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Pa. game lands tours upcoming this month

The first state game lands in Pennsylvania were purchased back in 1920 to provide land for wildlife habitat and hunting and trapping opportunities for current and future generations. In 2015, the total acreage of our state game lands system topped 1.5 million acres and is still growing. Because none of that land was purchased with general state tax money, Pennsylvania hunter and trappers can be justifiably proud that their license dollars have largely helped pay for the land in our state game lands system, with additional funding coming from federal wildlife-restoration funds, ...

Pa. elk herd represents a conservation success

During the spring of 2023, Pennsylvania’s elk herd was estimated at 1,300 to 1,400 animals, and our elk range comprises parts of Elk, McKean, Cameron, Clinton, Potter, Clearfield and Centre counties north of Interstate 80. During the early 19th century, native elk were found throughout Pennsylvania. By the 1860s, however, just a few wild elk were left in Elk and Cameron counties, with the last native Pennsylvania elk probably killed in the late 1870s. The restoration of elk in Pennsylvania to their current status represents a great conservation success story for both hunters and ...

Dove and geese open next week

My air conditioner has been running since late morning as I sit at the keyboard to compose this week’s column. The familiar drone of that unit has been a constant background noise in my apartment for most of this persistently hot summer. Despite that situation, it still seems a bit out of place to be still dependent on the AC as I write about this week’s topic: the start of the dove and Canada geese hunting seasons. The advent of Labor Day and with it the unofficial end of most summer activities is something that comes too soon every year. And because both the dove and goose seasons ...

Modern bait-casting tackle is a joy to use

Like most kids in the 1960s, I started my fishing career with spinning tackle. There were plenty of inexpensive spinning reels available back then that made learning to cast a quick and easy process for a young angler. Gaining competence with spinning gear soon led to my buying my first fly rod. The learning curve for fly-fishing was considerably steeper, but one I readily navigated. It would be almost thirty years later that I decided to embrace bait-casting tackle as a significant part of my fishing arsenal. Because trout fishing tended to be my primary focus in those younger days, ...

Recalling childhood memories of the river

Last weekend my brother and I spent a relaxing time fishing on the Juniata River. The weather wasn’t the best for fishing, mostly hot and bright, but a frequent breeze kept things mostly pleasant, and enough river smallmouths attacked our lures to keep the day interesting. We didn’t land any monsters on that trip, but those hard-fighting Juniata bass of any size never disappoint. That’s why I have long considered the Juniata River as one of my favorite places to fish. And that river has provided a lifetime of wonderful memories for me. In fact, the oldest childhood memory I ...

Beating the heat for summertime fishing

After a couple of weeks of day after day with temperatures well into the 90s, a few days of 80-degree temperatures feels like a relief. I certainly don’t need to remind fellow anglers that the recent brutal heat wave made fishing an ineffective ordeal on many days. And even with a return to more “normal” summertime weather, that situation probably won’t get a lot better for awhile. Trout fishing can be the most problematic now. The ample water levels in most area streams that we enjoyed throughout the spring are just a memory now. I drove by a small freestone stream last week ...