At the end of each hunting and fishing season, Southwick Associates performs a survey of the most frequently purchased equipment and gear for that year. Southwick is a consumer tracking company that surveys purchase information of sales across different types of stores, brand purchased, price paid and demographics for sportsmen and sportswomen who buy specific products. For 2023, Southwick compiled the most frequently purchased hunting and shooting equipment brands. Their sampling is as follows: Traditional Rifles – Ruger; Shotguns – Beretta; Rifle Ammunition – Federal; Reloading Powder – Hodgon; Reloading Components – Hornady & CCI; Binoculars – Bushnell; Reflex/Red Dot Sights – Sig Sauer; Scope/Accessory Mounts – Leupold; Trail Camera – Stealth Cam; Game Calls – Primos; Game Feeder – Game Winner; Holsters/Ammo Belts – Blackhawk; Gun Cleaning – Hoppes; Choke Tubes – Briley; Magazines – Magpul. OUTDOOR RAMBLINGS In last week’s column we mentioned the possibility of shad making their way up the Delaware River in their annual spawning run. Well, Kevin Ingram, a contributor to the Delaware River Fishing Report, said he fished the Yardley stretch of the Delaware on March 14 and managed to land seven shad with the first one caught at 11:30 a.m. He also caught a walleye and added that the water temperature was 48 degrees at 6 p.m. In regards to the shad fishery, the New Jersey Marine Fisheries Division said American shad are in need of protection and addressed measures of an unsustainable adult female mortality in the Delaware Basin. As such, they would like New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware to reduce their creel limits down to just two American shad in the freshwater section. As a result, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission said that because the Delaware River American shad population is experiencing unsustainable mortality, Co-Op members and Pennsylvania have agreed to reduce the American Shad harvest by approximately 33 percent for both recreational and commercial fisheries. This was voted and approved on Jan. 1, 2023, which now drops the creel limit from three to two shad per day on waters managed for the Delaware River, West Branch Delaware River and River Estuary. TROUT POACHERS As most of the local streams have been stocked with trout for the season opener, it’s being reported that some fishermen are fishing closed portions of the Little Lehigh Creek (and a few others), ahead of the opener. One guy was spotted using a hand-line to fish. In checking, it was learned that the local Waterways Conservation Officer has made a few arrests of these illegal anglers. If honest anglers spot any of this taking place, they should call the fish commission’s Southeast Region office at 717-626-9228. SPORTSMEN’S RAFFLE The Lehigh Valley Community Benefit is a nonprofit group of folks who got together after some friends and neighbors lost their lives under tragic circumstances. They honor them with raffles and motorcycle rides like a Toy Run with all proceeds going back to the Lehigh Valley and surrounding areas. Their latest effort is a Sportsmen’s Raffle of 36 firearms ranging from a Ruger American 6.5 Creedmoor rifle to a Winchester XP 12 ga. Shotgun, Sig Sauer P365 9mm, Glock 43X MOS 9mm, Ruger 10/22 .22 rifle, 1000 rounds of 5.56 PMC and many more. The raffle is being held April 27, 2024 at 1 p.m., at Tri-Boro Sportsmen’s Club in Northampton. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at the club or online at www.LVCB.org.
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Although the deer hunting season has ended you can still take to the woods and fields in search of antler sheds. And since there’s no snow on the ground, sheds should be easier to find. Shedding can start to occur in late December as famed wildlife photographer and author Dr. Lenny Rue III indicates in his “Whitetail Savvy” book, which is an encyclopedia on whitetails. Rue writes, “Increasing amount of daylight after December 2, melatonin is suppressed by the end of March and the luteinizing hormone allows enough testosterone to be produced to start the growth of the buck’s new antlers.” In his chapter on sheds, Rue says that finding cast antlers may help hunters to be more successful in locating a good buck the following deer season. Sheds, he contends, also make good knife handles, door pulls and chandeliers. Rue goes on to say that even more important, cast antlers give definite proof which bucks made it through the hunting season, how large the bucks are and where they might be found next season. He adds that although bucks may not live in the same area in which they spend their winter, hunters who live in an area where deer do not yard up, can find sheds that indicate home range. And as many shed hunters know, if you find one antler you may or may not find the other one. Rue says that most of the time a buck will lose one antler and not drop the second for another hour, day or week. And if not found a short time after they’re cast, they’ll be consumed by rodents and other animals desperate for minerals. Trying to spot antlers in a forest littered with leaves and sticks could be tough, as they don’t stand out. He writes about an Indiana farmer who had two of his tractor tires punctured by a shed as he was driving in his hayfield. “That cost him $600 to have the tires replaced.” But for shed hunters, finding large ones could bring big bucks of the monetary kind. Rue points out that if finding a large 150-195-inch B&C class shed could bring the hunter upwards of $2,500 or more. As for locally in the Lehigh Valley area, Bob Danenhower, of Bob’s Wildlife Taxidermy in Orefield and an avid shed hunter since he was a kid, says shed hunters should check hillsides and ridge-tops with a southern exposure as bucks like to warm themselves during cold and bright winter days. He also suggests checking winter deer bedding areas. Aside from those areas, you may find one or more in unexpected areas like Andrew Wargo of Northampton and his son Harrison did last week when they walked the Ironton-Rail Trail section from Rte.145 west to Egypt. It’s there Andrew spotted what appeared to be a freshly dropped 4-point buck laying aside the trail. Another unusual shed was found last week by 8-year old Joelle Flyte, from Bushkill Township, who found a deer skull with the antlers intact when walking with her older brother in the woods behind their home. It’s surmised that the 8-point buck may have been shot during archery season and the hunter couldn’t find it but coyotes, foxes and field mice did and they ate the skull clean. Danenhower contends, as does Rue, that bucks may drop an antler then keep shaking their heads to drop the other that may or may not fall at that time. For novice shed hunters looking for a public spot to hunt, Danenhower suggests walking the Trexler Game Preserve lands as he did and as he used to find many sheds there. So to lengthen your deer-hunting season, give shed hunting a try. It may pay off handsomely. Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission has begun their pre-season trout stockings in areas waters2/24/2024 In preparation for the April 6 trout opener, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) began its pre-season stocking of local waters last Thursday (2-22). The agency reported that they will stock approximately 3.2 million trout in 697 streams and 129 lakes. Of that number, they’ll stock 2.4 million Rainbow Trout, 702,000 Brown Trout and 132,000 Brook Trout. And these fish are 11 inches in length and weigh .58 pounds In addition, the PFBC says 70,000 will be brood trout that are 2.5 years old and 3.5-year-old hatchery-raised Rainbow, Brown and Brook Trout measuring 14-20 inches. Roughly 70 percent of these lunkers will be stocked prior to opening day of trout season and 30 percent during in-season stockings. As a bonus, approximately 14,000 golden Rainbow Trout will be stocked in 2024. These fish will weigh an average of 1.5 pounds with approximately 75 percent being stocked preseason and 25 percent will be stocked in-season. Added this, PFBC cooperative nurseries like the Lil-Le-Hi trout nursery and sportsman’s clubs, will add another one million trout to waters open to the public. Local pre-season stockings began on Feb. 22 with Laurel Run Creek receiving Rainbow Trout; Swabia Creek, Brown and Rainbow Trout; a portion of Little Lehigh Creek received Golden and Rainbows; 2-23/2-24: Little Lehigh, Rainbow and Golden Trout; 2-26: Kistler Creek, Rainbows; Ontelaunee Creek, Brown, Rainbow and Golden Trout; Switzer Creek, Rainbow and Goldens; 3-4: a portion of Jordan Creek, Brown, Rainbow and Golden; 3-6: Leaser Lake, Rainbow, Goldens; Trout Creek, Rainbow, Goldens; 3-7: Jordan Creek, Brown, Rainbow and Golden’s; Monocacy Creek, Rainbows; 3-11: Cedar Creek, Rainbows; Coplay Creek, Brook and Rainbows; 4-9: Lehigh Canal, Rainbow and Golden Trout. With stocking underway, all Stocked Trout Waters statewide are now closed to fishing until the trout opener on April 6, with the exception of Mentored Youth Trout Day on March 30. However, there are some waters that will be stocked that you can fish right now. Among those waters are 24 stream sections in the Keystone Select Stocked Trout Waters program. Anglers, says the PFBC, may enjoy trout fishing immediately in Keystone Select streams as long as they use Artificial Lures and practice Catch-and-Release. To locate those waters, visit www.FishandBoat.com. The 2023 Pennsylvania bear hunting season harvest results show a slight decline over the 2022 season2/17/2024 The final Pennsylvania bear harvest report is in and the season saw a decline of 250 bears when compared to the 2022 season. In the 2023 seasons, hunters harvested 2,023 bears compared to the 2022 seasons when 3,170 were taken. According to Pennsylvania Game Commission’s bear program specialist Emily Carrollo, fifty-eight of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties produced bears and at least one bear was taken in 20 of 22 WMUs. Additionally, hunters took bears in all the seasons. The decline, according to Carrollo, was due to the elimination of bear season in WMUs 1B, 2C, 4A, 4B and 4D that produced an average of 375 bears on average from 2019 to 2022. Regarding the multiple seasons, the traditional statewide firearms season contributed 1,086 bears while the archery season had 695, the extended season saw 591, the muzzleloader season 424, the special firearms season 117 and the early archery season added seven. Of those totals, the largest bear harvested was a 691-pounder taken in the extended rifle season in Porter Township, Pike County by Mitchell Jonathan of Quakertown. Following that was a 645-pounder taken in the archery season in Foster Township, Schuylkill County; a 636-pounder in the firearms season in Roaring Brook Township, Lackawanna County; a 630-pounder in the firearms season in Hamilton Township Monroe County; a 616-pounder in archery season in Nesquehoning Borough, Carbon County; a 605-pounder taken in the firearms season in Upper Mount Bethel Township, Northampton County; a 589-pounder in the firearms season in Washington Township, Jefferson County; a 581-pounder, in the firearms season in Watson Township, Lycoming County; another 581-pounder in the firearms season in Cherry Township, Sullivan County; and a 576-pounder in the firearms season in Cherry Township, Sullivan County. Among the top producing counties were Tioga that gave up 176 bears followed by Lycoming with 170, Potter with 155, Pike with 142, Bradford with 138, Luzerne with 135, Monroe with 127, Wayne accounted for 124, Clinton with 108 and Carbon with 101. Final county harvests by region closest to the Lehigh Valley are (with 2022 figures in parentheses): NORTHEAST: 1,067 (901): Pike, 142 (84); Bradford, 138 (126); Luzerne, 135 (126); Monroe 127 (114); Wayne, 124 (81); Carbon, 101 (78); Sullivan, 75 (84); Susquehanna, 67 (47); Wyoming, 62 (50); Lackawanna, 57 (51); Columbia, 27 (46); Northumberland, 10 (10) and Montour, 2 (4). SOUTHEAST: 159 (131): Schuylkill, 65 (65); Dauphin, 42 (27); Northampton, 21 (12); Berks, 16 (11); Lebanon 10 (14); and Lehigh, 5 (2). The final bear harvest by the nearest Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) were WMU 3D, 451 (344); WMU 4C, 220 (190); WMU 5C, 15 (8); and WMU 5D, 0 (0). Carrollo pointed out that in 2023, Pennsylvania had 206,124 hunters – the fourth-highest ever – which marked the fifth year in a row that bear license sales topped 200,000. Considering the recent total harvest, it’s obvious that only a tiny fraction of bear hunters score. As these harvest numbers reflect, it’s a published fact that Pennsylvania has a lot of large bears and the largest number of 600 pound-plus bears of any state. NWTF HOSTS BANQUET The Jerry Zimmerman Memorial Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) will host its 26th Annual Hunting Heritage Superfund Membership Banquet on Friday, March 1, 2024 at the Homewood Suites, 3350 Center Valley Parkway, Center Valley. The Chapter does a lot for wildlife habitat improvement, they contribute to land acquisitions as well as sponsoring the “Wheelin Sportsman” program for disabled hunters and “Jakes” Youth Field Days for young hunters plus Women in the Outdoors events. In addition to the banquet there will be a live auction of wildlife prints, sculptures, home furnishings, jewelry and collectables. There will also be a gun raffle featuring a first prize of a Benelli Super Black Eagle III 12 ga., 28-inch Barrel-Gore Opitfade Timber Camo shotgun, or $1,000 cash; 2nd prize, a Kimber Micro 9mm handgun, or $500 in cash; 3rd prize, Savage Axis XP Camo Combo with winner’s choice of caliber, or $400 cash; 4th prize, Benelli Nova 12 ga. Shotgun; 5th prize a Traditions Muzzleloader Red-Pak. The banquet has several sponsor packages available as well as special Sportsman’s and Ladies raffles. For more information and to purchase advance tickets and packages go to https://events.nwtf.org/38032110-2024. Or call Bruce Dietrich, Banquet Chairman at 610-298-2424. Tickets may also be purchased at Bob’s Wildlife Taxidermy at 4642 Kernsville Road, Orefield. Call before you go at 610-398-7609. At their recent meeting, the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Board gave preliminary approval to the following hunting season changes. And for hunters who like to schedule their vacations around certain hunting seasons, the board gave approval for those dates as well. They are as follows: *For black bear, the October muzzleloader season is proposed to be shortened to three days to reduce harvest rates on female bears and thereby promote stabilization of the bear population. *Pheasant hunting within the Central Susquehanna Wild Pheasant Recovery Area (WPRA) is currently limited to youth participation drawn in a lottery. The agency has proposed to eliminate the age restriction and permit requirements and provide the Executive Director the authority to annually designate WPRAs to be opened to hunting and establish appropriate season date(s) and bag limits. *A proposal to include mentored hunters of all ages to be eligible to hunt in the early October pheasant season segment, known best as the Junior Hunt. *For wild turkey, fall season length changes are proposed for numerous Wildlife Management Units (WMU). Season length would be increased in 11 WMUs and WMU 5A, which was previously closed to fall hunting, would be opened for a 3-day season. Season length would be reduced in two WMUs 3D and 4C. PROPOSED BIG GAME SEASON OPENING DATES *Spring Gobbler (bearded birds only): May 3-31 * Black Bear Archery: 2B, 5C and 5D; Sept. 21-Nov. 16; Sunday, Nov. 17; Nov. 18-23; Sunday, Nov. 24 and Nov. 25-29. *Black Bear Archery: WMU 5B, Oct. 5-Nov. 16; Sunday, Nov. 17 and Nov. 18-23 *Black Bear Archery: WMUs 1A, 1B, 2A, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E and 5A; Oct. 19-Nov. 9. *Black Bear Muzzleloader statewide: Oct. 24-26 *Black Bear, Special Firearms statewide: Oct. 24-26. *Black Bear statewide: Nov. 23; Sunday, Nov. 24; and Nov. 25-26 *Black Bear WMUs 3A, 3B, 3C, 4C, 4E and 5A: Nov. 30; Sunday, Dec. 1 and Dec. 1, 2 and 7. *Black Bear WMUs 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D: Nov.30; Sunday, Dec. 1 and Dec. 2-14. *Elk Archery: Sept. 14-28 via a lottery. *Elk Antlered or Antlerless: Nov. 4-9 via lottery. *Elk Late: Dec. 28-Jan. 4, 2025. *Deer Archery Antlered and Antlerless in WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D: Sept. 21-Nov. 16; Sunday, Nov. 17; Nov. 18-23; Sunday, Nov. 24; Nov. 25-29; and Dec. 26-Jan. 25, 2025. *Deer Archery Antlered and Antlerless statewide: Oct. 5-Nov. 16; Sunday, Nov. 17; Nov. 18-22; and Dec. 26-Jan. 20, 2025. *Deer, Antlerless Muzzleloader statewide: Oct. 19-26. *Deer, Antlerless Special Firearms statewide: Oct. 24-26. *Deer, Regular Firearms Antlered and Antlerless statewide: Nov. 30; Sunday Dec. 1 and Dec. 2-14. *Deer, Antlered or Antlerless Flintlock statewide: Dec. 26-Jan. 20, 2025. *Deer, Antlered or Antlerless Flintlock WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D: Dec. 26-Jan. 25, 2025. *Deer, Antlerless Extended Regular Firearms in WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D: Dec. 26-Jan. 25. As for the latest bear harvest numbers for the past seasons, Travis Lau, PGCs Media Relations Manager, said he is working with the bear biologist to finalize harvest numbers. We’ll publish those totals when they become available. With the exception of late squirrel, rabbit, pheasant, geese and snow goose seasons, the big game seasons are over and the hunting lull begins. But it doesn’t have to be that way if you give coyote hunting a try. And it’s the only species where AR-type rifles can be used. There’s also no closed season or bag limit. Coyotes have become numerous in the Lehigh Valley with pet owners in suburban and populated communities concerned that these local coyotes could kill their pets when outside. There have been reports of coyote sightings and encounters on the Ironton Rail Trail in the Stiles, Egypt, Ironton, Orefield area. Many veteran coyotes have made substantial investments to hunt these predators such as night vision scopes, rifle tripods, electronic game calls and decoys as “yotes,” as they’re often called, are primarily hunted at night. If you’ve never hunted coyotes before and would like to give it a try, the folks at Montana Decoy Company in Hummelstown, Pa offer these tips to get you started. *Understand The Coyote: Coyotes have the eyesight of a turkey, nose of a deer and the intelligence of a domestic dog, they can be challenging to hunt. Keep in mind breeding occurs between January and March and this is time they are most active and a bit less wary. They usually move in early morning or late afternoons and it’s at time when their fur is thickest and their pelts most saleable. In open country, driving dirt roads on public or private land Montana says to keep an eye on the road and watch for fresh tracks crossing the road. * Know What’s For Dinner: Coyote’s diet consists of rabbits and rodents but they’ll also feed on birds, insects and carrion. As a side note regarding the latter, there’s a road-killed doe in the cornfield on Mauch Chunk Road in South Whitehall and it appears its belly has been torn open and white fur spread next to it most likely done by a coyote. They’ll also go after yearling fawns especially if hunting in packs or two or more. If you find prey, coyotes will be nearby. *Speak The Language: Coyotes are vocal and can be very territorial. A lone howl is a coyote’s way of alerting other coyotes of its whereabouts and to search for a hunting partner. Their howls can be heard from over a mile away. Their yip-howl promotes community and can also be a rallying cry or to warn away potential intruders. Barks are a sign of agitation for other coyotes that invade their territory and getting too close to a kill. *Ace Your Setup: Know the wind is critical to coyote hunting success. Set up with the wind in your face, wear camo and hide in the shadows. If using an electronic call or decoy, place it 100 yards away and upwind of your hide. When coyotes don’t respond in open country, try your call and decoy set up for 30-45 minutes and move to another mile away and set up again. Don’t set your decoy or call in close to cover but far enough to where they must expose themselves. Hide electronic calls in gullies and thick grass so curious coyotes have to get closer to see the sound source. Hope these tips help and as far as weaponry is concerned, some hunters use low-caliber rifles (i.e. 223 in AR caliber) while some use shotguns for close-range work. As for table fare, I once ate a piece of coyote meat and it was very metallic tasting and I presume it’s from their diets. It’s certainly not gourmet fare. For those anglers who like to walk on water, the long-awaited ice fishing season is somewhat underway. Despite four days of below freezing temperatures this week, the only hardwater action is on the northern, Pocono area lakes and ponds. Mike’s Bait and Tackle in Nazareth (610-759-205) said that Minsi Lake should have some ice but it’s unknown how much as Mike hasn’t had any reports from there. But he did get reports from Promised Land and Belmont lakes where anglers have been ice fishing there. Belmont reported to have 5 inches. Up in Luzerne County, Lake Lilly had a reported 10 inches while Lake Jean in Sullivan County had 4-5 inches. Tobyhanna had 2 inches by the shore, one inch farther out and Gouldsboro has three inches. Chris at Chris’s Outdoor Sports in Mertztown (610-682-4129) said Ontelaunee Reservoir in Berks County has some ice but it’s thin and not safe. Up at Leaser Lake it’s merely skim ice. He recommends the Pocono lakes like Promised Land reportedly has 4-5 inches while Brady’s had 2-3 inches of ice. Anglers may want to try IceShanty.com for updated reports. With the forecast for next week reporting warmer day time temperatures, it’s best to be patient and allow the ice to thicken before going out. According to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC), ice forms at different rates on each body of water depending upon the size and water depth. Once frozen, conditions change constantly and ice thickness can vary across the lake. Rocks, trees, docks or other things that poke through the ice will conduct heat and make the ice around it less stable. If the ice doesn’t look right, don’t go on it. In addition, a blanket of snow atop an ice-covered lake insulates the ice, slowing the growth of ice and hides the potential hazards or weak spots. Ice with a bluish color is safer than clear ice. But the PFBC says to avoid slushy or honey-combed ice and stay away from dark spots on the ice and where snow cover looks discolored. The PFBC offers these added ice fishing safety tips: *Keep in mind, no ice is 100 percent safe. *New ice is usually stronger than old ice. *Don’t go out alone and let someone know where you’re going and when you will return. *Check ice thickness as you go out as there could be pockets of thin ice or places where ice recently formed. *Avoid off-colored snow or ice as it’s usually a sign of weakness. *The insulating effect of snow slows the freezing process. And when you do go, take along some bare essentials like ice picks to help you crawl out if the ice breaks and you fall in, a floating safety rope, a whistle to call for help, extra dry clothes including a pair of gloves, and hand warmers. Veteran ice anglers know to wear ice cleats on their boots, take a plastic bucket to hold your small items like tip-ups, jigging rods, bait and other tackle, plus you can sit on top of it while jigging. Some anglers also use a sled to carry these tackle items and an ice drill/auger or spud bar onto the ice. And regarding bait, it’s mainly minnows and waxworms plus jigs. {Ed. Note} As of Saturday afternoon, there was a report of a scuba team arriving at Ontelaunee Reservoir for an angler falling through the ice. No further reports were received. It’s that time of year again when the largest outdoor show in America returns to the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg. The Great American Outdoor Show kicks off Feb. 3-11 in Harrisburg and because of the location, was always referred to by local sportsmen as “The Harrisburg Show.” This nine-day extravaganza celebrates hunting, fishing and outdoor traditions. The show will feature over 1,000 exhibitors ranging from firearms manufacturers to outfitters, fishing boats, RVs, trucks, archery and outdoor art in the massive Farm Show Complex. Among the stage shows and competition, and new this year, is the Pennsylvania Lumberjack Competition. This is in addition to Dock Dogs Competition, the 3D Bowhunter Challenge. Kids Casting contest and loads more. On tap as well is the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Sportsman’s Auction, NRA’s Country Concert featuring country singer Warren Zeiders, and the very popular NRA Foundation’s Wall of Guns where showgoers can purchase a $10 ticket to win one of 40 firearms ranging from rifles, shotguns and handguns. For the kids, there’s the Eddie Eagle Kids Zone that will entertain them with wildlife identification, face painting, arts and crafts and more. Also for the kids will be the Airsoft Shooting Experience and the famous trout pond where the kids are almost guaranteed to catch a trout. The show will have 200 seminars hosted by an array of outdoor personalities such as Klint Molio on firearms, Jim Collins on predator hunting, Jeremy Critchfield showing culinary cooking, Eddie Salter veteran turkey hunting expert, the famed Barry Wensel on deer hunting, Chris Stefano on saltwater fishing and 33 other outdoor specialists. To avoid standing in long ticket lines, the show recommends purchasing admission tickets online before the show. Ticket prices are Adults, $15; 2-Day tickets, $26; Seniors 65 and over, $13; children 6-12, $9; Group of 10 or more, $13. Admission is free with the purchase of an NRA membership. Show hours are as follows: Feb 3 and 10, 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Feb. 4 and 11, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Feb. 5- 9, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. For information on seminars, competitions, stage shows and purchasing tickets, check GAOS@nrahq.org or call 800-672-4868. The complex is located at 2300 N Cameron Street, Harrisburg, 17110. As we draw closer to show time, we’ll add any new additions in a future column. AVIAN FLU HITS MARTZ’S HUNTING PRESERVE In a previous column we detailed how the Pennsylvania Game Commission cut back stocking of pheasants because of an avian flu outbreak at some PGC rearing pens. Well, right before Christmas, Martz’s Game Farm in Dalmatia, Pa, had to destroy 100,000 farm-raised gamebirds that included 85,000 pheasants plus chukars, Hungarian and French red-legged partridges. Martz is a popular and the largest game farm in the Mid-Atlantic. They raise and sell gamebirds to sportsmen’s clubs, shooting preserves and sportsmen take their hunting dogs there to train them to flush and point stocked pheasants on Martz’s property. Said Mike Martz, owner/manager of the preserve, “We don’t know how we got the flu as we follow strict bio-security procedures. We even disinfect tires and employees wear booties while in the pens. But you can’t control fly overs and we’ve had a lot of geese fly over and raptors visiting the pens for a meal.” Martz when on to say that their birds appeared healthy and the disease was confined to a single pen. But protocols dictate that the entire facility must be depopulated. Upland hunters looking forward to going afield for the late pheasant hunting season may be disappointed thanks to the recent detection of the highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) . The Pennsylvania Game Commission has discovered HPAI in a private Northumberland County game farm and has been forced to adjust its late season pheasant stocking program. The intent is to help safeguard the agency’s pheasant program to insure that it will continue next year for the 2024-25 small game hunting seasons. According to the PGC, in the next two weeks the agency will release fewer pheasants statewide than initially planned. And here in the eastern part of the state, pheasant releases will occur only this week, not next, with properties that receive normally birds during their final two releases, will be combined as one. These adjustments, say the PGC, will impact pheasant hunters and this is why. Last week, the state Department of Agriculture announced the recent detection of HPAI at Martz’s Game Farm in Northumberland County, a popular pay-to-hunt farm. While the pheasants released by the PGC originate from a different facility, Mahantongo Game Farm, where HPAI has not been detected nor suspected, that facility also is in Northumberland County. The proximity of HPAI to that facility represents a concern, the PGC explains. If there was an HPAI outbreak there, regulations would require euthanasia of many or all of the breeding pheasants that provide stock for the PGC’s stocking program, and could jeopardize the program’s future. As such, the PGC is taking measures by first holding onto all of the hen pheasants, and about five percent of roosters that were slated for release in the final two pheasant releases for the 2023-24 seasons. Then, if HPAI remains undetected through continued testing of birds at the Mahantongo Farm, pheasants there will be temporarily transferred to the PGC’s Loyalsock Game Farm. That’s why the counties served by Loyalsock will get their final two releases all at once this week. The pheasants to be released need to be cleared out to make room for those coming in. The Loyalsock facility serves the following counties to the stocked this week: Adams, Berks, Bradford, Carbon, Centre, Columbia, Cumberland, Franklin (State Game Lands 235 only), Lackawanna, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming. Monroe, Montgomery, Northumberland, Perry, Pike Schuylkill, Snyder, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Union, Wayne, Wyoming and York. Pennsylvania’s remaining counties served by the Southwest Game Farm, will have rooster-only pheasant releases in those counties and will continue as scheduled in each of the next two weeks. According to Ian Gregg, Wildlife Operations Division Chief, “This wasn’t a decision we took lightly because we know that pheasant hunters have been looking forward to the late small game season pheasant releases. They will be inconvenienced by these adjustments on short notice. However, we believe this precautionary approach is the right thing to do because it will significantly reduce the risk of disease impacts that would be more devastating to pheasant hunting in the long run.” On a local note, pheasant hunters with hunting dogs traditionally look forward to this late season to have their dogs work the fields to sniff out and flush pheasants. The number of pheasants to be stocked locally in the Southeast that will receive a total of 6,900 males, and 1,340 females. Up in the Northeast, they’ll receive 8,060 males and 1,020 females. If you still have an unfilled buck and doe license, and have a muzzleloader license, the traditional post-Christmas flintlock deer hunting season gets underway Dec. 26 and runs until Jan 15 in twenty Wildlife Management Units (WMUs). For those who hunt in WMU 2B, 5C and 5D, that season runs Dec. 26 and extends a bit longer to Jan 27. There’s also the Extended Regular Firearms for antlerless deer in 2B, 5C and 5D from Dec. 26 to Jn. 27. For you bowhunters, you may take an antlered and antlerless deer statewide from Dec. 26 to Jan. 15 and from Dec. 26 to Jan. 27 in WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D. While these big game seasons are ongoing, small game season restarts for squirrels and rabbits from Dec. 26 to Feb. 29. This is a good time to introduce a young hunter to the sport as hunting pressure for these species is virtually nil. And even better, there’s no lack of targets as squirrels are plentiful and seemingly everywhere. And they make good table fare as their meat is on the sweet side. As for rabbits, they are more of a challenge to find unless you have a good hunting dog that can flush them from their hiding haunts. If there’s any snow on the ground, they can be easier to spot. NATIONAL BOWHUNTER STUDY The Archery Trade Association (ATA) conducted a nationwide study on bowhunter participation in 2021 and came away with some interesting numbers, one of which that was Pennsylvania was number one in the country. ATA worked with state wildlife agencies and the National Deer Association to determine bowhunting participation for the 2021-22 hunting season. Through the study, ATA learned that there are 3,761,233 bowhunters in the United States. And the numbers reflect younger hunters coming into the sport, and part of that credit goes to the National Archery in Schools Program (NASP) where youngsters 6-17 years of age made up 23 percent of all bowhunters. Hunters 65 and older saw an 8 percent average 3-year growth, and that’s likely due to easier to use crossbows. The top state was Pennsylvania who had 331,000 bowhunters followed by the following, all with six digits: Wisconsin, 307,450; Michigan, 306,278; NewYork, 244,226; Mississippi, 202,726; Illinois, 173,710; Ohio, 172,967; Texas, 168,301 and Arkansas with 128,810. The states that you would expect to have high numbers were surprisingly low such as Colorado, 11,963; Montana, 58,304 and Wyoming who had 4,063. The least expected state was Florida at 63,407 and the smallest number goes to Hawaii at 1,384. |
AuthorNick Hromiak has been an outdoors and automotive writer for over 30 years. He's been published in numerous national and state-wide outdoor magazines and newspapers.
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