Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2018 i Game & Fish East

Game Commission Expands CWD Rules PENNSYLVANIANS WHO harvest deer in New York, Ohio, Maryland or West Virginia no longer may bring them home without first removing the carcass parts with the highest risk of transmitting chronic wasting disease (CWD). As part of the fight to slow the spread of CWD in the Commonwealth, the Pennsylvania Game Commission has updated its executive order prohibiting the importation of high-risk deer parts into Pennsylvania. While the order has always prohibited whole deer from being brought into Pennsylvania from most U.S. states and Canadian provinces where CWD exists, it previously permitted deer harvested in New York, Ohio, Maryland or West Virginia to be brought in, so long as the deer weren’t reported to have been harvested in any county where CWD has been detected.…

OVER THE YEARS, shotgun shells have come a long way. This year is no different as hardcore duck hunters welcome the introduction of a new shotshell. One of the latest shotshell additions to Browning’s line of ammunition is their BXD Extra Distance non-toxic shotshell load. It’s designed, as the name also implies, to increase lethal range and to provide consistent patterns. To accomplish this, Browning utilizes an aerodynamically stabilized wad with lateral slits and rear fins that act as brakes when the shot cup is in flight. When the fins open after the shot, the wad is stripped away from the shot column to produce improved patterns at 40 yards and beyond. The premium-plated round steel shot flies true and penetrates effectively, producing quick, clean kills and reducing cripples. I…

WINCHESTER SX4 FIELD THIS IS a fast-shooting scattergun and would be perfect for hunts where you expect rapid follow-ups. Upland bird hunters or waterfowl hunters looking for doubles or even triples would take to this gun. If you like light shotguns, the Field version is just 6 pounds, 10 ounces. You’ll notice a pronounced front-end heaviness, even relative to the SX3. Really, this is a personal preference. I like an evenly weighted gun, especially for closer-in shots from a blind. But for longer swings, like crossers or pass-shooting, a heavier barrel generally will help you drop more birds. I’ve heard the SX4 referred to as an evolution of the SX3 as opposed to a revolution. Winchester Arms increased the size of the bolt handle, safety and bolt release button; they…

For good deer populations it is all about the habitat. For good deer hunting, it is all about the access. A major reason for the long deer hunting tradition in Pennsylvania, in addition to plentiful deer, is the amount of public land open to deer hunting. Most of the 2.2 million acres of state forest, 300,000-acres of state parks, 1.5 million acres of state game lands and the 517,000-acres of Allegheny National Forest are open to public hunting. In addition, there are county parks, township parks, the Erie National Wildlife Refuge and several U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood control projects (dams) where surrounding land is open to deer hunting. Collins Pine, the largest private landowner in Pennsylvania, allows public hunting. Some private organizations like Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, keep land…

SEPTEMBER 29 - OCTOBER13 SPECIAL SQUIRREL SEASON Red, gray, black and fox (combined): Special season for eligible junior hunters, with or without required license, and mentored youth (6 daily, 18 in possession limit after first day). OCTOBER 13-14 BLOOMSBURG GUN SHOW The Bloomsburg Gun Show is held at Blooms-burg Fairgrounds and hosted by Eagle Arms Sporting Show. Saturday 9:00 am - 4:00 pm, Sunday 9:00 am - 3:00 pm. Admission $7.00, Children under 10 are free. eaglearmsgunshows.com OCTOBER 14 & 28 VETERAN FAMILY FLY FISHING PROGRAM Held at Spring Creek at Fisherman’s Paradise from 1:00 - 5:00 pm. The Veterans Family Fly Fishing Program is sponsored by the Spring Creek Chapter of Trout Unlimited. Fly fishing is taught and mentors are provided for one-on-one instruction. No preregistration required. springcreektu.org OCTOBER…

MOSSBERG 930 HUNTING THE MOSSBERG 930 is a utilitarian offering from one of the oldest names in shotgunning. A dual gas-vent system anchors the design, shuffling shells while reducing felt recoil. When shouldering the gun, you quickly notice its weight. The Mossberg is heavy by many standards; however, many shooters, such as myself — appreciate the added heft. The gun’s swing is steady and controlled, with the added bulk reducing barrel rise, keeping it on target for follow-on shots. For those who gravitate toward ultralights, this gun may not be your first choice. The bright fiber optic sight is easily acquired even when light is at a premium. The drilled and tapped receiver is appreciated, allowing users to mount their favorite scope easily. While on the range, the 930 loaded…

SPARKS CAN fly when a conversation turns to grouse guns. Some like the pointability and balance found in the splinter forend of a side-by-side, while others favor a third shot offered by either a semi-automatic or pump gun. More over/unders are shot by wingshooters, so you’ll see a lot of stacked barrels in the grouse woods. While many uplanders favor small-bores like a 20- or 28-gauge, others prefer the more-pellets-per-shell of a larger gauge. Regardless of shotgun style or gauge, birds drop out of the sky because of a proper pattern spread. Skeet, the game developed by William Harnden Foster to imitate flying grouse, is set at 21 yards. Hot loads in tight chokes don’t start to spread until 30+ yards, which means a hit crushes a bird beyond good…

IN STREAMS where bait is legal, fishing a cricket or grasshopper below a small weight is going to put more rainbow trout on a stringer faster than just about anything else an angler can do. Although many flyfishermen think using live bait is easy, in fact bait-fishing is like any other kind of fishing. Anglers who are good at it catch far more fish than anglers who are not. There are two main things to help improve catch rates with bait. First is to fish the bait without drag under the surface — exactly as challenging as presenting a nymph because it’s essentially the same process. The second is to efficiently read water, and make casts that present the bait near where the fish are actually holding. Efficiency is critical…

BENELLI SUPER BLACK EAGLE III BENELLI’S SUPER Black Eagle shotgun line has been at the pinnacle of waterfowl hunting performance ever since the original debuted in the late ’80s and early ’90s. The latest entry in the line, the Super Black Eagle III is no exception. At first glance, the III might not appear too different from the prior SBE II, but there are noteworthy updates. The first of these is the Easy-Loading System, which Benelli has chosen to carry over from its Ethos shotgun line. The beveled loading port is nice for smoothly sliding in shells, but it’s the redesigned carrier that impressed me because it cures the common Benelli ailment of the carrier not achieving proper lockup when a shooter tries to quietly ease the bolt closed on…

JOHN GEIGER has been shooting shotguns since he was 14 when his dad gave him a 20-gauge LC Smith. DR. TODD A. KUHN has been shooting shotguns for 40-plus years and is an avid upland bird and duck hunter. LAURA KOVARIK is a former competitve collegiate shotgunner and sporting clay shooter, and she loves chasing upland birds and ducks. PAUL RACKLEY began hunting with shotguns at 11. He’s hunted doves, squirrels, deer, upland birds, turkeys and more across the country. DREW WARDEN has been hunting birds with a shotgun since he was 13. Ducks are his passion, but he also enjoys chasing pheasant and quail.…

BLUEGRASS VELVET By Nick Hoffman, ‘Nick’s Wild Ride’ on Outdoor Channel Every hunter has a story about “the one that got away.” Luckily, this past season I got my happy ending. I had been trying to take a mature whitetail in velvet on my home farm in Kentucky for 10 years. Each year something always conspired against me. It was too dark, too young, velvet was already shed, got busted. The archery whitetail season in Kentucky opens up with about one week of time before the bucks begin to shed their velvet. Opening day’s a ritual for my buddies and me. It’s hot, humid, buggy and full of ticks. But, we wait all year for it, and it’s a glorious suffering. This year we had several mature bucks coming out…

HOW CAN annual deer hunting forecasts be boring, yet deer hunting prospects are good? This is what happens when a deer management system is working. Deer populations in the various wildlife management units are quite close to management goals. “Populations are generally stable,” says Dr. Chris Rosenberry, head of the Deer Management Section of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, no wildlife management units have gone through any significant changes in deer populations. Deer populations do vary some from year to year. This may be due to any of several natural causes such as winter food conditions, harsh winter weather, poor mast crops or disease. “A stable population does not mean deer numbers are exactly the same. We have stable deer populations that can vary from year to year, but if numbers…

REDNECK BALE BLIND These full-size bale style blinds are the Taj Mahal of ground blinds. Set them up, leave them up, and hunt well-hidden in absolute comfort. Fantastic for kids; ideal for hosting hunters with disabilities. 100 pounds. $500; redneckblinds.com; (877) 523-9986 AMERISTEP DISTORTER The Distorter’s unique shape eliminates the boxy unnatural silhouette common to most ground blinds. And with a 104 x 84 inch footprint, there’s plenty of room for three, plus gear. 20 pounds. $229; ameristep.com; (800) 847-8269 PRIMOS DOUBLE BULL SURROUNDVIEW 360 “The blind without a blind spot.” Four one-way see-through walls provide 360 degrees of visibility. Almost 150 cubic feet of interior space means ample elbow room. 23 pounds. $499; primos.com; (601) 879-9323 CABELA’S ZONZ SPECIALIST XL The ZONZ Specialist XL measures a full 88 inches…

AUTUMN PROVIDES many potential adventures for the outdoors-person. In the Keystone State, the pursuit of wild turkeys is at the top of the list for many. Pennsylvania hunters should enjoy another productive fall turkey season, based on the best information available prior to the season. To get a breakdown of how last season went, and what hunters can expect this fall, I spoke with Pennsylvania Game Commission wildlife/wild turkey biologist Mary Jo Casalena. 2017 SEASON “The preliminary harvest looks like it will be around 11,700, based on the report cards. It compares favorably with the 2016 harvest, though that was the lowest fall take we’ve had on record,” Casalena said. The downward trend of fall harvests is not necessarily an indication of lower numbers of birds. Casalena said other factors…

MULTI-TASKING comes in many forms for our retrievers. It might start out with them being asked to sit quietly in a duck boat as we stash ourselves into a bulrush-choked point waiting for flocks of divers, only to start fresh the following morning in a pit blind at the edge of a harvested cornfield as honkers fly off the roost. The scenarios stretch pretty far even when you only consider waterfowl opportunities. A lot of us, however, don’t stop hunting when the ducks quit flying. We simply load up our retrievers and head to the nearest CRP field. Bouncing your dog between waterfowl hunting and the uplands can be great; just know it will likely affect your dog. In some ways, this will be a positive thing. In others, it…

THERE’S NOTHING like setting up deer camp to get you energized for the upcoming season. But there are things to consider if you want to fully enjoy your hunting experience. THE LOCATION Choose a spot far from pavement. Traversing a couple miles of bumpy dirt road, spilling your coffee and bruising your kidneys, will contribute to the wilderness-like experience. And when the weather turns bad and the dirt turns to mud, just getting in and out of camp will be a challenge, adding to the adventure. “Sorry, Hon,” I said. “During the storm, part of the road was washed out and a tree came down, blocking it completely. We had no choice but to stay two more days.” “Funny how mud and downed trees always prevent you from coming home…