Call of the Outdoors – Details, episodes & analysis

The Drury dynasty has become synonymous with monster white-tailed deer, but did you know Mark and Terry got their start filming turkey hunting videos in the 80s?

Mark Drury joins host Matt Morrett to share insights from 35 years in hunting media, from the conditions he looks for to consistently shoot world-class bucks to his tactics for balancing the buck-doe ratio for better rut activity.

Episode Highlights:

• How Mark broke into the hunting industry and started Drury Outdoors
• Why he and his team harvest 125 does annually on their properties
• The story of the 160-inch Missouri buck he shot in early archery season
• His strategy for managing and hunting on small parcels of land
• Top tips for targeting big bucks anywhere

 

Resources:

Learn more about healthy forests and healthy deer.

Explore DMAP opportunities in Pennsylvania.

Find where to donate a deer to Hunters Sharing the Harvest.

Get the DeerCast app and subscribe to Drury Outdoors on YouTube. 

Hunters are at the forefront of wildlife conservation — the Pennsylvania Game Commission depends on hunter harvest and input for the future of hunting in the Keystone State.

 

Heading into hunting season, Executive Director Steve Smith joins host Matt Morrett to discuss key changes for this fall, tips for success in the field, and updates on hot-button issues like Sunday hunting in Pennsylvania.

 

Episode Highlights:

• Squirrel season insights and tips
• Legislative updates on the Sunday hunting issue and how to make your voice heard
• How the Game Commission invests back into wildlife, habitat, and hunters 
• The challenges of deer management and the importance of filling antlerless tags
• Early season archery tactics for hunting public land
• Bear season changes for better management and future hunting

 

Resources:

Find a shooting range near you.

Learn more about your role in healthy forests and healthy deer. 

Review safe hunting tips.

Contact the Game Commission with your feedback.

Enter the Take Someone Hunting Photo Contest.

Prescribed fire is nothing new — Native Americans used controlled burns to boost berry production and draw in wildlife for centuries. Chief Land Manager Dr. Scott Bearer and Land Management Supervisor Steve Ferreri join host Matt Morrett to explain the value of this management tool to wildlife and their habitats throughout Pennsylvania. Learn how prescribed fire is fundamentally different from wildfire, how it ultimately benefits wild turkey nesting, creates woody browse for healthy deer populations, and uses drone technology to efficiently target pockets of land. Episode Highlights: Resources: Learn more about how the Pennsylvania Game Commission uses prescribed fire. Check out our interactive online...

Did you know more than half of black bears in Pennsylvania den on top of the ground in a thicket that resembles a giant bird nest? Black Bear Program Manager Emily Carrollo joins host Matt Morrett to bust some common bear myths, share her firsthand experience visiting dens, and explain what to do if you encounter a bear in the wild. She also provides insight into the Game Commission’s new black bear management plan and how proposed changes to hunting seasons would help the black bear population in Pennsylvania.

Did you know the Pennsylvania Game Commission is an independent agency tasked with managing the Commonwealth’s wildlife resource for both current and future generations? Legislative Liaison Josh Zimmerman and Executive Director Bryan Burhans join host Matt Morrett to explain how the agency works with legislators, the way policies get made, and what it takes for issues such as Sunday hunting to come under the Game Commission’s control. Tune in for a breakdown of the legislative process and how hunters, trappers, and wildlife enthusiasts can make their voices heard on the future of conservation in the Keystone State.

Pennsylvania Game News has been in print since 1929 and still boasts a circulation of 80,00 throughout the Keystone State nearly a century later! Editor Travis Lau and Senior Associate Editor Bob D’Angelo join host Matt Morrett to share details on the rich history of the magazine, the iconic artists who’ve contributed illustrations to its cover, and how the all-hunter staff chooses what will grace its pages each month. Listen to learn what’s ahead for Game News and how hunters could get their own stories printed in this uniquely Pennsylvania publication.

Did you know that taking a single doe out of the deer population can have a ripple effect into future years? Deer Biologist David Stainbrook joins host Matt Morrett to discuss the history of deer management in Pennsylvania and how the Game Commission sets license allocations to promote healthy deer herds and bigger bucks in the Keystone State. From the effects of CWD to harvest trends, get insight into the current status of white-tailed deer in this second installment of the two-part series.

The average adult white-tailed deer needs five pounds of browse per day — healthy habitat is critical to a healthy deer population.

Chief Forester Paul Weiss and host Matt Morrett discuss how the Game Commission manages habitat for white-tailed deer and hundreds of other species on state game lands throughout Pennsylvania.

Learn more about the challenges of maintaining young successional forests and how DMAP permits can help balance deer populations for the future of our forests in this first installment of a two-part series.

Last year, Pennsylvania recorded 14 hunting-related shooting incidents, and more than 6,000 hunters were cited for serious violations that could put themselves, other hunters, and wildlife at risk. State Game Warden Mario Altieri and Information & Education Supervisor Aaron Morrow join host Matt Morrett to share the most common mistakes they see hunters make and their tips for staying safe in the field. From following regulations for firearms seasons to taking a few simple precautions before heading into the woods, hear firsthand advice on how hunters can legally harvest game and make it back home safely.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission doesn’t just serve hunters — the agency manages 480 species of wild birds and mammals for all 13 million residents of the Keystone State. Executive Director Bryan Burhans and Commissioner Robert Schwalm join host Matt Morrett for a behind-the-scenes look at how the Board of Commissioners works with the PGC to set regulations, seasons and bag limits according to the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. From the science and surveys that help shape wildlife regulations to the challenges of managing these valuable resources, learn how the PGC moves forward with a mission to protect wildlife,...