There's much to see and do by getting out there
There's much to see and do by getting out there
By Tyler Frantz
Enjoying the outdoors can be as simple or complex as one chooses. As much as I love elaborate destination hunts or carefully planned fishing trips, the modest half-day jaunts here and there are equally satisfying, requiring much less time, effort and financial commitment.
Take for instance, the great artist, writer, and naturalist Ned Smith’s popular column, “Gone for the Day,” which graced the pages of Pennsylvania Game News for years and ultimately evolved into two successful books. Ned had a genuine knack for documenting little snippets of his moments afield using eloquent, descriptive language, often injecting informative and humorous tidbits to keep readers engaged. Most of Ned’s material came from casual, ordinary walks along Pennsylvania’s forests, meadows and streams, but he highlighted the unique essence of nature through his extraordinary storytelling ability. His short trips weren’t fancy or over the top; there were no dream hunts or trophy shots. Ned just loved getting “out there,” and his readers benefited from his many wild encounters.
Looking back over the past month, I can think of several memorable outdoor experiences that, like the content of Ned’s column, were simple and brief, but noteworthy nonetheless.
June 11
The family and I traveled to Erin’s parents’ house in Connecticut for one last visit before they officially sell their log home and move to Pennsylvania next month. While it will be great to have both sets of Foster’s grandparents nearby, it was bittersweet for my wife to say goodbye to her childhood home. Her father Trip and I took a quick canoe ride around the back property, which was recently flooded into a small lake by resident beavers. We observed the dam and lodge, checked his wood duck boxes, which appeared to have successfully fledged new ducklings, and removed a few deer stands by boat.
Their family friend Chris generously offered to take us out on his bass boat to fish the nearby Quinebaug River for a few hours. We had a great time catching small bass, perch, bluegills and even a nice pickerel. An osprey soared overhead, proving we weren’t the only seasoned fishermen on the river.
June 16
Erin and Foster picked the first batch of wild black raspberries- one of the earliest summer berries to ripen- from our overgrown pasture today. Erin admits Foster ate more than he picked, while enjoying his wagon ride with mom. We’re looking forward to the smoothies, pies and pancakes this wild treat will yield, and anticipate the reds being ready for picking in a few more weeks.
June 22 Today, I drove up to my parents’ farm in Pine Grove to help my dad plant some trees along the Lower Little Swatara Creek flowing through his property. In just a few short hours, my dad, sister, brother-in-law, grandpa and I had planted, tubed and staked over 100 young seedlings.
Not only will these new additions provide exceptional food and habitat for deer, rabbits, woodcock and other wildlife species, but they’ll also serve as important streamside buffers to protect the nearby stream. I also took a peek at the archery food plot I planted last month, and it is coming along quite nicely.
June 25
Trip towed two canoes and a kayak down to his new property this weekend so he didn’t have to worry about them during the move. We took advantage of a gorgeous Saturday to float the Swatara Creek with my johnboat for smallmouth bass. Unfortunately, we severely underestimated the distance from Jonestown to Harper’s Tavern, and I spent the last two hours rowing like the Olympic trials so we could reach our extraction point by nightfall. So much for fishing!
June 27 I woke at 5 a.m. and traveled north to scope out a Dauphin County trout stream. Though I saw several rising fish, the water was a little warm and I only landed one rainbow. By 9:30, the sluggish trout had completely turned off, but I was graced with the sightings of a large doe, curious mink and bald eagle all searching for food.
June 28
It’s amazing the wildlife that can be observed in one’s own backyard. While sitting on my porch in the evenings, I’ve witnessed a chubby groundhog nibbling the clover below my barn, a red fox stealing away with fresh prey in her mouth, bluebirds frequenting the nesting box I hung (in which I’ve counted three eggs thus far), and a small handful of bats cleaning up mosquitoes at dusk.
And while mowing the grass this morning, I finally figured out why I keep seeing a Cooper’s hawk and fresh feathers all over my yard. It turns out a nesting pair decided to hatch their chicks in the top of the white pine that stands less than 20 feet from my house. I can’t believe I hadn’t noticed their nest before now!
July 1
Foster and I gave Mommy a break today and did a little father-son shopping together. I took him to PA Game Commission’s Harrisburg headquarters, where I bought my 2016-17 hunting and fur-taking license. (Consider this a reminder that antlerless deer applications are accepted from residents on July 11th).
We then headed over to Bass Pro Shop’s Outdoor World to replace the fly reel I burned up while salmon fishing in New York last fall. Foster was mesmerized by all the wildlife mounts at the PGC headquarters and the epic fish aquarium at Bass Pro. We sealed the deal with an ice cream treat before heading home from what I’m sure was the first of many fun guy trips we’ll share in years to come. As mentioned before, our time spent enjoying the outdoors need not be anything fancy. Merely getting out there allows us to savor nature’s simple pleasures, just as Ned Smith proved so many times in “Gone for the Day.”
0 Response to "There's much to see and do by getting out there"
Post a Comment