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Outdoors

Fall turkey underway in most of state

HARRISBURG — One of Pennsylvania’s most exciting seasons in underway — wild turkey. Hunting season lengths vary according to Wildlife Management Unit from closed season to three-plus weeks. While season lengths in most WMUs remain unchanged from last year, the first season segment has been shortened from three weeks to two in WMU 4E, and from two weeks to one in WMUs 4A and 4B, to help those populations rebound from declining trends, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission. That encompasses parts of Juniata, Perry, Mifflin and Snyder counties. “Now is the time to check ...

Motorists beware: Whitetails in peak activity time

HARRISBURG — With deer becoming increasingly active, and daylight saving time soon to put more vehicles on the road during the hours when deer move most, the Pennsylvania Game Commission is advising motorists to slow down and stay alert. Deer become more active in autumn with the lead-up to their fall breeding season, commonly referred to as the “rut.” Around this time, many yearling bucks disperse from the areas in which they were born and travel, sometimes several dozen miles, to find new ranges. Meanwhile, adult bucks more often are cruising their home ranges in search of does, ...

Enter your buck in our contest

LEWISTOWN — Hundreds of local hunters will be successful in bagging bucks this year and we look forward to seeing them in The Sentinel’s annual Big Buck Contest. Antlered deer that meet the three-point standard and are killed during the archery season are eligible. Winners will be declared in adult and junior divisions (junior license or mentored youth hunters), with the first-place deer featured on the cover of the Big Buck edition to be published after the traditional rifle season ends. Winners will be rewarded with a gift card. As always, photos of all deer entered in the ...

For once, patience not necessary while hunting

One trait that is typically required to be a successful hunter is patience. One does not shoot a big buck on your first trip to the stand in archery season. Nor can a hunter simply walk into a wild grape patch and down a grouse. The rule of thumb in hunting is that the more time you spend in ...

Persistence leads to success in quest for gobblers

As I am laid up from a foot surgery and unable to chase my wife and kids around, scout for deer, run trail cams or really be active, I resort to one thing that always helps to ease my mind: the reliving and telling of hunting stories. I’m very fortunate that over the years I’ve been able ...

Dogs are family members, not machines

YORK SPRINGS (AP) — Each car that pulled into the York Springs State Game Lands was accompanied by a chorus of barking. Dogs weaved in and out of a sea of orange as hunters and their companions prepared for a long day of training. The hunters are a part of the Keystone Chapter of the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association. They were preparing for the association tests that evaluate hunting dogs. Before the training even started, they huddled together, talking about the utility test for more experienced dogs, the natural ability test for puppies and how they’ve trained ...