The Outdoors Insider

Forget the rivalry for one night

I am torn. On one hand there is a great kid-focused outdoors event. And on the other… York’s rival in the War of the Roses, the Lancaster Barnstormers. While I would love to see the Game Commission bring its “youth hunter appreciation night” to the other side of the Susquehanna, I’m not going to let a hometown rivalry stop me from spreading the word about a great event.

Plus, I really want one of those hats.

If you have young children or are merely interested in helping the state’s youth become more involved in our sport, mark your calendars for August 31. That’s the night the Game Commission and the Lancaster Barnstormers are teaming up to help introduce youngsters to the sport of hunting. When the gates open at 5:00 p.m. at Clipper Magazine Stadium, kids from 8-12 years old will have a chance to test their archery and shooting skills with various events set up in the stadium’s outfield. There will even be shooting events (with simulators, of course) throughout the game.

Best of all, those hats. Sure to be a collector’s dream, the first 2,000 kids through the gate will get a blaze orange hunting hat, with the Barnstormer’s logo on the front and the Game Commission’s keystone on the back. In case it’s not already clear, I want one.
To top it all off, the home team will sport special camouflage jersey that will be up for action (along with some other interesting items), with the proceeds going to help fund an upcoming youth field day.

To read more, follow this link. The Barnstormers may be a hometown rival, but the state’s youth, no matter what baseball team they cheer for, deserve an opportunity like this. Besides that, nobody said you can’t wear a Revolution t-shirt to the game.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Now’s the time

If you didn’t realize today was the day to get your antlerless applications to the county’s treasurer, a quick trip to a locals sporting goods store over the weekend would have been an easy reminder. With a day’s worth of rain on Saturday, I decided to hit up some of my favorite local spots to check out some of the latest gear and see if I could convince my wife I needed to take some of it home.

Everywhere I went, one thing was obvious — the line extending from the hunting license counter. Last-minute shoppers were getting their back tags and stuffing those precious pink envelopes into the mail (along with a check for $6.70) in hopes of getting a tag before they run out. One fellow said he was in line for over a half hour.
If you didn’t get your application in just yet, chances are, you’ve still got time. In some of the tighter management units like 2G, where there are just 9,000 tags left, you’d better get in gear. But here at home, unit 5B, last look shows some 50,285 tags available. It’s more than enough for a few weeks worth of procrastinators.

To keep your eye on the action, check out the Game Commission’s daily tabulation of license availability by clicking here.

Popularity: 18% [?]

A life-saving decision

It is amazing how a last-minute decision can change your life. At some point, anybody that has spent time outdoors had a decision to make — shell out our hard-earned cash on some sort of hope-to-never-use safety equipment or take our chances without it.

With a price tag of over $800, few recreational boaters are willing to spend the money on a satellite-based emergency beacon like an EPIRB (emergency position indicating radio beacon). With fuel and tackle costs to worry about, a rarely used piece of emergency equipment is near the bottom of the must-have list.

That’s what a California trio of boaters thought when the planned their offshore adventure on 32-foot sailboat. But a worrisome father knew better. That’s why, at the last minute, he spent $65 to rent an EPIRB for a week and sent it out to sea with his daughter. It turned out to be a lifesaving decision. 

While the weather was calm on the East Coast last weekend, in northern California, it was blowing a gale, pushing seas up to 20 feet. It got so bad, it was obvious to the three boaters their lives were in serious danger. Moments after summoning help by activating their rented EPIRB, the high seas flipped their boat, tossing them into the Pacific’s frigid waters.

Within minutes of hitting a switch on the beacon, the Coast Guard was on their way with an MH-65C Dolphin helicopter to pluck the overboard sailors from the water.  Even with the quick response, the female boater was in trouble, with her body temperature dropping to 79 degrees.

There is no doubt, her father’s last-minute decision to spend some money and pack an EPIRB saved all three lives. Money is tight, but when lives are on the line, there is no substitute for having the proper equipment. 

Popularity: 20% [?]

What it takes to protect liberty

It has been a good week on two fronts. First, because I found a way to put some extra scratch in your pocket. And second, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of all of us firearm owners.

It turns out, it pays to have a PA fishing license, at least if you take advantage of the offer from Shakespeare, the popular fishing tackle manufacturer. The company is offering $10 in cash to anybody that spends more than $30 on its products and can prove they have a fishing license. Really, it’s a win-win situation. You get new fishing stuff AND a few bucks back in your pocket.

I have nothing to do with the offer, just wanted to pass it along. Click here for details.

As for the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision on McDonald vs. Chicago, bully for the SCOTUS for finally backing the individual’s right to bear arms. But it’s those four dissenting votes that have me worried. As we’ve heard so many times this week, the nation was just a heartbeat away from enduring the freedom-eroding pain of even tighter firearms restrictions.

While this week’s decision was a major victory, it is certainly not the final chapter in the Second Amendment debate. The NRA won’t be closing its doors, declaring permanent victory anytime soon.
As we prepare to celebrate the nation’s independence this weekend, take time to remember what it means. This week’s case was a prime example of what it takes to protect our individual liberty — hard work and dedication.

Popularity: 23% [?]

That time of the year again

It was so hot out this past weekend, the only thing that kept me from pitching a tent atop an air conditioning vent was the thought that, soon enough, I’ll be freezing my toes off in a tree stand. While Mother Nature is doing her best to test our sweating ability, hunters can cool off with the thought that the season is not all that far off. In fact, this year’s licenses are already on sale and our chance to grab an antlerless tag (an annual tradition for many), is just around the corner.

Pennsylvania residents will have their first shot at doe tags in just a couple of weeks, when county treasurers begin accepting applications on Monday, July 12.  Non-residents will have to wait an extra two weeks to send in their pink envelopes. If you typically procrastinate and put off sending in your $6.70 check, you may not want to hesitate this year. There are significantly fewer tags available across the state.

Here at home, in wildlife management unit 5B, the Game Commission allocated 50,812 tags. It’s not a huge reduction from last year’s 51,000 tag allotment, but if you are the fellow that sends in application number 50,813, it will feel like a big deal. The biggest reduction in tags, as expected, comes from the “Big Woods” region of the state. Unit 2G, which covers parts of Clinton, Potter and Centre counties as well as others, saw its tags cut from 26,000 to just 15,210 tags.

The price of a license hasn’t changed. If you want the standard resident license, it will cost you $20.70. Prices start to rise as you add more tags. $16.70 for archery. $11.70 for muzzleloader. And add in another $16.70 if you want a shot at a bear.

All too soon, the heat will dissipate, the leaves will fall and we will once again be wiggling our toes trying to entice them not scream in pain. A great way to beat the heat and refresh some memories of much colder days is to pull out your old license and insert a fresh one.

Popularity: 25% [?]

The best catch of them all

The anticipation for the fateful day was measured in years. In the last few months, we had prepared seemingly night and day for the big event. When it came, it came fast and sudden. Just before sunrise a week ago, I landed the catch of a lifetime. Weighing in at eight pounds, thirteen ounces and measuring some twenty inches, it was a keeper for sure.

I have caught countless fish over the years and downed more than my fair share of game, but nothing compares to hearing your son take his first breath. As we held him and shared his first sunrise together, I could not help but imagine the joys we will share together. From bluegills to whitetails, a father/son relationship is a trophy that can’t be weighed or measured.
My son’s birth is proof Mother Nature works in ways that extend beyond the woods and the water. Her hand extends into our homes. She will provide the magic, but it’s up to us to explore and experience it.

As I celebrate our recent addition to the family, a day after Father’s day, we also celebrate the first day of summer. It is a great reminder to all of us, to take a youngster outdoors and share with him or her the magic of life that is all around us. If you don’t do it, who will?

Popularity: 29% [?]

Last chance to fish for free

This is your last chance. As I said before, few things in life are free, especially if you are a fisherman. But Sunday, June 6, is the second of two days each year when the Fish and Boat Commission lets you take to the state’s waters without having to first plop down a few bucks for a fishing license. This is a great way to “sample” the sport or introduce somebody to fishing that normally wouldn’t buy a license.

There are all sorts of opportunities to hook into a lunker this year, from largemouths at Pinchot or Lake Redman to smallies on the Susquehanna to carp and catfish at just about any pothole big enough to hold water. While I haven’t searched for them, there must be some hungry trout eager to take a bait in the county’s streams. Just about every day this week, I’ve waved to my young neighbor as he hops on his bike, trout rod in hand. There are either some nice trout or a pretty girl down the road.

While everybody else is in town staring at polished chrome and fat fenders, I will be enjoying the peace and solitude of Mother Nature. With the opportunity to “fish for free,” I shouldn’t have much trouble finding somebody to tag along.

Popularity: 35% [?]

Busted! No more false advertising

Ask any hunter about his number-one handicap in the field and no doubt he will mention something about his scent. No matter how hard we try to fight it, woodland creatures can pick up an intrusive human’s odor as if it is a giant neon billboard in the middle of the woods. If there was a product we could buy that would eliminate our scent or even greatly reduce it, hunters would pay big bucks for it.

If you pick up any hunting publications or watch hunting-related shows on TV, you probably have seen the ads from Scent Lok claiming to have exactly what hunters have been searching for, “scent-eliminating” clothing. With the help of its hyperbolic advertising campaign, Scent Lok products became an overnight must-have for hunters afield.

But, as a handful of hunters from Minnesota claim, no clothing can “eliminate” odor and make a hunter “scent free” as Scent Lok so often claimed. They took their distrust to courts and earlier this month, U.S District Court Judge Richard Kyle found the company liable for false or deceptive advertising. Even worse, the guilty verdict took Cabela’s and Gander Mountain, because they sell Scent Lok licensed products, down as well.

While the case will now move deeper into the country’s court system, we know a couple of things for sure. Scent Lok won’t be doing much advertising in the near future and the world’s hunters are forced to continue their search for the miracle product that eliminates are telltale scent.

Popularity: 38% [?]

A mistake that should not have been made

Popularity: 41% [?]

A place to learn the facts

With the large, uncontrolled oil spill in the Gulf, many Pennsylvanians are turning a skeptical eye on our state’s latest fossil-fuel boom, the Marcellus Shale formation. With a renewed interest in the region’s natural gas resources, drillers are quickly converging on the area and legislators facing a massive budget deficit are eagerly signing off on new leases.

Over the past few years, all sorts of statistics and rumors have been tossed at us. Some folks see the situation as a modern-day gold rush that we need to take advantage of. Others see it as a time bomb quietly waiting to destroy Pennsylvania’s vast beauty. All sides of the story, from the “tree huggers” to the oil “barrens” themselves have spewed varying degrees of propaganda.

What’s the truth? How safe is shale drilling? How much of Pennsylvania’s state-owned land is opened to drilling?

While it may not be a perfectly unbiased source (I have yet to find one), the DNR’s Gas Exploration website offers detailed information and some answers to the questions we’ve all asked. If you are at all interested in educating yourself on what’s happening in our backyard, take a few minutes to check out the site.

A little knowledge can go a long way, especially when it comes to preserving Penn’s Woods.

Popularity: 42% [?]