Outdoors category, Page 4
Annual Pa. Game Commission elk cam starts streaming
With the September peak of Pennsylvania’s elk mating season fast approaching, the Pennsylvania Game Commission once again has installed a camera on State Game Lands 311 in Elk County, a field that typically serves as a hub of elk activity during mating season. Video and sound from the camera are...
75th anniversary celebration to commemorate construction of Youghiogheny River Dam
After 75 years the Youghiogheny River Dam in Confluence is still standing — and attracting thousands of visitors each week. Shaylin Dresher, natural resources specialist at the Youghiogheny River Lake, led the planning for Saturday’s 75th anniversary celebration, which will be hosted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh...
Federal grants will replace tunnels beneath roads that let water pass but not fish
The Biden administration on Wednesday announced nearly $200 million in federal infrastructure grants to upgrade tunnels that carry streams beneath roads but can be deadly to fish that get stuck trying to pass through. Many of these narrow passages known as culverts, often made from metal or concrete, were built...
Norwegian climber says it would have been impossible to carry injured Pakistani porter down snowy K2
BERLIN — A record-setting Norwegian mountaineer pushed back Sunday against claims that she could have done more to save the life of a Pakistani porter who slipped off a narrow trail near the peak of the world’s most treacherous mountain and died there after several hours. The circumstances of Mohammad...
Judge blocks Colorado law raising age to buy a gun to 21
DENVER — A federal judge has blocked Colorado from enforcing a new law raising the age to purchase a gun from 18 to 21. U.S. District Judge Philip Brimmer issued a preliminary injunction Monday following a legal challenge by a gun rights group. In a ruling that frequently referenced a...
Pennsylvania anglers advised to catch, kill invasive Northern Snakehead fish
An invasive fish found in Pennsylvania fresh waters has made the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission advisory list. In a release Wednesday, the agency said anyone reeling in a Northern Snakehead in Pennsylvania should report their catch and dispose of the fish. The advisory applies to the lower Susquehanna River...
Frog Week created to bring attention to often overlooked species
Frogs are finally getting their due — and their own week of celebration — thanks to the efforts of an Indiana University of Pennsylvania graduate student. “Most tend to fear frogs and other creatures around them; frog week helps break this and bring attention to what is in our backyard,”...
Pa. antlerless deer license sales double last year’s pace as 2nd round nears
The second round of 2023-24 antlerless deer license sales begins at 8 a.m. Monday as the Pennsylvania Game Commission tries to catch up with a huge increase in the number of permits sold during the first round. The agency is allowing antlerless deer licenses to be purchased anywhere hunting licenses...
Hungry ticks can use this static trick to land on you and your pets
NEW YORK — Hungry ticks have some slick tricks. They can zoom through the air using static electricity to latch onto people, pets and other animals, new research shows. Humans and animals naturally pick up static charges as they go about their days. And those charges are enough to give...
Pa. hunters experience long lines virtually, in person on 1st day of Game Commission license sales
Dorothy Mutter, a cashier at Hepler’s Hardware in Youngwood, was met with a line of hunters waiting for the shop to open when she came to work Monday morning. It was the opening day of hunting license and doe tag sales, and hunters across Pennsylvania eagerly waited, either in line...
Pa. antlerless deer licenses soon available in stores, online
Change is in the air this Pennsylvania hunting season. Hunters in the state soon will be able to buy their 2023-24 antlerless deer licenses wherever hunting licenses are sold. The new process will go into effect at 8 a.m. Monday when sales begin for general hunting and furtaker licenses. Hunters...
‘So satisfying’: Grueling Rachel Carson Trail Challenge entices hikers
There’s nothing about the Rachel Carson Trail Challenge that makes it a walk in the park. But once its hikers complete the hilly, scenic and physically demanding trail, the feeling is one of satisfaction and relief. “I think it’s so satisfying,” said Amy Nelson, a board member of the Rachel...
Blood-red crickets invade Nevada town, residents fight back
ELKO, Nev. — Dana Dolan was driving through her small Nevada hometown when she thought she had come upon a gory crash. The ground surrounding Elko’s stretch of Interstate 80 looked as if it had been covered in blood. As the red color shifted and moved, she realized instead it...
Pa. Game Commission urges residents to leave young wildlife alone
The Pennsylvania Game Commission released a springtime alert Tuesday, urging the public to avoid young wildlife. The release informed Pennsylvanians that during the spring it’s possible to encounter young wildlife that appear to be alone. According to the Game Commission’s wildlife management director, Matthew Schnupp, many people attempt to assist...
Prepare for a surprisingly social and zippy pet when you adopt a desert tortoise
PHOENIX — They’re not fluffy, they don’t play fetch and they certainly don’t roll over. But there is such a thing as a lap tortoise. What’s more, pet tortoises can wag their tails, will plod on up to greet you and some can even recognize their own names. The surprising...
Pa. Fish and Boat Commission raises fishing license fees for 2nd straight year
Pennsylvania anglers can expect to pay more to fish next year, now that the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) has voted to increase the costs of licenses for the second year in the row, after license prices had not changed since 2005. At its meeting Wednesday, the agency’s Board...
North Hills grad Margo Malone wins Pittsburgh Marathon in hometown
Margo Malone was no stranger to running marathons, but Sunday’s 26.2-mile race on the streets of Downtown Pittsburgh was her first in her hometown. Hearing the cheers from the thousands of spectators who lined the course and the loud response heading down the home straightaway, the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team...
Thousands run city’s bridges, hills and streets for the Pittsburgh Marathon
Thousands of runners toured Pittsburgh’s bridges, hills and streets Sunday morning, all as part of the 2023 Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon. To the tune of fireworks, the full 26.2-mile race and 13.1-mile half-marathon kicked off at 7 a.m. Downtown. A slight rain greeted runners as the race began but...
Ultra runners become more in tune with themselves by the mile
South Hills resident Timmy Morgan, 36, was introduced to the sport of ultra running the same way a character in a movie discovers a destined journey. It was a dark and stormy night. Morgan and a friend had decided to set up camp after hiking along the Pacific Crest Trail...
Frogs, toads, trillium, more showcased at North Huntingdon nature preserve
An evening nature walk at a North Huntingdon nature preserve will help participants learn about the frogs and toads that make the area their home. Herpetologist AAron Capouellez will lead the walk at the Otto & Magdalene Ackermann Nature Preserve, near Ardara, and share his love for amphibians while hopefully...
Vintage fishing lures to be on display
A vintage fishing lure show will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 29, at the Holiday Inn in Weirton, W.Va. Early Americana vintage fishing tackle and lures from the 1890’s to the 1980’s will be on display. The event is open to the public, and patrons can...
With snakes emerging as temperatures rise, Pa. has 3 venomous species to be aware of
Don’t look now but the sun is shining a little more, and the temperatures are starting to warm up. It’s a beautiful thing after slogging through another Pennsylvania winter, but humans aren’t the only creatures ready to get out and about in the nice weather. The rising temperatures mean snakes...
Catch ’em while you can: State, local nurseries place more than 4 million trout in waters
Seven out of 10 people who buy an annual fishing license in Pennsylvania also spring for a trout permit. But most of those anglers probably wouldn’t be able to catch a trout if not for the state’s long-running, $10 million stocking program, which sees millions of trout put into creeks...
Much of drought-plagued West Coast faces salmon fishing ban
SAN DIEGO — As drought dried up rivers that carry California’s newly hatched Chinook salmon to the ocean, state officials in recent years resorted to loading up the fish by the millions onto trucks and barges to take them to the Pacific. The surreal and desperate scramble boosted the survival...
What you need to know as Pa.’s trout season opener approaches
It may take place on April Fool’s Day this year, but it’s certainly no joke. Each year, thousands upon thousands of anglers across Pennsylvania eagerly look forward to the opening day of trout season. It’s a cherished time of the year when people get together with family and friends to...

