It's that time of year again when hunters begin to wonder how the state's deer harvest is going. If a hunter has shot a buck, seen a few deer and heard lots of shooting, he or she probably thinks the harvest is high. If the converse is true, the hunter thinks that the deer kill must be low. Fortunately, the…
Pennsylvania’s record bear harvest of 4,164 bruins occurred in 2005, while the second and third largest kills happened in 2009 and 2008, respectively. Last year’s harvest of 3,090 bears ranked fifth overall.I don’t think that I’m going too far out on a limb to predict that hunters will set a new state record bear harvest this fall. That includes the…
I know some people think that I am out of touch, but recent revelations really make me feel that way.Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission research into fishing license buyers found that only 8 percent of license buyers have purchased a fishing license during each of the past five years. I would have guessed over 75 percent.I have purchased a fishing…
Each year, it costs more for the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission to raise trout, while at the same time fishing license sales decrease. No license or trout stamp fee increase is even on the discussion table – and in this economic climate, it probably shouldn't be. Expenses that increase and revenue that decreases – it is obvious that something…
A recent Pa. Outdoor News (8-19-11) letter to the editor by Lee Williamson got under my skin. He commented that Outdoor News columnist Ben Moyer must be “non-motorized.” Williamson called on DCNR to provide more “motorized recreation” in the Pa. Wilds in order to make the concept a success. He would like to see additional ATV recreational trails within the…
I really, really get tired of listening to all of the “no-deer” complainers. We had a power outage a few evenings ago — happened at dusk. My son-in-law John suggested that we go spotlighting for deer. That sounded like a great no-electricity pastime, so off we went. We took a 55-minute drive, checking out the farm fields in about a…
Whether you are for or against being able to hunt all game animals on Sundays, the Board of Pennsylvania Game Commissioners recently took a position that will not help them in the long run. They voted 4 to 3 in June — passing a broad measure supporting legislation that would allow additional hunting on Sundays (that is, in addition to…
The small jet accelerated, wings grabbed the air, and its tires left terra firma behind. I was soon looking down upon row after row of green farmland laid out in exact squares. Each corn-filled square was neatly separated by a grid of roads — some dirt, some paved — each parallel to its neighbor, with another set of roads running…
All across Pennsylvania, volunteer organizers and activists plan events, lead habitat projects, tirelessly head sportsmen’s clubs, or rally for cleaner water, land preservation or hunting/shooting rights. These are the guys and gals who step up and say, “I’ll be president for another year,” “Let’s preserve and improve this river,” or “There is no reason why we couldn’t have a world…
We have two wildlife agencies in Pennsylvania – the Game Commission and the Fish & Boat Commission. I gladly buy licenses and therefore “support” both agencies each year. Many of you do the same. Since I favor long-term lasting gains over short-term thinking, I’m not always happy about where my license money goes.If we were having an inter-agency contest –…
The Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission has two serious problems that they seem to be unwilling or unable to address – disappearing stocked trout and how much their hatchery system actually costs license buyers. Raising stocked trout is a big business for the PFBC. They spend millions of dollars to raise and stock adult hatchery trout. This year, approximately 3.2…
At their spring meeting, the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s board of commissioners voted unanimously to hold a porcupine season. The seven-month season is set to begin September 1, with a daily bag limit of six. From my perspective, this was one of the worst decisions that the PGC has made in recent years. If the agency was looking for a way…
During my writing career, I have covered many hunting and fishing contests. The events are certainly exciting and draw large crowds. However, without fail, grumblings and accusations about some type of foul play are heard at every contest. The organizers must attempt to prevent and deal with suspected cheating. It is not an easy job.Take something as traditional and sporting…
One month ago, in a 22-page decision, Commonwealth Court dismissed the lawsuit filed against the Pennsylvania Game Commission by the Unified Sportsmen of Pennsylvania. The lawsuit had claimed that the agency was using fraudulent science to manage deer. It also alleged that the deer herd was not being managed in the best interests of hunters or the deer themselves. This…
Since New Year’s Day, I have been anxious to do some winter trout fishing, but central Pennsylvania has had a colder than average winter. Any remotely possible weather day just never suited my schedule. Finally, on Feb. 16, we had a day with great potential for winter trout fishing.Freestone or limestone stream — there wasn’t really a choice. Bald Eagle…
One oft-debated “Deer Wars” topic here in Pennsylvania is the length and timing of antlerless deer season. Hunter views run the gamut from supporting 12 days of concurrent buck and doe season, favoring 7 or fewer days of concurrent, to 1 to 3 days following buck season or just being against doe season entirely. I began hunting during the era of…
Hunting, fishing and just getting out is the fun part of this job, but unfortunately many of the decisions that greatly affect our favorite sports are made in meetings. One such event was the Jan. 30 – Feb. 1 PA Game Commission meeting in Harrisburg. The official news releases tell everyone what happened – a longer bear season, altered turkey seasons,…
We are only about a week away from the Pennsylvania Game Commission Board of Commissioner’s meeting, which will be held in Harrisburg, Jan. 30 – Feb. 1. This is the meeting where commissioners will give preliminary approval to the seasons & bag limits for the coming hunting seasons. As always, the big topic will be deer. Last year at this…
Some hunters and anglers miss the boat when they are unwilling to participate in other non-hunting or non-fishing outdoor activities. In early January, my daughter, her husband, and I were part of the Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count. The Pennsylvania Game Commission encourages participation. It was our third year. We have an assigned territory within the Bald Eagle State Park…
I recently had the opportunity to observe a group of deer feeding undisturbed through the forest. I watched these deer for nearly an hour as they meandered here and there. I’m always interested in what the deer are eating, and as a hunter, you should be, too.Our acorns are long gone. As I observed with binoculars, the deer reached high…
I don’t know if you are like me, but after a couple of deerless days in my treestand, I start to question a lot of things, such as why aren’t I seeing any deer? Is this hunting spot as good as I thought it was? Can the deer easily see or smell me? Never mind all of those bucks to…
The 2010 bear season is history. The results, with a much lower than expected kill, beg more questions than answers. Did the altered format, with a Saturday opening day, increase or decrease hunter participation? Were more school-age hunters involved? Are hunters happy with the change?While the Game Commission claims higher bear license sales, there were widespread pre-season reports of long-time…
