If you were one of the hunters who had to wait a long time for an antlerless deer hunting license last year, the Pennsylvania Game Commission says that shouldn’t happen this year as they have a new sales plan. In fact, they’re guaranteeing that most resident hunters will get an antlerless license in the Wildlife Management Unit of their choice, as long as they do so before sales to nonresidents begin. The PGC explains the new plan as such: Antlerless licenses again will be sold over the counter and online. But when 2024-25 general hunting licenses go on sale to residents at 8 a.m. Monday, June 24, antlerless licenses for only WMUs 1B, 2G and 3A will be sold. For three days, antlerless licenses only will be available for these WMUs which typically sell out the fastest and drive much of the customer demand seen at the start of sales. However, there is no guarantee in getting a license in these WMUs as they’ll be sold on a first come basis until the allocated number of licenses is exhausted. On Thursday, June 27, antlerless licenses for the remaining 19 WMUs will go on sale to residents. Residents seeking licenses in any of these WMUs won’t need to wait in line for them; they’ll be guaranteed to get one, as long as they buy before 7 a.m. on Monday, July 8, when the resident-only portion of the first round of sales ends. Once the nonresident portion of the first round begins at 8 a.m. on Monday, July 8, all remaining licenses will be sold on a first come, first serve basis until the allocated number of licenses is exhausted. The PGC says these changes to the sales schedule and process should work in tandem to reduce wait times for hunters buying licenses throughout the first round. They contend that by opening antlerless license sales initially in the three WMUs that are likely to sell out the fastest, and taking the others out of the mix, demand can be better met for those license buyers who need it most. And by guaranteeing an antlerless license to a resident hunter in any other WMU from June 27 to July 8, it largely eliminates the need to stand in line, allows demand to be spread out over more than a week and gives hunters greater flexibility to buy at a time that’s convenient for them. The agency goes on to says that even then, there are sure to be plenty of licenses left in most WMUs. Last year, when antlerless sales were sold over the counter and online for the first time, only WMU 2G sold out before sales to nonresidents began. WMUs 1B and 3A sold out on the final days of the first round. Licenses for every other WMU were available into the second round. Some WMUs sold out quickly thereafter while others made it to a third or fourth round of sales. Aside from high-demand WMUs first, the sales schedule and process is similar to last year where a hunter is limited to buying one antlerless license per round in the first three rounds. Sales begin at 8 a.m. on the first day of any round, and there will be no sales between 7 a.m. and 7:59 a.m. on the first day a round opens. This allows for online customers to join the buying queue. The second round of sales begins on Monday, July 22 at 8 a.m. and the third round begins Monday, Aug. 12, at 8 a.m.
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Saturday’s (Apr. 6) much anticipated statewide trout opener gets underway at 8 a.m. when local streams and lakes will be lined with anglers attempting to latch onto some of the 3.2 million trout the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission will have stocked for the season. The PFBC says they will stock approximately 2.4 million Rainbow Trout, 702,000 Brown Trout and 132,000 Brook Trout. And these fish, they say, 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 during the season. Once the opener kicks off, the PFBC will begin their inseason stockings. The following Lehigh and Northampton stocking dates are as follows. Keep in mind not all portions of a listed stream will be stocked at one time on that date. For Lehigh County the following will receive fish on listed dates: 4-9: Lehigh Canal; 4-10: Jordan Creek; 4-11: Little Lehigh, Swabia Creek; 4-15: Jordan Creek; 4-16: Coplay Creek, Jordan Creek; 4-18: Jordan Creek; 4-19: Switzer Creek, Jordan Creek; 4-22: Cedar Creek, Little Lehigh; 4-24: Monocacy Creek; 4-25: Ontelaunee Creek; 4-26: Jordan Creek; 4-29: Cedar Creek, Little Lehigh, Swabia Creek; 5-6: Coplay Creek, Trout Creek. In Northampton County the following will receive stockings: 4-8: Monocacy Creek, Saucon Creek; 4-9: Lehigh Canal; 4-11: Hokendauqua Creek, Indian Creek; 4-15: Lehigh Canal; 4-18: Jacoby Creek, Martins Creek; 4-19: Bushkill Creek, Little Bushkill Creek; 4-23: Hokendauqua Creek; 4-24: Monocacy Creek, Saucon Creek; 4-30: Bushkill Creek, Little Bushkill Creek; 5-2: Minsi Lake; 10-10: Minsi Lake. If you’re heading to the upper Jordan Creek or Leaser Lake to fish and are need of bait, Bob’s Wildlife Taxidermy Shop in Orefield on Kernsville Road (610-398-7609) has Rosy Red minnows, medium shiners, fathead minnows, red worms, nightcrawlers, baby nightcrawlers, waxworms and mealworms. He may also be getting butter worms prior to the opener. Bob puts out a friendly reminder that a portion of the Jordan Creek at the Trexler Zoo above the ford that crosses the stream is a “kids fishing only” area where they’re almost guaranteed to catch a trout or two. If you enjoy catching trout but not keeping them in a catch-and-release practice, the PFBC strongly recommends these release methods: *Land the fish quickly: Don’t let it fight and jump until it’s exhausted. *Use a landing net: The best nets have a shallow bag made of fine mesh. If you must handle the fish, wet your hands before touching the fish. *Keep the fish in the water as much as possible: If you must handle the fish, keep it in the water as being out of the water is stressful for the fish. *Quickly remove the hook: Practice grabbing the hook shank and turning the fish upside down. The fish will usually slide off the hook. Long pliers are helpful when removing the hook. Sometimes fish will get hooked and there’s no way to get the hook out so just snip the line as close as possible to the fish’s mouth, then release it. You may also want to crimp down the hook barb. With far too many youngsters tied to their cell phones and TV games, it would be nice to give them a life-long sport that gets them outside and into the great outdoors. And what a better time to do it is this weekend (March 30) for the Mentored Youth Trout Day that runs from 8 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. On this day, youths get a jump start on fishing trout-stocked waters before the statewide opener April 6. And the odds of them catching fish is better and helps maintain their interest in the sport. When my son was a youngster and there was no Mentored Youth Day, I took him to a local farm pond where he caught and released loads of small largemouth bass and sunnies that kept his interest and hooked him on fishing. Then we transgressed to trout fishing and on his first opening day of trout season he was excited to catch a trout before I did. And in subsequent days on local streams, he often out-fished me. For starters, and to make youngsters feel like an adult angler, the fish commission says youth anglers need a Mentored Youth Permit or a Voluntary Youth Fishing License from any licensing agent and they must be accompanied by a licensed adult angler to participate in the program. With this license or permit it entitles the youth, 15 years old and younger, to take a total of two trout with a minimum length of 7 inches. Adult anglers are prohibited from possessing trout on that day. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission offers this guidance for mentors: *Youth should be capable of fishing on their own, with limited assistance from the mentor. *Mentor should be fishing within a reasonable distance of actively fishing youth. *This day is for mentors and their youth, and not designed for large groups of youth fishing, with minimal adult supervision. Of note, Special Regulation Areas are not included in this program and it’s unlawful to fish in waters designated as part of the Mentored Youth Fishing Day Program. The Mentored Youth Permit is free, whereas the Voluntary Youth License is $2.97 ($1 cost plus $1 issuing agent fee plus 0.97 PALS transaction fee). Adult anglers, however, need an annual fishing license and current trout/salmon permit. The youth permit, or youth voluntary license, can also be obtained online by going to HuntFishPA. LEASER LAKE From recent field reports, Leaser Lake was reportedly stocked with larger than the average size trout stocked. The reason, it’s surmised, is so the muskies at Leaser don’t feast on them as they would smaller trout. 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. 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. |
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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