The Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association (POWA) conducted it’s annual Excellence in Craft (EIC) Conference in Wilkes-Barre, PA last weekend. My Grandparents and I made the trip together because I wanted to attend my first ever POWA meeting. Last year, I sent in my application to join the organization and was accepted as a college student member just a few weeks before departing for my Manitoba Bear Hunt.

Ever since I was old enough to understand what POWA was, I had dreamed of being a part of the group of respected outdoors people. POWA’s slogan is “You love the outdoors. We tell the outdoor story.” I have always loved the outdoors, and have dedicated so much of my life to telling my outdoor stories.

My Pupup, Joe Workosky, has been a member of POWA for 45 years, and as a little girl, I would gaze in awe at the many paintings, photos, magazine covers, and POWA awards decorating the walls in his den.

My greatest passion in life is going on hunting and fishing adventures with my best buddy, Pups. Being able to stand alongside him, and a group of only the most experienced outdoorsmen and women in Pennsylvania is truly the greatest honor I have had in my 19 years of life.

The members of POWA have unique ways of telling the outdoor story, whether it be through written articles and books, paintings and photographs, video production, and so much more. I was so anxious, and excited to introduce myself to the entire membership. 

(This is an article, and magazine cover my Pupup did for Bowhunter Magazine.) 

We arrived at our hotel on Thursday and were greeted by a few members, and the association’s Executive Director, Paula Piatt, who has been so welcoming, and keeps everyone in the loop with her top notch planning skills. The whole weekend was organized very efficiently, with many speakers who touched on important topics dealing with the outdoors. I learned so much from members of the Pennsylvania Game Commission & Fish Commission, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR).

Paula Piatt and I. 

Our Susquehanna Bass Fishing guide, Dave McGovern who also works as a Geologist for the Department of Environmental Protections (DEP) gave us a tour of the Susquehanna hot spots..  

Speaking of unique outdoor stories, one member that I was happy to see was Brady Crytzer – A historian and accomplished author who spoke at Slippery Rock University in April. I got to sit in on his lecture about his new book, “The Whiskey Rebellion: A Distilled History of an American Crisis”. For POWA, he focuses on integrating history and the outdoors. Brady won first runner up for the Lantz Hoffman Broadcast Media Award, for his video production of William Bartram, “America’s First Naturalist”. 

The weekend was filled with fun conversations, countless learning opportunities, and meaningful connections with other people who can’t get enough of the great outdoors.

 

The highlight of the weekend for me was that my Pupup won First Place for the “Lantz Hoffman Broadcast Media Award” for our Manitoba Bear Hunt video, “Surrounded by Bears”. We had a fantastic time filming, photographing and produced this epic hunt together.   My Manitoba Bear hunt was the best hunt I have ever been on, and really was the best week of my life. I think, with this video, we showed just how amazing the trip was, for both of us! The fact that the judges and officials of the organization thought so too meant so much to me.

POWA President, Grey Barrier, pulled me into this Awards photo with my Pups, and noted “Ruby, you were the star of the show.” As the Awards were being presented, Paula asked me if I could help out taking photos of the winners with their awards. I ended up being POWA’s “Unofficial Official Photographer”, and I was so glad to do it. It was a hectic scene, herding the writers, while I was standing on a chair.

I couldn’t be more thrilled to be a member of The Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association and I am excited to keep growing in my “outdoor career”. More on the weekend, the informational presentations, and an awesome morning fishing on the Susquehanna River coming soon… Stay Tuned!

 

I was really thrilled to have my photo and story featured in the Johnstown Tribune Democrat Newspaper. I received many comments about the story and I was happy to promote my favorite sport, Smallbore Rifle 3-P shooting.

I was also “Voted” Female Athlete of the Week by the Somerset Daily American Newspaper. I’d like to thank all my friends, fellow students, Teammates and Parents who took the time to vote for me, Thank You All!

The Conemaugh Township Indians Rifle Team is off to a great start this year. We won our first 3-Position .22 Caliber small-bore competition at the Somerset County Sportsmen’s Range.  Check out  the Posters and the info below.

The Conemaugh Indians Rifle Team WINS First Match! They got off to a good start last night in Somerset. The Indians soared over the Eagles, 1289 to 1186 . Ruby Korenoski was the “Top Shot” and ranked No. 1. with a score of #275. Kassie Wiley was in Second Place and shot a 254, Lydia Boring took Third Place with a 254. In Fourth Place, Gabi Klingenberg shot a 253 and in Fifth Place, Sierra LaPorta also shot a 253. Only the “Top Five” scores on each team are counted for the match totals. Most teams have Ten Varsity shooters and about ten J.V. Riflemen.

Our Conemaugh Indians Win Again! It was a full house for our second rifle match, as the Portage Mustangs galloped into our Jerome Range. The Indians corralled the Mustangs, 1327 to 1306. Ruby was in the “Top Five” Varsity Shooters on her team once again. Miss hawk-eye shot her Personal Best (PB) with a #288. As scores were being tabulated a few coaches told us that Ruby was nearing a School Record? That made for some drama and anticipation. The TWP Rifle Record is #291. My Uncle Ace was in attendance, so he says he’s taking credit for Ruby’s sharp shooting skills. People asked about the “Top Five”, that’s the 5 best scores from each team, added together is the Total Score for each team. Ten shots each in Standing, Kneeling, and Prone Positions. Most Teams have Ten Varsity and about a dozen JV riflemen on their teams. Vicki Berloffe was taking the “Real Team Photos” for the fancy collages that she does. So the Range was a busy place. Nice Win Team, Go Indians!

Last evening the Conemaugh Indians had a hot shoot-out on a cold night against the Rockwood Rockets. The Tribe defeated the Space Age Invaders by a score of: 1,325 to 1,083. Four of our “Top Five” marksmen are familiar to the high score scene, but on this night a new gun came onto the Firing Line, by the name of, Noah Lehman. Ruby Korenoski came in First Place @282, Sierra LaPorta was in Second Place @266, Gabi Klingenberg in Third Place @261, Noah Lehman in Fourth Place @260 (Personal Best) and Nathaniel Denault in Fifth Place @ 256 (Personal Best). The Indians are now at 3 Wins and Zero losses for the season. So team, continue your sharp shooting scores, keep your powder dry, don’t be a flash in the pan and you may take the whole season, “lock, stock and barrel”. That’s a little muzzle loader lingo laid on for Good Luck!

The Township Indian Rifle Team posted its 4^th WIN in a Row last night (Dec.17, 21) at the Jerome Sportsmen’s Range. A few new riflemen stepped up to help defeat the team from Salisbury Elk-Lick High School by a score of 1,298 to 815. Our “Top Five” for the Indians were as follows: Sierra LaPorta was our “Top Shot” with a solid #277 score. Noah Lehman jumped up to number 2. with a #267, his Personal Best (PB). Gabi Klingenberg came in at number 3. with a #264 and Nathaniel Denault shot a #256 to land in 4^th place. First time Varsity shooter, Ian Tomlinson, shot a #234 (PB) for a 5^th place finish. There were a number of new spectators at the event and the spotting scopes, available for parents, grandparents, friends and relatives, were in constant use. Some of the team members are very aware that the spectators are following their every shot, while the Time Clock is running down. All that can add to the pressure of the competition. Good Luck Next week! Go Tribe!

It’s good to back on the Range shooting against another team, for real. Last Season we shot only at our Home Ranges and never traveled to other school’s ranges because of Covid Mandates. Having a bunch of spectators watching us shoot adds a bit of pressure on all of us, but it is exciting, too.

Last weekend I went to shoot a Rifle Competition held at West Virginia University’s Rifle Range, with members of my Jerome Jr. Rifle Team. It was an awesome, exciting event.

I shot right next to Matt Sanchez, a member of the WVU Rifle Team. Afterwards, I got to see more of the WVU rifle facility. Better yet, we all got to meet and take pictures with, Ginny Thrasher, a WVU shooter and Olympic Gold Medal winner.

That’s Me, Ginny Thrasher, “ WVU & Olympic Rifle Champ” and my team mates, Haley Fetterman and Hannah Miller. Ginny won the Gold Medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

But, this Big College Rifle match made me pick between Hunting and Shooting and I was torn between the two. This mid-November weekend has been a time that I looked forward to, every year, for the past six years.

When I was 12 years old, on this same week end, my Pups took me to Ohio for my first Ohio Youth Buck Hunt. I hunted 2 days and in the last minutes of the last day a nice Buck appeared. I quickly took a long shot with my 220 Savage Slug gun. The Buck ran off, unscathed. I was so mad I missed and I told Pups, “I want to hunt Ohio again”.

The next year on the Ohio Youth Hunt I was 13 years old and I nailed a big 9-point Buck at “Full Bore Outfitters” with the same 220 Slug Rifle. Then we returned to “Full Bore” the following year and I passed up a smaller 8-point, but had another great time at the Full Bore Lodge.

When I was 15, I couldn’t go on the Ohio Youth Hunt. I wasn’t too disappointed because we were out West for my Mule deer and Antelope Hunt. We flew to the “Center of the Nation Hunts” near the town of Colony, Wyoming. My Guide, Guy Howell lead me to this big bodied Mule Buck that I shot at about 150 yards.

I had an amazing time there with my Guide and his wife, Shanna, and their four beautiful daughters. Just a few hours after I shot my Mule deer I killed a nice Antelope at nearly 200 yards with my 7mm08.Last year, on this weekend, I was back in Ohio at “Full Bore Outfitters” and I shot a young buck with my new Ruger 44 magnum rifle. This compact, light weight is perfect for tree stands and is legal for the shotgun only Ohio Deer Season. That brings me up to this season, where we made plans for another Ohio Buck Hunt, because it would be my last ever “Ohio Youth Hunt” . That’s because it’s for hunters who are 17 years old and younger. Back in August I found out about the WVU shoot so I had to decide where to go. My deposit was paid for the Ohio hunt, but I had to pick one event over the other. Well, I felt I had to go with my team to WVU. It could be my only chance to shoot in competition here.

I was in really good spirits for this shoot. I slept well at my Grand parents house, and my Pups made me waffles and bacon for breakfast. Then in West VA we ate an early lunch before the shooting started. I guess all that food helped to weigh me down and keep me calm.I shot my personal best at this college event and it may be my last shoot ever at WVU. I’m not sure where I’ll be next year on my “Favorite Hunting/Shooting Weekend”.

Decisions, Decisions. I am packed up, ready to leave WVU.  It’s my Senior Year of High School, so everything will be different next year at this time.

 

 

I had a sneak-peak  review of our video with my Grandparents a few days ago. But last night, before our Tuesday night rifle practice, the whole Team, along with parents, coaches, brothers and sisters got to view the production for the first time.

They all really liked it and we hope you do, too!

Our Nebraska 4-H Gold Adventure was an exciting event for Elissa, Haley, Nicole, me and our families.

After we returned home we Four submitted our short essays on the experience and that made me think about writing a bigger story about this journey.

I wanted to explain how we got to compete in the National Shooting Sports Competition. We shot about 1200 photos and about an hour of video. All of this could all be used in a TV-like program, but to explain it all I needed to tell the full story by writing it all down.

Writing a script is hard to do, but once I got started it just all came out, well, maybe too much came out. Then, I did have to ask for some help with writing and editing it. My Grandfather and I had a few conflicts as to what to write, in what order, and how long it should be.

We were in Grand Island a week, and we practiced for this competition since April. In addition, I added the events of our Jerome Jr. Rifle Club’s activities since January. It’s really hard to condense about 7 months into a 20+ minute video. With the script finally done, I sat down to be video taped in our “Video Production Studio”.

I became the Host and narrator for the project. My Pups and I did have have a few arguments concerning my on-camera narrations and delivery, plus re-writes. Now, he turns off the camera so there is no proof that he yells at me during our productions.

I try to get every segment done without a goof-up, this makes editing easier for John Concannon, his Video Production partner. But, stuff happens. These two guys have been doing this kind of video work for a long time, like almost 50 years. They said they could do it, no problem. Well, maybe a few problems.

The next step will be going to the Concannon Video Editing & Production Office to piece this all together. Look out John, Remember my Wyoming Mule Deer and Antelope Video? My latest Video may be more difficult?

This video may be more of a headache for you and will make my Mule Deer Hunt production seem easy.

My On-Camera and Narration are in the can. Hope to be done editing this week! “Going for Nebraska 4-H Gold” coming soon to a Flat Screen near you.

 

Winning the 4-H National Shooting Sports Championship in Grand Island Nebraska was quite a thrill for Haley, Nicole, Elissa, and me. We all agreed it was an awesome event and took a lot of practice and determination for us all to get there.

Part of the duties required from of each member of a 4-H Rifle Team, who made the trip, was to have each shooter write a 500+ word essay.

This paper would express what is was like to attend this nationwide competition. Each of us recently submitted our written papers to Officials at the Somerset County 4-H Office.

My Dad, Aaron Korenoski a Pro Truck Driver, teased me and my grandparents before leaving for Nebraska by saying he’d strap our Tahoe to his flat-bed trailer and drive us all out to Grand Island on his big-rig “Ole Blue”.

He often drove to Florida, California and the Mid-West states. Dad said, “Heck, I was just in Iowa and I could have dropped you guys off.” Unfortunately, my Dad never got the chance to take us to Nebraska.

I was so happy when he attended my Rifle Competitions. Mom and I had a great time with Dad when he drove us to the Palmyra Sportsman’s Club near Harrisburg for my Jerome Jr Rifle Team competition.

My 4-H Gold Medal Essay follows below:

My name is Ruby Korenoski, I’m a 4-year member of both the Conemaugh Township High School Small-bore Rifle Team and the Jerome Junior Rifle Team and this year I joined the Somerset County 4-H Rifle Team.

My love for the outdoors, especially shooting, started from a very young age. I’ve been shooting BB guns, pellet guns, 22’s and bow and arrows since First Grade.

When I was 9 years old, my Grandfather helped me start a website called “Ruby’s Outdoor Rendezvous” (www.RORUSA.com).

My goal was to showcase videos, photos, stories, and events from all my Outdoor Adventures to share with other kids my age.

The success of my website drew the attention of a big-time optics company called Riton, based in Phoenix, Arizona. I even landed a job with them to promote their scopes and binoculars on my website.

Earlier this year, the Somerset County 4-H Rifle Coach, Mike Knapp, presented me and my Jerome Rifle team mates, Haley, Nicole, and Elissa, with the opportunity to compete at the Pennsylvania State 4-H competition.

We were excited to be named to the 4-H Team and we jumped at the offer to shoot at the Shenecoy Sportsman’s Club Range this past April.

After shooting the 3-P match with our small-bore rifles we all felt we had made a good showing. A week later we were informed that our team won the PA State 4-H Championship.

Our scores made it clear that we would be eligible to travel to Grand Island, Nebraska for the National 4H Shooting Sports Competition in June.

We were really anxious to attend this big nation-wide competition. We only had a few months to practice, practice, practice; and that’s exactly what we did.

Our supportive coaches and families met us at the Jerome Club Range, three times a week, for an extensive shooting regime.

We were not familiar with the Steel Silhouette or the CMP “rapid fire” event, and we were rookies with the new and different rifles that were required.

Mike Knapp is our respected coach and we couldn’t have made so much progress, in a short amount of time, without his guidance, experience and enthusiasm. Coach Knapp had been at this national 4-H competition several years ago and he had us all ready and excited to go out west.

However, a few short weeks before the Nebraska competition, a tragedy took place in my family. My amazing, hardworking, loving father passed away unexpectedly, of a massive heart attack, while on the road in Joplin, Missouri.

My Dad was an over the road truck driver and he owned his own rig, a Peterbilt, he called “Ole Blue”.

In the weeks to follow, I was so sad and my motivation for shooting declined. But, I knew in my heart my Dad would’ve wanted me to be strong and to go ahead and compete.

I never could have imagined the pain of losing someone so close to me. My heart ached each day, but I persevered until the day we set off on our 17 hour journey.

Ever since I was a little girl, I loved hearing my Dad’s stories about the miles he drove each week, crisscrossing America.

As we traveled towards Nebraska, down the highways in Ohio, Illinois, and Iowa, I saw the scenery he drove through. I looked out the window and felt as if my Dad was with me, giving me strength.

I believed I’d need his help to endure the week of strenuous shooting in the heat and winds of Grand Island, Nebraska.

The day we arrived at the Heartlands Event Arena, to register for the competition, we realized how serious the agenda for this week would be. There were six hundred individual shooters from 32 different states there, all with the same goal in mind as us – winning a Gold Medal in their shooting events.

I was surprised to see how many kids across America shared the love of shooting that I do.

The events my team participated in included, 22 Rifle Silhouettes, 10-22 semi-auto CMP, and Small-Bore 22 precision shooting. Of course us girls were aiming for a 1^st Place in all events, but we shared the same mindset that where ever we placed in the competition, would be an accomplishment in itself.

Shooting the steel silhouettes in high winds was a shock to us all. In Pennsylvania the wind speed was nowhere near as high as it was in Nebraska. Some Ram targets blew over in the strong gusts.

The weather is always a factor, a breeze can move your bullets off course, but it didn’t keep us from shooting to the best of our abilities. Our team ended up winning a 5th place ribbon. That was an awesome accomplishment.

Next came CMP, it wasn’t our strong suit among the three events, and most of us never fired these 22 Auto-loading rifles before this year. But, we ended up in 10th place and participating in this event was a really cool experience.

Finally, on our last day, we got to shoot in the event we love the most, the 3-Position Olympic style match. We set up our gear and thankfully, after witnessing the skill the other shooters displayed, it made us more determined to shine.

We mentally prepared ourselves and as we laid down in our positions, our level of experience was apparent to the Range Safety Officers. They were impressed with our composure and told our coach that we were all well trained. Those compliments gave us some extra confidence.

We pulled through as a team, and we earned a First Place in 3-P. The feeling of pride to be called up on the large stage, in front of hundreds of spectators and fellow 4H members, for our Gold Medals, was like no other.

The kids cheered us and the sound of the crowd’s applause was thrilling. We wore our Gold medals with pride.

We could see our parents, grandparents, coaches and even some friends we met along the way, all smiling. They were proud of us, too.

The 4H National competition taught me many things.

First of all, I learned that hard work and patience pays off.

Secondly, it taught me to always keep a positive attitude in the face of adversity.

Lastly, never back down to a challenge, always take the risk and persevere, even in your darkest times.

The loss of my Dad weighed on me each day, and I wanted to make him proud. If I hadn’t of gone, I would have let my teammates down and I never would have experienced this event of a lifetime.

Winning a Gold Medal, during this devastating time, showed me that with focus and dedication I could accomplish anything. 

The good sportsmanship, teamwork and togetherness displayed at the 4-H shooting sports competition was like nothing I’ve seen before.

This experience was something I will never forget for the rest of my life. 

 

When the Red Buds Bloom, I think about two “T’s”, Trout and Turkey. Ok, I know Spring Gobbler is next week, but it’s hard for me to pick between the two “T’s” this time of year. So, for now it’s all Trout!

Above photo is our Guide, Adam Smith, with me and my Grandpa near the Little Juniata River in Blair County. Lately I’ve been practicing my Fly rod techniques on Laurel Hill Creek, near the King’s Covered Bridge, but I wanted to try a new trout stream.

The Red Covered Bridge is a great background for photos like the one of me and my Pups, above, but the fishing there has been tough.

My grandpa said he fished the “Little Juniata” many years ago and thought that would be a good place for us to try. The river is also know as the Little “J”.  We said goodbye to the quaint Red covered wooden structure and looked forward to fishing in sight of a series of old stone arch railroad bridges.

We didn’t have much time for a scouting mission on a new river, so we picked Adam Smith to be our fishing guide. Adam and his partners operate, Juniata Troutfitters, and they take anglers on full or half-day guided fly-fishing trips on the Little Juniata.

Adam lives near by and fishes the stream nearly everyday this time of year. His other team members do too, so they have the best info on stream conditions, water levels, and types of hatches coming off the water and best fly patterns to use.

Adam met us along a stretch of the Little “J” that flows along route 453 just southeast of Tyrone, PA. The trains come roaring by on a regular schedule and you must pay attention when crossing the double set of tracks.

After a short walk down the train tracks we passed under a big stone railway arch and that path led us right to the river.

I was anxious to get my feet wet and start casting, the river was just around the next bend in the trail.

Adam recommends using two flies on your line, about a foot apart. He tied a pheasant tail, bead head nymph, size 16 and a size 18 sulfur fly, to my fly leader. He also added a tiny split-shot above the nymph to help get the flies down near the bottom.

Adam gave me some great advice and instructional tips on my casting style and just a few minutes after stepping into the water, I had a nice strike. But, I missed that fish. That’s frustrating.  A few casts later the fish whacked my fly and I finally had my first “Fish On!”

 

Catching my first Brown of the day was a relief. I didn’t want Adam to think I was just a rookie with my fly rod. It was a colorful fish that jumped out of the water a few times. This Brown helped me understand how to drift the nymph and dropper fly rig through the current.

I’ve caught lots of Bass and Panfish with flies and poppers, since I was a little girl, but I never fished a real famous trout stream like this. It’s not like fishing Paul’s Pond here.

The Little J is a catch and release only stream, and most people use fly rods here, but spinning tackle is legal, too. Every trout I caught was carefully netted, unhooked and released back into the swift flow, without any harm.

 

Adam uses the new soft plastic net material to help the fish survive. The old nets were made of knotted cords that scraped off their scales. The modern nets have less impact on the fins and scales of the fish.

I had several fish on that fought for a few minutes, then got unhooked all by themselves. It was fun while it lasted. These fish fight hard and are tough to reel in to be netted, especially in the fast current. All the Brown Trout here are natives and no hatchery trout are stocked in the Little J by the PA Fish Commission.

The scenery along the banks of the Little Juniata is really beautiful and we waded upstream for close to a mile. It’s good to use a wading staff here, the fast water and slippery rocks can be treacherous.

At one point we had a group of canoe and kayakers, go right by us. The fish didn’t mind at all. I caught two more Brownies at this location just after the boaters passed through our spot.

It was a great evening on the water, I learned a lot about the Little “J”, what flies to use and how to drift the weighted nymphs through the deep fast water runs.

Adam took time out from his instruction and Guide duties to take a few photos of me with my Brownies.

Thanks Adam for taking these nice shots of me. My Pups was always upstream, using his zoom lens to catch our fishing action. He wasn’t able to get nice close-ups like the ones you shot.

This was my last fish of the day. I didn’t want to quit, but we had a long walk out through the woods. So we headed back to the vehicles before the evening hatch started up.

Thanks Adam, for taking this shot of Pups and I and for sharing your fly-fishing expertise. You taught me a lot and I enjoyed catching and releasing all these native trout. Remember that 7th Brown I had hooked…, the biggest one, you know, the one that leaped out of the water and got away…Pups and I may be back for him sometime.