The first snow flurries were in the air, and animals of all kinds enjoyed the chance to be in the outdoors over the weekend.
The Cumberland Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited is accepting applications for its 28th Annual Rivers Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp June 18-23, 2023, at Messiah University in Grantham.
Admission is limited to 24 selected qualified students 14 to 17 years of age.
“This is not a fishing camp. It is a conservation camp with fishing sessions and fly-fishing instruction,” Camp Chairman Clark Hall said. “Give us a budding angler with a passion to learn, and we will return a conservationist with enhanced fly fishing skills.”
The deadline for early acceptance is Dec. 31. Students selected for the early acceptance will be notified in early January 2023. Applicants who apply during the regular application Jan. 1 through Feb. 28, 2023, will be notified in early March.
The camp tuition is $550 per student. There is no cost to apply, and no money is required until a student is accepted. Financial aid may be available to qualified students. All meals and accommodations are included for the residence camp.
People are also reading…
The highly structured curriculum is based on college level classes. Students are instructed in ecology, aquatic biology, geology, hydrogeology, erosion and sediment control, ichthyology, riparian corridor protection, watershed management, entomology and much more.
Students also participate in a hands-on stream habitat improvement project. There are 10 fishing sessions, casting and fishing instruction and fly-tying classes. Over 25 instructors, all experts in their field, teach the various classes.
For more information, a camp brochure, or to apply, visit the camp website at www.riverscamp.com. Questions may be submitted at the website or via email to riverscamp@gmail.com.
So long, pink envelopes!
Senate Bill 431, which would allow hunters to buy antlerless deer licenses through the HuntFishPA automated licensing service, has been signed into law. When it takes effect with the 2023-24 license year, antlerless licenses will be available for purchase online or in person at any license issuing agent.
Purple reigns
As of 2020, landowners have the option of using purple paint, rather than signs, to post their properties and alert others that lands are private, and trespassing isn’t permitted.
The law is effective in all but Philadelphia and Allegheny counties.
Hunters and trappers may encounter purple markings on trees and these marks are meant to define the boundary of an adjoining private property that’s posted against trespassing.
The law also authorizes unarmed persons to go onto private property for the sole purpose of retrieving a hunting dog.
The Game Commission has authority to investigate trespassing complaints and enforce trespassing violations as a primary offense, even if Game Law violations aren’t alleged.
Bear season opens
The four-day statewide firearms bear season begins today and ends on Tuesday, Nov. 22. Bear hunting is permitted this Sunday, Nov. 20.
Sunday hunting will also be permitted on Nov. 27, the second day of the firearms season for deer.
Successful bear hunters within 24 hours must take the animal, along with his or her hunting license and bear license, to a Game Commission check station. In the Southcentral region, check stations are in Fulton County at the Buchanan State Forest Building, .1 mile north of Route 30 on Route 915, 4.5 miles east of Breezewood; and in Huntingdon County at State Game Lands 322 building, 8877 Petersburg Pike, Petersburg, 3 miles west from Cold Spring Road in Huntingdon.
Capsizing kills
A 19-year-old man is dead after capsizing an 8-foot kayak on a private pond. The victim was not wearing a lifejacket and the water temperature was about 48 degrees Fahrenheit. Pennsylvania’s ninth recreational boating fatality of 2022 occurred Nov. 5, just after 6 p.m. in Crawford County.
From Nov. 1 through April 30, boaters are required to wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved life jacket while underway or at anchor on boats less than 16 feet in length or on any kayak, canoe or paddleboard. The requirement applies to all Pennsylvania waters.
Stop, thief!
The Game Commission’s “Operation Game Thief” (OGT) program is an anonymous way for law-abiding hunters to police their sport and see that outlaws get some comeuppance.
To confidentially report information, call the OGT toll-free hotline, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, at 1-888-PGC-8001.
For more info about OGT, visit www.pgc.pa.gov.
Send your wild thoughts and photos to bjsmall@comcast.net.
Credit: Source link
