Take A Kid Squirrel Hunting In Pennsylvania

Took my son out for his first squirrel hunt of the year. Decided to go with a 16 Ga single shot. Loaded up with high base 4s. Was able to get close to a beauty. Son made out with a nice squirrel. Some pointers. Squirrels are tough. They have thick hides and I feel it is better to use a lower shot size and more powder with these animals. My son hit a few last year with a 410 and low base but the squirrel escaped. This year we upgraded and he had his first squirrel kill. Look for sign and sit quietly. If no action, move. We did three moves before locating this guy. Beechnut was the key. Found a large mast and posted up. It didn't take long. Was very enjoyable and he has a trophy tail to forever remember this special outing.

Ringneck Pheasant Hunting On PA State Gamelands

Went out for a late season pheasant hunt on a Northwestern PA state gameland. Birds were scarce and tough to find. Took my young bird dog for a long days hunt. She did well and flushed two cock pheasants. If you put some time and determination on gamelands, they will produce. I found these birds in heavy cover. Not in open fields or by parking lots. Work the edges and find birds on the inside curtain of woodlots. I pushed thickets and and went through heavy cover. Birds this time of year are pressured and become quite educated. You must go after them, and search good hiding places. Allow your dog to work the cover thoroughly. I often hit spots of thick cover several times at different wind angles. Most importantly, watch your dog. Your dog will lead you to birds if you take them to good habitat and thickets. Go where most hunters stay away from. Take that long walk and fight the thorns and briars. It will pay off.

Channel Catfish And Smallmouth Bass On Lake Erie

Took my son out for an evening trip fishing Lake Erie. Anchored in 49 foot of water off the Point of Presque Isle. The perch pack was much deeper. Found a nice pocket of fish on the fish finder and decided to stay several miles from the pack. Caught many jumbo perch, a nice channel catfish, and a nice smallmouth. I rarely ever head towards a pack of boats. Scan the area and find your own fish. Many times these fish will cooperate more and you will do good. Look for structure, baitfish, and marks on the finder. If you spend some time scanning the Lake, you will be rewarded.

2 Man Limit Of Lake Erie Yellow Perch Off Point Of Presque Isle

Took my son for an evening of perch fishing on the boat. Went out to 57 foot of water off the point in Lake Erie. Fished with emerald shiners and landed a 2 man limit of 60 yellow perch. Calm lake and a beautiful evening. Fish were turned on right before a front. Jigged off the bottom with spreaders. Lots of fillets for the deep fryer!

.17 Cal Savage Deadly On Woodchucks

Took my son for an evening woodchuck hunt in North East, PA. Son saw two chucks, and dispatched them both with his Savage .17. Two great head shots at 150 yds. Very accurate firearm. Would recommend it for varmits anywhere. Was a fun and exciting evening teaching him ballistics and stealth shooting.

Shallow Water Lake Erie Fishing Reels In Action

Tried to venture out to the perch schools today in deep water. Strong West winds kept me away. Instead of giving up, I fished shallow water with safer waves. I caught a limit of Perch and several nice bluegill. All you have to do is focus on structure. I scan the shallow water with my finder and find areas of dense structure. Drifting over them, with light tackle, produced amazing results. These areas held a nice variety of panfish. I worked jigs tipped with minnows and covered many small areas of structure.

Presque Isle Bay Erie PA Spring Crappie Bull Bluegill Action

Went for an evening trip on Presque Isle Bay in Erie PA. Found a sweet spot loaded with nice size panfish. Flipped a minnow over the wall and landed Crappie, Perch, Big Gills, Rock bass, and Smallies. Nice action and kept some for the freezer. Fished a cold front, NW winds howling. Water temp 65.

Yellow Perch Still Thick In Erie Channel

Took an evening trip fishing the channel in Erie PA. Found nice numbers of yellow perch. Sizes were various up to 12 inches. Caught many fish, keeping 22. Strong west wind right before a front and the fish were very turned on. Surprised how many perch were still around with water temp at 51 degrees. Many perch left and still have a week or more to catch them. Nice to see some large numbers of fish.

Mudpuppy Off South Pier In Erie PA

On a recent fishing trip I caught a strange creature. A nice mudpuppy, which is actually an aquatic salamander. They live entirely underwater and forage on the bottom. They are nicknamed Waterdogs, as they can produce a bark like sound. Interesting catch. It is common in the cold waters of Erie PA to catch these creatures while targeting cold water fish.

Nice Size Perch And A Good Perch Season So Far In Presque Isle Bay

Caught a nice batch of fish in the Bay of Erie today. Fished evening and caught some nice sized perch. Wind was due East and very strong. Water temp 42 degrees. A few dinks but mostly large yellow perch. Must tale advantage of this time of year.

Nice Size Perch In Erie Bay On Windy Night

Caught a nice small batch of large yellow perch and a couple of crappie in the Bay of Lake Erie. Cold 37 degrees and windy. East North East winds. Water temp 42. Couple of dinks but kept some nice Lakers. Fish seem to bite with lots of chop. Should be a great week.

Slow Day For Perch on Presque Isle Bay

Fished entire day for perch. Landed one fish on a shiner. Perch was a 2 lb Fat female. 14 inches long. Felt like a Walleye. That was it for the day with one bite. Strong Direct East wind shut off all fish today with no action. Water temp still cold at 40 deg. Hopefully wind direction will change and have a better day tomorrow. Was a nice time landing a State Citation fish.

First Day Perch Fishing a Successful One Lake Erie

Today I headed out Perch fishing for the early season. Water temp 37 degrees. Windy, strong East winds howling. Perch bit fast and furious. Caught over 50 and kept 15 nice ones. They were aggressive biters today and plentiful. Larger fish will arrive in the next weeks. I do feel this is a great sign to the start of perch season in Presque Isle Bay.

Late Season Winter Pheasant Chukar Hunt Albion

Went on a late season pheasant/chukar hunt today in Albion PA. Took my 2 year old Chesapeake Bay Reriever. Planted 15 birds, and was lucky enough to locate and down all 15. Was a great day, lots of great wing shooting. Used a little .20 gauge and had lots of fun. Birds flew beautifully and conditions were perfect with light snow. Dog did great tracking and scenting birds.

Last Season Deer Scouting With Trail Cams

Now that deer season is over in PA, this is a great time to scout for deer. Deer eventually calm down and return to their normal patterns. Snow is usually prevalent in the North, and this can show some great game trails and deer sign. I also utilize trail cams, and see what deer made it and the size of deer and numbers. I personally like the Moultree products as they have worked very well for me. Put them in positions of high traffic and also don't be afreaid to search for new deer areas. I have gained much knowledge by studying the woods in late winter! Give this a chance to enhance deer opportunities for the upcomong year.