Penn’s Outdoors

“Are you crazy?”  Those were the first words out of a friend’s mouth when I told him that I was starting a new blog on not only fishing Pennsylvania but also hunting.  He then want on a long winded speech about the state of Pennsylvania hunting and how it has become so controversial that hunters are turning on each other in the debate. 

I knew exactly what he meant about hunters turning on each other in the current debate around deer management in PA.  I had just witnessed a hunter get scolded by two other hunters for shooting a doe on public land.  While I understood their concern in regards to deer management, it is a sad day when we are criticizing each other for harvesting a legal animal.  

Obviously, there are a lot of varying opinions about hunting and especially deer management in our State.  There also many different opinions about fishing (i.e. catch and release versus selective harvest). This blog is going to try to be a place that covers the issue from all sides and allows you the reader to decide.  Obviously, I have some biases.  I am not a journalist.  I’m a blogger.  So, those biases will come out here at times.  But we will try and present all sides.  We don’t have to agree but we do need to respect each other.

My friend thought I was even crazier when I told him that I would keep the comments feature on for posts.  “You’ll regret that” he said.  I don’t think that I will.  This will not be an open ended forum.  There are plenty of good hunting and fishing forums discussing Pennsylvania wildlife management.  If you want a lively active online debate, I suggest one of those.   There are certain guidelines and rules for commenting on this site.  All comments are moderated and breaking of these rules will see to it that your comment is not approved.

Here are the rules:

1. All Opinions are Welcome - We don’t have to agree with each other.   This would be a boring blog if we did.
2. Opinions Must Have Substance - You don’t have to write a book but you can’t just leave one line comments like, “I love the PGC” or “The PGC is ruining deer hunting.”   Tell us not only what you think but why you think it.
3. Do Not Spam - I have no problem with you mentioning your web site in a comment but the comment must be a substantive response to the post.   Comments like “Great post. Check out spamalot.com for more information on this issue.” will not be approved.  If you would like to promote your site or organization, email me and I am sure we can work out a better way to do so than leaving a comment.
4. No Attacking - You can counter someone’s argument without attacking them or their right to hold that opinion.  This rule will be strictly enforced.
5. Use Appropriate Language - This site is designed to be a family friendly site.  One of my biggest concerns is that children are not getting into hunting and fishing.  I want this to be a site that parents can allow their children to go on without concern about what they might read.
6. No Racist, Sexist, or Hateful Comments  - Hopefully, I don’t need to say anything more on this one.
7. No Threatening Comments Toward Another Person - Even comments with a threatening tone will not be approved. 

What happens if you break a rule? We simply won’t post or will delete your comment.  We are not going to email you and explain why.  We don’t have time for that.  If you have questions, you can contact us. 

For 99% of you who will read and comment on this blog, posting these rules wasn’t even necessary.  But I have seen 1% of people who visit a site ruin really good blogs and forums by their actions.  This is a place for open constructive discussion on things that are very important to each of us, Pennsylvania hunting and fishing