As of this writing, we can still look forward to the Pennsylvania Youth Gobbler Hunt on Saturday, April 25th and the opening of our statewide Spring Gobbler Season on Saturday, May 2nd.

With the continuing presence of the coronavirus, there are numerous other states that have delayed, and in some cases cancelled some of their spring hunts — and that number continues to grow. Ohio has suspended the issuing of non-resident hunting and fishing licenses, Nebraska has stopped issuing non-resident spring gobbler permits, Washington has cancelled their 2-day Youth Spring Gobbler Hunt and delayed the opening of their spring bear hunt and Alaska has also delayed their spring bear hunt. All of this in order to reduce the traveling of hunters in the weeks ahead.

Here in Pennsylvania, however, things are viewed a bit differently. Our traditional opening day of trout season, which this year was to be Saturday, April 18th, was suddenly moved up to April 7th, thus giving the anglers more opportunity to participate in the sport, while using wise precautions when in the outdoors, such as the acceptable habit of “social distancing.”

After being “housebound” for weeks, it will be a welcome opportunity to get outside, breathe in some fresh spring air and test your hunting skills against a wily old Tom! We are fortunate, indeed, that Pennsylvania takes its hunting and fishing seriously!

The Pennsylvania Youth Spring Gobbler Hunt and our statewide Gobbler Season offer multiple opportunities, and here in Northcentral Pennsylvania those opportunities are even more plentiful. Beyond the spring gobbler hunting and the early part of our trout fishing season, there are chances to harvest wild morel and oyster mushrooms, find shed antlers, or dig up a few wild leeks. Truly, it is a magical time of year to be outdoors and partake of the bounties that we have.

There have been multiple times while fishing a small mountain stream for trout that I have had a nearby gobbler sound off as he was searching for a hen. Much to my surprise, my outing to catch a few fish for the fry pan had turned into a scouting trip for spring gobblers. On more than one occasion, the following morning found me in pursuit of that lonely old Tom.

As the season progresses and the temperatures continue to climb, the chances increase that you can locate wild mushrooms. Yes, you need to be careful, but the morel mushroom (probably the tastiest of any mushroom and certainly the most sought after variety) and the oyster mushrooms are very easy to recognize and are a real treasure to add to a meal of freshly caught trout or a spring turkey. The wild leeks, also called “ramps,” have a mild flavor when they first appear in the spring woods and are excellent for making a pot of potato and leek soup. Their flavor does tend to get too strong as the season continues. Finding a shed antler or two is always “icing on the cake” to most spring gobbler hunters, especially when a large shed is found that confirms a big buck has made it through the hunting season and just might be around to hunt in the fall.

All of these things that you can enjoy over the next month or so, from spring gobbler hunting and mountain stream trout fishing to finding sheds or harvesting mushrooms or leeks are readily available in our surrounding counties. We are truly blessed here in Northcentral Pennsylvania to have all of these things at our disposal and large tracts of State Parks property and State Game Lands on which to pursue these interests.

Particularly if you have been diligent about staying housebound recently, you will now have the opportunity to get outside, enjoy some exercise and fresh air as you take advantage of all that our surroundings have to offer. Be smart, be safe and make sure you stay healthy!