Morrisons Cove Herald - Putting cows on the front page since 1885.

At the end of winter, the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) distributed a press release reporting that the busy time for monitoring Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) was winding down. Although the PGC...

TV weather forecasters have been telling us for more than a month that meteorological spring began on March 1. As if that weren't enough, the official first day of spring was listed as March 20 on...

I have occasionally been asked why I do not write columns about guns. I guess I should be embarrassed when I reply, "I am not a real 'gun nut.' I possess only the ones I hunt with. Anyhow, the...

On the last Sunday of February, Donna decided that she; Sage, her dog; Amber, our granddaughter; and I needed to make a trip to Snow Shoe to see my sister, Anne Houck, and her husband, Bruce. "We...

As an enthusiastic reader and former English teacher, I like to think I have a solid vocabulary. I can often decipher sesquipedalian terms (long words) from the context clues in the sentences where I...

At its recent quarterly meeting, the Board of the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission announced changes for the upcoming 2021 trout season. These changes were prompted by the changes necessitated...

Prior to last winter, I had never written a column concerning Valentine's Day. I intended that column as a tribute to Donna, my wife, and to all of the other wives of sportsmen who support – or at...

The COVID-19 virus is one of the most horrible events of my lifetime. I hope the people responsible for distributing the vaccines can get them out soon so the effects of the virus can be mitigated and...

"Rich, you need to a column about littering. There's more trash around in the outdoors than I have seen in years," Donna told me during a recent walk with her dog on the rail trail. "Yes, dear. But,...

Winter is often not conducive for effective fly-fishing for trout. Howling winds and freezing temperatures make outings uncomfortable, and cold water temperatures often inhibit the activity of the...

One morning in mid-December, Amber, my granddaughter, was driving along Route 866 on her way to her final morning classes in Johnstown. When she spotted a dead bear lying along the road, she called...

Proverbs 21:20 (KJV) says that "a fool and his money are soon parted." I suppose the same can be said about sportsmen. Sportsmen seem to need the latest gadgets and gear that are developed for our...

"Rich, aren't you going to write up what you did this past year in the outdoors?" a sportsman asked me recently at a local store. "I know you didn't write about how things went in 2019." It's...

Both good and bad events occurred during the past rifle deer season. Let's begin with one of the good things. My friend Brady built a number of deer stands two summers ago. Mine is a "Taj Mahal,"...

I was interested to read the article "Never the Same Again" in the December 2020 "Pennsylvania Game News." The author, Associate Editor Joe Kosack, takes us through the past 20 years of deer...

Several weeks ago, on Nov. 25, 2020, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced its decision to deny a permit for the proposed Pebble Mine in the Bristol Bay region of Alaska under Section 404 of the...

When people my age (71) fall down, we can suffer serious long-term consequences. I believed that I was immune to falling down and hurting myself, though I am glad that my son, Bob, bought me a wading...

My son, Bob, has killed quite a few bucks during his 28 years of hunting. The best of these was a perfect 10-point that he downed a couple years ago. Each tine was perfectly matched with one on the...

It is nearly here: the week of the whitetail rut that bowhunters and crossbow hunters have lobbied to have added to the autumn archery season. Next week is the big week. In the past, the first two...

Last fall my son, Bob, called a nice young gobbler in for me on the opening day of the season. To my credit, I took advantage of the shot that was presented and collected my Thanksgiving turkey....

Like the previous autumn, 2019's fall turkey season was to last only one week in our area (unless you counted the two days prior to the new Saturday opener for rifle deer season). So, I had to try to...

My wife, my son and my granddaughter tell me that I live in a confined world. "All you want to do is to go fly-fishing for trout and hunt for wild turkeys in season. You need to broaden your horizons....

Pennsylvania's bear population has expanded dramatically over the past several decades, so much that special bear seasons outside the regular firearms season that lasts from Nov. 21 through Nov. 24...

When I got home from a successful fishing adventure this morning, I decided that I still had enough energy left to wash and wax my 10-year-old Ford Ranger. The Ranger is my most recent fishing (and...

From the time he was old enough to realize what a gun was, my son, Bob, showed great interest in shooting and then a little later, hunting. I probably wasn't the best teacher, but I encouraged these...

I recently ran into a young fly-fisherman who had bought my book, "The Trout at the Walnut Tree," which appeared 30 years ago and was probably the worst-selling book in the history of fly-fishing....

Students of literature remember that Oedipus the King was a major figure in tragic Greek drama. Unwitting actions ruined his life. Oedipus had become king by solving the riddle of the Sphinx: "What be...

After 45 years of marriage, I have learned when my presence is not needed around the house. Such was the case one hot August evening when Donna was having a meeting at our house for one of the committ...

Although it seems odd to me, Pennsylvania's autumn hunting seasons open next Tuesday, Sept. 1. One of the hunting targets will be mourning doves, which may be hunted from one-half hour before sunrise...

When I am fishing, I occasionally encounter unusual things that have nothing to do with my fly-fishing adventures. One of the weirdest outdoor encounters I have had recently was finding a little mole...

Summer is supposed to be the season of plenty in the wild. Young animals that have been born during the recent spring are growing and are becoming aware of the world around them. By now, whitetail faw...

I have a friend we'll call "John Doe" who owns a nice outdoor property. John keeps a few trout in a small pond there. However, by this spring the population was down to one large palomino (yes, I know...

To hunt turkeys the way I do, I must be in good physical condition. At 70 it has become increasingly difficult to remain in the type of condition I need to be in so that I can pursue wild turkeys...

By now, most hunters have purchased their licenses for the 2020-21 hunting year. Many have bought additional tags and stamps so that they can hunt with a bow, crossbow, or muzzleloader for deer. In...

The term "sartorial splendor" means "magnificent in the manner of dress." In relation to fishing, sartorial splendor could mean that an angler dresses himself so that he looks magnificent to other...

We are now in the period of summer when catching trout becomes a matter of degree. No, I am not talking about the degree of difficulty, though summer trout are much tougher to deal with than the...

"You're just an old fogey, Rich," the young fly-fisherman told me. "You need to get up to date on modern fly-fishing tactics." The young man's comment was made to me not too long ago when we were disc...

May is my favorite month. Redbud and dogwood come into full bloom against the pastel green of developing plants. Eventually ground phlox and dame's rocket make their lavender appearances as well. As...

With the coronavirus closing many things down, including age-level basketball at the Y, I find that I still have lots of things to do. So should most sportsmen. Enthusiastic trout fishermen have been...

A month ago, I wrote that the Unified Sportsmen of Pennsylvania (USP) was continuing to back the research of Dr. Frank Bastian and that Bastian's work needs financial support. When the PA Department o...

After my son, Bob, tagged his big opening-day 2019 spring gobbler, he wanted to know if I wanted to keep hunting. "Nope," I replied. "With this wind howling, I don't think that we'll hear another...

My son, Bob, is a better hunter than I am. This has become increasingly evident during the spring when he has managed to kill gobblers almost every spring for the past 10 years without having much...

When I got home this morning, April 7, from fishing on one of the specially regulated waters where trout fishing is open the year round, Donna greeted me by saying, "Do you know that trout season is...

This time every spring, trout fishermen start getting "antsy." With the traditional opener still nearly a month away, most wile away their time doing other things, including odious yard work....

Although Dr. Frank Bastian's research concerning Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) has not been able to be replicated by other researchers, the Unified Sportsmen of Pennsylvania (USP) is continuing to...

An informational meeting concerning Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) was held on Saturday, March 7, at the Freedom Township Fire Hall with approximately 150 sportsmen in attendance. State Rep. Jim Gregor...

Five years ago, my friend Brady killed a buck that ran down the wrong side of the mountain after being hit with a shot that should have dropped him in his tracks. It took the two of us more than six...

Spotlighting deer is a nice way to spend an early evening. You attach a spotlight's cord to the electrical socket that once held a cigarette lighter. Then you drive around rural roads and shine the...