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Busy month capped by 3 Sunday hunting days

The last half of November is a busy intersection of popular hunting seasons in Pennsylvania occurring one after the other in a three-week span. They are, of course, the fall archery deer season, which ended on Friday, followed by the four-day bear season, which begins Saturday and ends on Tuesday. Then it’s a break for Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday before the first day of the firearms deer season on Saturday, Nov. 25. During this perfect storm of big-game hunting opportunities, three consecutive Sundays are also in play: Nov. 12 during the final week of archery season to give ...

Watch for deer while driving

If you have done much driving around the rural areas of our region in recent weeks, you have likely noticed the increased presence of road-killed deer along the highways. Insurance industry statistics indicate that Pennsylvania is usually one of the top states for deer-vehicle collisions each year, so a dead deer on the roadside is a common sight any time of year. The top month for deer-vehicle collisions, however, is November for several reasons. Overall deer numbers are the highest of the year now as this spring’s fawn crop are approaching six months old and a significant part of ...

For anyone who has driven around our area during the past week, you couldn’t help but notice that the foliage was reaching its colorful peak and included almost all of the colors in unison. While weather-related factors, such as rainfall, sunlight and temperature, can have some effect on the intensity and duration of fall foliage colors, photoperiod is the primary determining factor of when leaves make their fall transition. Photoperiod is the scientific term for the relative length of daylight and darkness for each day throughout the year. The shorter days of autumn start the ...

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 ...