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Outdoors

Weekend serves up many hunting chances

This Saturday might be the richest day of the year for hunting in Pennsylvania when it comes to the number of species that can be legally pursued. Deer hunters could take a buck with a bow and a doe with a bow or a muzzleloader. Bowhunters could also take a black bear. Small-game hunters could bag squirrels, rabbits, ruffed grouse, woodcocks, doves and bobwhite quail. Ducks, mergansers and coots are legal game for waterfowlers. And varmint hunters can shoot crows, groundhogs, porcupines and coyotes. About the only popular game species that aren’t in season are pheasants and wild ...

Game lands tours set for October

The Pennsylvania Game Commission has announced it will host a series of tours on state game lands around the state during the first half of October. Three tours are scheduled for state game lands in our region in the coming weeks. The first of those will be on Sunday, Oct. 8 at the 12,000-acre State Game Lands 26 in Bedford County near Blue Knob from noon to 3 p.m. This 7-mile tour begins off Route 869 near the Bedford/Cambria County line and will feature habitat improvements in partnership with the National Wild Turkey Federation and other cooperators. On Sunday, Oct. 15, a ...

More state forest roads opening across the state

HARRISBURG — Hunters and other outdoors enthusiasts heading into Pennsylvania’s state-owned woodlands this autumn will find additional roads open in 18 of the 20 state forest districts, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announced Friday. “Our Bureau of Forestry is opening more than 508 miles of state forest roads normally open only for administrative use,” DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said. “These roads will be available to hunters, hikers, foliage viewers and others visiting state forestlands this fall. This improved accessibility, coupled with DCNR’s ...

Hunt scheduled for vet by CVMA

From Mirror reports CRESSON — The Combat Vets Motorcycle Association will be holding a deer hunt for a veteran with brain cancer. The CVMA, with office space at the Cresson American Legion, coordinated with Band of Hero’s Outdoors to arrange a hunt of a lifetime for terminally ill veteran Sgt. Dan Shacreaw. He was recently diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer after serving in the Army and being deployed to Afghanistan in 2014 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The red stag deer hunt will take place on Oct. 3 at Whispering Hollows Hunting Preserve in Clearville with no ...

Time to head north for some elk viewing

Hearing a bull elk bugle in the distance on a crisp autumn morning is a special experience for anyone who appreciates the natural world. The bugle is an eerie high-pitched, nasal squeal that bull elk employ to attract potential mates and establish dominance over rival males. The first time I heard an elk bugle, the shrill sound of it struck me as oddly out of place coming from such a large and magnificent animal. But after having the opportunity to observe and listen to bull elk several times here in Pennsylvania and out west in Yellowstone National Park, their haunting mating call ...

Fall fishing opportunities are on the near horizon

Although the official first day of autumn is still three weeks away, the Labor Day weekend represents the traditional beginning of fall activities for many folks. Some hunting seasons are, in fact already underway with the opening of the dove and early goose seasons on September 1 and squirrel season begins next Saturday, September 9. I’m still trying to adjust to the change in recent years of starting the squirrel season to mid-September. Something about all the green foliage and the many summerlike days this time of year just doesn’t say small-game hunting to me. Hopefully, the ...