in Pennsylvania Read More »
As I entered the bedroom, a cool spring breeze was blowing through the open window, but something seemed oddly out of place. I could hear birdsong, which struck me as puzzling considering it was almost midnight. At first, I thought my son — who wants to be an ornithologist someday — had forgotten to turn off the bird sounds he sometimes listens to when falling asleep. But that wasn’t the case.
Northern mockingbird, rare in central PA, headlines Friday night marquee Read More »
There was a time when I used to let spring gobbler hunting bother me. It’s my favorite season to hate, especially when things go wrong. Uncooperative birds, missed shots, and terrible weekend weather — all these elements have prevented me from filling my tag over the past several years.
I almost said screw it and didn’t go this year, but on the eve before the opener I found myself digging out my gear, conditioning my calls, and preparing my vest for additional punishment.
Plenty to see during rainy Pennsylvania gobbler hunt Read More »
Under the National Wildlife Federation’s Certified Wildlife Habitats program, property owners can elect to have their garden, backyard, woodlot or wetland officially designated as Certified Wildlife Habitat. Basic criteria must be met, and NWF provides plenty of resources for meeting those requirements, but it turns out my 3.24-acre hobby farm already qualifies, and yours might, too.
Your garden or property might qualify as Certified Wildlife Habitat Read More »
We know you love the outdoors—now we want to make OutdoorNews.com the ultimate destination for all things hunting, fishing, and conservation.
Take our brief 3 minute survey to share your thoughts, and help us build the best outdoor website on the planet. As a thank you, we’ll send you a special offer!
Together, we can make OutdoorNews.com even better.
For a limited time, you can get full access to breaking news, all original Outdoor News stories and updates from the entire Great Lakes Region and beyond, the most up-to-date fishing & hunting reports, lake maps, photo & video galleries, the latest gear, wild game cooking tips and recipes, fishing & hunting tips from pros and experts, bonus web content and much, much more, all on your smartphone, tablet or desktop For just a buck per month!
Some restrictions apply. Not valid with other promotions. $1 per month for 6 months (you will be billed $6) and then your subscription will renew at standard subscription rates. For more information see Terms and Conditions. This offer only applies to OutdoorNews.com and not for any Outdoor News print subscriptions. Offer valid thru 3/31/23.
Already a subscriber to OutdoorNews.com? Click here to login.
