The Late Season Small Game Season is still going on for the squirrel and rabbit hunters of the Commonwealth.

Hunting opportunities are open through Feb. 23 for both rabbits and squirrels. The squirrels appear to be abundant in most areas that boast any types of mature woods while rabbit hunting can be spotty and requires quite a bit of edge and fields near agriculture or grasslands.

The good news is that if you find them, they are usually plentiful. These two mammals appear to be a prime food source for predators that require frequent feeding. Rabbits are especially prolific when it comes to having litters of young on a frequent basis.

Not only do they breed frequently, but also at a relatively young age with much success.

There is nothing more challenging than to take a .22 caliber rifle out after Johnny Bushy tail climbing in the tree tops. Once one shot is taken, the squirrel world gets the message and hangs tight to their nests and dens.

Plenty of patience is required at times if you plan on having enough squirrels for that old fashioned pot pie! Squirrels love to find a den site in the holes of old timber that was opened up by a woodpecker or other cavity seeking birds and mammals.

It is not uncommon for one tree to be like an apartment complex and house several different species in different parts of the den tree. Squirrels, raccoons, cavity nesting birds and even chipmunks can reside in the same tree.

The most unusual sight I can recall was a pair of wood ducks using a den tree site 40-50 feet high in an old oak. Good luck to those ducklings when they decide to follow mama out of the nest and fledge to the local waterways.

Maybe they will flutter to the ground but I doubt they know that the first step will be such a long one!

A sure sign of spring being right around the corner is that the PA Fish & Boat Commission released the stocking schedule for trout in the county waters.

The first week of March will be the start of the great white fleet of tankers delivering hatchery trout to the local streams. Buffalo Creek, Slippery Rock Creek, Thorn Creek and Connoquenessing Creek have all been designated to receive preseason trout in the first week of March.

WCO Jon Kay welcomes anglers to assist in the stocking of trout as long as they obey traffic laws and watch out for other motorists.

It is an exciting time for children to be outdoors and have a hand-on activity. However, children can be very impulsive and excitable when helping with the fish stocking, which requires parents and guardians to be ever vigilant in keeping them under supervision.

• All boaters should remember to check the required registration stickers on their powered watercraft. Motorized boats require an update every two years with the new stickers affixed to the hull of the boat.

My stickers came in a few weeks ago and I will place them on the boat when the weather permits. Old stickers can be easily peeled off with the aid of a hot setting on a hair dryer.

Excess residue can be cleaned off with mineral spirits and then soap and water. Freshly cleaned and dried hull surfaces will assure that your sticker will stay securely attached and have a crisp look.

• Now is the time to think about doing those little projects for the boating season, not the day before you head to the lake.

Check batteries, lights, and fuel systems, docking ropes and anchor lines as well as all trailer items. I stripped all the line off about a dozen rods and reels this past weekend and put fresh line on all the reels.

Each combo has a specific fishing purpose and I have outfitted the reels with the proper weight line. I’m still looking for a new landing net since my old one was used to round up an opossum at my neighbor’s farm!

Well, that’s another story for another time … until we meet again keep your line fresh and your net handy!