Should Bowhunter Education be Required?
Bowhunter education is often synonymous with safety. When we think of bowhunting education, it’s easy to imagine an instructor...
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Ralph Scherder
Jan 21, 20215 min read
How West Nile Virus Impacts Grouse Populations
Note: Although I wrote this piece almost three years ago, the research data and information are still very relevant. As you know, hunter...
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Ralph Scherder
Jan 19, 20215 min read
For Grouse, It Starts with Habitat
Something happened in southeast Ohio in the early 1980s, something that will likely never happen again in this generation or the next....
647 views0 comments
Ralph Scherder
Jan 13, 20214 min read
Boom and Bust: Turkeys in the Winter
There’s little doubt that whitetails are number one in the hunting world, but it could be argued that wild turkeys are a close second....
301 views0 comments
Ralph Scherder
Jan 9, 20212 min read
Encounter with an Old Hunter
Last fall, as I was getting ready to walk in to hunt, a truck pulled up beside me in the parking lot and a guy rolled down the...
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Ralph Scherder
Jan 7, 20219 min read
Chad Grove's West Virginia Mountain Monarch
Date Killed: September 26, 2020 Public or Private: Public Land P&Y Gross Score: 152 6/8 inches Recently I had the opportunity to talk...
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Ralph Scherder
Jan 6, 20211 min read
The First Fork e-Newsletter
If you already subscribe to the FREE First Fork Publications e-Newsletter, thank you! If you're interested in subscribing, all you have...
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Ralph Scherder
Jan 5, 20214 min read
Semi-Hibernation and Survival: Whitetails in Winter
Following the rut, most bucks find that their fat reserves have evaporated to almost nothing and they’re just plain worn out from chasing...
1,580 views0 comments
Ralph Scherder
Jan 5, 20211 min read
Fur Prices then and Now
I have this framed and hanging on the wall at camp. Last week I was looking at it and it dawned on me...this price list is 100 years old....
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Ralph Scherder
Jan 4, 20211 min read
Old Hunting Photographs
I love old hunting photographs. I found this one in a gunsmith's shop near Oil City, PA. He had a bunch of old photos tacked to the...
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Ralph Scherder
Dec 30, 20205 min read
Deer Yards and Migration
After hunting season, a deer’s primary focus shifts from evading hunters to simply surviving Mother Nature. One of the ways they do this...
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Ralph Scherder
Dec 15, 20202 min read
3 Recipes for Your Ground Venison
Grandma's Camp Chili Yep, this one's straight from my grandma's cookbook. It was always delicious when I was growing up, and it's just as...
368 views0 comments
Ralph Scherder
Dec 4, 20207 min read
The Hunt for the Big 12: Deer Hunting Failures and What I've Learned So Far
Nothing lifts your spirits like getting daytime trail camera photos of the number one buck on your hit list. I’m not talking one or two...
197 views0 comments
Ralph Scherder
Dec 2, 20207 min read
How to Trap Pennsylvania's Big Woods Bobcats
The late legendary trapper Johnny Thorpe probably described bobcats best when he wrote: "He's a lazy, worthless, weed-smokin' sort, who...
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Ralph Scherder
Nov 30, 20201 min read
Just A Log
I often complain about black bears toying with my trail cameras. Many times, I find cameras tilted, twisted, dangling, or hanging where I...
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Ralph Scherder
Nov 25, 20204 min read
Gun Season in the Big Woods
If hunting a highly-pressured parcel of public land, instinct tells us to walk farther than the competition. That can put you into fresh...
228 views0 comments
Ralph Scherder
Nov 18, 20205 min read
It's Okay if the Deer Wins
Shortly after daylight on opening day of archery season, I glimpsed an antler moving through the brush behind me. The buck was on me...
109 views0 comments
Ralph Scherder
Nov 15, 20205 min read
Big Rubs and Big Bucks in the Big Woods
Few things get me more excited than finding huge buck rubs. The rub at the top of this post is a prime example. Not only is the main tree...
112 views0 comments
Ralph Scherder
Nov 8, 20204 min read
12 Days of “Rut-mas” — How to get a gift-wrapped buck with a bow
– By Tyler Frantz “On the twelfth day of Rut-mas, my true love gave to me, a broadside buck 10-yards from my tree...” While this musical...
138 views0 comments
Ralph Scherder
Nov 4, 20209 min read
Hunting Big Woods Bucks with Steve Sherk
When it comes to hunting, Steve Sherk couldn’t give a hoot about those corn-fed Midwestern whitetails. What gets his adrenaline pumping...
1,429 views0 comments
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