Putting cows on the front page since 1885.
Putting cows on the front page since 1885.
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After 45 years of marriage, I have learned when my presence is not needed around the house. Such was the case one hot August evening when Donna was having a meeting at our house for one of the committees of the Williamsburg Women's Civic Club. I realized that I'd better make myself scarce. For years I have been mumbling about gathering some old bass-fishing gear and heading off to the "big river" below Huntingdon to catch some smallmouth bass. I have not used this gear in more than 30 years, tho...
Although it seems odd to me, Pennsylvania's autumn hunting seasons open next Tuesday, Sept. 1. One of the hunting targets will be mourning doves, which may be hunted from one-half hour before sunrise till one-half hour after sunset. The season runs till Nov.27 and then resumes from Dec. 18 until Jan. 2. When my son was young, we tried hunting for doves several times; and unlike me Bob could hit them. I have never harvested a dove. The limit is 15 per day, with a possession limit of 45 birds. Ano...
When I am fishing, I occasionally encounter unusual things that have nothing to do with my fly-fishing adventures. One of the weirdest outdoor encounters I have had recently was finding a little mole trying to get himself out of an in-stream patch of dirty gunk that must once have been foam. Since moles live underground and are basically blind, this little guy had no idea how to extricate himself from the morass. I had an easy solution to his problem. I removed my landing net from my vest, slid...
Summer is supposed to be the season of plenty in the wild. Young animals that have been born during the recent spring are growing and are becoming aware of the world around them. By now, whitetail fawns are beginning to venture into fields where they are visible. These charismatic animals give you a fuzzy feeling when you spot them on evening rides. However, things are not always easy and pleasant for wild creatures. Summer can be a time of cruel death as well. For instance, along any road you d...
I have a friend we'll call "John Doe" who owns a nice outdoor property. John keeps a few trout in a small pond there. However, by this spring the population was down to one large palomino (yes, I know it's actually a golden rainbow). During the dry weather the pond was drying up. John knew he'd have to move the trout out of the pond if it were to survive. Recently he asked me if I'd help him get the palomino to the Big Spring in town. "Yes," I agreed in front of my new pastor, Matt Roberts. "I'l...
The Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) hosted a webinar on Monday, July 27, that presented the updated Chronic Wasting Disease Plan that was presented to the Board of Game Commissioners on Saturday, July 25. Andrea Korman, the game commission’s CWD biologist, presented an overview of the new plan. She noted that the two main goals of the plan are to minimize the impacts of CWD in deer and elk, and to increase stakeholders’ understanding of the plan. Korman said that the PGC hopes to reduce human-related activities that amplify and spread CWD...
To hunt turkeys the way I do, I must be in good physical condition. At 70 it has become increasingly difficult to remain in the type of condition I need to be in so that I can pursue wild turkeys over several miles of difficult ground during an autumn day of hunting. When the Y was still able to host morning basketball for players 60 and over, I got a good workout two days a week while trying to chase other players around the court. The ageless Galen Bickel from Altoona really forced me to work...
By now, most hunters have purchased their licenses for the 2020-21 hunting year. Many have bought additional tags and stamps so that they can hunt with a bow, crossbow, or muzzleloader for deer. In addition, pheasant-hunting enthusiasts have plunked down an extra fee so that they can pursue stocked ringnecks. More than 100,000 hunters will likely have bought a license so that they can hunt for bears during one of the many seasons that will be available to pursue Pennsylvania's bruins. The...
The term "sartorial splendor" means "magnificent in the manner of dress." In relation to fishing, sartorial splendor could mean that an angler dresses himself so that he looks magnificent to other anglers. When I am out fishing, especially when I visit the BFO (big, famous, overfished) River, I often encounter other fly-fishermen who look like they are models for fly-fishing catalogues. These guys wear the latest in brand-name breathable waders, even on smaller creeks. Underneath their waders I...
We are now in the period of summer when catching trout becomes a matter of degree. No, I am not talking about the degree of difficulty, though summer trout are much tougher to deal with than the trout of the early season are. By now, trout have seen just about every kind of live bait, spinning lure, and fly imaginable. The fortunate trout that have been caught and released, perhaps more than once, have become wise regarding the wiles of fishermen and often examine a fisherman's wares critically...
"You're just an old fogey, Rich," the young fly-fisherman told me. "You need to get up to date on modern fly-fishing tactics." The young man's comment was made to me not too long ago when we were discussing nymph-fishing techniques. He had told me that his nymphs' effectiveness was more than doubled by dipping his nymphs in a solution of scent. "Why don't you just use live bait?" I blurted out. "That's what you're making your nymphs by dipping them into that gunk." "Ah, Rich, you're out of the l...
May is my favorite month. Redbud and dogwood come into full bloom against the pastel green of developing plants. Eventually ground phlox and dame's rocket make their lavender appearances as well. As the month advances, things warm up; and the month produces some of the nicest days of the year. One May day not too long ago demonstrates why I often become zombie-like before the end of the month. There are so many things to try to squeeze in that May often presents an "embarrassment of riches." I...
With the coronavirus closing many things down, including age-level basketball at the Y, I find that I still have lots of things to do. So should most sportsmen. Enthusiastic trout fishermen have been on the water since April 7. The PFBC opened the season 11 days early to try to mitigate the crowded conditions that usually accompany the opening day. I have been on the water frequently since then with mixed results. I would say that the fly-fishing has ranged from fair to average most of the...
A month ago, I wrote that the Unified Sportsmen of Pennsylvania (USP) was continuing to back the research of Dr. Frank Bastian and that Bastian's work needs financial support. When the PA Department of Agriculture recently awarded $1 million in funding for CWD research in three chunks, Bastian's group did not receive any money. Instead, two of the three awards went to researchers associated with the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, which has entered a working relationshi...
After my son, Bob, tagged his big opening-day 2019 spring gobbler, he wanted to know if I wanted to keep hunting. "Nope," I replied. "With this wind howling, I don't think that we'll hear another bird." The following Monday, I heard a couple of gobblers hollering at dawn. However, they were across a deep hollow from me. When I was younger, I would have tried to relocate by crossing the gorge and then calling to them. However, at 69, I knew that I couldn't do that, so I went home for a nap...
My son, Bob, is a better hunter than I am. This has become increasingly evident during the spring when he has managed to kill gobblers almost every spring for the past 10 years without having much time to scout ahead of the season or to hunt during the season. Last year was no different. In fact, he killed a big gobbler on the season's first day. I had scouted a lot of different places prior to the season and had located a gobbler that hung out on a ridge that is one of Bob's favorite places to...
When I got home this morning, April 7, from fishing on one of the specially regulated waters where trout fishing is open the year round, Donna greeted me by saying, "Do you know that trout season is open today? Kendra called and told me that Justin wanted you to know the regular trout season opened this morning at eight." "That's not right," I replied. "That's just a rumor. Guys on the internet have been saying they've seen people fishing on stocked trout streams already. They are not supposed t...
This time every spring, trout fishermen start getting "antsy." With the traditional opener still nearly a month away, most wile away their time doing other things, including odious yard work. However, if a sportsman wants to fish for trout during the days leading up to regular trout season, he has some options. If a fisherman peeks inside the booklet accompanying his fishing license, he will discover that quite a few trout stream sections are open to trout fishing prior to the traditional...
Although Dr. Frank Bastian's research concerning Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) has not been able to be replicated by other researchers, the Unified Sportsmen of Pennsylvania (USP) is continuing to support his research. To review: Bastian believes that spiroplasma bacteria cause CWD in deer and other cervids. Conventional research has determined that misfolded proteins called prions cause CWD. Bastian believes that the prions are byproducts of the bacterial action. For a number of years, Bastian...
An informational meeting concerning Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) was held on Saturday, March 7, at the Freedom Township Fire Hall with approximately 150 sportsmen in attendance. State Rep. Jim Gregory began the meeting by noting that this was a follow-up to a meeting held a year ago where sportsmen had gathered to oppose targeted culling of the local deer herd. He said that the March 7 meeting was set up to discuss CWD a year later. State Sen. Judy Ward said that the Department of Agriculture h...
Five years ago, my friend Brady killed a buck that ran down the wrong side of the mountain after being hit with a shot that should have dropped him in his tracks. It took the two of us more than six hours to get the eight-point back to Brady's truck. After that strenuous effort, I told him I didn't think we should hunt deer there any longer. I was then 65; he, slightly younger. "We'd be risking our health if we keep hunting there," I told him. For the next few years, we hunted various other...
Spotlighting deer is a nice way to spend an early evening. You attach a spotlight's cord to the electrical socket that once held a cigarette lighter. Then you drive around rural roads and shine the light on fields or into open woods to spot deer. Usually the first thing you notice about deer is their glowing pair of eyes. When rifle deer season arrives, you are no longer allowed to spotlight deer until the season ends. For most people, that ends their spotlighting until the next autumn. Not at...
I hope sportsmen reading this column have been preparing for Valentine's Day. Most of us should come up with a card for our wives. Many of us might visit a florist and bring home a bouquet of flowers. A lot of us ought to take our wives out for dinner at one of the area's nicer restaurants. Sportsmen's wives deserve any or all three of these things. After all, they tolerate our many absences as we pursue our favorite fish and game. (Sportswomen: I know this column is a little sexist. Maybe you...
If you watch television, you know there are various groups that reward various types of performers with awards. You can watch the Emmys, the Grammys, the ESPYs, and other award shows. Individuals and groups receiving these awards appear to be appreciative of their recognition. With that in mind, I have decided that I want to propose some awards for local groups who have done positive things for sportsmen. I am calling these awards "The Rich Tate Awards," nicknamed "The Outsiders." Recipients of...
With a lull between most autumn and spring sportsmen's hunting and fishing seasons, a way for sportsmen to fill the void is to visit one of the outdoor shows that are held during the winter. Probably of most interest to Cove sportsmen are three shows that are not too far from the Cove. The first of these is the gigantic Great American Outdoor Show scheduled for the Farm Show Complex near Harrisburg between Feb. 1 and Feb. 9. As always, this show hosts thousands of booths featuring outdoor...
As I've aged, Donna has become increasingly successful in duping me into accompanying her on shopping trips. Recently she dragged me off to a distant mall I'd never heard of. Donna had entered a store; I was strolling toward a bench to sit it out. I heard a voice, "Psst, Rich. How would you like to hear a few predictions about future hunting events?" I looked at the woman hissing at me. She was standing under a sign that read "Estella, the Fortune Teller." I was mystified that she knew who I...
Last autumn, I decided to make an overnight trip to northcentral Pennsylvania. When I drove there to fish in previous years, I normally came home that same night. However, I am not the night driver I once was; so I decided that after my day in the outdoors, I would stay the night at a small hunting camp I belong to or rent a room in one of the motels there that cater to sportsmen. Neither my wife nor my son, Bob, believed that I should undertake such an adventure on my own. "What if you fall...
It is nearing the end of another deer season. I have been hearing the same lament I have been hearing for many years. "There just aren't many deer on public land, Rich. I'm about ready to join all the other guys who used to hunt who have hung up their rifles," numerous sportsmen have told me. "I don't want to shoot one of the few does or fawns that are left out there. What are you going to do if you want to continue to be a deer hunter?" I have great sympathy for these sportsmen. I agree that...
I do not know if deer season is the appropriate time to write a column about the disappearance of songbirds. However, even an unobservant sportsman like me has noticed that there are far fewer birds around than there once were. Sadly, this is a problem of major significance. I recently read in "The Gnatcatcher," Juniata Valley Audubon's newsletter, of a study published by the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology documenting a loss of about three billion individual birds over the past 48 years in...
Saturday (Nov. 30) is the opening day of the rifle deer season. It's the first time rifle deer season has opened on a Saturday since I began hunting. During my years in the woods, deer season has changed dramatically. Prior to 2002 lots of deer lived on publicly accessible hunting lands and provided exciting sport for sportsmen of average means. Not anymore. Instead, with the draconian deer decimation policy developed by Gary Alt and his minions at the PGC, the deer population on Pennsylvania's...
If I were a bear hunter, I would have been just about totally confused about when and where I could've hunted prior to the regular bear season. The only thing I would've been sure of was that I'd have to wear 250 square inches of fluorescent orange material on my head, chest, and back combined. Otherwise, I'd have been afraid to go bear hunting without my rule book. Now, I am certain I could hunt statewide during the regular firearms bear season that is slated for Nov. 23 and Nov. 25 through the...
Not long ago, I wrote that the passage of a bill allowing Sunday hunting was unlikely. I am now eating crow about that column. On Oct. 30, SB 147 was passed by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives without debate by a 144-54 vote. It took a couple compromises to reverse the fortune of the bill that had seemed unlikely to pass. One of these is that hunters will have to secure written permission from landowners to hunt on private properties on Sundays. The fines for violating the provision wil...
Last fall, my son, Bob, and I did not get to hunt together during the autumn turkey season. Because of the heavy rain that occurred on the first day, I did not hunt. Bob, like our friend "Scout," spent a fruitless day hunting in the inclement weather. During the couple of evenings he got out during the first week, he was unable to run down any turkeys. On the Saturday ending the first week of the season, Bob made a long-hike hunt on one of his favorite game lands. "I didn't even see a scratch,"...
Last fall, my autumn turkey season did not begin until Monday afternoon of the first week – the only week in WMA 4A. It rained cats and dogs on Saturday and continued through Monday morning. As an old retired guy who despises hunting in the rain, I sat it out until the rain ended. On Monday afternoon, I took a short hike to a knob where I had found some turkey scratching near a grapevine tangle before the season. I sat and called till nearly dark; but if any turkeys were nearby, they did not a...
This Saturday (Oct. 19) ushers in the statewide small game season for squirrels, rabbits, and ruffed grouse. The following Saturday, Oct. 26, is the opening day for pheasants. For those "in the know," junior hunts for squirrels, rabbits, and grouse began on Oct. 5. The junior hunt for pheasants began on Oct. 12. Sadly, these junior seasons were virtually ignored. Over the past several years, I have noticed that there are shrinking numbers of hunters pursuing small game. I think the reason is...
When Pennsylvania's State Senate passed its version of a bill to allow hunting on Sundays, it appeared that limited Sunday hunting was going to be permitted in Pennsylvania. The bill allowed three days of Sunday hunting, including one in the traditional rifle deer season. Then the bill was moved to the Pennsylvania House Game and Fisheries Committee where passage seemed likely. However, SB 147, which would allow this limited hunting, ran into a significant roadblock in committee. The bill would...
Saturday (Oct. 5) is the opening day for the autumn archery season for deer. Next to the rifle-hunting season for whitetails, it is probably the season that attracts more hunters to the woods than any other. This season gives bowhunters and crossbow hunters six weeks to try to place their tags on white-tailed deer. From my observations while fishing and while taking evening drives around the Cove, there are plenty of whitetails around for hunters to pursue on privately owned properties. Hunters who have access to these properties should have...
Although a couple of less-popular fall hunting seasons have already begun, the major seasons are now only a week away. First up will be the autumn bow/crossbow season that is scheduled to begin on Oct. 5. After that, a variety of small game seasons, a bow/crossbow season for bears, the autumn turkey season, regular bear season, and finally the rifle deer season will draw sportsmen to the woods. If a sportsman is going to enter the woods this fall, he needs to know when each season begins and end...
I have been fly-fishing for more than 50 years. During these years, I have caught a fair number of beautiful trout and have seen a good many unusual things. One of the most unusual "buildings" I ever ran into was a tarpaper teepee that popped up along an obscure section of Black Midnight Creek about 20 years ago. I first noticed the teepee one morning when I was nymph-fishing my way upstream. I had just crossed the creek to approach a shallow run when I realized something was different. Only 15...
Late one evening I was slouched on the lazy-boy in my fly-tying room, reading one of the novels I have spent much of my time with since retiring. After all, television programming is so putrid that reading nearly anything is a better way to put in an evening than watching TV. I was relaxed when Donna opened the door. As she walked in, several magazines and some pamphlets that had been sitting on top of one of my bookcases crashed to the floor at her feet. "Good lord, Rich," she scowled. "This...
Back in mid-July, I listened to Dr. James Kroll's presentation about Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). It was a scholarly presentation, and more than 100 sportsmen showed up to hear it. However, there was room in the Hollidaysburg Middle School Auditorium for several hundred more. I was surprised that with the serious CWD situation in central Pennsylvania more sportsmen did not show up. Sportsmen for the Future out of Roaring Spring sponsored the seminar and had invited members of the Pennsylvania...
I do not spend a lot of time on the internet; but when I am online, I visit a couple of fly-fishing sites. One of these is paflyfish.com, where there is a forum that includes various sub-forums. On one sub-forum, visitors can post about nearly any topic. Two recent threads on this Off the Subject (of fly-fishing) sub-forum have involved rattlesnakes. Those posting their thoughts about rattlesnakes on both threads nearly all espoused the attitude that rattlesnakes are your friends. These...
"Don't you dare write anything negative about our trip to Cape May this year, Rich," Donna, my wife, recently warned me. "You and some of your friends might think your complaints about Cape May and the Eastern Shore are funny, but our granddaughter and I don't." With this in mind, I have been thinking about some other things to write about. One is something I have referred to in other years: the lack of groundhog hunters. Donna; Sage, her young dog; and I take rides nearly every evening. During...
On Saturday, July 13, Dr. James Kroll presented a seminar about deer and chronic wasting disease to more than 100 sportsmen at the Hollidaysburg Middle School auditorium. Kroll is known as "Dr. Deer" because of his extensive work in the deer research and deer management fields. Kroll's credentials include being professor emeritus at the Institute of Whitetail Deer and Management, at the Arthur Temple College of Forest and Agriculture at Stephen F. Austin University, and being a PhD. graduate of...
Not long ago, I had just finished mowing my lawn for what seemed to be the millionth time this summer when I noticed my neighbor, Dr. Archie O. Logist, professor of phenomenology at the nearby Ganister Technical Institute, striding toward me. I knew this couldn't be good: He doesn't often come over to visit unless something's up. "Hi, Arch. How are you doing?" "I'm all right, Rich. Things are going well at the institute. "However," he continued, "my colleagues and I were discussing your columns...
I have been fly-fishing for trout for a little more than 50 years. After I had graduated from high school, I thought I would try to become a serious trout fisherman. When I saw Ralph Haney and his son Randy fly-fishing one evening, I thought that fly-fishing might be a good way for me to learn to catch trout. My dad had dabbled in fly-fishing at one time and had a box of flies that I used to start out. In addition, Dad knew some of the basic materials I needed to have, and he advised me to pick...
The recent audit of the Pennsylvania Game Commission's financial policies has pointed out that the Unified Sportsmen of Pennsylvania (USP) has long been correct about the commission's manipulation of figures. Pressure from the USP was crucial for initiating the audit. To support the USP, which supports hunters, you can join for one year by mailing a $20.00 check to USP Membership, 530 4th Avenue, Sutersville, PA 15083. To many other sportsmen, this audit demonstrates that the PGC is either...
With heavy rains blowing out my favorite local streams for much of the spring, I've gotten little fly-fishing in. For a while, though, several spots on the BFO River remained fishable. One drizzly afternoon before the BFO was blown out, too, I'd hiked to the top of a pool where I'd been having some success. I'd just sat down on a log to wait for some flies to hatch when I heard voices: two guys in separate one-man pontoon boats were anchored at the head of the pool. I heard the first one say,...
June 17 is the first day to buy hunting licenses for the 2019-00 hunting seasons. It will be interesting to see how many additional hunters drop out of hunting because of the PGC's short-sighted policies. If I didn't already have a lifetime license, I don't know whether I would spend the money on a Pennsylvania license, though turkey hunting would probably keep me in the license-buying fold. I am concerned about the future of wild-turkey hunting. The population of birds has shrunk throughout...
I am sometimes asked how to dry the gristle attached to the beard of a gobbler that a hunter probably wants to save as a memento of a successful hunt. At one time I dipped the gristle of the beard into a small pile of salt to dry it. This was messy. I now pour a small pile of baby powder onto a small piece of paper and dip the gristle into this pile. I then prop the beard's gristle against the pile of baby powder for several days, perhaps dipping the gristle into the pile again. It takes only a...
