The regular late season statewide muzzleloader and archery season ended this weekend and if you haven’t had much success in your regular pursuits there are still some late season hunting opportunities available to you.

The extremely bitter cold since the Christmas holiday has made even the hardiest hunters think twice about dragging down the flintlock or the bow for primitive deer season.

Can you imagine what it was like for our pioneer forefathers when it was a necessity to be out hunting and not a recreational opportunity?!

If the cold breaks soon the next two weeks will see the rabbit and squirrel hunters hit the fields once again. Bonus pheasants will be available for a mixed bag hunt in many areas.

I was invited to hunt bunnies with my neighbor Frank Marshall as he has a brace of Beagles that are always ready to hit a hot trail.

Last time I went with Frank the dogs gave me all kind of thrills as they put the cottontails past me for plenty of shots. Those dogs sure like jerky snacks!

It surprises me that plenty of people still don’t know that the PA Fish & Boat Commission have gift licenses for sale.

One friend told me that he gave fishing license money to his family for Christmas that was earmarked “fishing licenses only”.

When I told him that he could have purchased a gift license his response was one of wonder as he said, “That’s a really good idea!” When I told his wife that this year the PFBC also has a pink license button that matches your license number she was amazed as well.

I guess can all get out of the loop on some things!

Every year our sportsmen’s club gets together to make sausage for some club dinners and for the First Day of Trout lunch cookout.

The lunch cookout starts early and is more like a brunch because the festive air of the Trout Opener appears to make anglers extra hungry!

We make about 300-400 pounds of different kinds of sausage but the all time favorite uses a mix from the Con Yeager spice Company called Mild Hot Sausage.

We buy the mix in 25lb mix packages and it comes out perfect.

It can also be made in 10 pound batches for a regular family project. We have made it for all types of wild game including; elk, bear, moose, boar, deer and mixed meats.

The base product that we always use is the deals on pork products in January of each new year.

While at the Game Lands 95 in deer season a coyote walked up to me as I was hunting in a thick area near a swampy parcel. That reminded me that the trappers and hunters interested in coyotes, foxes and raccoons are still in active mode until February 21st.

The pelts are prime and the predator hunters should have little interference in the woods while running trap lines, dogs or calling in the critters.

Snow camo while on the late night hunts using game calling is a must for these wary canines.

The other predator that was available and ended this weekend was the bobcat.

The largest feral cat in PA has been an elusive target for many a hunter and trapper since it was introduced as a legal pursuit in many northern tier counties for the past ten years.

It was at one time a lottery tag but now is an over the counter purchase.

With this frigid weather the ice fishermen should be hitting their favorite lakes and ponds for some hole drilling and jigging or tip up activity.

Ice fishing can be a great activity but it does require special equipment and a greater degree of caution to be on the hard water. Cold water kills!

A minimum depth of 4 inches of ice is required for angler ice fishing.

A group of hefty PA anglers requires at least 6 to 7 inches of solid ice to support 1,500 pounds of people and equipment.

In the northern Great Lake states they take ice shanties and cars on to the ice.

The ice thickness in those areas must be 8 inches or thicker to support a vehicle.

They say a light truck requires about a foot of ice to be safe.

Every year the US Coast Guard is saving someone out on a fishing trip when their truck and equipment are stranded on an ice flow that is broken off and floating away.

I don’t know what my insurance agent would have to say about that claim!

Until we meet again bundle up and get out there to do something wild!

Jay Hewitt is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle.