Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Cardinals blow past Whippets for windy victory
DOWNINGTOWN » A fi erce crosswind provided a major obstacle in the opening round of the District 1 4A boys’ soccer playoff s at DiSerafi no Stadium on Monday.
And even though both sides had to deal with the gusts of near 30 miles per hour, Upper Dublin handled it more effi ciently as the 13th seeded Cardinals sailed into the quarterfi nals with a 2- 0 shutout that swept previously unbeaten host Downingtown West out of the postseason.
“This time of year you expect it to be cold, but not this windy,” said Upper Dublin head coach Andy Meehan.
“Credit to our players that they were able to perform under these conditions. As much as we think we can aff ect the game as coaches, the players have to play the game, and they played phenomenal.”
Now 7- 3- 1, the Cardinals will next face the winner between top- seeded West Chester East and No. 16 Souderton. The Whippets were seeded fourth and wrap- up an abridged season at 7- 1- 1.
“I feel bad for my guys,” said West head coach John Hatt. “They play hard and it’s a good group of kids.
“But this is it. What can you say? They left it out on the fi eld.”
Upper Dublin has now reeled off fi ve wins in a row. And on Monday, the Cardinals clamped down defensively, limiting a dangerous Downingtown West attack to just three shots on goal in 80 minutes of wind- blown soccer.
“We’ve been playing very well the last four games heading into the playoff s and it just continued,” Meehan explained.
“It’s hard to comprehend what’s happening in Pennsylvania bear hunting, especially if you can recall when the Game Commission was trying to resurrect the Commonwealth’s bear population back in the 1980s and ’ 90s,” noted Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans. “But here we are, on the cusp of another fall loaded with bear- hunting opportunities and a robust bear population.
“Pennsylvania bear hunting has never packed as much widespread opportunity and excitement as it does right now,” Burhans emphasized. “Today, bears inhabit most counties, providing closer- to- home hunting. But their populations also remain strong on their primary range in the northern tier. So, pick a place to hunt and go. It’s a great time to be a bear hunter!”
Pennsylvania hunters apparently feel the same way. Last year, the agency sold a record 202,043 bear hunting licenses. This year, bear license sales are 18 percent ahead of last year’s pace as of Oct. 9.
“Over the past three years, more than 10,000 black bears were taken by Pennsylvania hunters,” noted Mark Ternent, a veteran Game Commission bear biologist who currently serves as a regional wildlife biologist for the agency’s Northcentral Region Office. “And although that sounds like a lot, it’s the third time it’s happened in the Commonwealth since 2003.
“Last year’s record bear harvest removed 20 to 25 percent of the state’s substantial bear population, but it isn’t expected to produce significant declines in bear numbers,” Ternent said. “We should have close to 20,000 bears statewide.”
The Game Commission in 2019 had expanded hunting opportunities to manage bears more efficiently. Previous bear seasons, occasionally impacted by weather that limited hunter success, simply weren’t getting the job done. With a bear population hovering around 20,000 for several years – and with the potential to grow larger – the agency needed to increase pressure on the resource. A record bear harvest followed.
Last year’s record harvest broke the previous record harvest set in 2011 when 4,350 bears were taken. In 2018, hunters took a total of 3,153 bears – Pennsylvania’s 11th best bear harvest. The only other year hunters took more than 4,000 bears was in 2005 when 4,164 were taken.
“Surely it’s hard for some to imagine that Pennsylvania has such a vibrant black bear population,” noted Tom Keller, the Game Commission’s Game Mammals Section Supervisor. “But bears are incredibly adaptable; they can fit in almost anywhere that offers them cover and reliable food sources. It’s why bears are found in more places in Pennsylvania than any time in the Game Commission’s existence.”
Bear season in the commonwealth opened back on Sept. 19 for archery hunters in Wildlife Management Units ( WMU) 2B, 5C, and 5C and runs through Nov. 27. The statewide archery season on bears runs from Oct. 17 through Nov. 7. A brief muzzleloader season ran from Oct. 17 through Oct. 24. The main event, the statewide regular firearms season, is set for Nov. 21 through Nov. 24. An extended season for bear hunters in WMUs 2B, 5B, 5C, and 5D runs from Nov. 30 through Dec. 12. An extended season in WMUs 1B, 2C, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E, and 5A will run from Nov. 30 through Dec, 5.
TRICKING, TREATING, AND TALKING TURKEY
Pennsylvania’s fall turkey season kicked off on Halloween ( this Saturday, Oct. 31) in 19 of Pennsylvania’s 23 Wildlife Management Units ( WMUs), with more fall turkey hunting – including the return of a threeday Thanksgiving season – around the corner in much of the state.
While fall turkey hunting occurs in most of the state, there is no fall season here in WMUs 5C or 5D, and season lengths differ in different WMUs. Hunters are advised the three- day Thanksgiving season to be held in 12 WMUs this year will run Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. In recent years when a three- day season was held, the season ran from Thursday through Saturday.
Fall turkey season lengths are as follows: WMUs 1A, 2A, 4A, 4B, 4D and 4E – Oct. 31- Nov. 14; WMU 1B, Oct. 31- Nov. 7; WMU 2B ( Shotgun and bow and arrow only) and WMU 2C – Oct. 31Nov. 20 and Nov. 25- 27; WMUs 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D and 4C– Oct. 31- Nov. 14 and Nov. 25- 27; WMU 5A – Nov. 5- 7; and WMU 5B – Nov. 3- 5.
While fall turkey hunters no longer are required to wear fluorescent orange, the Game Commission highly recommends the use of orange when not required, especially while moving.
COVID SHOW STOPPER
In the age of Covid 19, the show must NOT go on. The latest victim of the pandemic is the 2021 Great American Outdoor Show hosted by the National Rifle Association ( NRA). Last week the NRA announced that the show originally slated to run from Feb. 6 through Feb. 14, has been canceled.
According to NRA officials, the annual show, which typically draws thousands of sportsmen and outdoors enthusiasts to the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, attracts more than 1,100 exhibitors and tens of thousands of visitors to central Pennsylvania each year and results in an estimated $ 75 million in local and state revenue. This show is considered the biggest event, by far, of its kind in the entire country.
“To the great disappointment of tens of thousands of sportsmen and women, COVID- related governmental restrictions in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will prevent the 2021 Great American Outdoor Show from being held,” said a statement from the NRA.