PD Sports

November 15, 2009

The animal-less production season

OUTDOORS WITH JAKE

By Don Jacobs
Times Leader Staff Writer

I have said it many times before, “I love my job!” I get to meet interesting people with interesting stories to tell. My bosses allow me to schedule my own stories and to adjust my personal schedule accordingly. The main focus of Pennsylvania Outdoor Life is to inform and educate the audience while entertaining them enough to return week after week. When it all works as planned it comes together smoothly and we believe we have accomplished our mission. But when it doesn’t work out, the rush to fill a half hour of television could be nerve racking to say the least.

There is certainly a misconception about being a producer for a weekly outdoor television show. It isn’t always as easy as it looks. This year’s hunting seasons have been a nightmare at best. It is my job to set up the stories with the most likelihood of success. I pick the experts and the experts pick the location and time. The only piece of the equation that no one can control is the wildlife. They are unpredictable. Here are a few examples of tough times in the producer seat.

We recently set up a duck hunt on the Susquehanna River with a local guide and inventor. We met in Bloomsburg well before daybreak. We jumped in boats and traveled another mile or so to a series of islands described as the honey-hole. This guide was well versed in the sport of duck hunting and he talked up the morning hunt while setting out a series of decoys. The entire stage was set before the sun poked over the mountain enough to burn off the morning fog. Everything went as planned except the ducks never showed up. We hunted until noon before cutting our losses and heading home. We now refer to this trip as the duckless-duck hunt.

The following weekend was the start of the Pennsylvania turkey season. We met up with field staff member Dale Butler for a pre-season scouting trip and very excitedly choose our location for the story. The woods were filled with turkeys and we knew approximately where to find them on the opening morning. Daybreak came and went without a single turkey noise. We walked for half the day before hearing a turkey. Dale and I sat down and proceeded to call to the bird. It moved towards us a bit before walking away without another sound. We now jokingly refer to this as the turkeyless-turkey hunt.

Our next adventure took us to the woods of Susquehanna County with a father and son team. They were prepared to hunt with traditional archery gear for either a buck or doe. This area of Susquehanna County has a reputation for large populations of deer and turkey. With both seasons opened the team decided to add turkeys to the quarry. The day couldn’t have been nicer for an early November archery hunt. The air was cold and crisp. The deer sign was everywhere and we were strategically perched over a heavily used deer trail. Once again someone forgot to invite the animals to the party. This adventure is now called the deerless-deer hunt.

Our next invitation for a story was accepted without hesitation. A local archery enthusiast and product inventor invited us to witness his deer calling technique first hand. He set us up in treestands on private property in upper Luzerne County. His product had successfully called in several bucks and he was ready to harvest one for the camera. Once again, the sunrise was beautiful. The temperature was a little warmer than normal but the whitetail mating season was in full swing. Everything pointed towards a successful hunt and in turn a successful story for Pennsylvania Outdoor Life. We spent two days with our guide and once again not a deer. This is now referred to as deerless-deer hunt #2.

Now don’t start feeling bad for me and my crew. We will make it through the unexpected. We will continue to schedule stories with new and exciting people and we’ll do our best to cover all of the hunting and fishing seasons. It’s just that there are some things we can’t control and some things we can. After 28 years in television, I’m finally getting used to it. It’s quite clear to me that this could be an animal-less production season. We’ll keep you posted.

Bear Season Update

I won’t be writing an article for next week’s paper. Here is a friendly reminder about the Pennsylvania black bear season. Pennsylvania’s primary bear season is three days, statewide, just prior to Thanksgiving, Nov. 23-25.There are a few areas with extended seasons. All of the information could be found on line at www.pgc.state.pa.us. Last year’s black bear harvest was the second highest on record, and weather permitting, the Pennsylvania Game Commission expects hunters to have similar opportunities in the upcoming bear seasons. Pennsylvania’s black bear population has numbered near 15,000 for almost a decade. The Commission reports that our bear population now covers more than three-quarters of the state and it includes a number of world-class trophy bears. Pennsylvania is recognized as one of the top states for bear hunters. Every year, Pennsylvania hunters harvest a number of bears exceeding 500 pounds.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission wants to remind hunters that if you harvest a bear you must complete all information on your bear harvest tag and attach it to the ear of the animal immediately after harvest and before the carcass is moved. In addition, within 24 hours, successful hunters must take their bear along with their general hunting and bear licenses to a Game Commission check station for examination. The local station is at the Pennsylvania Game Commission Office in Dallas. Good Luck if you’re going out.

Outdoor Life

Be sure to watch Pennsylvania Outdoor Life tomorrow night at 7:30 WNEP-TV. We’ll have more clues in the “Rumblin Rhino” contests and we’ll show you how to trap your own bait. Have a great day!

Tweet	Follow @TLsports