As we enter mid-August, it’s a pleasure to have typical summertime fishing conditions. Wow, it feels good to say that after more than a year and a half of continual rain, high water and generally dismal fishing opportunities. And although we seem to have escaped that trend in recent week, ...
Have you noticed that lately the focus of our outdoor pursuits is how to prevent, treat and manage the various plagues that seem to be afflicting us of late? CWD is probably our most pressing problem just now but the Nile Virus is charged with the reduction of the Ruffed Grouse population. ...
By Josh Flesher The Associated Press TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Asian carp are likely to find enough food to spread farther if they establish breeding populations in Lake Michigan, reinforcing the importance of preventing the invasive fish from gaining a foothold, scientists said in a paper ...
This Saturday night is the exciting fund-raising banquet of the Allegheny Mountain Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation. This chapter has won many awards for its habitat improvement, planting activities that benefit the wild turkey and many other wild creatures. Doors open at ...
Last week, I discussed buzzbaits, a popular surface lure for bass. This week I’ll turn the attention to spinnerbaits, a similar wire-frame lure with its hook molded into a lead head and features a spinner blade or two to attract fish with flash and vibration. Spinnerbaits are versatile ...
After a year and a half, Pennsylvania’s unprecedented monsoon season has seemed to have abated, and our lakes and rivers are starting to get back to something approaching normal summer levels. And the bass that live in those waters also seem the be enjoying the return to normalcy as well, ...
For the outdoors person, August is a welcome month. Soon, autumn will be upon us and we have a lot of stuff to do to be ready for it. The National Shooting Sports Foundation Has designated August as National Shooting Sports month and have given us some tips on how to celebrate the month. ...
By Randall Chase The Associated Press BETHANY BEACH, Del. — Peering through the darkness under the faint light of a peach-colored moon, wildlife biologist Jason Davis spots a telltale green flash in the bushes. Quick as a flash himself, Davis arcs a long-handled mesh net through the ...
It’s about the right time to start thinking about this now ongoing problem in Pennsylvania. Is it helpful or harmful to wildlife to artificially feed wild animals in the winter? Like so many decisions we face, our emotions are strong and we want to sentimentally “help” ...
By Frank Wilkes Lesnefsky The (Scranton) Times-Tribune CARBONDALE — After seven years in the Army and two tours of duty in the Middle East, Mike Johnson returned home with a Purple Heart but missing a sense of purpose. “All I knew was the Army,’’ he said. Enlisting fresh out of ...
Some hunters who bought their 2019-20 hunting licenses online have been slow to receive them, which in some cases might have impacted their submitting applications for antlerless deer licenses. The Pennsylvania Game Commission encouraged hunters experiencing such problems to contact the ...
While writing this weekly column for almost 20 years, I’ve amassed an enormous amount of notes about fishing, hunting and countless other outdoor topics I’ve featured here during that time. I frequently consult those records as inspiration or reference for future columns and sometimes ...
The latest issue of Outdoor News reported that the recent Cross Fork organized rattlesnake hunt drew thousands of participants. I attended and went along on the Morris-organized snake hunts for many years and truly enjoyed learning the proper way to corral a rattlesnake. My son, who I dragged ...
When it comes to summertime trout-fishing tactics, I’m usually preaching stealth and finesse. Under typical summer water conditions, successful trout anglers are those who can cope with low water and ultra-spooky fish by carefully sneaking into casting range while keeping a low profile and ...
The recent rains have our woodlands looking like a South American rain forest. Weeds along fields are so high you can’t see into the field. The browsers, such as whitetail deer are happy with all the tender leaves and the bears are looking for berries ripening all over the woods. Grouse ...
The Associated Press DECATUR, Ill. — The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is considering options to deal with thousands of invasive Asian carp that are clustering near the base of the Lake Decatur dam. Jacques Nuzzo, program director for the Illinois Raptor Center, said he ...
It appears that a bill to permit Sunday hunting is moving right along legislatively. Before you launch into full-force rejoicing over it, look carefully. This is not a bill to allow hunting on every Sunday but rather a bill that will allow Sunday hunting on just three Sundays: one during the ...
In June 2002, a fisherman discovered a northern snakehead in a pond near Crofton, Maryland. The northern snakehead is a large, predatory freshwater fish native to China, Russia, North Korea and South Korea and is also regarded as an important food fish in those places. Maryland officials, ...
By Patrick Whittle The Associated Press A half-dozen North Atlantic right whales have died in the past month, leading scientists, government officials and conservationists to call for a swift response to protect the endangered species. There are only a little more than 400 of the right ...
Despite facts and statistics from other states that have been battling CWD even longer than has Pennsylvania, many sportsmen refuse to believe or accept their findings. Agree or not, facts show that CWD is spreading in our state just as it has in other states, such as Wisconsin and West ...