Easter

Easter is a time when Christians all across the globe celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  It’s a time to reflect and appreciate all Jesus did for us.  Churches all across the world woke early this Sunday morning to hold sunrise services."  What an amazing occasion that is worth getting excited about!

Jesus told the prophecy to his disciples days before his death.  He knew his death was near and that he would arise from the grave the third day.  He was nailed to a cross on Good Friday, shedding his blood so that we all can have forgiveness of sins.  Jesus' body was placed in a tomb with two Roman guards protecting the entrance.  On the third day an angel appeared.  The guards were frightened but the angel told them to go tell the city the news of his resurrection.  Mary, who came shortly after to tend to the body, was shocked to find the grave empty.  It was true.  Jesus had risen!

It is always good to reflect on this day the real reason for Easter.  For me, my Easter starts every year by getting up early and attending "Sunrise Service" at my church.  After Church, my family goes to my grandpa's house for lunch.  I enjoy this because it is not every day that I get to enjoy a home cooked meal.  My younger cousins have an Easter egg hunt in the yard after our food has settled in our stomachs.  I usually find myself reflecting during this time back to when I was young and ran around gathering eggs.  When the egg hunt is completed we usually held home and relax the rest of the day.  Without question, Easter is one of my favorite holidays for religious and family reasons.

First Tournament of the Season

Saturday, April 16th I played in my first golf tournament of the season.  This tournament was a benefit for the Penn State Survey Society.  I have attended this event for three years now.  The format is a "scramble" style tournament.  In this format, a team of four players work together in order to get the lowest score on 18 holes.  Each hole starts with everyone in the group hitting tee shots.  The group then decides which shot was the best and plays their next shots from that spot.  This repetition continues until the ball finds the bottom on the cup.  The goal is to get the lowest score possible.

Conditions were harsh as we played.  Alot of wind and rain made shapeing the golf ball very hard.  To make matters worse, the cold made our hands numb and it was harder to "feel" the shot.  All setbacks considered, we did just fine.  At the end of the round we found ourselves at 4 under par and second place.  For the third straight year this was our fate.  Second place is not bad considering the conditions but we feel we could have scored alot better.

There is no replacement for a round of golf with your buddies.  Good fellowship and some good golf shots make for a perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon.  We may not have won, but the memories made every year at this tournament are very special to me.  This is a good tournament for a good cause and I am eager for next year's scramble.

Bald Eagle Management plan

The Bald Eagle is a symbol for Americans.  They were listed as endangered species for many years in our nation.   As of 2008, this is no longer true.  The reemergence of the Bald Eagle is noticed by many natives of Pennsylvania.   Just a few years back, they were only spotted in areas in northern Pennsylvania.  In present day, they are rapidly reproducing in areas all over the state.  The expansion has excited the Pennsylvania State Game Commission into launching a management program.

 The rapid increase of Bald Eagles is personally something I have observed.  Growing up in the western part of the state, I never heard of anyone spotting a Bald Eagle until more recent years.  Seeing this wonderful creature now is becoming more and more a common experience.  Personally, I was fortunate enough to get to witness three Bald Eagles flying up the river valley last year.  It truly makes you feel proud to be an American.

The proposed management program will continue to protect this species.  The main goal is to sustain a minimum of 150 nesting pairs, including successful pairs in at least 40 counties, with 60% of known nests successful and productivity of 1.2 eggs per nest, based on a 5 year running period.  This goal should not be too much of a sweat considering the natural rapid growth taking place.  The Bald Eagle will provide more and more recreational benefits for years to come in Pennsylvania.

Preview: The Masters

With golf's finest tournament around the corner, golf fans are getting anxious for thursday.  Last year the golf world saw Tiger Woods make his return to golf at the Masters.  Woods ended the tournament tied fourth behind winner, Phil Mickelson.  It has been over a year since Tiger has won a tournament.  Will Tiger finally win this week? I say no.  There is just too much talent in the rest of field for Tiger to not be on top of his game and win.  Mickelson, after winning today at the Shell Houston Open, is riding a wave of momentum.  Other favorites are Martin Kaymer, who is number one in the world rankings and Ireland's young sensation, Rory Mcilroy.  Whoever wins, it's going to take accurate driving, good iron play, and good short game skills.  The 2011 Masters should be one to remember come Sunday.

Our hunting dog "Jett"

        Jett is our outstanding female out of the great cross Jukebox Augie X Wagner's Shiloh.  Chris purchased her and her litter-mate Sierra as a pup.  Sierra is now in North Carolina and Jett is still with us as Chris' main power dog.  She has a great competitive record and many titles.  Chris is now focused on pleasure hunting her.  Like Scrapper, she hunts quick, gets treed, and stays treed.  She has thrown some nice pups with Scrapper.

        Jett has always been a good squirrel dog.  She trees hard and rarely makes mistakes.  She has a reputation of putting out big in big title hunts.  She holds many state titles and has placed in the top 10 at 2 world squirrel hunts.  She has a medium range of hunting and will really lock down on the tree. Now she is a Super Grand Squirrel Champion and sure acting like one.  Chris is just concentrating on pleasure hunting her now.

 

Jett is out of Wagner's Shiloh + Wld. Ch. Jukebox Augie.  She is 6 years old and has had 2 litters of pups.  We bred her both times to our own, Keystone State Scrapper.  They were real nice pups and hopefully they will turn out to be great.

My Hunting Dog "Scrapper"

Scrapper is one of a kind in my book.  I purchased him as a pup from Roger Wagner.  I was 13 years old and full of fire to train my first dog.  We grew up together; I trained Scrap and he trained me how to train him.  There was nothing better as a young man spending the summer of 2006 training a dog morning and evening dreaming of being state and world champions.  All that hard work paid off.  The 2007 year was a breakthrough of the dreams I had.  We gathered many wins and many memories.  Scrapper taught me the joy of winning but the humbling truth of losing.  I (Matt) am now 18 and Scrapper is 5.  I am currently in college at Penn State Wilkes-Barre but Scrap and I enjoy teaming up every few weekends to hit the woods.  I will be entering Scrapper in a few competitive hunts in 2011.

The Beaver Management Plan for Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania State Game Commission's plan for beaver management will be in effect for years to come.  The three main goals for this plan are to establish sustained beaver populations within suitable habitat, monitor the beaver harvest, minimize beaver damage complaints, increase public awareness and knowledge of the benefits of beavers and their habitat, and provide opportunities to use and experience beavers.  Common names of the North American beaver include beaver, American beaver, Canadian beaver, and el Castor.  Beavers are very common throughout Pennsylvania.  Though they are good to the environment, they can be a public nonsense.  As part of the management plan, the relocation of beavers from public places is smart.  The plan also includes the exploration for new beaver habitats.  More studies will also be done on trapping.  This plan has many pages of information and objectives.  For the complete management plan, visit the PA State Game Commission's website.

White-tail Deer Management

The PA State Game Commission's management plan for White-tail deer is in effect from 2009 to 2018.  The five main goals to this plan are to manage deer for a healthy and sustainable deer herd, manage deer-human conflicts at levels considered safe and acceptable to Pennsylvanians, manage deer impacts for healthy and sustainable forest habitat, manage deer to provide recreational opportunities, and improve the public’s knowledge and understanding of deer and the deer management program.  The management plan's new idea is only allowing hunter's to shoot a buck with 4 antlers or more on one side.  This will allow younger buck to mature.  The Game Commission also pushed back doe season a week after buck started.  I like the idea of this program.  I remember when it was launched there was a lot of speculation in our area.  Turns out, after two years, the plan has had major success.  I like this plan because it allows deer populations to be less destructive on farm land and there are bigger buck in deer season for recreational purposes. 

Homemade Potato Gun

A potato gun can provide endless hours of family friend.  They are not hard to make and not hard to understand the physics behind it.  First, you need to buy 2-inch and 3-inch PVC pipes with a connector and some PVC glue.  Connect the two pipes with the connector and seal the edges with glue.  Next, drill a small hole in 3-inch pipe and insert a fire grill igniter.  Use a file or dremel to sharpen the end of the barrel so that the potato will be cut to size when you insert a potato.  Now, after the glue is dry, the gun is ready to be fired.  Spray a propane-based aerosol down the pipe.  Put the cap back on and take aim.  Press the igniter button and watch the potato fly out of sight.  This happens because the aerosol is ignited and the internal explosion sends the potato out the other end of the pipe. A potato gun is a fascinating feat of physics and its loads of fun.

Big ben

Big Ben's New Image

Ben Roethlisberger got himself into a lot of trouble over the 2010 offseason.  He was accused of sexual assaulting a University of Georgia student.  Needless to say this brought shame to the Steeler nation.  Big Ben has two Super Bowl wins with the Steelers since he was drafted in 2004.  Beloved by Steeler fans, Ben made a huge mistake as a person in his position.  Suddenly, he found himself one of the most despised sports athletes in the Pittsburgh area and around the world.  I compare Big Ben to athletes such as Tiger Woods or Brent Farve.  All three athletes damaged their image. 

Roethlisberger entered the 2010-11 football season with a four game suspension.  Many speculated how he would handle to comeback.  Tiger Woods and Brent Farve failed at this aspect.  Ben, on the other hand, thrived during his comeback.  This season he was one of the top ranked quarterbacks in the NFL and is leading his team to the AFC Championship game. 

                For Big Ben to accomplish this feat, says a lot about his character.  Personally, I never thought Ben would handle this situation this season as well as he did.  Right out of the gate, he committed himself to be a better man and player.  He accomplished both.  Most fans in Pittsburgh have reaccepted Ben.  Wounds take time to heal and Ben did all he could to speed up that process with his fans.  Whether it being signing more autographs or sacrificing his time and money to charity, Ben did all the right things.  The AFC Championship game is Sunday January 23^rd and I am on edge to see how the new Ben Roethlisberger handles another run at a Super Bowl.