Elk were native to Pennsylvania when the first European settlers arrived in our area, but the elk were no doubt a major and much-needed food source at that time. There were obviously no hunting regulations, and by the 1870s, Pennsylvania’s native elk were believed to be gone. The creation of the Game Commission, however, in
A bunch of guys and I were talking over some coffee the other morning, and the subject of deer hunting came up. The more we talked, the more we delved into the past and how things have changed over the years. Do you remember “in the old days,” when you finally got your deer dragged
In last week’s column, we looked at the success of several dedicated bear hunters from the Harrisburg area, but as we all know, their success rate hardly represents what most Pennsylvania bear hunters experience. I recently read some new research material that might help explain why only about 2 percent of bear hunters end up
I made a trip to the Pennsylvania Game Commission headquarters a couple of weeks ago to deliver some artwork, and I decided to check out the bear check station located there as well. Pennsylvania’s statewide archery bear season runs from Oct. 17 to Nov. 4, and all successful bear hunters are required to bring their
I know we are all caught up in deer hunting and fall turkey hunting, but fall is also a great time for gathering wild mushrooms. No, it’s not as exciting as nailing a big buck or calling in a nice gobbler, but collecting and preparing the right wild mushrooms can be very gratifying come mealtime.
I remember when I started hunting deer back in the 60s. If we were able to tag a six or eight-point buck with a 16-inch spread, we were off to the taxidermist to get our “trophy” mounted. A lot has changed since those days, not only regarding the size of our deer racks but how
