The excitement is building, and in less than three weeks, the one-day Youth Hunt for Spring Gobblers will occur — Saturday, April 27, 2024, to be exact. It is a day that many young hunters and their adult mentors have been looking forward to for months. It is held one week prior to the opening
READ MOREAnother spring turkey season is fast approaching, with the mentored hunters 16 and under able to hunt on April 27, followed by the regular statewide spring season from May 4 through the 18th. As usual, when spring begins to move in, we turkey hunters are on the lookout for any sightings of turkeys and especially
READ MOREThe welcome mat is out! Officially, spring begins this week. To be sure, it is a welcome sight, but in the transitioning world of sports, the changing of the athletic seasons defines the passing of time a bit more succinctly than do the pages of the calendar on the wall. ‘Athletic spring’ actually began a
READ MORESnow geese and Canada geese have been flying north, and robins are more plentiful, and the intermittent snowfalls don’t take long to melt away. Even though we experienced a relatively mild winter, it’s nice to know that spring has finally sprung! As we welcome the warmer days and the emergence of daffodils and tulips, it
READ MOREImagine that your son or daughter has shown enough interest in hunting for deer this coming fall that they have completed the required hunter education program and have shown interest in going to the range with you to really learn how to safely handle a firearm. You take the time to spend several weekends doing
READ MOREThe cover reading February 21st means only one more issue this month; that’s a good thing. To go along with Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day falling on the same date, we also have a leap year in 2024. An early Happy Birthday to all those folks who only celebrate that special day once every four
READ MOREIt becomes increasingly apparent with each passing day that anti-hunters will do whatever it takes to stop all hunting everywhere and forever. Their efforts are relentless and will only increase over time. They are definitely in it for the long haul. Examples of their efforts are cropping up all across the nation, and while one
READ MOREFirst and foremost, always stress the four universal rules of firearm safety: – Treat any firearm as if it is loaded. – Practice muzzle control. – Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire. – Always be sure of your target and the area around and beyond it. These are the critical rules
READ MOREAny long-time hunter or gun owner has an inherent obligation to pass on his knowledge to an upcoming hunter or firearm enthusiast — whether they are a young person such as a son, daughter, grandchild, or neighborhood acquaintance or perhaps an adult who has become interested in hunting or gun ownership. It is critical to
READ MOREThe month of January has been home to many historical events over the years. Here’s a look at some that helped to shape the world in January 1924. Millionaire oil broker Courtland S. Dines is shot in the abdomen at his home on January 1. When police arrived on the scene, they found alcohol on
READ MOREHow often have you heard someone say that they just don’t like the taste of venison or that they have tried it once but just didn’t care for it? No doubt it was not cooked properly, or worse yet, was not handled properly from the beginning. Over the years, I am pleased to say that
READ MOREChronic Wasting Disease (CWD) was first noted in 1967 in research on mule deer herds in Colorado. By the late 1970s, it was recognized in captive facilities in Colorado and Wyoming in mule deer, black-tailed deer, and elk. In 1981, the disease was first identified in the wild in elk in Colorado, followed by mule
READ MOREOver the years, I have had the good fortune to have taken several black bears and one grizzly. The grizzly came as a bonus on a Dall sheep hunt in Alaska, and the black bear hunts took place in Pennsylvania and Idaho. Now, I was hoping to hunt for black bear where the chance of
READ MOREWhile having coffee with some friends the other morning, someone mentioned that another deer season would soon be underway. Yeah, hard to believe, but another season will soon be underway, and as always, there is much talk and speculation as to what to expect. Certainly, serious hunters have been watching cameras, fields, and other areas
READ MOREA major league welcome to everyone visiting our little corner of God’s green Earth for the Little League World Series. Congratulations to all the players, parents, and fans as you complete this amazing journey. Baseball is a game woven into the very fabric that makes up our Nation. It can be found within every stitch
READ MOREDead men don’t tell tales. Their voices are forever silenced, their fingers will never point to what happened to them or why. Their eyes will never widen in fear or anticipation, or glance in the direction of the guilty. Dead men don’t tell tales but, as in the new book “What the Dead Know” by
READ MOREIf you know me, you know that the 4th of July is my most favoritest holiday! Low pressure, lots of fun, and of course, FIREWORKS! It’s just a great time to spend time with friends or family and relax, have fun, and blow stuff up — safely, of course! Since the Fourth is looming, you
READ MOREBackyard barbecues are a staple of summertime. In fact, many Fourth of July celebrations just wouldn’t feel right without hamburgers and hot dogs cooking over an open flame in the backyard. Burgers may not qualify as fancy fare, but they’re perfect for Independence Day celebrations. This year, party hosts can add a little something extra
READ MOREOn Sunday, June 18, Father’s Day will be upon us, and it is the one unique day annually that we can show our Dad, our Pop, our Father how special we really think he is. Fortunately, with a little over a week to go, there is plenty of time for shopping and planning to make
READ MOREA few might say that I am one of the area’s all-time greats. I was always legit. I dominated the local camp circuit in the early ’90s. Tons of ribbons. Several certificates. A handful of trophies and fancy plaques. Yes. I was the self-proclaimed free throw shooting king. Foul shooting has always been an important
READ MOREI believe most folks would agree that the days seem to go by more quickly with the passage of time. Often, before we realize it, days seem to slip by, weeks click away more rapidly, and months seem to fly off the calendar. Where does the time go? So before hunting season seems to slip
READ MORECharles (Chuck) Kiessling proves the adage that the squeaky wheel does get the grease, even if the wheel has to squeak for ten years or more. At long, long last, Coroner Kiessling has a new facility for the work of the Lycoming County Coroner’s Department. It is located at 3341 Wahoo Drive in Williamsport, which
READ MOREAs I write this, the 2023 Spring Gobbler season is less than a week old, and, as usual, a variety of reports have been coming in – everything from “I haven’t seen or heard a gobbler yet,” to hunters who have been working gobblers every morning they have been out. One hunter reported calling in
READ MOREThere are just a couple more nights of restless sleep to endure, then, almost magically, at 5:38 a.m. on Saturday, April 29, legal shooting hours begin on what is the first day of this year’s spring gobbler season. With little time remaining before that long-awaited moment, there are a couple of steps yet to take
READ MOREWith just over a week remaining until the opening day of Spring Gobbler season, take a few minutes now to check all the gear you carry in your turkey hunting vest. When it comes to hunting, there is probably no segment of hunters that is more eager to have the “latest gadgets and gear” than
READ MORENext week! Yep, in just over a week, the one-day Youth Hunt for spring gobblers will be held on Saturday, April 22nd. It is a day that many young hunters and their adult mentors have been looking forward to for months. It is held one week before the opening of the regular statewide spring gobbler
READ MOREAs I gathered the information this past week, I intended to write about how we must protect our children when they go to school. My thoughts and prayers continue to be with the innocent victims of the Covenant School shooting. A 9-year-old child should never have to worry about going to school, nor should their
READ MORE“Double your pleasure, double your fun – with Double Mint, Double Mint, Double Mint Gum!” This popular jingle was used in years past to advertise a brand of gum that remains popular to this day. But be careful because if you remember this jingle, you may be giving away your age! But “Double your pleasure,
READ MORENo one can argue that one of the most important things we can do as responsible gun owners is to properly introduce a new enthusiast to firearm handling and ownership by emphasizing safety and the related responsibilities. Whether you are about to deal with an adult who has never had the opportunity to hunt or
READ MORELike a lot of hunters in Pennsylvania, I do some bear hunting, but I’m not an overly dedicated bear hunter. I took a 200-pound cinnamon phase of a black bear in Montana years ago but have never killed a Pennsylvania black bear. I’ve seen bears on a few occasions while hunting in Pennsylvania, but good
READ MOREAn admitted ‘basketball junkie,’ a year ago, South Williamsport’s Dean Kriebel’s daily practice plan had one distinct goal; find a way to make it to the next day. The only game he was determined to win was the game of life. In December 2021, Kriebel was diagnosed with cancer, and his total concentration was to
READ MOREWhen John Banville wrote his Raymond Chandler tribute novel “Black-Eyed Blonde,” one critic said he not only nailed the style and milieu of Chandler’s 1940s detective Philip Marlowe; he had also captured Marlowe’s soul. As for the new movie based on that book: I don’t think those folks could find Marlowe’s soul if it drove
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