The Pennsylvania Game Commission announced that their 2022-23 hunting licenses will go on sale on June 13.

The hunting license is good for one year starting from July 1 through June 30 of 2023. You should continue to use your 2021-2022 license until June 30, 2022 for any hunting pursuits that you have for groundhogs or other open season game.

The use of digital licenses is upon us as well, but the PGC vendor doesn’t have all the bugs worked out yet, so I recommend that you continue to have the printed-out versions with you. The tricky part of all of this updated version is that you will still need a harvest tag for all of the game animals required to be tagged such as deer, turkeys, bear and some of the fur bearers.

Hunter safety classes

Hunter Safety Classes are now being offered throughout the county, but may be changed due to poor attendance numbers. If only a dozen new hunters sign up for areas in close proximity, the classes may be joined together for a better use of the instructor’s time.

Although both PGC personnel and volunteers provide the classes, they do need to make good use of their time. Remember, any hunters going out of state to hunt will likely require their H-T-E card as proof of passing a safety course. If you hunt the same areas each year a copy of your old license or license ID number will likely suffice. I get frequent reminders through E-mail that I need to update my license for the current year.

Bucks growing antlers

This is the time of the year that bucks start growing their antlers for the upcoming hunting season.

This morning I saw my first buck in velvet walk through my yard. His rack was about six inches long, but he was still a nice-sized whitetail deer. It is amazing how nature kick- starts the antler growth with the changing length of daylight.

I was going through my archery equipment this week in anticipation of a more serious bow hunting season. I am a firm believer that archers have an advantage of harvesting a nice buck if they are more dedicated in their efforts. I have planned to put in some food plots with the help of my neighbor, Kevin, but will need to wait until the soggy ground dries up a bit.

I was impressed with my friend Dave’s food plot that included turnips and other greens. Those turnips made me want to pick a few for a family dish that is a favorite of the family. I resisted the temptation and let the deer enjoy the crop!

Turkey brood

I have not seen any turkey poults yet this year, but do have some hens working through my yard. We think that between the three of them, there will be a brood, but time will tell. The rain storms that we have been having might have played havoc on them.

Lyme Disease

Speaking of havoc, the reports of deer ticks being plentiful have been made by friends out in the fields and forests. The threat of Lyme Disease is very serious and all humans that spend time outdoors should take it seriously.

Wearing light-colored clothes with long sleeve shirts and pants tucked into your socks is highly recommended. The light-colored clothes help you detect the ticks as they move about and you can remove them. The use of a quality repellent is also recommended for any outdoor activity. If you suspect that you are bitten, check in with your physician for an antibiotic as soon as possible.

More hunting ammo

There has been more hunting ammo available recently, not any great deals, but it is at least available.

Components for the handloader enthusiasts continue to be limited, but I have found some that I can use and place in reserve for the upcoming rifle seasons. The shooting of your rifle is a needed exercise to sharpening up your marksmanship skills.

It’s funny how as you get older, the eyes and marksmanship kind of go together. Good scopes make the job much easier and my scopes also allow me to adjust the scope to my vision needs. We need to do that on the range, not in the field while hunting. I also have a new scope with a bullet drop compensator, which is a true positive for making accurate shots at different distances. How did we do it back in the day!?

Walleye trip planned

I have a walleye trip lined up in June for Lake Erie and I will get back to you folks on how it went. The fishing on Erie should be good as the last few years of classes have been really solid.

I have learned that the best fish to catch are not always the biggest … especially for the frying pan! Until we meet again have a safe holiday weekend and a fun-filled summer.

Jay Hewitt is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle