Pennsylvania Game News - January 2012 - 50

but we do have elk. Drawing a Pennsylvania elk hunting permit and going after a bull in the vast, forested country where they live certainly qualifies as an exceptional experience and a wonderful sporting goal to pursue. Plan it as a multi-day backpack hunt on state forest land and you’ll exponentially upgrade its epic value. I consider my bobcat trapping experience of a few years ago as epic. First I had to draw one of the limited permits and learn more about the cats, their habits and how to trap them. Plus I had to find a likely locale for sets, close enough that I could travel there in winter to check my sets daily. Preparation was as important to my bobcat trapping as it was to my high peaks hikes. The snow was deep enough I had to snowshoe with my pack basket into the boulder-strewn and cliff-rimmed valley, adding to the adventure of my outings. It didn’t take as long to catch a cat as it did to make my mountain-climbs — I drew permits three nonconsecutive years — but the tanned pelt is a keepsake of a fine outdoor epic. I know someone whose sporting goal has been to catch a trout in every county in Pennsylvania. At last tally, he’s succeeded

in all but one (Butler). Your Pennsylvania hunting epic might be something along these lines. How many counties have you hunted ______ in? Fill in the blank with your favorite game species, and get moving. Don’t just think about deer, bear and turkey. Even small game can be the stuff of epic hunts. I like to hunt squirrels, and so far have shot them in about a dozen Pennsylvania counties. I’d have a lot to go if I wanted to shoot a squirrel in every county in the state. Years ago, my first story for Game News was about my completing a “Grand Slam on Squirrels,” having shot a black, gray, fox and red squirrel. The game was pint-size, but, to me, the accomplishment was gigantic. My husband and I had a second big adventure last year, a canoe trip to the lakestudded wilderness of Quetico Provincial Park, in southern Ontario. The 10-day Hunter’s Island loop, a traditional voyageur’s route, involved paddling nearly 160 miles and portaging more than 25. Before we started, the guide said he supposed our group of eight was hoping to get “bragging rights” out of finishing the trip. That might have been true, but in my case what I really wanted, and what I found, was an epic. Go find yours. 

Trapper’s Tips… Raccoon specific traps:

By Dan Lynch

There are times when some of the newer raccoon specific traps, those with small diameter pipe-like features are ideal for taking raccoons and not catching any non-target species, such as domestic dogs or cats. These types of traps force the raccoon to insert its paw down the pipe shaft, and while trying to get at the bait or lure the animal must grasp the trigger and pull upwards to trigger the trap to fire. Most dogs and cats, even if they can fit their paws into the pipe, will only push down on the trigger, which will not fire the trap. These traps have a real place in areas where raccoons are causing problems with humans, and traditional foothold-type traps could end up catching pets. The downside of these traps is usually their cost. Some cost close to $20, compared to maybe $10 for a regular foothold. Several companies manufacture species-specific traps, and each trapper should study them and see if they have a place on their traplines.
50 GAME NEWS

http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/document/920435/trapper's_tips_pdf

Pennsylvania Game News - January 2012

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