Penn’s Outdoors

The DailyLocal.com out of southeastern PA has posted a letter by an individual opposed to hunting in East Goshen township.  The letter and the comments by others provide a disturbing look at how some people view deer hunters and deer hunting in this State. 
According to East Goshen’s Board of Supervisors, the 10-year recreational deer hunt […]

We are currently debating the use of a crossbow for use in PA’s archery only deer season. House Bill 2653 has been introduced that would change Title 34 to change the definition of “bow” to include crossbows.  The United Bowhunters of PA adamantly oppose the use of crossbows during the archery season.  Their web site’s […]

Kudos to Chris Otto and the York Daily Record for doing an interview with newest Commissioner for the PA Game Commission.  They asked good questions that told us a lot about what we can expect from the new guy.  Unfortunately, it looks like more of the same for deer management.
Ronald Weaner is the newest Commissioner.  He […]

As many PA hunters lament what is happening with our deer population, no one argues that the PA black bear population is a great success story.  In the 1970s, PA had about 2500 bear.  Today, we are up to about 15,000.  That’s a pretty impressive number.
The problem is that these bear are starting to become […]

I am not sure if this is a case of fuzzy math or if I am missing something but quotes about PA’s deer population in an article from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review just don’t make sense.  Here’s the section of the article with which I have an issue.
If you want to know how the Pennsylvania Game […]

As hunters, we often are reluctant to criticize any parts of hunting in fear of lending support to those who wish to do away with all of hunting.  I am very aware that even this small blog can be used as anti-hunting ammo if I say the “wrong” thing.  But beyond anything, this blog […]

I have spooled several of my reels up with PowerPro braided line this year.  I have been a Trilene XL guy for years.  Occasionally, I would get adventurous and put on some Trilene XT but all of these fancy smancy lines were not for me.  Fishing with kids has made the no memory aspects of […]

Pennsylvania Back Country has posted a six part video series of a PA elk hunt on YouTube.  The video is fantastic and is a cool look at a fun hunt.  It also helps to disprove the myth that PA elk are tame and easy to hunt.  My favorite part of the video is watching the […]

Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives has approved a resolution approving an audit of the deer management program in PA.  The resolution specifies that it should be done by an independent out of state source. 
Interestingly, the vote on this resolution was unanimous.  Does this mean that hunters are being heard by the folks in Harrisburg?  […]

A recent AP article describes the issue of decreased interest in the outdoor sports of hunting and fishing.
Sales of Vermont hunting and fishing licenses have dropped more than 20 percent over the last 20 years, leaving the Fish and Wildlife Department pleading with lawmakers for extra funding.
Other states report similar drop-offs:
_Arkansas hunting license sales dropped […]

If you are interested in applying for a second spring gobbler tag, you have until April 1.  Applications are available on page 38 of the 2007-08 Pennsylvania Digest of Hunting and Trapping Regulations.  Here is the link to the .pdf file on the Game Commission’s site.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission has released it 2007-2008 deer harvest estimates. There aren’t any real surprises and nothing to settle the debate about the quality of deer hunting in Penn’s Woods. 
The Pennsylvania Game Commission estimates that that 323,070 deer were harvested in the state’s 2007-08 seasons.  And as expected, that number is down from […]

Here’s a video I found on YouTube.  Outdoor Insights Prostaff Member, Robby Gilbert, trys his luck with a Pennsylvania longbeard gobbling his head off in the rain.

For more information on specific Hunter Education Courses, go to the Pennsylvania Game Commission web site.  The below list includes date, time and County.
03/01/2008 08:00 AM
NORTHAMPTON
03/01/2008 08:00 AM
SCHUYLKILL
03/01/2008 08:00 AM
POTTER
03/03/2008 06:00 PM
SCHUYLKILL
03/04/2008 06:00 PM
WAYNE
03/05/2008 07:00 PM
YORK

The DeerPhD blog has a "What Would You Do" scenario from something that happened to him in the Pennsylvania woods.

I thought it would be interesting to calculate what it would cost to get back into archery.  For this experiment, I assumed that the person has very little to get started and will need to buy everything.  I used Bass Pro Shops prices. This says nothing about whether you should go to a store like Bass […]