Outdoors category, Page 21
How to safely wade while fishing and more outdoors extras
Tip of the week Wading is a great, and oftentimes necessary, way to get within casting distance of fish in rivers and streams. It’s also potentially dangerous, especially at this time of year. Rain and snow can raise water levels quickly, and a fall into cold water can bring on...
Make a convincing argument with these 6 benefits of eating wild game
The alarm goes off in the predawn dark and, rolling over, you touch the shoulder of your significant other. An affectionate yet sly smile crosses your lips. “Shh,” you say. “Shh. It’s OK. I’m just letting you know I’m leaving.” “Huh? What? Where?” he or she asks. “Hunting,” you answer....
Mammoth Dam home to mammoth largemouth bass, crappies
To say fishermen sometimes stretch the truth is to say the sky is sometimes blue, the grass is sometimes green and oranges are sometimes, well, orange. Exaggerations, tall tales, even good-natured if otherwise bald-faced lies. Those are often their stock in trade. Often. But not this time. Biologists from the...
Fishing report: Loyalhanna Creek boasts trout after stocking
• Loyalhanna Creek is teeming with trout thanks to a recent stocking. Anglers are enjoying a consistent trout bite while using spinners and jigs for their setup. Live bait is restricted at the moment as visitors only are allowed to use artificial lures. • Anglers fishing Conemaugh River Lake are...
A rabbit hunting tip can help bag cottontails
Tip of the week There are situations when it pays to think big. Cottontail rabbit hunting is not necessarily one of them. Rabbits, a prey species for so many hungry predators, must learn quickly to hide in and near thick cover if they hope to survive. And often, that cover...
Outdoors notices for Nov. 3, 2019
Outdoors Notices HUNTER SAFETY COURSES Note: All hunter safety courses require preregistration at www.pgc.state.pa.us. • Concord United Methodist Church, Beaver County, 6-9:30 p.m. Nov. 7-8. Class limit 100. • Murrysville District Sportsmen Association/Gun Club, Westmoreland County, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Nov. 17. Class limit 55. SHOOTS ON TAP • California Hill...
Women’s Adventure Club of Sewickley encourages year-round outdoor activity
No matter if there’s rain, snow or sleet, a group of Sewickley-area women will be headed outdoors this winter to breathe in the fresh air, converse with their neighbors and get exercise hiking or biking through area trails. The Women’s Adventure Club of Sewickley, launched a little more than a...
Pennsylvania’s Sunday hunting bill clears last big hurdle
There was a moment of doubt, for sure. But it looks as if expanded Sunday hunting is coming to Pennsylvania in 2020. On Wednesday, members of the House of Representatives approved Senate Bill 147 by a vote of 144-54. That was one day later than expected. Supporters expected things to...
Anglers will see more big and bright trout in 2020
This is going to spawn a lot of lusty dreams between now and April. Of the angling kind, anyhow. Each year, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission stocks “trophy” trout in streams and lakes across the state. That includes brood fish — or brooks, browns and rainbows held in a...
Work, health keep Americans from enjoying nature
Work and health — those are the things keeping people indoors more often than not. APM Research Lab, on behalf of The Water Main, which promotes clean water, polled a nationally representative sample of Americans earlier this year. The goal was to see how much time they spend outside and...
Birds, binoculars, more in outdoor extras
Lure of the week Lure name: Stupid Tube Company: Secret Lures (secretlures.com) Lure type: Soft plastic tube Sizes and colors: Available in a 3.7-inch model in assorted colors, including bluegill, Junebug, road kill, green pumpkin, watermelon red, black red neon and green pumpkin orange. Target species: Largemouth and smallmouth bass....
Fishing report: Trout stocking boosts Blue Spruce Lake
• As a result of a recent stocking, Blue Spruce Lake is offering up plenty of trout to anglers fishing its waters. Most of the catches were brook trout and brown trout. Fishermen are utilizing live bait and seeing solid results. • Fishermen at Shenango Reservoir are catching a variety...
Choosing the right taxidermist requires homework
You’ve probably seen them floating around the internet and laughed. We’re talking pictures of horrifically bad, even frightening taxidermy. If you haven’t, just Google something like “really bad taxidermy” and see what turns up. Spoiler alert: it ain’t pretty. The real tragedy is that each of the animals mounted in...
Sunday hunting bill clears committee with amendment
Expanded Sunday hunting is a step closer to coming to Pennsylvania. But not without hunters having to make one more concession. The House of Representatives game and fisheries committee Monday approved Senate Bill 147. It allows hunting on three Sundays. One is in the statewide archery deer season, one in...
Pennsylvania Game Commission advises hunters to take precautions against EEE virus
The Pennsylvania Game Commission is issuing a warning to the state’s hunters. With a rare mosquito-transmitted virus documented in the state this year, the Game Commission is encouraging hunters and others who spend time outdoors to take precautions against mosquito bites and report to the agency any dead or strange-acting...
Fall trout stocked in Western Pa. waterwaysVideo
Steady rain didn’t dampen the anticipation of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and local anglers for the fall stocking of rainbow trout Tuesday at Deer Lakes Park and other waterways. The water temperature at Deer Lakes was 58 degrees, which is perfect for stocking trout, a coldwater fish, said...
Pa. baker creates life-size deer wedding cake
A couple asked a Lancaster County baker to create a wedding cake in the shape of a deer. The result has been deerly beloved on Facebook. Pam McNeal sculpted the life-size deer at Shady Maple Farm Market in East Earl, according to the market’s Facebook page. The couple provided the...
Some advice on building a fire in the rain
“Isn’t that sort of cheating?” That’s what a dad asked one time when a few other Scoutmasters and I were teaching a crowd of boys various ways of making fire in wet weather. One leader was going over how to light a petroleum ball with a ferro rod. Another was...
Outdoors notices for Oct. 20, 2019
Outdoors Notices HUNTER SAFETY COURSES Note: All hunter safety courses require preregistration at www.pgc.state.pa.us. • Northside Sportsman Club Clubhouse, Allegheny County, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Oct. 26. Class limit 150. • Rockwood Area High School, Somerset County, 3:30-7:30 p.m. Oct. 29-30. Class limit 50. • Plum Creek Masonic Hall, Allegheny County,...
Fishing report: Conemaugh River Lake becomes hot spot for walleye
• Conemaugh River Lake is a fruitful spot to visit for anglers who are on the lookout for walleye, as plenty of the fish are being caught in the vicinity of the rocks on the far side of the lake. Most anglers are seeing good results using minnows as bait....
Coyotes, millennials and other outdoor extras
Gear of the week Gear name: Block 6X6 Company: Field Logic (everybodyshops.com/block-archery-target.html) Gear type: Archery target Product description: Practice is the key to getting good at anything. But that’s never more true than with archery. To be a responsible bowhunter takes time and commitment. Practice can be easy and fun,...
Game Commission shares video of black bear release in Fayette CountyVideo
Did you ever wonder what it would be like to have a 200-pound black bear charge at you? A video by the Pennsylvania Game Commission of a bear being released from a trap on state game lands in Lower Tyrone Township in Fayette County gives viewers that up close, in-person...
Accessible Hunter creator inspires others to get back into the woods
It was, for Greg Traynor, a moment of revelation. It was autumn, his favorite time of year. And he was in the woods, archery hunting, his most cherished outdoor activity among many. The sun was shining on his face, the leaves were a fiery mix of reds and golds and...
6 tips for hiking safely in hunting season
You see it in the parking lots. Visit almost any public land at this time of year. The jumping off points for outdoor exploration that often were empty, or close to it, during the muggiest, buggiest days of late summer suddenly are busy. And with good reason. The splendors of...
Outdoors notices for Oct. 13, 2019
Outdoors Notices HUNTER SAFETY COURSES Note: All hunter safety courses require preregistration at www.pgc.state.pa.us. • Shaner Sportsmen’s Club, Westmoreland County, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 20. Class limit 45. • Windber Sportsmans Association, Somerset County, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Oct. 20. Class limit 50. • Northside Sportsman Club Clubhouse, Allegheny County, 8:30...
