Breaking News

Outdoors

Archery season always a fun time

Archery season opens Oct. 1 in this area, an exciting time to be in the woods. My buddy, Joanie Haidle, was out checking her trail cams and came upon one that had been totally ripped off the tree. It was bent and twisted, and teeth marks peppered the outside of it. She spent a couple of hours on hands and knees looking for the camera card but never found it and wondered if it ended up in the bear’s stomach. Perhaps there is a black bear with indigestion running around out there. That could add to the fun out there this archery/turkey season. We shall see. Archers are still ...

Sept. squirrel season is a new tradition

The opening days of the mourning dove and early Canada goose seasons on Sept. 1 are well-established traditions in Pennsylvania. The start of the statewide squirrel last weekend on Saturday, Sept. 10, however, is somewhat of a new tradition for early-season hunting here in Pennsylvania. It is the third year of the squirrel season starting in early September rather than the long-established mid-October opener. When the Pennsylvania Game Commission approved this change for the fall of 2020, the rationale for it was to provide increased hunting opportunities. And moving the season up by ...

Sympathies appreciated as hunting life goes on

Ah, September is here! First I sincerely want to thank everyone for your calls and cards during the recent loss of my son, Mark. He was my only child, my best hunting buddy and a great son. I know I will never get over it but life must go on and archery season is just around the corner. You’ll soon see lots of camouflage clothes hanging outside to air all the human smells out of them. Hay bales will appear in back yards for archery practice sessions, and sporting good stores will have huge upticks in sales of broadheads, arrows, boots, clothes and smelly cover scents and scents ...

Spotting is just the start: Plenty of prep is needed before successful hunts

From the time I began archery hunting for deer in the 1960’s, the advice from writers and hunting pros and assorted experts has always been the same — do a lot of preseason scouting and start in late August. Defining preseason scouting is a varied exercise, to be sure. To some, it means ...

DCNR announces new rules

HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources recently announced new rules prohibiting rifles and handguns for hunters at four state parks in the southeastern region of the state. Under the new policy, use of all center fire and rim fire rifles and handguns for the purposes of hunting is prohibited at Evansburg, Marsh Creek and Nockamixon state parks, as well as White Clay Creek Preserve. The use of shotguns, muzzleloaders, and bows and arrows are still permitted during established hunting seasons; except for the portion of White Clay Creek Preserve ...

Bald eagle restoration a great success story

By Walt Young sports@altoonamirror.com Wildlife and nature have been a burning fascination for me as long as I can remember. As a youngster, I spent countless hours in the woods, exploring and watching for a glimpse of the many birds and animals that lived there. When I couldn’t be outdoors, I contented myself by reading and learning more about wild creatures, both familiar and far flung. Back then, if someone had told me I would ever see a bald eagle in the wild in Blair, Bedford or Huntingdon counties, I would have dismissed them as being more than a little crazy. But now a ...