 In an effort to promote fishing and boating in the Keystone state, the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission is offering grants up to $25,000 to organizations that can establish education programs to teach fishing and boating skills. These organizations can include sportsmen’s associations and others that aim to connect Pennsylvanians with the activities and benefits offered within Commonwealth waterways. Last year, the PFBC awarded $201,837 in R3 grants to support 13 education projects in nine counties. The grants will reimburse qualifying organizations up to $25,000 for eligible expenses for the period July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024. The grants require a minimum of 25 percent match of total project costs with the deadline for submission of the R3 grants applications ending April 14. More information about the program, including the application, can be found on the PFBC R3 Grant Program page of the PFBC website (Fishandboat.com). FISHING LICENSE PRICE INCREASE PROPOSED FOR 2024 In other PFBC news, the PFBC Board gave preliminary approval to a proposed fee increase for various fishing licenses and permits for the 2024 license year. Under the proposal, the price of a resident Annual Fishing License, Trout Permit, and Combination Trout/Lake Erie Permit, would increase by $2.50 each in 2024. Separate increases would be applied to other license and permit categories for non-resident, seniors and tourists. If approved, revenues from these fee increases are expected to generate an estimated $2.9 million annually for the PFBCs Fish Fund to support fishing related programs, says the PFBC. TROUT SEASON With the opening of trout fishing season only two weeks away, and the Mentored Youth Trout Day next Saturday (March 25), now’s the time to get fishing gear in shape, particularly if you need new fishing line. The most time-consuming job for tackle shops is to put new fishing line on reels. This detracts from the shop owners time who has to wait on other customers. Of course, you can put fresh line on yourself, but a shops’ line winder does a more even job. So, since it’s not a very busy time right now at local shops, don’t procrastinate and get it done now. You may also need to buy a license and trout stamp and that too takes a bit of time. And if your hip boots or chest waders may have sprung a leak, patch kits are available for a DIY patch job. Next week we’ll have more information on the trout opener and we’ll keep you posted on any trout stocking updates. SEASONS It hasn’t been a good season for ice fishing as warm weather didn’t allow local lakes and ponds to safely freeze. Even in the Pocono’s the season there was short where a few lakes had fishable hard water that didn’t last long. Then there’s snow goose season. Seems the geese didn’t stay as long as the normally do in in our area as they evidently departed for their northern breeding grounds. Better luck next year.
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 This Jersey shore antler used a glidebait to catch this chunky striper at night. Contributed photo Since the ice fishing season here in the Southeast never materialized, anglers can only look forward to the April 1 opening of trout season. If you can’t wait until then to wet a line, and would like to catch some big fish, the striper season opened in New Jersey shore points and reports from there sound like the bite is on.
On the Water Magazine issued these recent fishing reports from the Jersey shore: *Capt. Phil Sciortino from The Tackle Box in Hazlet said bloodworms are catching most of the stripers in the back bay of Raritan Bay and in the Raritan and Hackensack rivers. South Amboy and Cliffwood beaches have also been good spots for anglers throwing worm balls soaked in Fin-Essence. Capt. Phil added that there is a load of bunker in the bay and it’s just a matter of time until more stripers join them. *Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said kayakers, fishing in the Shrewsbury and Naversink rivers, are doing good on stripers using small plugs and plastics. Pinto explained that there’s a ton of bunker around and when the stripers find them, fishing will only get better. *Matt Haeger at The Reel Seat in Brielle reported most striped bass action was in the local bay near the bridges on plugs and plastics. He surmises that there’s probably fish in the Manasquan River as well, but he hasn’t received any reports. Small X-Raps were working at night as were small shads on jig heads. *Dennis Palmatier, at the Hook House in Toms River, said it was a good, not fabulous, striper opening as the Bay bridges have been productive as has the bay behind Island Beach State Park. The bass, he surmised, are pretty spread out throughout the bay. Toms River has been giving up fish as well, but recent windy conditions have made it tough to fish. Small X-Raps like the SXR-10, Kettle Creek shads and bloodworms have been hooking bass. Kayak anglers have been doing pretty good around the bridges. He added that winter flounder are off to a slow start, but he did hear of a few being caught at the Mantoloking Bridge. *Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normand Beach, said bass have been caught in the back bay and Toms River. He heard Huddy Park was a hot spot for stripers. Kupper has received of some winter flounder being picked up at the Mantoloking Bridge and added birds have been diving pretty hard out front, but on what, he wasn’t sure. *Ray Kerco at Grump’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park reported that striper fishing has been all right, but no blitzes as yet. Bloodworms seem to be working best in the back bay and Toms River with small shads picking fish as well. His shops Spring has Sprung Event and Seminar Series is featuring local surfcasting legend Shell E. Caris. *Liam at Creekside Outfitters in Waretown said there are bass and perch being caught mostly on bloodworms in the rivers and creeks. At night, best spots are around Graveling Point where stripers are favoring SP Minnows and Kettle Creek shads. If you don’t mind the drive to Jersey shore points, good eating striped bass could be on the menu. Jerry Zimmerman Memorial Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation hosts their 25th banquet2/28/2023  Here’s a call-out to all turkey hunters that it may not too late to get your tickets to attend the 50th Anniversary of the National Wild Turkey Federation and the Jerry Zimmerman’s Memorial Chapter 25th Annual Hunting Superfund banquet set for Friday, March 3 at the Homewood Suites Inn located at 3350 Center Valley Parkway in Center Valley. Your participation to this plated dinner and raffle enables the chapter to do valuable habitat work in the state, contribute to land acquisition, give disabled hunters an opportunity to hunt through the “Wheelin Sportsman’s” program plus offer the award-winning Jakes Youth Field Days and Women in the Outdoors events. The annual banquet will once again have a raffle and live auction for wildlife prints, sculptures, home furnishings, jewelry and collectables. A separate gun raffle will feature four guns consisting of one handgun, a rifle, a shotgun and one home defense firearm. The raffle’s first prize will be a Benelli Super Black Eagle III 12 gauge, 28-inch Barrel-Max 5 Camo or $1,000 in cash. Second prize: is a Kimber Micro 9mm or $500 in cash Third prize: a Savage Axis XP .30.06 with scope Fourth prize: a Mossberg Maverick 88 20-gauge Fifth prize: a Traditions Muzzleloader Redi-Pak. There will be added events in addition to these that promise to be a fun and delightful dinner night. To order tickets go to http://events.nwtf.org/38032110-2023 or call banquet chairman Bruce Dietrich at 610-298-2424 or Scott Richards at 610-393-9761. The dinner begins with a social hour at 5 p.m. with dinner being served at 7 p.m. The auction kicks off at 8 p.m. 
You may have noticed a few road-killed opossum’s on area roadways of late. In fact, there are two deceased ones on Mauch Chunk Road between Grumpy’s Restaurant and the former Gravely shop in South Whitehall Township. The one reason for these sightings is that opossums are on the move because it’s breeding season that runs from late February and March in Pennsylvania. This, plus they’ll also feed on other road-killed animals and may get hit while feasting. According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, opossums are basically nocturnal but will forage for food during the day. And since they walk slowly at 0.7 mph and their running speed is 4 mph, their slow shuffle gait makes them a roadway victim. In case you didn’t know, opossums are the oldest living mammal and the only marsupial on our continent. They are well developed compared to other mammals and continue their growth and development in a pouch on their mother’s abdomen. They didn’t appear in North America until the Pleistocene Epoch, less than a million years ago. Opossums’ sense of smell and touch are well developed but their hearing is not especially keen and their eyesight is weak. They don’t hibernate, but shelter in hollow logs, woodchuck holes, rock crevices, tree cavities, abandoned squirrel leaf nests, beneath porches and old buildings. They seldom spend two successive nights in the same den and are typically found in farmland, woodlots, brushy woods and in dry or wet terrain. Opossums also inhabit suburbs and edges of towns where food and cover are available, and they can climb trees. As for breeding season, opossums are solitary. Females, and unweaned offspring, stay together and the sexes only come in contact during breeding. After breeding, the female drives off the male and the male plays no part in raising young. Females can breed when they’re a year old and may bear a second litter, breeding again from mid-May to early July. Opossum young grow rapidly in their mothers’ pouch and by eight weeks their eyes open and they let go of the mammaries for the first time. They begin leaving the pouch for short periods, riding atop her back while gripping her fur with their claws. A few years back I found two dead baby opossums in my back yard. I can only guess that maybe one of the three known feral cats in our area got them, or they died from a disease and the mother abandoned them in my lawn. Opossum’s main diet consists of terrestrials, aquatic insects, lizards, snakes, toads, the young of small animals, bird eggs, young birds, berries, wild grapes, acorns mushrooms and cultivated plants. If threatened, and an opossum cannot climb to escape, they’ll feign death, commonly called, “playing possum” by lying motionless, eyes and mouth open, its forefeet clenched, and its breathing becomes shallow plus they emit a musky odor. They do this because some predators ignore dead prey, but they’ll also growl, hiss or click its teeth when annoyed by smaller predators or people. When food is plentiful, an opossum may range only a few hundred yards in cultivated areas where fencerows, rocky field corners and fields have been cleared for crops. But they can range up to two miles to find food. So, in this breeding season, be alert when driving, especially at night, because opossums don’t have the speed to get out of a vehicles way that’s moving 55 mph.
 According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, this past elk hunting season was a successful one for 131 out of 178 hunters who won an elk hunting permit during last year’s elk lottery. “They definitely did well,” said Jeremy Banfield, the PGCs elk biologist. “They did better in the late season (that ended Jan. 7) than in the general season, he added. In fact, one elk broke the state archery record. Back in 2019, the PGC created an archery-only season and an Armstrong County hunter is now the record holder for a non-typical archery bull. Dave Kammerdiener of Templeton, arrowed a 7 by 11-point bull in Zone 10 with his crossbow. Its antler measured 446 inches. This compares to largest elk ever taken in Pennsylvania that measured 455 inches on a non-typical bull shot with a rifle in 2020 by Duane Kramer of Bellington, Washington. As a recap for the archery season, 12 of the 14 bulls and seven of the 15 cow tags were filled. In the general season, 28 of the 31 bull hunters and 43 of the 70 cow hunters were successful. And in the late season, all 15 of the bull elk hunters and 26 of the 33 cow hunters managed to take a trophy animal. Banfield said it was a typical year as the elk all appeared to be healthy, and the PGC hasn’t received any positive tests for diseases. The elk biologist is working on a plan that would provide hunters more time to plan their hunts and scout for elk. And this coincides with when the elk licenses are awarded each year at the Elk Expo that’s organized by the Keystone Elk County Alliance, in mid-August. This year, the event is scheduled for July 29-30 which should give the winners of the elk lottery a couple of added weeks to scout and or secure a guide. Back in the 2022 season, the Elk Expo was held Aug. 20-21, less than a month before the elk season opened. In addition, Banfield has proposed to the Game Commission board of commissioners to move the two-week archery elk season ahead one week. This past year it started on Sept. 10, so he’s proposing it be held Sept. 16-30. The general season where rifles are permitted will be Oct. 30-Nov. 4, and the late season is scheduled for Dec. 30-Jan. 6. Banfield is also planning to conduct an aerial survey to gauge the elk population that was estimated at 1,300 to 1,400 animals last year. The information from the aerial survey and other data will be used to determine how many hunting tags will be offered this year. Banfield believes the number will be again close to 178 like last year. The seasons are expected to be set in April and at that time the number of tags will be determined for the lottery. The cost to apply for an elk tag is $11.97, and it can be purchased for all three seasons. Last year, the agency received 104,250 applications for the 178 elk tags. The revenue from the applications was about $1.25 million the past season and the money goes, says the PGC, into the agencies general fund to cover habitat improvements. “The lottery is the main source of revenue for the elk program,” said Banfield.  This female bear and her cubs have denned-up beneath a resdents patio deck. The PGC has a live cam set-up for 24/7 public viewing. Photo courtesy of the PGC Perhaps it’s a coincidence or just good timing but the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) has established three livestream cameras at eagle nests, snow geese at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area and a bear den, a subject we covered in our column. According to the PGC, a new 24/7 livestream from a black bear den in Pike County was launched this week and will run into the spring of 2023. This is the first time since 2021 that the PGC has offered an up-close look inside a bear den. The agency says there are few dens in known spots where cameras can be installed and where footage can be streamed to viewers. But the PGC learned of this den for installation that’s located under the deck of a residence in Pike. PGC Information and Education Director Steve Smith said, “While all of our wildlife livestreams are popular, there’s nothing like watching and listening to bear cubs as they begin to explore their surroundings and ultimately emerge from the den with their mothers to see their new world in Penn’s Woods. The livestreams are a collaborative effort by the PGC, HDOntap and Comcast Business. HDOntap provides the streaming services and Comcast Business provides the internet connectivity for the two eagle cameras. “HDOntap is thrilled to partner with the PGC for the return of the bear den cam. Watching the sow raise her cubs is a rare and beautiful experience. The bear cam is a staff favorite as it’s a joy to watch the cubs play, learn and grow every day, and we know viewers will feel the same,” said Kate Alexander of HDOntap. Pennsylvania’s black bear cubs usually are born in January and begin walking in about eight weeks. They leave their den when 3 months old. During the 2019 run, the PGC said the bears left their den on April 11 and in 2021, their departure date was March 24. As for the Farm Country Bald Eagle Livestream, the nest cam is located on a long-established nest in a giant sycamore tree overlooking scenic farmland in Hanover Pa. Bald eagles typically lay eggs in mid-February and, if the eggs are viable, they’ll hatch in mid-to late March with young fledging in June. But they do continue to return to the nest. For the snow geese, who overwinter in Middle Creek, their migration typically peaks there from mid-February to March. It’s a sight to see all the thousands of white geese in the waters of Middle Creek. To view all of these livestreams, go directly to HDOntap or through www.pgc.pa.gov. While on the subject of black bears, an interesting story comes from Grand View Outdoors who reported that a male black bear from New York trekked roughly 140 miles from his last known release site before succumbing to injuries sustained in a vehicle collision in Pennsylvania. As the report goes, on Dec 26, 2022, a bear was recovered after it was struck by a vehicle and killed on SR 11, between Northumberland and Danville in northeast Pennsylvania. It was learned that this bear was ear-tagged by the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation and was found up a tree in the middle of Albany, NY, on May 31, 2022. It was tranquilized and relocated to Delaware County, NY in the Catskills. Like many people who are moving from NYC to PA, guess this bear wanted to move here as well.  Black bear cubs like this are being born during the month of January. Photo by author The Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) sent out a point of information on what is occurring in Pennsylvania’s quiet forests right now. What they speak of is the many female black bears who are in a den and have not had anything to eat, drink or have defecated since fall and are awakening from their winter hibernation to give birth. Their den could be in a cave, an outcropping, underneath a boulder, even in a hole produced by an uprooted tree. Some may even den-up under a deck of a mountain home and often unbeknown to its owner. According to the PGC, a female bear gives birth to from one to five cubs, with three being the most common. The cubs weigh just eight to ten ounces at birth and with unopened eyes and having almost no fur on their bodies, are typically born the first few weeks in January. The cubs are kept alive by their mother’s warmth and rich milk. Bear milk, says the PGC, has a fat content of nearly 30 percent and may be the highest of any land mammal. After about six weeks, the cub’s eyes open and in about two more weeks, they walk. They’re able to leave the den when they’re three months old and are weaned by seven months. By fall they usually weigh 60-100 pounds. Many moons ago I, along with my 9-year old son, had the privilege of accompanying Gary Alt, the PGC’s bear biologist at the time, on a known female bear den site inspection. The purpose was to check the den for the number of cubs inside, weigh and measure the mother and her cubs, plus place ear tags on the female and her cubs. To do so, Alt, crawled partially into the den and with a poke stick, stuck the female bear with a tranquilizing dart. Waiting a few minutes for the dart to take effect, Alt along with his assistant, pulled the 300-pound plus female out of the den to weigh, measure it and take milk samples from its teats. Alt showed us how thick the milk was that appeared to be the consistency of sour cream. Before removing the cubs, Alt allowed me to crawl in the den to take some pictures as the three cubs were cuddled together. Alt then crawled in to bring out the cubs to process them. When the processing was completed, Alt placed the cubs back in the den then pushed the female back in but not before putting Vicks on her nose. The purpose of that was so she didn’t smell human odor on the cubs, which she could reject them if she did. It was a nature experience I nor my son will never forget. For more information on Pennsylvania’s black bears and their management check https://bit.ly/3CIQdN3.
 If you spot a turkey flock like this, the PGC would appreciate reporting it to them, Contributed photo The Pennsylvania Game Commission is once again asking the public to report any sightings of wild turkeys to them. This is a statewide effort to provide information on annual survival rates, annual spring harvest rates and other dynamics. The public is asked to provide the date and location of the sightings plus the type of land (public, private or unknown) where the birds were seen. According to the PGC, crews will visit those sites to assess the flocks reported, to determine the potential to put leg bands on male turkeys statewide. Turkeys, they say, will not be moved as they’ll simply be leg banded and released on site in four Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) and some will also be outfitted with GPS transmitters. Then released back on site to be monitored over time. Trapping turkeys during winter is part of the PGC’s ongoing population monitoring as well as a large-scale turkey study. According to Mary Jo Casalena, PGC’s turkey biologist, “This data will give us information on annual survival rates and annual spring harvest rates for our population model and provides the person reporting information on when and approximately where it was banded.” She goes on to explain that just like the last three winters where leg bands were put on male turkeys statewide and when hunters harvest one of these birds or people who find one dead, the PGC asks that they be reported along with the leg band number be either calling the toll-free number or emailing the PGC using the email address on the band. New this year, the leg bands will have a website on them for direct reporting the information into the database. The PGC will attach GPS transmitters to a sampling of turkeys in WMUs 2D, 3D, 4D and 5C and on approximately 150 hens and 100 males. The four areas have different landscapes, turkey population densities, spring hunter and harvest densities. Casalena added, “We’re studying turkey population and movement dynamics, disease prevalence and other aspects that may limit populations. And these studies are being done in partnership with Penn State University and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wildlife Futures Program. The study will also focus on the population and movement portion of the work on how landscape and weather impact hen nest success, poult survival, predation, habitat and movement. The disease portion of the study involves examining how disease prevalence varies on landscape, and how it impacts things like the survival and nesting rates of hens and different ages. This, says the PGC, is accomplished by collecting blood, tracheal and skin from turkeys that receive backpack style transmitters at the time of capture. This turkey study will continue next winter for both males and females and continue through 2025 for hens, so that in the end, the PGC will monitor more than 400 females and more than 200 males. Says Casalena, “This is the largest turkey project we have ever conducted with the hope of answering many questions regarding current turkey population dynamics. But finding birds to trap is the key to accomplishing the work. And this is where the public comes in as they even helped with monitoring sites and trapping last year.” To report sightings between now and March 15 go to http://pgcdatacollection.pa.gov/TurkeyBroodSurvey. |
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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