Outdoors

Milder temperatures help annual hunt be a success - 02/06/2012
TUNKHANNOCK – Last year snow covered with a layer of ice hampered the hunters who participated in the Northeast Regional Coyote Hunt, resulting in a harvest of 21 canines – one of the lowest since the annual hunt began in 2000.

Coyote event aids researchers - 02/06/2012
TUNKHANNCOK – For a biologist, this weekend’s Northeast Regional Coyote Hunt was heaven. As dozens of coyotes were brought into the Triton Hose Company to be weighed, Kyle Van Why, a wildlife disease biologist with the U.S. Depart ...

Big show worth a day’s visit - 02/05/2012
You have missed the opening days, but there is still time to plan a trip to the Eastern Sports and Outdoors Show in Harrisburg.

Ky. proposes hunting bears with dogs - 02/05/2012
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Dogs could be used to chase black bears in Kentucky under a new proposal that’s being heralded by hunters and assailed by animal rights activists.

Slaughter planned if bison migration occurs - 02/05/2012
BILLINGS, Mont. — Yellowstone National Park administrators plan to capture and ship to slaughter potentially hundreds of wild bison if they migrate into Montana this winter in a bid to reduce disease and control the population of ...

Mild weather not as nice as ice - 02/05/2012
SLOCUM TWP. -- Normally, Waterways Conservation Officer Aaron Lupacchini needs an auger or a chainsaw to cut through the ice to stock trout in February.

Goal is to keep Moon Lake Park thriving TOM VENESKY OUTDOORS - 02/05/2012
Nothing could sway the Over the Hill gang from doing what they love. Not even the bureaucracy and political haggling that temporarily closed Moon Lake Park in January 2010. The informal club consists of seven or eight friends who ...

Bulletin Board - 02/05/2012
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission will hold a basic boating course Saturday, March 10, at Nescopeck State Park from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is no fee for the course and participants can earn a Boating Safety Education ...

OUTDOOR NEWS - 02/05/2012
Waterways Conservation Officers are often called upon to help anglers and boaters in times of need. On July 30, 2011, WCO Scott J. Christman and WCO Aaron Lupacchini of Luzerne County responded to a call for help on Mauch Chunk La ...

Elk population a sign of plan’s success - 01/29/2012
Please don’t feed the elk. That message doesn’t come from a Rocky Mountain state, but from Pennsylvania, where elk have come roaring back from near extinction. The wildlife success story has brought a surge of tourists but also so ...

WMUs may offer extended bear hunts - 01/29/2012
Local hunters could get an extended chance to harvest black bears in Wildlife Management Unit 5C, which includes nearly all of Northampton and Lehigh counties among other areas, under a proposal discussed at the winter meeting of ...

New Jersey closes down its river herring fishery - 01/29/2012
New Jersey environmental officials have shut down the state’s river herring fishery. The Press of Atlantic City reports that the decision made late last week came in part because the state doesn’t have the necessary personnel or f ...

WMU boundaries could change - 01/29/2012
The Pennsylvania Game Commission is looking into the possibility of changing the size of some Wildlife Management Units throughout the state.

Game Commission reaches gas agreement for Greene SGL - 01/29/2012
The Game Commission approved an agreement with Alpha Natural Resources (Alpha) to market natural methane gas from an existing underground mine vent borehole from under a portion of State Game Land 223 in Greene County.

Drilling must be limited in state forests TOM VENESKY OUTDOORS - 01/29/2012
It’s a vast, pristine place. Totaling 114,494 acres, Loyalsock State Forest is home to some of the most breath-taking natural beauty in the Endless Mountains. It’s tracts are located in Bradford, Sullivan and Wyoming counties, and ...

OUTDOOR NOTES - 01/29/2012
More than 150 hunters participated in last weekend’s annual coyote hunt, held by the Huntington Mills United Sportsmen. Snowfall made for prime conditions and hunters bagged 15 coyotes. The top prize for heaviest coyote went to Mi ...

PGC to buy Luzerne parcel - 01/25/2012
HARRISBURG -- The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners approved three purchases of land in Berks, Franklin and Luzerne counties Tuesday that will increase the State Game Lands network.

Va. may add Sunday hunting OUTDOORS NOTEBOOK - 01/22/2012
RICHMOND, Va. — Legislation that would reverse Virginia’s ban on Sunday hunting has advanced to the Senate floor on an overwhelming vote by the Agriculture, Commerce and Natural Resources Committee.

State slashes funding for research - 01/22/2012
HARRISBURG — The administration of Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett has cut funding for a wildlife research program by nearly 70 percent, eliminating state money for projects meant to examine the impact of natural gas drilling and cl ...

A true work of art - 01/22/2012
It was a standoff. A gray squirrel flattened itself into the crotch of an oak tree and froze. A few yards away, perched on a limb, was a red-tailed hawk waiting patiently for the squirrel to move. At the bottom of the tree stood W ...

PGC may add land in Luzerne - 01/22/2012
Hunters and trappers could gain an additional 400 acres in Luzerne County when the Pennsylvania Game Commission board meets Tuesday.

Outdoors notes - 01/22/2012
The Falls Lions Club will host its annual venison/wild game dinner Sunday, Jan. 29, from 2-4 p.m. at Ardee’s Foodrinkery in Falls. For more information, call 388-2337.

Where’s our winter? - 01/15/2012
There’s something missing from the winter landscape that could impact ice anglers, coyote hunters and snowshoe hikers, to name a few. Snow and ice. A mild start to the winter – one that has carried over into the middle of January ...

License issue one that should not disappear TOM VENESKY OUTDOORS - 01/15/2012
I don’t like to belabor an issue, but in this case I can’t help it. The more I think about the move to abolish the requirement to display hunting, furtaking and fishing licenses, the clearer it becomes that the idea doesn’t make a ...

Outdoors notes - 01/15/2012
The second annual All-Outdoors Hunting and Fishing Expo will be held Jan. 19-22 at the Kingston Armory on Market Street. Times are: Thursday – 3-9 p.m.; Friday – noon to 7 p.m.; Saturday – 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sun ...

Nature’s rain deer - 01/08/2012
Since 2003 several members of the North Mountain Branch of the Quality Deer Management Association have checked more than 400 deer at the check station they hold on the first day of rifle deer season each year.

They should’ve just stuck to license display TOM VENESKY OUTDOORS - 01/08/2012
I’ve lost my wallet once or twice over the years, but I’ve never lost my hunting license. I always knew where it was – in a license holder pinned to the back of my hunting coat. In the fall, my license was pinned to the back of an ...

Man bags jail time for shots - 01/08/2012
Terrance E. Weiss Jr. of Madison Township in Lackawanna County on Dec. 16 pleaded guilty in the Lackawanna Court of Common Pleas to one count of recklessly endangering another person, terroristic threats, and hunting under the inf ...

Outdoors notes - 01/08/2012
The North Mountain Branch of the Quality Deer Management Association will hold its annual antler scoring session today at 1 p.m. in the old Noxen School in Noxen. Members and non-members of QDMA are welcome to bring in antlers tha ...

Having a really wild time - 01/01/2012
A flood, an ancient bear, two retirements, Sunday hunting legislation, trapping deer and geese, electro-shocking trout on the Lehigh River, and the opportunity to crawl inside a bear’s den made 2011 an eventful year in the outdoor ...

First nighttime patrol bags some violations - 01/01/2012
For three weekends in October and November, the Pennsylvania Game Commission conducted Operation Talon – a night detail aimed to crackdown on poaching. Dan Figured, PGC law enforcement supervisor for the Northeast Region, said thi ...

Take off the tags and go fish - 12/25/2011
Earlier this month the state legislature passed a bill that removes the requirement for hunters and trappers to display their licenses and anglers may not be far behind. Gov. Tom Corbett signed HB 735 into law on Dec. 15, meaning ...

Right message is delivered in a small dose TOM VENESKY OUTDOORS - 12/25/2011
They got off easy. Everett H. Leonard and his son, Everett Tyler Leonard, are two of the group of five Maine residents who went on a killing spree in Bradford County in October and December of 2010. When it was over, or more accur ...

OUTDOORS NOTES - 12/25/2011
The 2012 Northeast Regional Coyote Hunt, sponsored by District 9 of the PA Trappers Association, will be held on Feb. 3, 4 and 5. A $2,000 grand prize will be awarded for the heaviest coyote, a $250 prize for the heaviest coyote t ...

These are definitely worth the trip - 12/18/2011
Some hunting, fishing and adventuring destinations are especially memorable, and given the chance, our intrepid travelers would visit them time and time again. Here they are:

5 charged after a dead deer left in Pa. church - 12/18/2011
KERSEY — Police say they’ve charged five people who broke into a Pennsylvania church and left behind a dead deer.

Some holiday hints for outdoors lovers - 12/18/2011
DETROIT — In keeping with my Christmas mantra that "Thoughts are cheap, show me the gift," it occurred to me there’s no one better equipped to decide what we deserve from Santa than ourselves.

A numbers game - 12/18/2011
It was a common and unwelcome sight for many during the fall hunting seasons. After spending a day afield, hunters returned home only to find little, black ticks crawling on their clothes and covering their dogs. Tick numbers were ...

Poaching cases on the rise in W.Va. - 12/18/2011
MACARTHUR, W.Va. — The Division of Natural Resources says it’s having a hard time keeping up with poachers this year, and a dramatic increase in the availability of trophy bucks may be the reason.

Strange sights found afield in recent weeks TOM VENESKY OUTDOORS - 12/18/2011
There are some odd creatures roaming northeastern Pennsylvania’s woods and fields, and this hunting season I was fortunate to spot several. Topping the list were the odd birds I saw in the middle of a Bradford County cornfield whi ...

Outdoors notes - 12/18/2011
Nescopeck Hunting and Rifle Club will hold a firearms and outdoors sports show Saturday, Jan. 14, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, Jan. 15, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Nescopeck Township Volunteer Fire Co. Th ...

Poacher loses his trophy buck - 12/11/2011
LAPEER, Mich. — After his hunting buddy missed, Jeff Kerr says he couldn’t resist: He shot a 13-point trophy buck on his grandmother’s land in Lapeer County, a deer with a generous rack.

Whitehall girl, 12, brings down two deer with one shot - 12/11/2011
ALLENTOWN — Black Friday, as it is called, is a bargain hunter’s dream. For 12-year-old Cara Bonshak of Whitehall, Black Friday turned out to be a hunter’s dream.

Saturday alright for big harvest - 12/11/2011
This season’s bear harvest of 3,968 was the second-highest in state history, and all but one of the 12 counties in the Northeast Region showed an increase from last year.

Hunters should have a voice among choir TOM VENESKY OUTDOORS - 12/11/2011
Typically, the language in a legislative bill is mundane, wordy and dry. I’ve read many and I usually spend a few minutes skipping over the legal jargon to get to the good stuff.

Outdoors notes - 12/11/2011
An ice fishing derby will be held at Lake Jean on Jan. 8 . Registration fee is $10 per person and an optional $5 pickerel lunker. Registration is from 5:30-7 a.m. at the west boat launch off of Route 487. The derby runs from 7 a.m ...

Longtime hunter bags No. 55 - 12/04/2011
IONIA, Mich. — Bernard Baxter, 85, has shot almost as many deer as the number of years he has been hunting.

Activists can’t bear to watch hunt - 12/04/2011
NEWARK, N.J. — Animal activists said Friday there wasn’t enough time for them to challenge a court decision allowing New Jersey’s black bear hunt to begin Monday, but that they planned protests next week and will push to block nex ...

Shipping deer is costly to Georgia man - 12/04/2011
ATLANTA — A 48-year-old Villa Rica man has been sentenced in federal court for attempting to ship deer from Pennsylvania to his ranch in Georgia.

Montana wildlife chief gets warning OUTDOORS NOTEBOOK - 12/04/2011
HELENA, Mont. — The head of the commission responsible for setting Montana’s hunting regulations has found himself at the receiving end of one of the warnings his agency issues for illegally salvaging road kill.

Woman from Arkansas paints on turkey feathers as hobby - 12/04/2011
PARAGOULD, Ark. — Donna Hagar was at work one day when her dad, Jim Bateman, called and told her she needed to come by his house in Oak Grove on her way home from work. He said he had something for her.

Busy day afield - 11/29/2011
Monday’s weather was a bit mild for hunter Bill Rusonis’ taste, but it was just fine for his daughter, Megan, who bagged her first buck. “I’m still really excited,” 12-year-old Megan Rusonis, of Ross Township, said hours after the ...

Part of his passion - 11/27/2011
Chris Denmon isn’t a biologist. He just plays one on the first day of deer season. For the last nine years, Denmon and other members of the North Mountain Branch of the Quality Deer Management Association have operated a deer chec ...

Hunters must be ready to go afield - 11/27/2011
With rifle deer season opening tomorrow, hunters need to be aware that hunting can put added stress on the heart and should take extra steps to protect themselves.

Season of giving includes deer harvests - 11/27/2011
Hunters are encouraged to donate deer meat through the Hunters Sharing the Harvest program to help feed the more than one million Pennsylvanians who are at risk to go without food.

Pesky ticks are truly a hazard for the hunter TOM VENESKY OUTDOORS - 11/27/2011
There is an enemy among us as we head into the woods for the opening day of deer season tomorrow.

Late decision leads to hunter bagging a bear - 11/20/2011
Joe Shenk wasn’t going to bear hunt this year. It wasn’t until his brother, Gerald, suggested on Friday that he should drive up and join him at their Sullivan County camp that Shenk decided to buy a license at the last minute and ...

Rack ’em up - 11/20/2011
A lot of work goes into growing that trophy set of antlers that lures hunters into the woods during the two-week rifle deer.

Venison processing has turned into more than just steaks - 11/20/2011
There’s more than just steaks, chops and hamburger in the deer that lucky hunters will drag out of the woods during the two-week rifle season.

Bear can still be on the move - 11/20/2011
Hunting opportunities aren’t limited to deer in some parts of the northeast. Hunters who have a valid bear license can harvest a bear during the first week of the rifle deer season during an extended season

Plenty of anticipation for start of deer season - 11/20/2011
It’s a pretty good indication of just how important the first day of deer season is to the approximately 800,000 hunters who will hit the woods on Monday, Nov. 28: On the homepage of the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s website, the ...

Bagging big bruins - 11/13/2011
There are two things that are predictable with each bear season: there are a lot of them out there and a good percentage are pretty big.

Amazing that a female bear lived to age 35 TOM VENESKY OUTDOORS - 11/13/2011
When Pennsylvania Game Commission biologist Kevin Wenner told me the age of a black bear that had to be put down in Carbon County last week, I asked him to repeat it.

Bear hunters travel to PA - 11/13/2011
With a high bear population and plenty of big bruins, Pennsylvania has become a destination for out-of-state hunters.

Outdoor Notes - 11/13/2011
The Factoryville Sportsmen’s Club will hold its November meeting on Wednesday Nov. 16 at the Clubhouse beginning at 7:30 p.m. This change in schedule is due to the Thanksgiving holid ...

Bear numbers - 11/13/2011
Bear numbers

Turning time, attention to quail - 11/06/2011
As a bird hunter, Bill Jones is happy if his dog flushes a pheasant or two during a day of hunting.

A novel idea: Charging less for a license TOM VENESKY OUTDOORS - 11/06/2011
It defies logic. A state government agency is actually considering reducing a fee that it charges the public.

Release the hounds - 10/30/2011
Andy Bensing offers a pretty good reason why tracking wounded deer with dogs should be allowed in Pennsylvania.

Sundays discussion nears end - 10/30/2011
The third and final hearing on Sunday hunting was held in Harrisburg on Thursday before members of the House Game and Fisheries Committee.

OUTDOORS NEWS - 10/30/2011
Pennsylvania American Water and the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission (PFBC) announced the opening of five Pennsylvania American Water reservoirs in Lackawanna County for public fishing. The five new reservoirs that will be open ...

Two from Maine plead guilty to poaching - 10/23/2011
Bradford County poachers face jail time

Prepping for turkeys - 10/23/2011
Despite a wet spring and summer, the Pennsylvania Game Commission is predicting hunters will encounter sizeable wild turkey populations when the fall season opens on Saturday, Oct. 29.

Tragedies could be avoided by not collecting TOM VENESKY OUTDOORS - 10/23/2011
Baseball cards.

Outdoor Notes - 10/23/2011
The Factoryville Sportsmen’s Club will hold its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 26 at 7:30 p.m. in the clubhouse. Members are reminded to make ticket returns on the upcoming turkey shoot and raffle at ...

Outdoors notes - 10/19/2011

Tough times ahead - 10/19/2011
Ruffed grouse may be the hardest game to hunt in Pennsylvania, and the numbers back it up.

Goal shared by all: More youth hunting - 10/19/2011
State Rep. Ed Staback and Mountain Top resident Tommy Hollock have the same goal in mind. They both want to keep young hunters in the sport and attract more youth at the same time.

Tough times ahead - 10/16/2011
Ruffed grouse may be the hardest game to hunt in Pennsylvania, and the numbers back it up.

Struggle to survive - 10/09/2011
Cave bats have long been some of North America’s most successful species. Then, in 2006, White-Nosed Syndrome (WNS) surfaced in Howe’s Cave near Albany, N.Y., and the future of North America’s cave bats soon became anything but ce ...