Pittston Dispatch // PD Columnists // Don Jacobs - Outdoors With Jake

Sunday December 28, 2008 | 12:00 AM

It is hard to believe that 2008 is almost over. It seems like yesterday we were getting ready for the trout seasons; scouting spring gobblers and watching spring unfold from the harsh winter. The change of the calendar to 2009 probably won’t make me feel any older; I certainly don’t need any help in that department. It just means that on paper we are all another year older. Perhaps the Vietnamese say it best. They believe that the change of year is simply proof of yet another trip around the sun.

We have much to look forward to this New Year. We are all here to welcome it in and for some people that is indeed a blessing. Ice fishermen welcome the hard water. Penn State is playing in the Rose Bowl and that allows for yet another football party. There are still two weeks of deer hunting for flintlock and late season archery hunters and there are plenty of small game hunting opportunities left.

I don’t make serious New Year’s resolutions, but I can tell you that I will spend as much time as I can in the Great Outdoors, on the Susquehanna River and on State Game Lands. I hope to explore areas of the state I have yet to set foot on and I plan on searching out a new fishing adventure or two. The nice thing about my job is that I can do all of this and get paid for it as well and for that I am very grateful.

While no one can really know what 2009 has in store for us, we can do our best to make others feel needed and special. We can include young children in our outdoor plans and we can make a difference by volunteering or supporting a local conservation group. How we welcome in the New Year is totally up to us. I choose to do it with a smile and an open mind. I wish all of you a safe, healthy and Happy New Year!

Fishing License Time

Fishing licenses for 2009 are on sale. If you plan on doing any fishing after Wednesday of this week, you need a 2009 fishing license. The cost for a resident license is $22.70. The trout/salmon stamp will cost you $9.70. Licenses are available on-line as well as local fishing license agents. If you aren’t an ice fisherman, the next big fishing day is the April 18 opener of the Pennsylvania Trout Season.

Coyote Hunts

The early part of the year is the time for organized coyote hunts. AS os December 20 coyotes are legal game under the Mentored Youth Hunting Program (MYHP.) MYHP’s mission is to create expanded youth hunting opportunities without compromising safety. Under the program, a mentor is defined as a properly licensed individual at least 21, who will serve as a guide to a youth while engaged in hunting or related activities, such as scouting, learning firearms or hunter safety and wildlife identification. A mentored youth is identified as an unlicensed individual less than 12 who is accompanied by a mentor while engaged in hunting or related activities.

In 2007 the number of mentored youth grew to 58,883, and there were 51,141 adult mentors. That year, mentored youths harvested 61,160 squirrels, 52,114 groundhogs, 5,199 antlered deer and 3,496 spring gobblers. The interest in this program is growing. We all know that the future of hunting lies in the hands of our children. It’s nice to see them get involved at an early age.

Here is a list of organized coyote hunts in the northeast. They usually hand out cash prizes for both a successful harvest and for the heaviest animals. Good Luck if you enter.

Huntington Mills United Sportsmen - January 16-18. For information call: 570-256-3933

Northeast Regional Coyote Hunt - January 30-31 & February 1 Triton Hose Co. Tunkhannock Pa. Trappers Association Dist. 9 For information call: 570-942-6895 www.patrappers.com/dist9

Mosquito Creek Sportsman’s Club - Feb 20-21-22 2009. For information go to: mosquitocreeksportsmen.com

Sullivan County’s Annual - February 26-27-28 & March 1 Benefits Local Fire Companies For information call: 570-506-2911

Outdoor Life

Tonight at 6:30 on Pennsylvania Outdoor Life on WNEP-TV, we will begin a two week look-back at the year 2008. Tonight we’ll do a little fishing on the Susquehanna River, pick some morel mushrooms and do a little eagle watching on the Delaware River.