Pennsylvania

Quotable “I stock numerous pheasants on SGL 251 and at the Raystown Lake Property, but often see few hunters taking advantage of the opportunities.” — Huntingdon County Land Management Officer Bert Eidenshoffer on the youth hunt.In the Oct. 5, 2006 issueFISHING Pennsylvania Erie tributaries steelhead * West Branch Susquehanna smalliesNew York Niagara River king salmon * Lake Erie smallmouth * Upper Hudson River bassNew Jersey Manasquan River brownsHUNTING Pennsylvania Youth pheasant hunts * North-central bears * Coyote complaints * North-central deer * Northwest waterfowl * Pocono SGLs deer * Lycoming County whitetails * Sullivan County SGLsNew Jersey Ducks, first season * Fall turkey forecastEVERYTIME Statewide Trends * Quotable * Editor’s Picks * Outdoor Lineup * Trophy Tale * Astro Tables * In the Bullseye * Photo Contest Winners * Where To Go on the Web * Where To Go * Outdoor Outlet * Gearing Up

This Issue’s Featured Article

Ron Didyk took this 5-point whitetail on the first Thursday of the Pennsylvania rifle season a few years back. (F&H; News photo by Freddie McKnight) Pheasant stocked for youth huntsHuntingdon, Pa. — Pennsylvania has only a 0.6 retention rate of hunters, meaning that for every 10 hunters that get out of the sport, only six jump in to take their place.In an effort to curtail this decline, the Pennsylvania Game Commission has adopted numerous youth hunts designed to be days where youngsters only are in the field, under direct supervision of adult hunters.The youth pheasant hunt, running Oct. 7-13, is just one of those special hunts for the youngsters, but in many parts of the state it is far underutilized. Huntingdon County Land Manage-ment Officer Bert Eidenshoffer says that “I stock numerous pheasants on SGL 251 and at the Raystown Lake Property, but often see few hunters taking advantage of the opportunities.” He points out last season on SGL 251 and saw nobody hunting on either Saturday or Monday, a day that most youth have off as a holiday.This year the Game Commission will stock around 15,000 pheasants on public lands for the special hunt. Where these birds will be placed can be found on pages 26 through 28 of this year’s hunting digest. In addition to these birds, some 1,700 other pheasants are being shipped to 22 sportsmens clubs in Allegheny, Armstrong, Bedford, Berks, Centre, Clearfield, Elk, Fayette, Franklin, Indiana, Lawrence, Luzerne, Mifflin, Montour, Pike, Schuylkill, Warren and Westmoreland counties. These birds will be going to clubs who have signed up to participate in the mentored youth pheasant hunt. Details on who to contact to participate can be obtained by calling the regional office for each county.— Freddie McKnight