The master plan for Beltzville Lake, which was last approved in 1971, needs to be updated to address changes in regional land use, population, outdoor recreation trends and management policy, according to a news release from the Corps.

Corps’ members will provide an opportunity for the public to ask questions and provide feedback. A 30-day public comment period will run Jan. 7 through Feb. 6.

The final master plan is slated for approval in April, according to the Corps’ website. The plan takes 18-24 months to complete. A previous public comment period started in October 2024.

The plan does not address flood risk management or water conservation.

For the open house, people can submit their thoughts via email to PDPA-NAP@usace.army.mil or via a comment form on https://www.nap.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Beltzville-Dam/Beltzville-Dam-Master-Plan/ the Master Plan Revision webpage.

Nestled in Beltzville State Park in Carbon County, the nearly 1,000-acre Beltzville Lake, which the Corps constructed in the early 1970s, is a popular fishing, boating and recreation spot for Lehigh Valley residents and others. The lake and Beltzville Dam are also a Corps’ flood control project, used to manage water levels in the Pohopoco Creek. The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources manages the park.

The fire company is at 105 Firehouse Road in the township, near Lehighton.

That’s according to FishingBooker, a website that connects anglers with guiding companies and excursions across the U.S. The site recently named its top 10 ice fishing destinations, in no particular order, and Lake Granby was the sole Colorado locale to make the list.

Located at nearly 8,300 feet in elevation, Lake Granby offers alpine serenity as well as plenty of lake trout and kokanee salmon to make your fishing excursion both peaceful and invigorating, FishingBooker said.

“The lake’s clear waters and high elevation make for a picturesque outing, and the experience often feels like a true wilderness escape,” the site said. “Local guides and outfitters will also help ensure your time on the ice is both safe and successful.”

Plus, there’s more to do than just fishing, FishingBooker touted, from snowshoeing to relaxing at a mountain lodge. “The combination of solitude and natural beauty makes it a standout location,” it added.

Lake Granby was one of 10 places featured on FishingBooker’s list, alongside Green Bay in Wisconsin and Flathead Lake in Montana. See the full list here. If you’re a newbie to the sport, don’t forget to check out these tips before you go.

The count runs to Jan. 5.

The Christmas Bird Count is the longest-running citizen-science survey in the world, and the data collected through the count allows researchers, conservation biologists, and other interested individuals to study the long-term health and status of bird populations across North America.

It is an early-winter bird census, where thousands of volunteers across the U.S., Canada (where Audubon partners with Birds Canada), and many countries in the Western Hemisphere go out over a 24-hour period on one calendar day to count birds.

Local counts will occur on one day, sometime on or before Jan. 5. Volunteers can pick the most convenient circle, or participate in more than one count.

There is a specific methodology to the count, but everyone can participate and it’s free. The count takes place within the Count Circles which focus on specific geographical areas. Each circle is led by a “Count Compiler,” who is an experienced birdwatcher, enabling beginning birders to learn while they assist. Count volunteers follow specified routes through a designated 15-mile diameter circle, counting every bird they see or hear all day.

The mission of the National Audubon Society is to protect birds and the places they need. Here in the Mid-Atlantic, we strive to slow down and reverse the impact that climate change and habitat loss have had on the wide range of bird species that depend on our region.

The annual count is valuable in monitoring the distribution of bird species. The agency can use the data to track changes in species populations and better manage their resources.

CBC data have been used in hundreds of analyses, peer-reviewed publications, and government reports over the decades. Audubon’s quantitative ecologist updates the CBC Population Trends periodically.

A 2021 study published in the Journal of Wildlife Management was conducted by the National Audubon Society and Clemson University’s James C. Kennedy Waterfowl and Wetlands Conservation Center. This publication showed populations of 16 common duck species that winter in the southeastern United States have shifted northward over the past 50 years due to temperature changes attributed to climate warming.

With our up and down weather so far this winter, there may be many surprises found during these counts. For example, many more American robins are being found in some count circles due to the mild weather and abundance of soft mast. The data generated from the count is published each year on the National Audubon website and summarized each year in the Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology’s journal, “Pennsylvania Birds.”

Those who live within the boundaries of a Count Circle can even stay at home and report the birds that visit their backyard feeders. In either case, the first step is to locate a Count Circle that’s seeking participants and contact the local Count Compiler on Audubon’s website, www.audubon.org, to find out how you can volunteer.

Snow geese die at quarry

Unfortunately, in the midst of the Christmas Bird Count, hundreds of dead snow geese were recently found at a Northampton County quarry. The suspected culprit? Avian influenza. The Pennsylvania Game Commission is coordinating a response to this incident that includes safe removal, testing and disposal of the birds. According to Travis Lau, communications director for the Game Commission, some 400 dead birds have been found in the quarry since Dec. 12.

The U.S. outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza began in January 2022 and has impacted wild and domestic birds in every state. In Pennsylvania, there was a sharp resurgence of bird flu cases in wild birds in late 2024 and early 2025. Impacts tailed off after several weeks, though the virus continued to be detected at lower levels.

Wild waterfowl and shorebirds are considered natural carriers for avian influenza viruses and might shed the virus in their feces and saliva despite appearing healthy. It also can lead to sickness or death in raptors (hawks, eagles), avian scavengers (crows, gulls, ravens) and wild poultry (turkey, grouse).

The virus typically does not affect bird species that frequent backyard bird feeders. Exercise good hygiene when maintaining bird feeders and baths, emptying them every couple of weeks and disinfecting them with a 10% household bleach solution. If you notice multiple sick or dead birds over a short period of time, strongly consider leaving feeders down and baths empty to not make any potential outbreak worse.

Clinical signs of infection in wild birds are often non-specific, but might include neurologic dysfunction such as circling, head tilting, and difficulty flying.

The virus can potentially infect humans, though the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has declared that the current outbreak is primarily an animal health issue that poses low risk to the health of the general public.

People can help safeguard themselves against bird flu by always viewing wildlife from a safe distance, avoiding contact with wild birds or their feces and not handling wildlife unless you’re hunting, trapping or otherwise authorized to do so.

Waterfowl hunters are encouraged to continue participating in the remaining season, but should take precautions while handling and dressing birds. These include wearing gloves, protective eye wear and a mask. Following any hunt, make a point to practice good hygiene, including washing hands and any clothing or equipment used in dressing game that may contain blood or feces. Cook all wild bird meat to 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

Dogs encountering the virus also are at risk of infection. Dog owners should keep their dogs up to date on vaccinations and preventive medications, prevent their dogs from coming in contact with wild birds or their feces, and should not allow dogs to consume environmental water.

Those encountering other sick or dead wild birds anywhere in Pennsylvania can report them to the Game Commission by calling 1-833-PGC-WILD (1-833-742-9453). Any sick or dead domestic birds should be reported to Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture at 717-772-2852. If you have had contact with sick or dead birds and are not feeling well, contact your primary care physician or the Pennsylvania Department of Health at 877-PA-HEALTH (877-724-3258).

Tom Tatum is the outdoors columnist for the MediaNews Group. You can reach him at tatumt2@yahoo.com.

“With the design that came out for the 2026 National Parks passes, they took away people’s ability to vote on the photographs they love most,” said McCarty, a Boulder, Colorado, water-resource manager who’s been painting images of nature ever since high school. “These stickers are a way to celebrate our democracy and the ability for people to choose.”

McCarty — who paints striking, watercolor nature scenes with intricate textures and vibrant colors — created her own stickers that neatly cover images of President Donald Trump’s face on the 2026 America the Beautiful National Parks Pass, the new designs for which were unveiled just last month.

She objects not only to the politically driven imagery, which places Trump’s face side-by-side with George Washington in the center of some cards, but also the larger cuts and threats to America’s 400-plus national parks, monuments and other properties. She’s not the only one. This month, a public lands group, the Center for Biological Diversity, filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of the Interior over the design of the new park passes, saying physical changes violate an act that relies on an annual photo contest that is supposed to determine the images — and to highlight nature over people.

McCarty is selling her stickers through her Sage Leaf Studio website at $6 a piece, and since launching on Dec. 10, she’s been struggling to fill the more than 1,000 orders that have arrived. With “every dollar” going to the National Park Foundation, the vinyl, full-color stickers depict 34-year-old McCarty’s paintings of a brown bear against a verdant field and Denali’s mountain majesty; a furry pika — a much-loved resident of Rocky Mountain National Park — with a flower in its teeth; and a wolf howling majestically against the Grand Tetons.

She’s heard directly from dozens of people that her project has given them a channel for peaceful protest in the face of alarming federal policy changes toward public lands. The Colorado native’s own experience started with frequenting national parks with her father while growing up — she believes she’s named after Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming — and living and working around them in Wyoming, Montana and elsewhere. (The avid hiker and camper dubbed Rocky Mountain National Park her “home park.”)

A California sticker manufacturer and former park ranger has offered to take on printing duties if McCarty becomes overwhelmed, she said, and others have reached out with various offers of support. As of this week, however, she has not heard from the NPS or any other governmental agency about her artistic civil disobedience. She added that if park rangers won’t accept the sticker-covered pass, people can simply apply the stickers to a clear credit card holder.

McCarty this week launched new versions of the stickers, with labels for Senior and Military passholders in addition to the standard Resident passes, based on feedback and her drive to make the stickers accessible to all. She’s getting overwhelmed with messages via her website and her Instagram profile, she said. And that’s a good problem to have.

“I’m just one person in this, and it couldn’t have happened without many people,” she said. “I’m blown away by the number of people who see this as a chance to use their voice and choose things they want to see. The National Parks are our lands and every single one of us owns them. … I get so much joy from art and the National Parks, and this has been a great way to combine my passions.”

Environmental groups have repeatedly raised objections in the past year to the White House’s drive to open National Parks to oil drilling, road-building and other development, as well as laying off employees and cutting budgets.

In June, a nonpartisan U.S. Senate rulekeeper blocked Republican-backed public land sales of more than 14 million acres in Colorado that were eligible as part of a larger Western lands provision. A budget bill had called for the sale of between 0.5% and 0.75% of the 438 million acres managed by the BLM and USFS, The Denver Post has reported.

Established in 1991, HSH has coordinated the donation of more than 3 million pounds of venison to hunger-relief agencies throughout Pennsylvania. Hunters pay nothing to donate a deer through HSH. The nonprofit picks up the tab for every deer donated by reimbursing participating processors for their services.

Last season, HSH distributed 283,789 pounds of venison — over 1.1 million servings — making Pennsylvania the nation’s leader in hunter-donated venison for at least four years running. This year, however, both donations and need are rising sharply.

“Processors are reporting more donated deer than ever before,” said Randy Ferguson, executive director of Hunters Sharing the Harvest. “That’s incredible news for families facing food insecurity — but it also means we urgently need additional support to keep up with our processing costs. Every dollar helps us ensure hunters can donate at no charge and that venison reaches the food banks that depend on it.”

The year-end appeal encourages both individual donors and corporate sponsors to help sustain the growing program. All contributions directly support reimbursement payments to participating processors, who prepare the venison for distribution to regional food banks and community pantries.

Corporate sponsors are invited to contact HSH for customized partnership opportunities, including statewide visibility, co-branding, event participation and mission-aligned impact reporting.

“We are committed to ensuring that every donated deer becomes meals for Pennsylvanians who need it most,” Ferguson said. “But with donations increasing and operating costs rising, this moment calls for a strong show of support from individuals, businesses and philanthropic partners across the state.”

Tax-deductible gifts may be made online at www.ShareDeer.org/support-our-mission. Corporate sponsors are encouraged to visit www.ShareDeer.org/sponsors or to contact Ferguson directly to discuss options at randy@ShareDeer.org or by calling 844-474-2141.

I donated the last two bucks I bagged to HSH.

Pennsylvania’s firearms deer season closed on Saturday and this year marked a historic milestone for hunters across the commonwealth. Thanks to the new Sunday hunting law, the fall hunting season included a total of 13 Sunday hunting opportunities, giving more hunters more chances to get afield. While all seasons kept their originally scheduled closing dates, including the firearms deer season ending Saturday, Dec. 13, the added Sundays provided a boost for hunting participation. All of the expanded Sunday opportunities for the 2025-26 seasons have now come and gone, with the final Sunday on Dec. 7.

Game Commission Executive Director Steve Smith praised hunters for maintaining an exemplary safety record during those 13 Sundays, noting that even with the additional opportunities, there was not a single safety incident reported involving a hunter and a non-hunter.

“This demonstrates what we have stated all along: hunters and non-hunters can safely share Pennsylvania’s outdoors together. We look forward to building on the success from this year and continuing to expand hunting access for generations to come,” Smith said.

For the remainder of the license year, through June 30, Sunday hunting remains open for foxes, coyotes, and crows during their respective seasons. There is no Sunday hunting during the upcoming extended firearms deer seasons or during the late archery and flintlock deer seasons.

Looking ahead to next license year, the Game Commission will begin the process of adopting the 2026-27 hunting seasons in January. This will mark the first time the board of commissioners can consider adding more Sunday opportunities from the outset.

The new law lifting Pennsylvania’s longstanding prohibition on Sunday hunting took effect in September, well after the 2025-26 seasons were finalized. Still, the Game Commission moved quickly to implement the change, adding Sundays where doing so would provide meaningful opportunities without negatively impacting wildlife populations.

And although I failed to fill my buck tag during the state’s firearms season, I’ll get another chance when the late archery seasons kick in after Christmas with the statewide season running from Dec.26 through Jan 19, 2026, and our season here in Wildlife Management Units 5C and 5D running from Dec. 26 through Jan. 24 2026.

Tom Tatum is the outdoors columnist for MediaNews Group. You can reach him at tatumt2@yahoo.com.

That thought had just entered my mind when I crossed paths with one of Mother Nature’s storied winter weather forecasters, a woolly bear worm inching its way across our driveway. Incidentally, the wooly bear worm isn’t really a worm; it’s a caterpillar that’s the larva of the Isabella tiger moth.

But according to folklore popularized by the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the more brown this fuzzy caterpillar’s coat displays, the milder the approaching winter will be; the more black there is, the harsher the winter weather we can expect. The woolly bear worm I encountered had almost equal sections of black and brown with a little more black than brown which appears to predict a moderate to harsh winter.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, on a Facebook post last week, noted that “8 out of 9 woolly bear caterpillars agree it will be a mild winter. Severe or mild, they’ll all be frozen solid under leaf litter anyway. In the spring, these caterpillars will thaw out, pupate within cocoons and emerge as adult Isabella tiger moths. While there’s no scientific backing to the idea that the banding color can predict winter weather, it’s still fun to watch for patterns. Even caterpillars from the same clutch of eggs can have a wide variation in color.”

Woolly bear warnings aside, the size of our fall mast crops like acorns, beech nuts, and walnuts are also considered a harbinger of the winter ahead. The larger the mast crop, the harsher the winter. While this is a forecast also tied to folklore, the mast that fell along our lengthy driveway, namely a record number of walnuts and hickory nuts (the most we’ve seen in some 25 years here) does not bode well for a mild winter. The theory is that such expansive mast crops are a means of the trees dropping seeds to preserve their species and also help the animals that feed upon them (like squirrels and deer) get through rough and snowy winters.

And speaking of squirrels (and more folklore courtesy of the Old Farmer’s Almanac) these treebound rodents have a few ways of forecasting winter weather themselves. One has to do with their tails. The bushier the tail, the harsher the winter weather ahead. Squirrel activity is also a predictor of the weather to come. The busier the squirrels are gathering and hiding fruit and nuts, the worse the winter will be. The height of the nests squirrels assemble is also supposedly an indicator of future weather. The higher the nest, the worse the weather; the lower the nest, the milder the weather.

Weather forecasting folklore also involves insects. Like those of squirrels, the higher the nests of wasps and hornets, the worse the winter weather. As for spiders, the larger their webs, the longer and colder the winter.

And of course, Mother Nature’s most highly regarded animal when it comes to forecasting the weather is the groundhog, and of course the most famous groundhog of them all is Punxsutawney Phil. If Phil sees his shadow on Feb. 2 (Ground Hog’s Day), it means there will be six more weeks of winter; if not, we can look forward to an early spring.

So, with brutal weather predicted for the week ahead, no matter what those wooly bears might say, here’s hoping our readership stays safe and warm throughout those winter months.

Tom Tatum is the outdoors columnist for MediaNews Group. You can reach him at tatumt2@yahoo.com.

After snow fell Tuesday, some slopes are open already, while others are planning to open this weekend.

Camelback Resort in the Poconos opened Wednesday after snowmaking crews worked “around the clock” to get early season terrain ready, according to a news release from the resort. Blue Mountain Resort in Carbon County is scheduled to open 9 a.m. Friday with 30% of the mountain open, the resort said.

Bear Creek Mountain in Berks County opens Saturday for season passholders and hotel guests, according to resort spokesperson Gary Kline.

Here is what to expect this season at the area’s ski resorts:

Blue Mountain

Blue Mountain features 40 trails and 14 lifts over 171 acres. The resort installed two tower-mounted fan guns at the base, and two mobile, automated fan guns, meant to deliver snow more efficiently and effectively, according to a news release from the resort.

The resort said the snowmaking team has been operating at “full capacity,” running 275 snow guns during the first cold snap.

Trails open on the first day include: Easy Out, Vista, Burma Road, Shuttle, Barb’s Way, Homestretch, Lower Frontier Alley, Tut’s Lane, Connector, Sky Top, Summit School Hill, Paradise and Central Park.

Midway, Lower Main Street and Chute trails should open Sunday.

Summit Conveyor, Frontier Lower Conveyor, Vista Chait, Comet and Challenge lifts will be open on the first day.

Forty acres and 13 trails will be open the first day.

Season hours at 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Tickets and additional information may be found at skibluemt.com.

Camelback Resort

The resort features 39 trails and 14 lifts over 166 acres of skiable terrain. Snowmaking crews have been working “around the clock” to produce snow using snow guns across the mountain, according to a news release. Nile Mile and Sunbowl trails were opened first, with the Cliffhanger trail following shortly after, the resort said.

At the start of the season, lifts and trails will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Night skiing will be available later.

New upgrades at the resort allow the snowmaking team to cover more terrain with snow.

Tickets and additional information may be found at camelbackresort.com.

Camelback and Blue Mountain are offering a “peak-to-peak” pass again this year. Those who purchase the pass can get access to skiing at both resorts.

Bear Creek Mountain

Bear Creek Mountain Resort has 23 trails, slopes and parks over 86 skiable acres, according to the resort’s website.

The resort opens Friday with snowmobile drag races before opening for skiing and snowboarding Saturday and Sunday for season pass holders and hotel guests, according to the website. The slopes open at 8:30 a.m., according to the resort’s website.

The slopes open for everyone at 9 a.m. Monday. A date for the start of snowtubing will be announced later.

Additional information may be found at bcmountainresort.com.

Legal hunting hours that day were set to begin at 6:31 a.m. and run until 5:06 p.m. Sure enough, the action started early that morning when a distant shot sounded around 6:38. For the next two hours a steady smattering of gunfire, both near and far, continued until letting up around 9 a.m.

But if I took a shot this morning, it’s a safe bet that no one would hear it. That’s because, even though it was opening day for firearms hunters, I had left my shotgun at home and carried my crossbow into the woods instead. I was hunting one of my favorite deer-rich hotspots, a place where nearby safety zones made legally hunting with a firearm impossible. But while safety zones for firearms are 150 yards, archery gear requires a safety zone of just 50 yards, which gave me plenty of room to operate in this suburban environment. I had passed up a number of smallish bucks during archery season but was holding out for a nice, mature 10-pointer that had appeared in an image on my trail camera that fall – let’s call him Mr. Big

It didn’t take long before the first deer started moving through my woodlot. A little before 7 a.m. three antlerless deer, all does, browsed by barely 10 yards away. The next deer ambled through around 7:30. It was a buck. In fact, it was Mr. Big. But while the does had passed within easy crossbow range, Mr. Big kept his distance as he stopped to rub his impressive headgear on an unlucky sapling almost 50 yards away. Despite my efforts to coax him closer via a few notes on my grunt call, he never strayed within comfortable crossbow range.

It’s a shot that would be a piece of cake with my scoped shotgun, but not one I felt confident of when wielding archery gear. Too many things could go wrong resulting in a clean miss or a bad hit so I held my fire. As the buck angled away, I grabbed my smart phone and snapped a few photos before Mr. Big wandered deeper into the woodlot and out of sight. Maybe he’ll be back and stroll within range before the season ends. But as every savvy deer hunter knows, bucks don’t get that old and big by being dumb.

In the meantime, the Pennsylvania Game Commission asks deer hunters to remember the following:

Antler points restrictions vary by Wildlife Management Units (WMUs). In most WMUs, a buck with three points to a side, counting the brow tine, is legal to harvest. But in WMUs 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B and 2D, a buck must have at least three points to a side, not counting the brow tine.

Junior license holders, mentored youth, disabled hunters with a permit to use a vehicle, and resident active-duty U.S. Armed Services personnel, can harvest antlered deer with two or more points on one antler, or a spike 3 or more inches in length.

For a complete breakdown of antler restrictions, WMU boundaries and other regulations, consult the 2025-26 Pennsylvania Hunting & Trapping Digest, which is provided to hunters and available online at the Game Commission’s website, www.pa.gov/pgc.

• Deer hunters everywhere statewide must wear at all times a minimum of 250 square inches of fluorescent orange material on their head, chest and back combined, visible from 360 degrees, during the firearms deer season. An orange hat and vest will satisfy the requirement.

Nonhunters who might be afield during deer season and other hunting seasons might consider wearing orange, as well. And on state game lands between Nov. 15 and Dec. 15, nonhunters are required to meet the 250-square-inch fluorescent orange requirement.

• Hunters who harvest a deer are required to affix a valid tag to the ear – not an antler – before the deer is moved. Hunters can use a large safety pin to attach the tag, as it won’t damage the ear. The tag must be filled out with a ballpoint pen.

Hunters must then report their harvests to the Game Commission within 10 days. Harvests can be reported online at www.huntfish.pa.gov, by calling 1-800-838-4431 or by mailing in the postage-paid cards that are provided in the digest.

Mentored youth hunters are required to report deer harvests within five days. Hunters with DMAP permits must report on their hunting success within 10 days of the last possible date of harvest, regardless of whether they harvest deer.

• It’s important for hunters to know where they’re hunting, including whether they’re in an area where Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) has been detected.

Hunters harvesting deer within a CWD Disease Management Area (DMA) or Established Area (EA), can take them directly to any Game Commission approved processor or taxidermist anywhere in the state. The processor or taxidermist will properly dispose of high-risk deer parts. The list of cooperators can be found through the CWD page at the agency’s website.

Proper disposal helps prevent CWD’s spread to new areas and enhances CWD surveillance, as cooperators allow Game Commission staff to collect samples for CWD testing.

Hunters may not take a deer from any DMA or EA and process it themselves outside the DMA or EA. Nor can hunters place any high-risk parts from deer harvested within a DMA or EA on the landscape away from the harvest site.

There are, across Pennsylvania, fewer butchers handling deer than in years past. Some get all that they can handle quickly, too, especially around opening day.

So, it’s a good idea for all hunters – and especially those removing a deer from a DMA or the EA – to call ahead and make sure their processor of choice is open and accepting whitetails.

Hunters who harvest a deer in a DMA or the EA can get it tested for CWD for free by placing its head, with the harvest tag still attached to the ear, in one of many collection bins, the locations of which are identified on the Interactive Map at the Game Commission’s website.

Test results then can be checked at the Game Commission’s CWD dashboard.

Tom Tatum is the outdoors columnist for MediaNews Group. You can reach him at tatumt2@yahoo.com

That’s because it’s opening day for firearms deer season which runs from Saturday through Dec. 13 and includes two Sundays, Nov. 30 and Dec. 7. It’s a time that will find more than half a million orange-clad hunters out to share time with family and friends, connect with nature, perform boots-on-the-ground wildlife management and secure healthy venison.

No other single day on the state’s hunting calendar is as anticipated or busy.

At the same time the Saturday opener lingers under a shadow of controversy thanks to some hunters who would like to see opening day pushed back to what used to be the Monday after Thanksgiving.

Meanwhile the Saturday opener persists for reasons the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) cites including making opening day more available for folks who would otherwise have to work or go to school on a Monday opener.

“Across the nation, white-tailed deer put more hunters in the woods more often than any other species,” said Game Commission Executive Director Steve Smith.

“That likely won’t surprise anyone living in Pennsylvania. Opening day of deer season here touches countless families, mine included, as well as offices, work sites and schools.

“It’s about more than recreation, though. Deer season is also conservation and compassion turned into action, as our hunters keep deer in balance with their habitat while feeding themselves and hungry neighbors. There’s truly nothing like it.”

Hunters are allowed one antlered deer per license year, plus one antlerless deer for every Wildlife Management Unit (WMU)-specific antlerless license, Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) permit or Agricultural Deer Control permit.

Last year, across the 2024-25 deer seasons, hunters harvested an estimated 476,880 deer, 175,280 of them bucks and 301,600 antlerless. As always, the two-week firearms season accounted for the largest chunk of those: 283,760 deer, 86,530 of them bucks, 197,230 of them antlerless.

That led to a record 283,789 pounds of venison donated to the Hunters Sharing the Harvest  program, which lets hunters donate deer – at no cost – at any one of more than 100 licensed butcher shops across 56 counties. Venison is then processed for distribution statewide through regional food banks in partnership with Feeding Pennsylvania and Hunger-Free Pennsylvania.

Last year’s donations equated to about 1.1 million servings of venison for food-insecure individuals and families.

“Every year, our expectations are surpassed,” said Hunters Sharing the Harvest Executive Director Randy Ferguson. “Hunters across Pennsylvania continue to embody this notion of hunting as social service in which hunters demonstrate just how much they care about feeding families in need. These record-breaking numbers reflect not only their commitment, but also the dedication of processors, volunteers, sponsors and partners across the state.”

The potential is there again this year for another bountiful season. The National Deer Association (NDA), an advocacy group working to ensure the future of wild deer, wildlife habitat and hunting, said in the 2025 version of its annual Deer Report that Pennsylvania once again is a standout for all things deer.

It said that in 2023, the most recent year for which it has numbers, Pennsylvania ranked No. 1 in buck harvest per square mile and antlerless harvest per square mile, No. 2 in overall antlerless harvest, and No. 3 in overall buck harvest and antlerless deer taken per buck taken.

That’s no fluke. According to NDA, the state has consistently ranked in the top five, if not the top three, in every category for more than a decade now. Some of the bucks in the harvest are particularly impressive. Years ago, most of the antlered deer harvested in Pennsylvania were 18 months old or younger and carrying their first set of antlers. Now, with antler-point restrictions that limit hunters to harvesting bucks with a minimum number of points, about two of every three bucks taken is 2.5 years old or older.

They’re not only bigger and heavier, but sport more impressive headgear, too.

“I would expect the upcoming season to be very similar to last year’s,” said David Stainbrook, the Game Commission’s Deer and Elk Section Supervisor. “It’s worth noting, though, that there will be even more antlerless licenses and hunter opportunity available.”

That extra opportunity comes in several forms. One is the increased number of antlerless deer licenses available this season compared to last. While most of them already have been issued to hunters, those seeking an antlerless license can see where tags remain at  https://huntfish.pa.gov/pa/antlerlesswmu/remainingquotas.

Another is the additional Sunday involved in this year’s regular firearms season. Last year, the season opened on the Saturday after Thanksgiving and continued the following day, on Sunday. No other Sundays were open. This year, however, following a change in the law that lifted Pennsylvania’s broad prohibition on Sunday hunting, two Sundays – Nov. 30 and Dec. 7 – are available in the firearms deer season.

There’s no hunting in Pennsylvania state parks on Sunday, Dec. 7, but it’s permitted elsewhere, including on state game lands, state forests and private lands where hunters have permission.

Hunters should note that the firearms deer season closes on Sat., Dec. 13. There is no hunting on Sunday, Dec. 14, or on any other Sundays in the 2025-26 license year, except for foxes, coyotes and crows.

A third new opportunity involves Agricultural Deer Control permits. Under the program, commonly known as “Ag Tag,” hunters can get coupons from landowners, then redeem them for antlerless deer permits good for those specific properties.

In years past, the Ag Tag season ended in September. Now, it runs through the firearms deer season and all the way to April 15.

Hunters can get lists of participating Ag Tag properties by calling 1-833-PGC-HUNT or otherwise contacting the regional office covering the area they want to hunt.  Other details on the program  are available online.

Smith hopes to see hunters use those opportunities when and where they can to get into the woods and make memories, do what’s best for deer and wildlife habitat, and perhaps help others, too.

“We know time is often the biggest challenge hunters face when it comes to being able to go afield,” Smith said. “We know, too, that one extra day of hunting can make the difference between filling a tag or not.

“That’s why we’re trying to support their efforts by maximizing opportunity where possible. We owe our hunters a debt of gratitude for all they do to support conservation, paying to do it through their license fees, no less. It’s important work that benefits all Pennsylvanians.”

Extended bear season

Hunters can harvest a black bear in some WMUs within deer season. The extended bear season opens Nov. 29, continues on Sunday, Nov. 30, then Dec. 1-6 in WMUs 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4C, 4E and 5A. The season also is held in WMUs 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D, where it opens Nov. 29, continues on Sunday, Nov. 30, then Dec. 1-13, including Sunday, Dec. 7.

Hunters are allowed one bear per year. To participate in the extended bear season, a hunter needs a general hunting license, as well as a bear license. Properly licensed hunters may also harvest deer. Fluorescent orange requirements for the extended bear season and firearms deer season are identical.

Tom Tatum is the outdoors columnist for the MediaNews Group. You can reach him at tatumt2@yahoo.com.

This fall it took me two attempts to try to pull Open II Debate, my little Boston Whaler Montauk 150, to conclude my 2025 saltwater season.

The first attempt was scheduled for a few weeks ago, the same day a Nor’easter came roaring up the coast. The prudent thing to do was delay any attempt to navigate the windswept, whitecapped bay waters enroute to the public ramp, so I rescheduled the pullout for Saturday afternoon, Nov. 8, which turned out to be a gorgeous day weatherwise.

What surprised me as I motored through the Cape Isle of Wight Bay and navigated the waters beneath the drawbridge on Route 50 in Ocean City, Maryland, was how many boats and fishermen were out on the water. Those eight or nine lined up on the north side of the bridge on the incoming tide were likely casting and jigging for striped bass, also known as rockfish in Maryland.

As I approached the commercial harbor and the public ramps, I noticed at least 20 boats with anglers eagerly plying the waters of the West Channel, a well-known flounder hotspot. That’s when I started having a few second thoughts about pulling the boat out when I could have been fishing instead, but at that point it was too late to change my mind.

Even though it was mid-November, anglers continued to enjoy decent success on flounder, stripers, sea bass and tautog. My friend Scott Lenox, host of the TV show ‘Fish in OC,’ was also out on the water that day and provided this report: “Just like the last several days, today started off a little windy.”

By the time lunch rolled around it had laid down nicely and a short sleeve shirt was all you needed. It was nice to see so many boats out on the bay and getting reports from the party boats that were able to get out on the ocean.

“I hit the bay myself today,” Lenox noted, “and had a great time catching some tautog, rockfish and a bluefish. I used green crabs at the south jetty on Deadly Tackle tog jigs and caught a few shorts with three keepers to just under 19. Then I hit the Route 50 bridge and caught and released a couple of short striped bass and a decent bluefish.”

Lenox reported that one ocean going party boat, the Angler, had significant success that day on plenty of sea bass, some flounder, a few porgy and a nice triggerfish according to captain Chris Mizurak. Other party boats who ventured inshore enjoyed similar success.

Offshore anglers are also having some luck. Fishing the canyons, captain Dale Lisi and the crew of Foolish Pleasures (of Wicked Tuna fame) loaded up with mahi (dolphin fish) along with a 199-pound swordfish. Captain Chris Watkowski and the crew of the Spring Mix II (whom I’ve fished with offshore a time or two) also had success out in the canyons that day while boating a limit of mahi.

Of course, November weather is notoriously fickle and can prove hazardous for any fishing boat, especially those headed out into the capricious Atlantic. One cautionary tale is that of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, a freighter that  sank in Lake Superior during a brutal storm with the loss of all 29 crew members.

This month is the 50th anniversary of that tragedy which occurred on Nov. 10, 1975. As Gordon Lightfoot tells the tale in his 1976 ballad, ‘The wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,’ the ship was destroyed “When the gales of November came slashing.”

The fine folks at Taylor Marine were waiting for me as a I pulled my boat in. I maneuvered the boat onto the trailer as another saltwater season, at least for me, came to a bittersweet end. I took one final, jealous glance over my shoulder at the fishing fleet still successfully catching fluke on the back bay while, at the same time, I looked forward to better seasons ahead.

Chester County game warden fired

The Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) has terminated a Chester County game warden’s employment amid allegations of misconduct. Nelson Yocum is no longer employed by the agency. Yocum had been on unpaid administrative leave since Sept. 6, 2025, after the agency received a citizen complaint alleging misconduct. In accordance with commonwealth policy, the PGC referred the matter to the Pennsylvania Office of State Inspector General, which turned over the criminal investigation to an external law-enforcement agency.

While that investigation concluded with no criminal charges filed, the PGC conducted a separate internal investigation. That review uncovered evidence of policy violations and other conduct warranting Yocum’s dismissal.

Yocum began his employment with the agency in March 2023 as a cadet at the Ross Leffler School of Conservation. He was assigned as a district game warden in February 2024.

Tom Tatum is the outdoors columnist for MediaNews Group. You can reach him at tatumt2@yahoo.com.