​
Aside from the dove hunting season that kicked-off Sept. 2, squirrel season is the next small game pursuit when that season gets underway Sept. 14-28. 

Squirrel season has a three-season run as it opens again Dec. 16-24 and Dec. 26 to Feb. 28. It’s one of the longest  small game hunting seasons in Pennsylvania. Squirrels are also our most plentiful small game species. 

Squirrel season is also an excellent time to introduce a youth to hunting as it gives them an outdoors education that they would not get in school, plus it gets them away from their electronic toys. Added to that, the season is still warm and doesn’t require a lot of hunting clothes as jeans and a sweatshirt would do. The only necessary requirement would be a pair of hunting or hiking boots, and a can of tick repellent as the nasty critters are heavy again this year - and a youth license.  

As for choice of a firearm for squirrels, the choices are shotgun or rimfire (.22LR) rifle. For youngsters the .22 is preferable as it’s easier to shoot with virtually no recoil and with a scope, makes shots more precise. The shotgun would be for later on when the youths gain shooting experience, although it’s easier to down a bushy tail with a well- placed shot when a squirrel is sitting still or running along a tree branch. 

In this early part of the season, the woodland tree canopy is thick requiring a close shot. Most veteran squirrel hunters rarely take shots beyond 30 yards, if that. Using a .22, you have to get closer, but for a youngster, it teaches patience, shooting skill and stealth to sneak up on a chatterbox up in a tree. Another method is to sit by a tree when seeing or hearing squirrel activity in the trees, and attempting to call one closer by sucking on the back of the hand which mimics squirrel chatter. There are also commercial calls on the market for that purpose. 

An added benefit of hunting squirrels with a .22 rifle is that you won’t have to bite into a lead shot that and a possible trip to the dentist. Sometimes and despite the best cleaning efforts, an embedded No. 6 or 8 shot can be missed. With a .22 you don’t generally have that problem. 

While on the topic of eating squirrel, they offer sweet meat as their main diets consist of nuts, berries, mushrooms, pine seeds, corn, while cherry and black gum fruits. And in spring they eat buds, flowers and winged fruits of red maple. In winter, they seek out the nuts they buried in fall. There are several squirrel cooking recipes on social media.

And before throwing squirrel tails away, keep in mind Mepp’s the fishing lure maker buys them  or trades for their spinning lures. 

SALTWATER REPORT
Northern New Jersey surfcasters tossing tins and epoxy jigs into frothy feeds are playing inshore pelagic roulette this week with bonito, false albacore, Spanish mackerel, small bluefish, and even some chub mackerel in the mix.
​
Inlets have come to life with schools of spearing and peanut bunker, which are keeping late-summer hardtail populations well fed. In many cases, when the surface action dies down as late morning approaches, shore anglers are slowing their retrieves and putting nice fluke on the beach with those same epoxy jigs and metals, while others opt for a live mullet, or the more traditional rig consisting of a bucktail jig and Gulp teaser.
 
Fluke fishing improved over some of the local reefs, where keeper flatties to 8 pounds were reported. Devout fluke anglers are dropping baited hi-lo rigs, bucktails and Gulp, plus live spot for fluke over the reefs. At times, bottom fishermen are even coming across blitzing albies and bonito and are cutting them into strip baits to try and box another keeper fluke for the table.

​Elk hunting in Pennsylvania will soon get underway when the archery season for them kicks off Sept. 14-28. But first, bowhunters have had to secure an elk license that are awarded either by auction or raffle and that began Sept. 2. 

For the fortunate 27 hunters who are lucky to draw an archery license, they will be hunting in their designated Elk Hunt Zones across several counties in northcentral Pennsylvania.

Later, from Nov. 4-9 – a period when a lot of other hunters might be sharing the woods – the 68 hunters drawn for a general elk license will have the opportunity to try to fill their tags. And 45 more hunters will take part in the late elk season that runs from Dec. 28 to Jan. 4, 2025 for a herd that the PGC says is between 1,300 and 1,400 elk. And for the 2024 season, there were 65 bull licenses and 75 cow licenses sold. 

“Those lucky elk hunters might well be feeling the season can’t get here soon enough, but for archery hunters in particular, the start is almost here,” said Game Commission Executive Director Steve Smith. “Soon, those hunters will be living out an experience hundreds of thousands dream about when they submit their applications for a license each year. I wish them luck, and like most hunters, hope to share a part in it someday.”

For the 2022 season, the last the PGC has shown, the historical harvest success was 375 antlered and 856 antlerless elk taken. That resulted in a success rate of 97 percent for antlered and 76 percent for antlerless elk. And that was out of 388 antlered licenses issued and 1,131 antlerless licenses issued. 

For non-hunters, or the unlucky who didn’t draw a license, these majestic game animals can be viewed via Pennsylvania Game Commission’s real time “Elk Cam.” The elk cam can be viewed 24-7 through the agency’s website (www.pgc.pa.gov) that is now live. The livestream feed is on State Game Lands 311 in, most appropriately, Elk County and in a field that’s typically a hub of elk activity according to the PGC. 

But in addition to elk, viewers may also see wild turkeys, deer, bear, coyotes and other wildlife. 
According to Jordan Sanford PGC wildlife outreach coordinator, “In the Northcentral Region, the annual elk rut is a unique experience in itself. Spotting a harem of elk, sparring bulls, or hearing majestic bugles ring through the fog is thrilling and exciting. Wherever you are, get connected to catch a glimpse of the magnificent animals. “

The livestream elk cam is provided by HDOnTap, with the help of North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission. And thanks to infrared capability, it showcases Pennsylvania’s wildlife during daylight and nighttime hours. 

The elk cam is slated to run until the end of the bugling season, likely sometime in mid-October with the top time to see elk is late in the afternoon says the PGC.  
​

The small game season kicks off Sept. 2 when dove hunting season opens. The season runs in a split season of from Sept. 2-Nov. 29 and again from Dec. 21- Jan. 4 with a 15 daily and 45 in possession  bag limit. At the same time, the early Canada goose season begins for a Sept. 2-25 initial run.

But both dove and geese will be tough to hunt at this time of year since corn crops are still standing and soybean fields are just beginning to develop beans at many places. 

What this means for the hunter is that if downing a dove and it flies into standing corn, it’ll be tough to find unless you have a good hunting dog. Soybean fields are a bit easier in that they are low in height allowing you to mark the spot where the dove went down. Just be courteous when doing so as to not trample the farm crops while retrieving the dove. And above all, get permission from the landowner before hunting adjacent to the fields. 

Since there are fewer and fewer places to hunt considering all the development taking place. There are the game lands and in particular SGL #205 in Lowhill Township and off Rte. 100 in Lehigh County where there are Managed Dove Fields. This is where game commission personnel plant food crops for dove. These fields are managed specifically for the doves to take advantage of the food, grit and loafing areas that dove prefer. 

In Northampton County you can try SGL # 168 on the Blue Mountain located in Bushkill Township and north of the town of Clearfield. It’s not certain though if there are Managed Dove Fields there. 

In Berks County, it’s SGL #182 off Rte. 222 north of Kutztown. And if not there, Berks has more open farmland than the other two counties. Most of these are owned by Mennonite families and they are generally receptive to allowing hunting on or near their land. In fact, one parcel I passed on the outskirts of Fleetwood even has posted signs indicating it’s a “Hunter Access Cooperator.” Older signs may say “Public Access Cooperator.” Years back this was called the Farm-Game Co-Op program where farmers would allow hunting on their land and in exchange they would get pine seedlings to plant on their property and free PA Game News magazines. Again, permission to hunt is needed. 

As for geese, the best bets is to check harvested cut wheat or alfalfa fields that are close to a pond or lake. Until the corn is harvested, goose hunting may be even tougher right now. 
​
Hunters should not forget that a Migratory Game Bird license is required to  hunt doves in addition to a general license. These can be purchased at a licensing agency or on the game commission’s website under the heading of licensing for all you newcomers to the area.  

With the dove and early goose hunting season a mere two weeks away, this may be a good time to reflect on small game hunting as it was in the past. 

Many moons ago I recall the story about the late Charles Nehf, a local outdoor writer, who would write about hunting for pheasants and rabbits in the Fogelsville area and he traveled there by taking a trolley from Allentown to those Lehigh County farm fields. In so doing, he was all decked-out in his hunting clothes and carrying his 12-gauge shotgun. Imagine doing that today on a Lanta bus? The SWAT team would be called.  

Aside from that, it would be interesting to know the cost of hunting and equipment back then. In fact, let’s refer  back to 1930 when a Witwer Jones Sporting Goods store, located then at 949 Hamilton Street, ran an advertisement in the local newspaper listing prices for shotguns, shot shells and hunting clothes. The ad listed shotguns from Lefever priced at $24.85, a Fox shotgun for $32.10, an Ithaca for $33.00, a Smith for $35.10, a Winchester for $43.25, a Parker for $48.40 and a budget-minded Springfield double barrel shotgun for $15.75. 

Checking these similar shotgun prices in the 25th Edition of Gun Trader’s Guide, they list the Springfield Arms Company’s (built by Savage Arms in Utica, NY) double-barrel hammerless shotgun at $325, a Lefever plain ejector 12-gauge double barrel now goes for $3,188, a Fox single-shot double-barrel, $294, and their Skeeter model $4,494. Checking further, an Ithaca, Model 87 Ultralite in 12 or 20 gauge goes for $369; an (L.C.) Smith, made from 1890-1945, double-barrel Field Grade fetches $1,119, and their Pigeon Grade for $3,563. A Winchester Model 12 Field Gun is priced at $688 and a Parker, 12 or 20-gauge at $3,119. 

Many of these are now collectibles and difficult to find, and their prices would likely increase since Gun Digest printed their guide. Especially since the models listed are no longer made. 

As for shotgun ammunition, the ad lists Remington Shurshot box of 25 for 85 cents. In checking recent ammo pricing, a box of Winchester 12-gauge, #8 shot is $13.00 for 25 rounds at Outdoors Limited’s website, and $34.99 for a box of 12-gauge Aguila #7.5 shot at Boyers Hardware in Slatington. 

And for hunting adult general hunting licenses, they were $2 back then, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Today, the same general hunting license costs $20.97. 

The ad also lists hunting coats for $3.25, hunting boots for $6.35, vests for $1.85 and Red Top Socks for .75 (I still have  a pair). The latter brings back memories going back to the 50s when red was the safety color that was worn and before blaze orange became the law. 

Going back to those days when prices were cheap and pheasants were truly wild and plentiful in fields, is now merely a cherish-able memory.   

​
Last Wednesday, the Lil-Le-Hi Trout Nursery in Allentown received a total of 15,660 trout fingerlings for their holding ponds that nursery volunteers feed and raise until they’re ready to be stocked in local streams.

Of that number, there were 4,200 brook Trout, 11,300 rainbow trout and 160, 4-5-inch golden trout. The Pennsylvania Fish Commission delivered the fingerlings in their aerated fleet of white stocking trucks, however, there were no brown trout delivered because the Little Lehigh Creek that runs adjacent to the nursery, is Class A trout waters that hold native trout. 

When arriving at the nursery, the fingerlings are 1-3 inches long after being hatched from eggs at the fish commissions’ Benner Springs Trout Hatchery in Midstate.

The trout will live at the nursery for about two years and until they reach about 14-16 ounces before being released into area streams. Their average size upon being released into local streams is about 12 inches. To get to that size, trout need to eat about 1.6 pounds of food daily to grow to a pound during their two-year stay at the nursery. In addition to being fed daily by volunteers, visitors can buy fish food at the nursery for supplemental feeding. For kids, even adults, it’s an enjoyable experience to see the trout jump and splash to catch the pellets fed to them during their feeding frenzy’s. 

Currently, there are 2,000 mature trout in the nursery that are waiting to be stocked in local streams by the volunteers. But because of low and warm water conditions, the stocking is on hold. We’ll keep you posted when they will be.

NEW JERSEY SHORE FISHING

If your late summer vacation takes you to the Jersey shore, your timing may be good as our reporters from On the Water Magazine say that tuna fishing is at the top of the charts right now with inshore bluefin and offshore yellowfin, plus bigeye, grabbing the attention. 

Added to this, they say fluking is good for both surfcasters and boaters. Bluefishing is picking up for boat and beach anglers. At the same time mahi-mahi and bonito are starting to show up. It’s surmised that Spanish mackerel and false albacore can’t be far behind. 

Sea bass fishing has also been good with lots of jumbos caught and as summer is in the home stretch, crabbing is sensational. 
​
The  Tackle Box in Hazlet reports fluke action in the Sandy Hook surf offers lots of action, however there aren’t many keepers. A lot of bunker are showing up offshore and big bluefish were blowing them close to the Atlantic Beach Reef. There was also cobia in the area along with loads of sharks. Anglers are pitching live eels into the bunker to hook cobia. There are also mahi-mahi showing up on the pots while Crabbing is off the charts. 

Fly fishing is the ultimate fishing experience especially when a trout slurps a fly off the water and the tug on the line coming from a long and limber fly rod is unlike any sensation of a spinning or baitcasting rod. It’s a fish and angler battle that is second to none. 

And although most fly fishermen are males, there are a few women who opt to enjoy the sport. Not only is fly fishing an enjoyable experience, it requires finesse and patience. Traits women seem to have better than their male counterparts. 

As such, and for ladies who would like to give this life-long sport a try but don’t know where to start, the Hokendauqua Chapter of Trout Unlimited will host a “Fly Fishing Basics for Women” clinic that will provide expert training from experienced, veteran fly fishers. 

The clinic will take place on Saturday, September 21 in the Social Hall and on the lawn of Egypt Fire Company No. 1, located at 4099 Kuhn Lane, Whitehall. While the clinic is still two months away, it’s limited to 15 participants so as to insure each lady gets one-on-one instruction. So first come, first served. 

The clinic will run from 8 a.m. and will end at noon. It’s free and will offer bottled water, coffee, tea, hot chocolate and donuts for those in attendance. Covered will be a short introduction to fly fishing and will include  equipment needed, natural trout food, hand-tied flies, necessary knots and fly casting. And according to Dale Ott, long time TU member and instructor, all equipment will be provided. 

To register, contact Dave Abraham at 610-844-3459 or email him at [email protected]. Additional information can be found on the Hokendauqua Chapter’s website (Hokendauqua.tu.org/Hokendauqua/current-events. Or simply go to “Hokendauqua Trout.” 

Trout Unlimited is a national organization with 150,000 members and 400 chapters whose mission is to conserve, protect and restore North American’s cold-water fisheries and watersheds. Their goal is to ensure that robust populations of native and wild cold-water fish will once again thrive in their North American range so future generations can enjoy healthy fisheries in their home waters. 

The Hokendauqua Chapter was officially chartered in 1987 and their primary focus is on the Hokendauqua Creek and its tributaries in Northampton County, and this has expanded to the Coplay Creek in Lehigh County. 

One aspect of their work is local stream-bank stabilization and restoration. But that’s not all chapter members do. 

It has sponsored Eagle Scout and Girl Scout projects along the banks of the Hokey Creek, as it’s known, and sponsors at least one student per summer to the Rivers Conservation and Fly-Fishing Youth Camp at Boiling Springs, PA. The chapter has also been in schools with their First Cast program that instructs youths to pond fish during the National Wild Turkey Federation’s Jakes Youth Field Day at Ontelaunee Rod & Gun Club each August. 

For adults, the chapters’ Project Healing Waters benefits disabled veterans through fly tying and fly-fishing instructions. This also includes first responders. 
​
For the ladies, they are involved in the fishing segment for Women in the Outdoors program along with weekend fly fishing retreats for women who have had breast cancer. In addition, they hold refresher fly tying classes at Northampton Middle School on Saturday mornings in January and February. It’s an active chapter that promotes and perpetuates the sport of fishing, especially fly fishing. 

Since 1883 the Lil-Le-Hi Trout Nursery has been a family and educational attraction in the Lehigh Valley. Located on most appropriately Fish Hatchery Road in Allentown, the nursery is a place families gather to feed the trout and see the different stages of their growth from fingerlings to lunker breeders that take a few years to grow for stocking in area streams. 

The Pennsylvania Fish Commission provides the fingerlings from their hatcheries and an initial amount of food that the trout were accustomed to eating at the hatcheries. Then, the Lil-Le-Hi nursery volunteers from Lehigh County Fish and Game, Pioneer Fish and Game and Trout Creek Fish and Game associations continue feeding and maintaining the ponds that the trout are raised in. The City of Allentown maintains the property but all the other work is done by these three sportsmen groups. 

At the brief meeting this past Saturday, Herb Gottschall, Lehigh F&G President and Harry Monk, nursery manager, convened a meeting to announce that the three clubs have merged their volunteer services that will be known as Queen City Sportsmen’s Association. The benefit, said Monk, is that when it’s time to clean the rearing ponds generally in the past only four or five members from a club would show up to do the chores. But today, the nursery had the benefit of 20 members from all three clubs that met to scrub, wash and rinse the ponds in preparation for a new batch of fingerlings to arrive later this month from a fish commission hatchery. 

The holding ponds are normally cleaned twice a week so the combined member volunteers can get the job done quicker in a cooperative effort. And to do so the trout are moved from one pond to a cleaned one so that pond can be cleaned. The fish are rotated this way to maintain a healthy environment and to prevent diseases. 

When asked if there will be another stocking from the nursery a club member said they have 2,000 trout to stock, but are waiting for cooler weather and higher water levels, two conditions that trout prefer.
​
So the next time you visit the nursery, keep in mind it’s the three volunteer clubs that provide this Lehigh County attraction which is one of the oldest continuously operated trout nurseries in the country. It’s a gem that we took our children to when they were youngsters and until this day, they make periodic visits there to feed the trout the nourishing pellets that the volunteer club members bag for sale to visitors.  

With July 4 being a Fish for Free Day in Pennsylvania, when a fishing license is not needed, those fishing trout streams need to take precautions when fishing for them during summer heat conditions. 

According to the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission, trout thrive in cool (below 68 degrees), clean, well-oxygenated water. They go on to explain that during summer months, when water levels and flows decrease due to lack of rainfall, water temperatures rise and dissolved oxygen decreases, which in turn causes additional stress on trout. 

As such, anglers are reminded to consider these conditions and take some personal responsibility when fishing or trout during these periods of stress. The PFBC recommends the following practices. 

*Fish early in the morning when water temperatures are cooler. 
*Land a hooked fish quickly – do not “play” the fish.
*After landing a fish, release it as quickly as possible without removing it from the water. 
*Avoid fishing when water temperatures are above 67 degrees. 

One area stream that maintains a decent temperature year-round is the Little Lehigh. And despite not being stocked since the last inseason stocking, there are still some trout remaining and anglers who fish in cool morning hours often fish the deep holes and catch a trout or two. Fly fishermen also work the riffles, where water is more oxygenated, with fly’s that match the hatch. The upper Jordan Creek is productive especially near the game lands. There are also native trout in Cedar Creek in the Rose Garden stretch where one fly angler customarily fishes it but releases them. 

If going to the South Jersey shore for the July 4 holiday, the best bet says On the Water Magazine is to target some kingfish off the beaches with small pieces of worms tipped on rigs. The Delaware Bay and Cape May beaches are probably the best spots to look for these fish. But it’s recommended you bring a few different soft plastics like Fin-S Fish or Zoom Flukes for potential weakfish. 

Anglers looking for sheepshead should grab some crabs or sand fleas and hit the backwater bridges. Fluke fishing on the other hand seems to be slower everywhere last week. 

If you have a hankering for Old Bay steamed crabs, pick up some bunker from a local tackle shop and hit the bays or tidal creeks for Jersey blue claws. Crabbing has been on fire!

Opting to fish North Jersey, Kyle Tanger at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach, said fluking in the Manasquan River has been really good especially farther back with fish up to 22 inches being caught. 

Cold water has hurt the surf fishing somewhat, except for those targeting sharks as that bite is pretty good. One South Whitehall restaurant used to have shark bites on the menu and they are delightful. 
​
There’s also good fluking reports from the Sea Girt Reef, along with some bonito being caught offshore on jigs.  The offshore tuna bite has been spotty because of the weather. Tanger added that there are loads of sand eels at Little Italy where anglers have been sight fishing for cobia. 
 

If you’re an avid birder, the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) is looking to hire you as a volunteer to count birds. 

The PGC, along with Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, have partnered to conduct the third Pennsylvania Bird Atlas in Pennsylvania. And the birds they’re talking about are the birds you see in your backyard, around camp, while hiking or just making outside observations. The PGC said those numbers are more important than you think. 

The count between now and Feb. 2029, will document what birds live in Pennsylvania, where and in what numbers. 

The agency goes on to explain that the Atlas will provide a snapshot of the population status and distribution of birds in the Commonwealth.     

PGC Ornithologist Sean Murphy said, “No other bird surveys are as comprehensive, and the results are critical to the establishment of conservation priorities for Pennsylvania birds.”

The PGC and Hawk Mountain are asking volunteers to look for birds, and report those at eBird (https://ebird.org/atlaspa. Step one to getting started is visiting the site and creating an account. Then, volunteers can access the information and tools to participate, including a handbook and other printable handouts. It will also enable you to see what others are seeing in real time.

Amber Wiewel, of Hawk Mountain, is the atlas full-time coordinator but there are paid bird counters as well. 

Atlas data comes from volunteers ranging from hard-core birders to more casual lovers of wildlife. 

“Results of the atlas are useful only if the data is plentiful as more checklists the better,” says the PGC. And volunteers are needed from all areas of the state, especially from people living in more remote parts where there are fewer birds. This data is valuable as it helps fill in holes on the map where birds would otherwise go unreported. And one of these areas are state game lands that can be hard to access and challenging to survey. 

Historically, Pennsylvania did its first atlas in the 1980s and the second followed in early 2000s. The results showed good and bad news. The good news was that catbirds were doing well as 12 percent of the world’s population lives in Pennsylvania – as are woodpeckers of all sorts. On the bad side, American goshawks and northern harriers are struggling. In this respect, I’ve noticed fewer robins here compared to 10 years ago. But perhaps it’s my location. Same with kestrels. On the other hand, blue jays appear to be plentiful. 

Breeding birds are also a focus of the Atlas as are birds overwintering in the state. It’s the PGC’s contention that we have much to learn about the distribution and abundance of birds in Pennsylvania, especially in winter. And whether an observer submits data for one nesting species or 100, it all goes towards the Atlas. 

REPORT TURKEY SIGHTINGS

And while you’re counting birds, the PGC is again asking the public to report seeing wild turkeys this summer. The Annual Pennsylvania Wild Turkey Sighting Survey that runs July 1 through Aug. 31. 

This information is important for determining wild turkey population management and wild turkey productivity for long-term reproductive success. Turkey sightings can be reported through the PGC’s website at https://pgcdatacollection.pa.gov/TurkeyBrood Survey. 
​
Participants are asked to report the number of wild turkeys they see, along with the county, township, wildlife management unit, date and contact information, in the event PGC biologists have any questions.