The End of Summer

Before launching the main theme of this column, here's an item I find interesting. A month ago I wrote that the Game Commission is considering reintroducing pine martens – predatory weasels – to the state. When trying to justify this introduction, the PGC cited statistics from a survey it reportedly conducted. PGC spokesmen noted that 92 percent of the respondents favored the introduction of the martens. The spokesmen also noted that this figure was about the same for hunters it surveyed. The editors of "Pennsylvania Outdoor News" conducted a survey of their own. The respondents to this survey, mainly sportsmen, opposed the introduction of the martens by an 85 percent to 15 percent margin. Some of us recall when the PGC brought fishers to the state. PGC spokesmen justified this by saying the fishers were serious predators of porcupines. These spokesmen did not tell us that fishers preyed on many other animals as well. I'll let you draw your own conclusions about the validity of the PGC's pine-marten survey.

To be fair, I recently read the PGC's 30-page marten reintroduction feasibility assessment. Previously I was concerned about martens' impact on wild turkeys. Though martens are said to prefer to prey on small mammals, I should have been worried about martens' impact on our struggling ruffed grouse population.

Moving on to the end of summer. August again proved to be the toughest month of the traditional April to November trout season for me. Trout were tough to come by, even in streams that remained cold enough to fish ethically. Trout were difficult to approach in the low, clear water. The major advantage I once had as a fly-fisherman was that tiny mayflies (known as tricos) hatch from various streams during sunny summer mornings. However, during the past decade the tricos have vanished from several local streams, probably due to various types of pollutants. Also, one special area was devastated when streamside fencing was broken down. Large animals (not cows) then paraded through once-lovely streambeds, turning them into mud flats.

Despite the lackluster fishing, August presents a number of admirable things for sportsmen. Streamside vegetation is lush in many places, with summer flowers such as Joe Pye Weed, orange and yellow jewelweed, and black-eyed Susans lining various stream sections.

Perhaps the most noticeable item for sportsmen during late summer is the development of the loud evening chorus when millions of tree crickets and katydids serenade sportsmen and other outdoor enthusiasts. Local archers might enjoy this most, as the chorus lets them know their favorite hunting season is rapidly approaching.