An ode to the angered angler

Way up in the north where the Susquehanna grows

And the pipelines follow south where it flows

And the deer herd dwindles – especially the does

Is the land of the angered angler.

Shots from the Hip: Reclaim our playgrounds

“Daddy, what does this say?”

Typically, these five words are music to my ears — letting me know that my daughter is still wildly curious about the world around her and that she still sees me as the key to unlocking these mysteries.

Except this was one scenario I didn’t want to explain. We were at a local community playground just a few days ago, and the phrase she wanted translated was graffiti written in black Sharpie. It was obscene and not something I was going to explain to my daughter.

Shots from the Hip: Quoth the cardinal …

… while nodding nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,

a most peculiar, hollow tapping, fwapping at the window  sill …

There may not have been a raven knocking on my door, but the moment was eerily Edgar Allen Poe-esque just the same. We were hanging out in the living room when something started pinging into our picture window. A rhythmic loud thudding that made me jump to my feet.

Shots from the Hip: Blame the turkeys

It is impossible to get any yard work done at my place in the spring. I blame the turkeys.

Our house is surrounded by woods and placed on the side of a small mountain. There is always plenty to clean up and do after the winter, but every time I dust off the rake or oil up the push mower, it happens.

A gobbler gobbles.

Shots from the Hip: Wild neighbors

The story was almost too crazy to be true. A friend who works for the game commission told me about a woman who moved into the country and loved to feed birds – that is, until her feeders started being destroyed regularly by hungry black bears.

Allegedly, she expected the PGC to reimburse her for the damaged feeders and missing seed. When that didn’t happen, she threatened a lawsuit unless the PGC trapped and relocated (or even destroyed) the bears.

Shots from the Hip: Benefits of hunting

Several years ago, I applied for an open educational position with the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

The job was two-fold — to educate the public about everything cool involving nature, wildlife and PA’s outdoors, and most importantly, to find innovative new ways to market hunting to a new generation in hopes of increasing its popularity after decades of declining sales.

Nature isn’t all dew drops and rainbows

The shriek was the sort that could stop a Justin Verlander fastball. It shot through the house like lightning through a dark, stormy night sky.

My daughter had gone outside ahead of me. I was getting a few tools before following her out. Her scream was enough to make my heartbeat flatten out like a rope off the bat of Albert Pujols.

As my feet carried me at Warp speed towards the door, my mind raced. Did she come across a snake sunning itself on our asphalt driveway? Was she trapped in the corner by a hungry black bear or surrounded by a few angry carpenter bees?