The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission recently announced changes to its adult trout stocking programs for 2013, including three in northwestern Pennsylvania waters:

1. Buhl Lake, in Mercer County, near Sharon, has been added to the stocking list. The 7-acre lake will be stocked with rainbow trout during the preseason and inseason periods.

2. A section of Caldwell Creek, in Warren County, will no longer receive adult trout. Finglering trout will be stocked during the fall from 2012 to 2014 in the Catch and Release Fly-Fishing Only section that runs 1.4 miles from Selkirk Bridge downstream to Stony Hollow Run, half a mile upstream of Dotyville Bridge.

3. Little Sandy Creek, in Venango County, also will see only finglering stocked in a Catch and Release Fly Fishing Only section of stream. The stretch is 1.3 miles, from the old bridge at Polk Center Pump House downstream to the Route 3024 bridge on Savannah Road.

Zach Lyons, 12, of Franklin, shot an 8-point buck Nov. 2 with his compound bow.

Lyons and his grandfather, Tom Young, were hunting on the edge of State Game Land 39 in Venango County.Young was in a tree stand and Lyons in a ground blind. He shot the deer from 15 yards after it responded to rattling.

Vote for the NWPA Outdoors Deer of the Year at goerie.com/deeroftheyear. Voting ends Dec. 31, and the Deer of the Year will be announced Jan. 6 in the Erie Times-News and on www.GoErie.com, along with an Editor’s Choice pick.

You can still submit your deer photo to the GoErie Hunting and Fishing gallery.

Andrew Kozek, of Oil City, shot his 10-point Oct. 8 in Oil City. The buck had a 21-inch rack that featured 12.5-inch G2′s.

Kozek’s deer is among those already entered in the NWPA Outdoors Deer of the Year contest.

Enter your deer in the contest at goerie.com/deeroftheyear by Dec. 10 at 11:59 p.m. After a public voting period from Dec. 12-31, the Deer of the Year will be announced Jan. 6 in the Erie Times-News and on www.GoErie.com, along with an Editor’s Choice pick.

Deer legally harvested during any 2012-13 seasons are eligible. If you’ve already submitted a photo directly to the Times-News or to the GoErie Hunting and Fishing gallery, you’ll need to enter your photo again for contest purposes.

The contest is open only to individuals who are 18 years or older at time of entry. Entrants must have either harvested their deer in the Northwest Region or reside in the Northwest Region and have harvested their deer in Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission will offer free guided tours of State Game Land 39, in Venango County, and State Game Land 130, in Mercer County, on Sept. 22 at 10 a.m.

Tour participants should meet at the SGL 130 parking area on the right side of Reeds Furnace Road, two-tenths of a mile off Route 965, west of the Venango/Mercer county border. The tour will go on rain or shine and is open to everyone who is  interested in learning about the game lands and their wildlife and habitat management.

The 17-mile tour will display habitat work as well as Marcellus/Utica Shale gas well development, and steps taken to improve habitat and infrastructure on the SGLs. Game Commission officials will talk about the use of a timber sale to promote aspen regeneration. Grassland birds, ruffed grouse, woodcock habitat and more also are on the agenda.

Tour participants also will meet with members of the Sandy Creek Watershed, the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.

Participants may travel in their own vehicles or set up car pools at the meeting site. The commission said four-wheel drive is not necessary, but vehicles with low ground clearance could scrape bottom.

This tour will make stops and will involve short walks. Pack a lunch or snack.

Directions to the starting point: From Mercer, take Route 62 East toward Jackson Center to the junction of Route 965 Continue East on Route 965 through red blinker light at Route 173. Continue about 5 miles to Reeds Furnace Road, then left onto Reeds Furnace Road. From Franklin, take Route 62 West through Polk to junction of Route 965 then about 5 miles to Reeds Furnace Road and turn right onto Reeds Furnace Road to first SGL parking lot on right.

Two juvenile Bald Eagles at Oil Creek State Park usually are willing to pose for photos if you catch them out and about near their haunt at the ice dam on the south end of the park.

Did you catch the story on Sunday’s NWPA Outdoors page about Ed Lawrence, the Corry angler who finds fishing adventures throughout northwestern Pennsylvania?

While contributing writer Tim Bodamer was writing, Ed was out fishing. Here’s the wild rainbow trout he caught June 23 in Venango County:

Ethan Luce, left, shot his first deer while hunting with his grandfather, Bob Wisener, on Nov. 28, 2011, in Venango County. The two were sitting in a ladder stand when Luce saw the 5-point buck at 7:35 A.M. He shot it from 50 yards.

The Allegheny Northwoods Chapter of the Ruffed Grouse Society will host a sporting clays fun shoot Feb. 18 at the Sandy Creek Conservancy, 688 Polk Cutoff, Franklin.

Registration will start at 8:30 a.m. and shooting at 9 a.m.

Registration fee is $50 per shooter, or $55 after Feb. 13, and includes 100 targets, lunch and a free ticket on a specially selected shotgun for every 10 broken targets.

Proceeds will be used to restore and protect grouse and woodcock habitat

For information, contact Dave Galbreath at (814) 226-5574 or dgalbreath@zoominternet.net.

The McKean Snow Riders Snowmobile Club isn’t the only local organization that came into some Christmas cash.

Projects in Erie, Venango, Warren and Clarion counties received grant funding this month through the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Community Conservation Partnerships Program.

Erie County

1. Millcreek Township, $101,500 for further development of Cassidy Park to include construction of comfort station/educational-picnic pavilion/kitchen facility and pedestrian walkway; installation of utilities; ADA access, landscaping and project sign.

2. Springfield Township, $152,000 for rehabilitation of Raccoon Creek Park to include construction of comfort station/pavilion/kitchen facility and pedestrian walkway; installation of utilities; ADA access, landscaping and project sign.

3. The Pennsylvania State University, $22,500 to develop a Trail Sustainability Master Plan for the 722-acre Wintergreen Gorge part of the Penn State Erie Behrend College campus in Harborcreek Township.

Clarion County

1. Allegheny Valley Land Trust, $70,000 to determine the feasibility of rehabilitating the one-half-mile Brady Tunnel for the Armstrong Trail and providing camping facilities.

Venango County

1. Franklin city, $11,300 for rehabilitation of approximately 600 feet of the Riverfront Bike Trail from Eighth to Ninth Street; ADA access, installation of a garden and landscaping and signage.

2. Franklin city, $40,000 for rehabilitation of Miller-Sibley Pool to include replacement of water slide in the main pool; ADA access and project sign.

3. Oil City, $60,000 to replace the pedestrian walkway that crosses Oil Creek between Relief and Seneca streets, ADA access and project sign.

4. Oil Region Alliance of Business, Industry & Tourism, $83,000 for design and development of the Oil Creek Memorial Landing in Oil City to include construction of a trailhead for the McClintock Trail; a boat launch along Oil Creek; parking facilities; ADA access, landscaping and project sign.

Warren County

Warren city, $77,000 for rehabilitation of Beaty Park to include reconstruction of basketball and tennis courts; installation of fencing; upgrades to electrical service and lighting; ADA access, landscaping and project sign.

Other sundry grants that were approved:

1. Northwest Pennsylvania Regional Planning & Development Commission, $130,000 to provide mini grants in 2011-2012 to implement the County Greenway Plans for Clarion, Crawford, Erie, Forest, Lawrence, Mercer, Venango and Warren counties.

2. Oil Region Alliance of Business, Industry & Tourism, $180,000 for the Oil Region Heritage Landscapes Partnership to develop the route for the Erie to Pittsburgh Trail through Emlenton Borough, Venango County. Provide support to partner organizations to advance heritage development in the region in 2012; update Exploring Venango County publication; promote Oil Region Historic House Plaque Program and develop program brochure and page on website; and assist with municipal outreach on Great Lakes Regional Wayfinding Signage Plan. Preserve and catalogue historic oil and gas-related artifacts, develop traveling exhibits and promote collection on website. Install HVAC systems and storm windows in the Tarbell House. Administer and fund the 2012 mini-grant program. Conduct the 2012 Natural Gas History Symposium; and convert oil history publications into e-books.

3. Pennsylvania Route 6 Heritage Corporation, $140,000 to provide technical assistance to communities to in Bradford, Crawford, Erie, Lackawanna, McKean, Pike, Potter, Tioga, Warren, Wayne and Wyoming counties to implement their Heritage Work Plans and coordinate Artisan Trail for 2012. Coordinate Mile Marker Maintenance program. Develop printed materials to market Route 6 and its assets. Update Interpretive Plan and History of Route 6 and develop application for National Scenic Byway and All-American Road designation for Route 6. Update Management Action Plan.

4. Pennsylvania State Snowmobile Association, $26,500 to further develop the statewide Navigational Signage Project by expanding the installation of signs at snowmobile trail intersections in the northern and central counties between Erie and Potter counties.