Outdoors category, Page 14
Owl be darned — Rockefeller Center Christmas tree survival tale not surprisingVideo
It’s actually not unusual, given the circumstances, that a cute Northern saw-whet owl, found in the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center recently, is healthy and still adorable. The saw-whet owl is so named because its call, not the typical hoo-hoo, but rather a mechanical toot-toot, sounds like the sharpening of...
First Sunday of big-game hunting in Pa. since colonial timesVideo
Pennsylvania was a British colony in 1682 when blue laws were enacted banning many activities, including hunting, on Sundays. For the first time since, Sunday and on the next two weekends, hunting of big game such as deer and bear will be allowed on Sundays. Hunting will be allowed this...
Game warden cites Derry Township man after trophy deer post on social media
A Derry Township man’s boast on social media about bagging an albino deer during archery season last month landed him in hot water with the state game commission. After an investigation, Stone P. Kepple, 23, admitted to wardens that he had struck the deer while driving in Derry Borough and...
Amid increased usage during pandemic, graffiti, trash plague Ohiopyle State Park
Graffiti is back again at Ohiopyle State Park. Volunteers and park staff spent Thursday cleaning up spray painted political messages, obscenities, drawings of genitalia and personal notes from bridge abutments in two parts of the park, said naturalist Barbara Wallace. Graffiti was found on a new abutment constructed this year...
Western Pa. anglers aim to make it easier for outdoor enthusiasts to collect trashVideo
Hunter Klobucar and Tyler Waltenbaugh spent the summer of 2018 crossing the deep woods and backwaters of northern Pennsylvania, along the Route 6 corridor, and while their purpose was to study the natural habitat of brook trout, one particularly unnatural feature kept showing up: trash. “We’re in all these remote...
Life jacket now required for paddlers, boaters on all Pennsylvania waters
It’s that time of year. Water temperatures plummet and because of the dangers of drowning, all paddlers and boaters must wear a life jacket now until April 30. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) says U.S. Coast Guard approved life jacket are required at all times while underway or...
Focus on natural food sources for success hunting fall turkeys
When hunting turkeys, success is always predicated by the bird’s interest in one of two things: sex or food. During spring gobbler season, concentrate on the desire of toms to mate, but when hunting turkeys in the fall, think food. Like most creatures out there, turkeys spend their fall days...
New laws will affect Pennsylvania archery hunters as season opens Saturday
Archery hunters across the state will be in their deer stands Saturday for the first day of Pennsylvania’s statewide archery deer season. The first part of the season will run through Nov. 20. It will be closed on Sundays, except for Nov. 15. For the first time, the season will...
Fishing license sales jump 20% with covid-19 outdoor recreation boom
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission has already sold about 150,000 more fishing licenses this year than it did all of last year. “We certainly think that the pandemic situation has had an impact, as more people sought outdoor recreational activities, and either discovered or rediscovered a passion for fishing,”...
1st deadly grizzly attack recorded in nation’s largest park
A hunter has been killed by a grizzly bear in Alaska’s Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. It’s the first-known grizzly attack death in the nation’s largest national park. Park officials said in a statement that the hunter was killed Sunday, attacked while the hunter and a friend were near...
North Huntingdon man recognized for helping keep Linn Run park trout stream cleanVideo
On a warm September morning atop a wooded ridge where only insects and a small stream break the silence in Linn Run State Park, Dennis “Denny” Hess shoveled pure limestone into the water to neutralize acid rain in the water so the insects that trout thrive upon can populate the...
Invasive ‘rock snot’ algae found in Somerset County’s Quemahoning Creek
Quemahoning Creek in Somerset County has a “rock snot” problem. The invasive algae didymo, also known as “rock snot,” was recently discovered in the creek, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission announced Friday. Somerset Conservation District employees found the algae about two months ago in a section of stream used...
Flash sale: Pa. offers $1 fishing licenses for Labor Day only
Knowing that good weather is in store for the holiday weekend, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission at the last minute is offering $1 fishing licenses for Labor Day, Sept. 7, only. However, there is one caveat: the Fish and Boat Commission are reminding anglers and boaters to practice safe...
Pandemic provides boost for river recreation businesses in Western Pa.Video
The covid-19 pandemic appears to have spurred more people to take to Western Pennsylvania’s waterways this summer. Neill Andritz, co-owner of River’s Edge Canoe & Kayak in Gilpin, said kayaking, tubing and canoe rentals have increased 25% this season as people have sought covid-friendly outdoor pursuits. “We’re realizing the outdoors...
Southern California sees summer of mountain lion kittens
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — A mountain lion baby boom has occurred this summer in the Santa Monica Mountains and Simi Hills west of Los Angeles. Thirteen kittens were born to five mountain lion mothers between May and August, according to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. It’s the first...
North Hills communities aim to trim deer population
The herds of roaming deer causing vehicle accidents, spreading Lyme disease through the ticks they carry and gnawing away at expensive landscaping may soon have one less place in the North Hills to escape the hunter’s snare. McCandless council has given town planning commission member Dan Kortum the green light...
First of Pennsylvania’s 2020-21 hunting seasons open
The 2020-21 hunting season officially gets under way on Sept. 1 as two species of migratory birds become legal game: Canada geese and mourning doves. The early seasons on both seasons this year will be pretty much the same as last year. Although it doesn’t impact the early season opening...
Albino buck caught on camera in northern Butler CountyVideo
After an amateur photographer heard about an albino white-tailed deer in northern Butler County, he finally managed to photograph and video the animal twice, most recently in mid-August. “It was a cool sighting,” said Jake Dingel of Butler who found the buck on private property in a wooded area. To...
Pennsylvania Game Commission will reveal elk hunting license winners live online
Lacking a 2020 Pennsylvania Great Outdoors Elk Expo as a venue, the Pennsylvania Game Commission plans to reveal the names of the hunters being drawn to receive 2020-21 elk hunting licenses in a Facebook Live online event on Saturday. The elk expo has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic,...
Civilian marksmanship program promotes gun safety, produces skilled shootersVideo
On a cool Sunday morning, the sun is burning the fog off Skellytown Road in North Huntingdon, and the dull crack of distant gunfire is the only thing interrupting the chatter of birds. The shooting is coming from the White Oak Rod & Gun Club, where a small group gathered...
Rare blazing star wildflowers in bloom in Butler County prairieVideo
The sea of tall, purple wildflowers known as blazing stars at Jennings Environmental Education Center are a rarity for Western Pennsylvania, and they won’t last much longer than this weekend. The flower is as exotic as its habitat: a prairie that was first preserved by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and...
U.S. wildlife agency rejects protections for rare fish species
BILLINGS, Mont. — U.S. wildlife officials on Wednesday rejected special protections for a rare, freshwater fish related to salmon that’s been at the center of a long-running legal dispute, citing conservation efforts that helped increase Arctic grayling numbers in a Montana river. The Associated Press obtained details of the decision...
Kayak Pittsburgh set to open Friday at Aspinwall Riverfront Park
Kayakers will be able to get out on the water in Aspinwall this weekend, Venture Outdoors announced Thursday. After a stalled start to the season amid covid-19 concerns, the group said it will open its Kayak Pittsburgh site at the Aspinwall Riverfront Park on Friday for members. Access will be...
Western Pa. residents flock to campsites for safe, social-distanced summer fun
As people search for summer fun in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, camping has quickly become a popular alternative to bustling beaches and large crowds. At Ohiopyle State Park, park manager Kenneth Bisbee said attendance has skyrocketed this season. “Since the governor issued the stay-at-home order in March, our...
Bats with covid-19? Pennsylvania researchers are trying to find out
The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine is studying if covid-19 has been contracted by local bats who are recovering from white-nose syndrome, a deadly fungus that has been decimating populations. If the state’s fragile but recovering bat population contracts covid-19, it could create another stressor for the night...
