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Nature knows what to do in the woods

It is not just hunters who express concern for the state’s wildlife during a prolonged and wicked winter. We seem to be on the path to a tough winter this year. Many non-hunters also wonder how wildlife survives during rough winters. It is not easy to explain nor to contemplate. But wildlife copes differently than humans do with harsh conditions. Here is a quote from the vintage book “Rambling through Penn’s Woods,” a hard-to- find book these days since it was published in 1981. The book is a collection of articles once published in “The Pennsylvania Naturalist” ...

Reminiscing about muzzleloaders in the ’70s

As the late archery and flintlock deer seasons get underway this weekend, a contingent of intrepid hunters will venture forth with those special weapons for a final chance to put some venison in the freezer this winter. Both seasons run through Jan. 23. These late hunts present plenty of challenges, especially with some of the harsh weather that can happen in January. Bows and arrows were first legalized for deer hunting in Pennsylvania in 1929. The first archery season for deer in Pennsylvania occurred in the fall of 1951. The first winter archery season came in 1964 and was ...

College playoff still creating controversy

When the College Football Playoff system was mercifully installed back in 2014, coaches, players, fans and media breathed a collective sigh of relief. The process of determining the national champion would presumably finally be cut and dried, and decided on the field, with none of the maddening ambiguity that had previously been generated by the ineffective Bowl Championship Series and poll formats. But in 2020, a year in which nothing in sports or otherwise has gone smoothly or made any sense, there’s a big controversy among the field that was selected for the four-team playoff by ...

Lions can let loose vs. Illini

Some nitpicking as Penn State’s home season (for sure this time) concludes: n With three games canceled, and uncertainty over the availability of some key Ohio State players in the Big Ten title game, there’s an anti-climatic cloud over the entire conference today, and, surely, Penn State’s matchup with Illinois (5:30 p.m., Fox Sports1) is part of that. Absent the emotion of even a fanless senior day, and facing a team that has already fired its coach, this is a perfect opportunity for new wrinkles and a little fun on both sides because neither team has anything to lose. Both ...

PSU football: McGloin’s amazing story shows ultimate underdog

Christian Hackenberg was a five-star recruit. So was Anthony Morelli. Penn State’s recent four-star quarterback recruits include Rob Bolden, Pat Devlin, Paul Jones and Kevin Newsome. I can hear your collective groans. Not a single one of those guys ever went on to start a game at quarterback in the NFL. You know who did? Of course you do. Matt McGloin. A zero-star recruit. A walk-on. A guy who had the biggest chip on his shoulder that you’ll ever see. A guy with … wait for it … moxie. I never get tired of writing or talking about McGloin. In my 15 years on the ...

Finish line for PSU football season, mercifully, should be near

Kickoff Saturday: Michigan State (2-4) at Penn State (2-5), Noon TV: ABC Latest line: Penn State is favored by 14.5 points With all the uncertainty that has surrounded this year, college football’s goal was really pretty simple: Just get the season in. And for the Nittany Lions, by ...