Doe License 2012-2013 Season

From the Game Commission...

JULY 9 BEGINS 2012-13 DOE LICENSE PROCESS

HARRISBURG – With general hunting license sales underway, Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe reminded hunters that county treasurers will begin accepting antlerless deer license applications from resident hunters starting Monday, July 9; and from nonresidents beginning Monday, July 30.

For the 2012-13 license year, antlerless deer license fees are the same as they have been since 1999, except for the 70-cent transaction fee attached to the purchase of each license and permit, which is paid directly to Active Outdoors, the Nashville-based company that runs Pennsylvania Automated License System (PALS).  This transaction fee means that residents will need to write checks made payable to “County Treasurer” for $6.70, and nonresidents for $26.70.

By state law, antlerless deer licenses will continue to be sold only by county treasurers, so hunters will need to prepare and mail separate applications for antlerless deer licenses. A list of the mailing addresses for the 65 county treasurers that issue antlerless deer licenses is included in the 2012-13 Digest, which is provided to each license buyer.

A listing of antlerless licenses allocated by WMU, as well as the remaining allocation, can be viewed on the Game Commission’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us), by clicking on “Doe License Update” in the “Quick Clicks” box in the right-hand column of the homepage.

Roe noted that hunters must use the official pink envelopes, which are provided to each license buyer by the issuing agents. For those who order licenses via the Game Commission’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us), a new digest and two pink envelopes will be included in the package, along with the licenses, which will arrive in seven to 10 business days from the date of their transaction.

“As county treasurers are set up with PALS, hunters will be able to submit an application to any county treasurer,” Roe said. “Additionally, hunters have the option of listing up to three choices, in order of preference, for a specific Wildlife Management Unit antlerless deer license. If an applicant’s first choice of WMU has exhausted its allocation of antlerless deer licenses, the PALS system will move to the second preference – and third, if necessary. 

“This process will nearly eliminate the chance that a hunter will not be able to receive at least one antlerless deer license during the processing of regular antlerless deer licenses. However, hunters are not required to list more than one choice of WMU.”

Also, Roe said that the early start to the antlerless deer license application process will help ensure that county treasurers will be able to mail antlerless deer licenses back to hunters prior to the opening of the archery season.  The first such season opens with the antlerless archery season in WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D on Sept. 15.  The opening date of the general statewide archery deer season is Sept. 29.

Under the 2012 timeline, residents will apply for regular antlerless deer licenses on July 9; nonresidents will apply for regular antlerless deer licenses on July 30.  After this, residents and nonresidents will apply for the first round of unsold antlerless deer licenses on Aug. 6, and residents and nonresidents will apply for the second round of unsold antlerless deer licenses on Aug. 20. 

County treasurers will have to mail regular and first round of unsold antlerless deer licenses no later than Sept. 10, and second round of unsold antlerless deer licenses no later than Sept. 24.

Beginning Aug. 6, for WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D only, there is no limit to the number of unsold antlerless deer license applications an individual can submit until the allocations are exhausted.  This must be done by mail only, and there is a limit of three applications per pink envelope.

Beginning Aug. 27, county treasurers will begin accepting applications over-the-counter for WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D, and may immediately issue antlerless deer licenses.  Hunters may apply over-the-counter to county treasurers for any other WMU with antlerless license allocations on Oct. 1.

Roe noted that hunters may file harvest reports online for antlered and antlerless deer, as well as fall turkey, spring gobbler, bobcat, fisher and Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) permits through the agency’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us).

PSAA SW FIELD/HUNTER CHAMPIONSHIP

Bow Hunting Illinois This Fall.

I will be hunting in Illinois this fall with my crossbow. I will be hunting with my good friend Ryan from L.E.D. Outdoors LLC . I have been thinking about this hunt since last year when Ryan made the offer to allow me to hunt on his property.

Ryan only allows bow hunting on his 2000 acres.  He runs a first class operation and is a great sportsman.  I have hunted with Ryan in Pa the last few years.  Oh and did I mention... Ryan is doing this FREE of charge for me?

Last night I purchased my Illinois hunting license from the department of natural resources online. I love how easy it is to purchase hunting and fishing licenses online these days.  It's one step closer to pursuing giant Whitetail deer.

I am really thankful to Ryan and I hope I have the opportunity to harvest one of these big boys that are on the property like he did last year.

Looking for a new shotgun?

If you are looking for a new shotgun this year, check this new Weatherby out.  For $499.00 it seems like a good buy for two barrels.   Whats your thoughts? 

8 Million Per Day

The next time you are talking about sportsmen and conservation it might be helpful to have these facts.... $8 million daily reasons...

Outdoor Life Article

http://www.outdoorlife.com/photos/gallery/guns/rifles/centerfire/2011/11/20-best-semi-automatic-rifles-big-game-hunting?photo=18#node-1001350874

Click Picture

It's still a "Jam-O-Matic" as far as I'm concerned.....

Target Shooting

Here is Jenny Addis from Wisconsin sending some lead down range.  She has not tried hunting yet but said shooting was one of the best experiences she has had in a wheelchair.  Jenny also enjoys shooting a crossbow.

With the right equipment we can all enjoy the shooting sports.  Having a disability does not mean we can not be on target !  Way to go Jenny, keep shooting straight.

World Record Catfish Quad Division

Since I found out I can catch fish again, I need an easy to use good fresh water reel.  Any ideas?

Remington 750 Woodmaster Repair

I finally received my rifle back from Remington. I picked the rifle up last night at cabelas. The repairs took from February 17th until June 19th. I was very disappointed with this Remington rifle (750 Woodmaster semi-auto) from day one it had problems.

I spoke to the manager at cabelas and explained the whole situation to him. He listened patiently to the entire story and agreed it was poor customer service on Remington's part. He also said he had seen Remington take up to eight months to repair a rifle.

He offered me a $50 gift card to cabelas which I thought was very nice of him. After all, Remington had my rifle longer than I did at this point. Not to mention the disappointment in dry firing on two monster white tailed deer last year in Missouri.

Remington replaced the receiver and hopefully it no longer dry fires. I need to take it to the firing range and run a few boxes of shells through it to see if it is really fixed. One thing I did learn from the whole situation is if they replace the receiver on a rifle, you have to fill out all the paperwork again because it has a new serial number.

I used to really love Remington rifles and thought they were among the best. I can honestly say I will not be purchasing any new Remington's after my recent experience. What are your thoughts? What's your favorite rifle?

Fishing with the Wounded Warriors continued

Ken's Hunting Story

“Breaking Down Barriers”

The Inspirational Archery Hunting Success Story of Ken Dvorchak

By Ken Dvorchak

I adjusted my aim ever so slightly when the whitetail stepped into my field of fire. When everything felt just right, I released the arrow on a flight both straight and true. It covered the 24 yards to the target in an eye blink. The broadhead sliced through both lungs and the liver for as clean a kill as an archer can get. But in a larger sense, it had taken more than a quarter of century for that arrow to find its mark. And it cut not just through the air but through years of pain, heartbreak, hospital recovery time, a grueling rehab and personal adjustments.

In the autumn of 1983, I was paralyzed from the neck down when I fell out of a tree stand while archery hunting. More than once, I was told I’d never be able to do the things I used to love. I still can’t use my arms and legs. But with a modified crossbow mounted on my wheelchair, with a sip of breath to trigger the release mechanism and with the help of my Honey, I accomplished something that I never did before my hunting accident – I got a deer with a bow and arrow. It may have been a scrawny little doe to some, but it meant as much to me as a Boone & Crockett Club trophy.

Getting out in the woods is something that is in my DNA. As the youngest of nine children raised on a farm in southwestern Pennsylvania, I was taught to hunt by my dad almost as soon as I could walk. We never thought of ourselves as poor, but suffice it to say, if we didn’t hunt, we didn’t eat.

Archery hunting was a passion of mine. I’d be out in the woods after school, hunkered down in the rain and the cold, savoring every moment of woodsy smells and autumn breezes. I used to joke that I was going to get a deer with a bow if it killed me. It just about did.

On October 24, 1983, just three short months after winning my first body-building championship and being crowned “Mr. Teenage Uniontown”. 

I took a mile long hike and climbed into my tree stand.After squatting in a stooped position for about five minutes to check out my surroundings, I stood up to stretch my legs before settling in for the late afternoon hunt. As I rose, the blood rushed to my legs and everything went black for a second.  I remember reaching out for a branch and then hearing a very loud snap.  The next thing I knew, I was on the ground, unable to move and struggling to breathe as my face was turned half buried in the dirt.

I somehow knew that the loud snap was the sound of my own neck breaking and that I was now completely paralyzed.  I tried to call out for help, but could barely make a noise.  Oddly, because I was in a section of woods that was rarely hunted, my first thought was that I’d probably lay there and starve to death, only to quickly realize that I probably wouldn’t make it through the night.  So I made peace with myself and calmly awaited the inevitable.  At that very moment, my brother showed up from out of nowhere and I knew I was going to live.

My self-diagnosis was correct, however. My spinal cord was crushed at the third, fourth and fifth cervical vertebrae. The next three weeks were spent in intensive care, and pneumonia was only one of the health complications. Then came four and a half months in a rehab facility learning to adjust and live in a body that didn’t work anymore. There was one dark day in there somewhere when I felt sorry for myself for being a quadriplegic and wondering what kind of life was in store. I decided that I had a lot of life to live.  As a former body-building champion, I already had the determination, inner drive and desire to work on regaining my strength and mobility, but the slightest chance that I could get outdoors again helped keep me going.

Being active isn’t all that easy for those who lose the ability to use their arms and legs. But if somebody tells you that you can’t do something, it makes you more determined to prove them wrong. To that end, using spare parts from the garage, I created a gadget that allowed me to go fishing again, and it won a Gold Medal at an international invention convention.

I call it Ken’s Power Caster*, which is now in production commercially. It allows me to cast out my line, hook, fight, retrieve and land fish with total independence. But fishing from a shoreline, dock, ramp, or even a pontoon boat is much easier than getting back into the woods. There aren’t that many handicapped ramps leading to deer crossings. Hunting is tougher in a number of ways, not the least of which is trying to ward off the cold without being able to stomp around.

          A couple of years ago, my hunting prospects began looking up. I got a device called the Mount-N- Shoot, which is basically a gun rest that attaches to a wheelchair and supports a modified crossbow. Cocking the bow requires help from another person because a hand crank is involved, but I can do the rest by myself. I aim it by looking through the scope and moving the stock with my chin. Then, to let the arrow fly, I sip on a tube which is positioned near my mouth. The vacuum trips a switch that activates a device used in the auto industry on the power lock in car door. Instead of opening or closing the lock, this device pushes the trigger on the crossbow and sends an arrow on its way.

I had gone out with the device a couple of times, but my real chance came on Friday, October 30, 2009. My fiancé, partner and soul mate, Donna Perry, got me dressed and then drove me in my van near to where I hunt. From the parking spot, I maneuvered my wheelchair down a dirt path to a deer crossing. Originally a city girl from Cleveland, she has taken me to the woods and stayed out there patiently, sometimes in foul weather, so that I could do something that means a lot to me.

          Every paralyzed person wants to do the things everybody else can do, and in my case, what I was able to do before I got hurt. The desire never leaves. You don’t stop liking chocolate after you’re paralyzed, but you need help getting a taste again. If you just stay at home and sit in a chair and never get outside, that’s not living life. I wanted to do something that makes life worth living. Life wasn’t easy before anyway. Rehab teaches you to make the most of what you have left and not to sit around moping about what you’ve lost. But honestly, I never thought I’d be able to hunt again. Then I got out a couple times but never got to shoot. And when I did get a chance to shoot, I noticed my arrows weren’t flying quite right. They seemed to tail off course.

With my supply of arrows running low, we went to the local Woodlands Outdoor World. Jeff Evans, an accomplished crossbow hunter, informed me that my arrow’s poor flight path was due to the four-bladed broadheads I was using.  He suggested a three-blade design. The next day was spent practicing and sighting in my new broad heads. Sure enough, the fluttering was gone and a straight, dart-like bolt was hitting the target dead center with regularity.

          Still, I wondered if I could ever get a deer again. Then all doubt evaporated on that breezy Friday afternoon when my arrow found that deer. Amazingly, after all these years, the numbness in my body was replaced by an overwhelming, and yes, even “spine-tingling” sense of fulfillment, pride and accomplishment.  I finally got a deer with a bow and arrow, and I did it from my wheelchair. After all that I’ve been through, I couldn’t wait to share the news with everyone.  I was surprisingly calm until the arrow hit its mark, but once I saw that whitetail go down, my heart started pounding and adrenaline coursed through my blood.  I hadn’t experienced sensations like that since landing my first fish with my very own invention 17 years ago.  There’s really something magical about overcoming obstacles, crashing through barriers, conquering the unknown and achieving a goal, especially when it comes to the great outdoors. It makes me feel so alive!

---

*for more information about Ken’s Power Caster go to www.kenspowercaster.com,

send an e-mail to kendvorchak@kenspowercaster.com, or call Ken at Adaptive Creations, LLC - (724) 438-1336

Fishing with Wounded Warriors

Crossbow Day

Pa Elk Lottery

I just completed my Pa Hunting License online for 2012-2013 and decided to put myself in the lottery for an elk license.  I know the odds of being picked are slim but it would be a hunt of a lifetime to go after elk in Pa.

If I am lucky enough to get a tag I know just the crew to take with me.  My brother John and the guys from the wpa wounded warrior group.  Maybe even one or two from Wild Jaeger.com would fly in, who knows.  I'm all excited already, lol.  Wish me luck!

Hunt with a Veteran

Take a veteran out hunting this year and you could not only have a great day in the field, you could win a great prize from the Pa Game Commission.

Have you seen me?

Fawns are showing up every where now, have you seen any new borns in your area?

Crossbows

On Sunday I was at Falcon Archers and a woman asked me which crossbow I thought was best. I told her I was no expert by any means but I believe the best crossbow for me is made by Parker. I shoot the Buck Buster 175.

Today there are a variety of crossbows on the market and the choices seem almost endless. These crossbows all very in price from a few hundred dollars to over $1000. Unless you are unbelievably wealthy, price has to be a factor in determining which crossbow is for you.

I have shot the Parker crossbow for the last three years and I love it. I can't see spending twice the price with the results I am currently getting. That's not to say that I have not looked into buying another crossbow.

Barnett makes the Ghost which I like, and Kodabow makes a great crossbow too.  Another friend of mine shoots a TenPoint crossbow which he likes a lot.  It all comes down to personal choice and your checkbook.

So which is best, a ford a dodge or a chevy?  Yep it's like that....

Caldwell Deadshot Fieldpod Follow-Up

I was out shooting with my friend Ricky from Wild Jaeger.com and he came up with a few ideas on modifying my Caldwell Deadshot Fieldpod even further.

He suggested trimming the front Y down a half inch on each side so the cable or string does not come into contact with the brace, affecting the aim point.

Ricky also told me to drill a small hole into the center of the Y, this would allow the crossbow sling nipple to sit firmly and flush on the Y.  This ensures the crossbow is always in the same spot on the brace.  The crossbow sits solid in the cradle now, no rocking from side to side.

I think these two improvements will pay off big in my accuracy at the range and in the field !

Pa State Game Lands Maps

Did you ever want a free topo map of your favorite Pa state game land?  Well you can download a copy HERE  its easy and always a good idea to have a copy in your backpack.

Dreams Become Reality Tickets on Sale

Ok friends I have 50 tickets I need to sell for Dreams Become Reality, a great group of men and women dedicated to helping our veterans and individuals with disabilities return to hunting.  Can you support this cause? 

Email me privately for details on how to get your ticket, its the best $10.00 you can spend on D-day !

firearms preemption amendment

Pennsylvania: Firearms Preemption Amendment Accepted in House Committee

Today, the state House Judiciary Committee passed a firearms preemption amendment to Senate Bill 273 by a 22 to 3 vote.  SB 273 was then unanimously voted out of committee, and will now go to the House floor for consideration where it could be voted on as early as next week.   

Offered by state Representative Timothy Krieger (R-27), this amendment would strengthen Pennsylvania’s firearm preemption law to further ensure firearm and ammunition laws are uniform throughout the state.  Furthermore, it helps mitigate the need for litigation by gun owners who have been unduly burdened by local gun control ordinances which violate the   current state firearm preemption law.  Citizens with no criminal intent should not be placed in jeopardy of running afoul of local restrictions they do not know exist simply because they have crossed from one municipality to another.


Please call AND e-mail your state Representative and urge him or her to support SB 273 as   amended by the state House Judiciary Committee.

Trophy Ridge Slick Tips

When I was shooting on Saturday I was using 100 grain field points from Trophy Ridge, called Slick Tips .  They claim to be easier to remove from a target.  After using them for over 20 shots, I can say they do seem to be easier to pull out.  I am no expert because I can't physically do it myself and I would not want to say by what percentage they improve the shooting experience, but I will be shooting them the rest of the year.

What field tips are you using with your crossbow?  Last year I had a lot of trouble pulling my bolts from 3 D targets.  I think I found a winner in these.

Breakout the Crossbow

Today I had the chance to dust off my Parker Buck Buster 175 crossbow and put some bolts down range and on target.

I started the day shooting a tight three shot group at 20 yards, I was shooting about four inches low.  After a quick scope adjustment (20 clicks up), I was on target.  Then I was good at 30, 40 and 50 yards.

Going to the range and shooting my crossbow is the best Saturday I could ask for.  The best part is I get to practice until September before hopefully getting a whitetail in my sights!