Outdoors category, Page 21

It goes by a couple of different names, the right one depending on just how “fancy” things are. Not that this is anything extravagant in any case. Not unless, that is, you count the scenery in every direction, the stars above, the quiet all around, the overall peacefulness that’s so...

Lure of the week Lure name: XTS Mini Dad (basspro.com/shop/en/bass-pro-shops-xts-mini-dad-crank-baits) Company: Bass Pro Shops (basspro.com/shop/en) Lure type: Crankbait Sizes and colors: Available a 1.5-inch model in 11 colors, including stream crawfish, yellow brown molting craw, Louisiana craw, green craw, dirty brown craw and matte tiger. Target species: Crappies, yellow perch,...

Intent matters, in the woods, on the water and at the range. So say your neighbors. A new study — “Americans’ Attitudes toward Hunting, Fishing, Sport Shooting and Trapping” — says most people across the nation support those activities. But, it adds, that approval ebbs and flows based on sportsmen’s...

Rod and reel? Check. Fliers, lures or bait? Check. Waders and net? Check. Oh, and martial arts training, too. It seems, at times, you need all of the above to chase steelhead in fall. Lots of anglers crowd small Great Lakes tributary streams then, targeting the fish making their annual...

Gear of the week StrapPack Pouch Company: Clakit (everybodyshops.com/clakit-smartphone-pouch.html) Gear type: Phone carrier Product description: For some, getting outdoors is an opportunity to leave the workaday or regular world behind. And such time away can restore your soul. But having your cellphone on hand can help in emergencies and allow...

Outdoors Notices HUNTER SAFETY COURSES Note: All hunter safety courses require preregistration at www.pgc.state.pa.us. • Shanksville High School, Somerset County, 3:30-7:30 p.m. Oct. 8, 10. Class limit 50. • Murrysville Gun Club, Westmoreland County, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Oct. 12-13. Class limit 55. • Monroeville Public Safety Training Center, Allegheny County,...

Funny, I didn’t feel like looting and pillaging. Maybe it was the refrigerator. I mean, yeah. It was nearly 90 degrees. The air was uncomfortably thick and sticky — reminiscent of a locker room shower — courtesy of an early morning shower. And the fishing was slower than hoped. The...

• Walleye are starting to bite more and more throughout the stretch of the Monongahela River that winds through Washington County. In particular, the walleye appear to be most active around the locks and dams. Anglers are reporting a handful of white bass catches as well. • Dutch Fork Lake...

The opening day of fox hunting season is Saturday for Rolling Rock Hunt, which will host a Blessing of the Hounds and a joint meet with Sewickley and Chagrin hunts at Blandings in Ligonier Township. A landowner appreciation BBQ Bluegrass party will be held afterward at Stonehenge Lodge in Donegal...

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission confirmed Monday that an invasive species, the northern snakehead fish, was recently caught in the Monongahela River. It is the first confirmed snakehead fish in Southwestern Pennsylvania, according to Kris Kuhn, chief of the fisheries management division for the commission. The invasive fish has...

Outdoors Notices HUNTER SAFETY COURSES Note: All hunter safety courses require preregistration at www.pgc.state.pa.us. • Keystone Shooting Center, Allegheny County, 5-8:30 p.m. Sept. 30-Oct. 1. Class limit 20. • East Huntingdon Sportsmen’s Association, Westmoreland County, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 5. Class limit 60. • Paris Sportsmen’s Club, Washington County, 9...

• The Youghiogheny River is shaping up to be a productive spot to visit for anglers who are in search of smallmouth bass. The bass seem to be particularly active during the day time. Additionally, fishermen are reporting more than a few catfish and freshwater drum catches. • The Allegheny...

You might compare it to Christmas morning in a tropical jungle. Think thrilling, exciting, heart-pounding at times. Full of the kind of smiles that only show up when weeks and weeks of anticipation are finally realized. But also muggy, buggy, sweaty, maybe even stinky. That’s the early days of archery...

The very thing that makes them so attractive is what has some people worried. E-bikes, or electric bicycles, sport pedals like traditional bicycles. But they also have electric motors. Land managers and lawmakers categorize them as either class 1, 2 or 3, with the difference largely dependent on whether the...

Keystone Wild Outdoors may just have found a home by, well, coming home. The Pennsylvania-based TV show is the child of Steve and Joe Rocco of Westmoreland County. It launched on the digital network Hunt Channel TV in 2016 and stayed there for two years. Last year it moved to...

Chronic wasting disease is deadly. Forget the politics of the disease, the debate about where it comes from, the seemingly constant social media arguing about who is to blame for its existence and spread. For just the moment at least, forget all that. And know this. Hunting aside, deer with...

Lure of the week Lure name: Mag Lip Finesse 3.0 Company: Yakima Bait Co. (yakimabait.com) Lure type: Casting plug Sizes and colors: Available in 2.5- and 3-inch models in eight colors, including California craw, Canada craw, mud minnow, coppertreuse, peanut butter and jelly, purple haze, sprayed grass and green pumpkin...

Once-in-a-lifetime fishing trips are called that for a reason. They’re epic, awe-inspiring, spectacular, even, for the fish, the scenery, the camaraderie, the adventure involved. But they are not in and of themselves the kind of things that create an angler. Consistent access to waters close to home is important, too....

Notices Outdoors HUNTER SAFETY COURSES Note: All hunter safety courses require preregistration at www.pgc.state.pa.us. • Ambridge Sportsmen’s Club, Beaver County, 5:30-9 p.m. Sept. 23-24. Class limit 40. • Aliquippa Bucktails, Beaver County, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sept. 28. Class limit 50. • Kingston Veteran’s and Sportsmen’s, Westmoreland County, 8 a.m.-4 p.m....

• The fishing at Blue Spruce Lake is picking up as anglers are catching bass and trout at an increased rate. For the trout, using a spoon jig with a minnow as bait is typically a good approach. Meanwhile, an approach that includes spinnerbait, crankbait or jerkbait should lead to...

Gear of the week Gear name: Tick Remover Company: Sawyer (everybodyshops.com/tick-remover-plier.html) Gear type: Pliers Product description: There are a lot of tremendous reasons to be outdoors now and in the coming weeks. Hunters have their fall seasons, anglers their cooler water, hikers trails ablaze in color, campers less crowded places...

When it comes to hiking, New York’s Stony Brook State Park is more mom-and-pop store than big box outlet. Options are limited. The 577-acre park has just three trails, none more than a mile long. Two snowmobile paths add another 21⁄2 miles or so of possibilities. And that’s it. But...

North America has lost nearly 3 billion birds since 1970, according to a new analysis of bird survey and radar data. The sharp decline, described in a study in the journal Science, is not just bad for birds. It also bodes ill for the ecosystems those birds inhabit, and points...

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is giving its unanimous approval to toughening penalties for using body-gripping animal traps outside of the waterways for which they’re designed. Lawmakers voted Thursday to send the bill to the state Senate for its consideration. Backers argue the larger penalties may help deter people from...