Deer season in Pennsylvania is less than four weeks off — time enough for hunters, from novices to experts, to add a bit more knowledge to their skill sets before hitting the woods Nov. 26.

Erie Times-News outdoors writer Mike Bleech is on the job. Starting Nov. 4, Mike’s Four Weeks to Better Deer Hunting series will be published each Sunday in November on the NWPA Outdoors page in the Times-News sports section and on NWPAOutdoors.com.

This Sunday, learn more about one of the most misunderstood elements of the hunt, the rut.

On Nov. 11, eliminate some of the guesswork from your days afield by learning how to properly prepare your rifle.

On Nov. 18, get Mike’s tips on hunting from a stand.

And on Nov. 25, learn how to make the most of the second week of the season, when hunter pressure decreases and opportunity grows.

Have a question for Mike? E-mail him at mikeb73@verizon.net.

The Erie Sport & Travel Expo wants to make you a winner in its Monster Buck Contest March 2-4 at the Bayfront Convention Center.

Enter your legally shot buck in one of three divisions: Open, for deer shot anywhere in the world; tristate, for whitetails shot in Pennsylvania, New York or Ohio; or junior, for deer taken by hunters 16 and under.

The public will vote for their favorite racks in each division. Votes will be tallied at the end of the Expo and winners will be announced March 10 in the Erie Times-News.

To enter, take your buck to the Bayfront Convention Center for check-in March 1 between noon and 8 p.m. The mount will remain on display throughout the Expo It must be picked up March 4 between 5-9 p.m. Security will be provided.

Get a look at some of the deer that theoretically could be entered in this year’s contest.

Add a camera to your list of final preparations for Monday’s Pennsylvania deer season opener.

Why? The Erie Times-News will publish select photos of bucks legally harvested during the 2011-12 hunting seasons.

Photos may be e-mailed to sports@ timesnews.com, submitted in person or mailed to Erie Times-News Sports Department, 205 W. 12th St., Erie, PA 16534. Photos, including does, also may be uploaded at www.GoErie.com/yourphotos.

Submitting a photo does not guarantee it will be published.

Please include the name, age and hometown of the hunter; weight and rack dimensions; harvest area; weapon used; and any other information that helps tell a story (for instance, is it an older hunter’s biggest buck ever, or was a great deal of tracking necessary after the shot?).

Please include contact information, including name and phone number. If the photo is to be returned, please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

If you get a noteworthy deer in northwestern Pennsylvania on opening day, let us know. Send an e-mail to sports@timesnews.com or call (814) 870-1704.

Good luck, and be safe.

Timmy Ziezula, 14, killed his first buck Oct. 1 at 6 p.m. in Cooksburg, Clarion County. The 10-point weighed 200 pounds and field-dressed at 160 pounds. Ziezula, a freshman at Cathedral Prep, hunted opening day of archery season with his father, Tim Ziezula.

Want to be featured in Deer of the Day and possibly in the Erie Times-News? Upload your trophy photo, with details including name, age, hometown and hunt information, to www.GoErie.com/yourphotos, or e-mail to sports@timesnews.com.

The only thing growing faster than the foliage at Presque Isle State Park is the warbler population.

Little birds in every color are everywhere on the peninsula these days, just in time for the annual Festival of the Birds this Friday through Sunday. Now if only the weather will cooperate.

Saturday was for Palm and Yellow-Rumped warblers.

Sunday was a birding bonanza — Palm and Yellow-Rumped were in abundance, but so were Chestnut-Sided and Yellow warblers, a richly colored American Redstart and striking Black-Throated Blues that made appearances on two distinct slices of the park.

Also observed (among others): Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Great Crested Flycatcher, osprey, Great Blue Heron, Common Loon, Belted Kingfisher and more American Robins and turkey vultures than could be counted.

Dig out the binoculars and spotting scopes and get to the park before the leaves come in. And keep an eye on the Erie Times-News’ Saturday Nature Watch, the Presque Isle Audubon log, the Pennsylvania Birding List and the Presque Isle Bird Banding blog for updates

If you’re not sure what to get the outdoors lover in your life, consider the terrific prints created this year by Erie Times-News graphic reporter Chris Sigmund.

The ninth and final entry in the NWPA Poster Series — black bear — will publish Dec. 26. Chris and the Times-News’ award-winning photographers also have taken on white-tailed deer, wild turkey, ring-necked pheasant, steelhead, pileated woodpecker, snapping turtle, great blue heron wood duck as poster subjects since April.

Laminated posters, on 11×17 bright white stock, are available for $15 each at the Times-News, 205 W. 12th St., between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays. If you’re interested in knowing more, call (814) 870-1600.

Today’s steelhead fishing report: On the eastside Lake Erie tributaries, Four Mile Creek, Twelve Mile Creek and Sixteen Mile Creek were productive Monday even though all of the tribs were low and clear. Fish were biting a little slow in Twelve and Sixteen, but anglers still were having success. The fish were more scattered in Twenty Mile Creek.

Anglers had mixed success over the weekend, as the eastside creeks were running high Saturday and then low and clear Sunday.

The Erie Times-News carries a steelhead report daily throughout open water season, and a regional fishing report every Friday.

Keith and Rebecca DiLuzio of North East had plenty to be proud of June 19 when their 10-year-old son, Kyle, won the junior division biggest fish award of a walleye tournament on Chautauqua Lake. His 9.54-pound whopper earned him a $25 check.

But that wasn’t the only success story of the weekend.

Keith DiLuzio, who competes on pro bass fishing circuits, finished fourth and won $286 in a bass tournament at Chautauqua. He lost a 6-pound largemouth at the boat that would have given him the victory. And Rebecca, fishing in a bass tournament for the first time, placed 27th out of 56 anglers.

Learn a bit more about the DiLuzios in Scott A. Messenger’s recent story for NWPA Outdoors.

Thanks to Rebecca DiLuzio for the photo.

Boaters and anglers should be mindful of the deteriorating condition of a bridge over French Creek in northern Crawford County.

The Gravel Run Road bridge near routes 6/19 apparently is in danger of collapsing. Boaters pass directly under the span on their way down French Creek.

Erie Times-News staff writer Tim Hahn reports:

PennDOT is warning the public, particularly those who take advantage of the popular fishing and boating area, to steer clear of the bridge.

The first Antlers and Anglers Sportsman Showcase is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at Port Meadville Airport.

Hunting, archery, trapping and fishing will take center stage from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at the airport’s two hangars.

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