Outdoors category, Page 10

Regulations prohibiting the movement of high-risk body parts from deer, elk and related species have been expanded for the 2021-22 hunting seasons to combat the spread of chronic wasting disease, an always fatal neurological disease in those species. As the disease continues to spread in the state, and beyond, the...

Veterans, including those who are disabled, will have the opportunity to fish for trout, bass and panfish at a Derry Township sportsman’s club. The Oct. 2 event will be held at the Kingston Veterans Sportsmen Association at its facilities along Route 217. The Forbes Trail Chapter of Trout Unlimited will...

Harvey Sutton, or “Little Man,” as he is known on the Appalachian Trail, won’t have long to bask in the glory of hiking its full length. After all, he starts kindergarten Friday. At 5 years old, Harvey is one of the youngest — and the latest of several youngsters in...

Hunters are scrounging for rifle ammunition and shotgun shells as harvest seasons approach in the second year of an unrelenting ammo shortage. The scarcity of rounds is changing sporting behaviors, impinging on the youth movement in competitive target shooting and greatly inflating the price of going afield. “We’ve never seen...

The elk are bugling for the start of mating season, and two live webcams are catching the call of the wild and more. Elk watching continues to grow as a tourist attraction in the north-central part of the state. For those who cannot visit, the Pennsylvania Game Commission and PixCams...

Lillian DeDomenic of Monroeville was snapping photos of birds in her backyard when one in particular caught her eye. At first, she wasn’t sure what it was. It had red body plumage, but its head was a deep gray, and as she looked closer, it didn’t appear to have any...

The state Department of Environmental Protection found that the thousands of dead fish found on July 14 in Chartiers Creek tested positive for fungicide. Some fungicides, used on food crops and golf courses, are lethal to freshwater organisms, according to studies by the University of South Florida and other researchers....

The head of the region’s Trout Unlimited chapter supports having a single opening day for trout season in the state — the first Saturday in April — as the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is considering. “I would support an earlier opening day because of the impact of climate change...

With uncommon grace and ease, a woman in a long, flowing, white satin gown made her way to a rock the size of a pickup truck in the middle of Roaring Run stream. Surrounded by rocks covered in moss, she lifted the hem of the gown to prevent it from...

WASHINGTON — A mysterious ailment has sickened and killed thousands of songbirds in several mid-Atlantic states, including Pennsylvania, since late spring. While scientists are still racing to confirm the cause, it seems juvenile birds may be most susceptible. The U.S. Geological Survey, which oversees responses to some natural hazards and...

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission on Thursday reported on social media that the invasive New Zealand mudsnail has been found in several popular southcentral Pennsylvania trout streams, including those in Cumberland County. The commission said the mudsnails were found in Trindle Spring Run, Big Spring Creek and LeTort Spring...

Pennsylania’s system for issuing hunting licenses has experienced a slowdown. According to Game Commission officials, the new system for issuing state licenses, including antlerless deer licenses, has operated slowly during peak sales periods. One such period began Monday, when the system began accepting applications for antlerless licenses. “While the new...

How many times can you climb Townsend Park’s daunting “Heart Attack Hill” in two hours? That’s what Murrysville Recreation Department officials want to find out at the Townsend’s Pipeline Purge race, set for July 17 at the park, located just off Twin Oaks Drive. “They will be running a one-mile...

Profusely apologizing for his actions, a Bucks County, Pennsylvania, hunter was sentenced to seven to 20 years in state prison Wednesday after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the accidental shooting death of a teenager at Nockamixon State Park last fall. Kenneth Heller, 52, of Warminster, told Common Pleas Court...

For those who don’t have a fishing license, but would like to try it, the state Fish and Boat Commission is offering adults the chance to fish for free for Sunday. While people don’t need a fishing license Sunday, all other fishing regulations, including season and creel limits, still will...

Following the introduction of three Sunday hunting dates last year, Pennsylvanians may find more Sunday hunting opportunities available in the near future if a bill currently making its way through the state legislature is passed. Introduced by Sen. Dan Laughlin (R-Erie), Senate Bill 607 would remove the current restrictions on...

Waylon Walker was riding his ATV on his family’s property — Habes Nursery — in Gilpin on Thursday night when he had quite a scare. He heard an animal grunting nearby. It was about 10:30 p.m. Walker usually carries a flashlight with him at night, but he left it at...

Pennsylvania Game Commission officials established a new disease management area in northeastern Warren County after a white-tailed deer tested positive for chronic wasting disease on a hunting preserve there. The area extends from Warren to the New York state line, between the Allegheny River and Youngsville, and covers 212 square...

A bowhunt for deer in one West Virginia city that began several years ago has become a lifeline for local food pantries and community kitchens. When hunters first proposed an urban deer hunt in Morgantown about a decade ago, the idea was to control the population. Collisions with cars were...

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District is announcing the reopening of select facilities at district-managed sites in anticipation of the 2021 recreation season. “We invite the public to come out and safely enjoy our beautiful reservoirs and parks. Our rangers and resource managers across the district have done...

A Northwestern Pennsylvania hunting preserve is being quarantined for five years after a white-tailed deer there was found to have chronic wasting disease, according to state officials. Officials said Wednesday they plan to create a new chronic wasting disease management area there. The boundaries of the area will be announced...

Sunday, May 30, is the first of 2 Fish-for-Free Days in Pennsylvania this year. The second will be Sunday, July 4. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission annually designates a couple days during holiday weekends when anyone may legally fish in Pennsylvania without buying a fishing license or trout/salmon permit....

Wildlife centers and the Pennsylvania Game Commission say they have been deluged with calls from people who have picked up wild animals, often in an attempt to help them. Game Commission spokesman Seth Mesoras said the agency has received a number of calls from people who tried to take in...

Nathan Sipes of Cheswick not only bagged three big-game animals during the 2020-21 hunting season, but he also nailed two of them on Sundays. Sipes, 24, has been hunting since he was 11. Like many hunters, he never had such a sensational season. He harvested an eight-point buck in Upper...