`lunatic' Takes Police On Wild Trip 
Ten-hour Battle Ensues Following Routine Arrest

3 Care Centers Get New Owner 
Three Area Personal Care Centers Are Part Of A Major Purchase By 
Mechanicsburg-based Balanced Care Corp.

Sunday, February 02, 1997 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 





Young hunter learns fast &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Andrew Rosencrans from Trucksville, Kingston Township, was successful in
his pursuit on the second day in December while many grown men who are veteran
hunters were notRosencrans, a seventh-grade student at Dallas Middle School,
bagged a buck. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Rosencrans, age 12, took a five-pointer. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The novice hunter killed the whitetail in the Back Mountain area on the
first day of the season. He did so no more than three hours into the first day
on what was his first deer hunt. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I learned a lot about gun handling from my dad, who takes me out shooting
with a BB gun," said Rosencrans, who is known as "A.J." among family and
friends. "I learned a lot more from the hunter education course I had to take
to get a license." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 All first-time hunters or hunters who have not held a hunting license
issued in Pennsylvania or any other state are required to complete a hunter
education course before they can purchase a state hunting license. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A.J. did this at a gun club in Lehman Township. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And he learned a few things about wildlife and safe gun handling along with
the 20 others who took the course. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "They showed my how to always watch my barrel, my muzzle, and they
explained why a gun should be unloaded if you are crossing a fence or a creek. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I also learned a lot of basics about hunting and gun handling, like how to
put a piece of electrical tape over the end of the barrel so nothing will get
in it. And the tape won't affect the bullet," A.J. said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A.J. did well on both shooting challenges while taking the course. He said
he shattered two of three clay birds with a shotgun, and with a rifle, placed
his allotment of .22-caliber bullets in the target's black zone. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 He also learned another valuable lesson. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 He learned that hunters must wear 250 square inches of fluorescent orange
to hunt antlered deer during the rifle season. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A.J. was wearing the required orange clothing as he sat with an older
mentor on the first day. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "My friend had the spot all picked out. There were deer trails and a creek
nearby. It looked like a good place to wait," A.J. said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 He posted on the ground, as quiet and still as possible, cradling in his
arms a Marlin 30.30 purchased prior to the start of the season. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 On the lever-action rifle was mounted a 3x9 Simmons scope on the lowest
level of magnification. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We were sitting on the rocks, on a cliff, overlooking the deer trails,
watching the woods," A.J. said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 There were deer in those woods, all right. A.J.'s friend got a buck first,
a nine-pointer. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We had the deer field dressed and were washing it off in the creek when we
heard shots close by," A.J. said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The two hunters dashed behind a log. They knew that nearby shots on the
first day of buck season could signal that a whitetail was approaching. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That's exactly what happened. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But not one buck wandered within range, but two. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We saw a buck on the other side of the hill," A.J. explained. "We could
only see its head and antlers moving away from us, but it would not have been
safe to shoot." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Despite his excitement, despite his tremendous desire to get a deer,
despite all the pent-up anticipation, A.J. the novice hunter did exactly what
any veteran hunter with 30 years experience would have done. He wisely passed
up the shot. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A.J. realized a high-powered rifle bullet could travel hundreds of yards if
it did not lodge in a proper backstop. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The emotional comedown must have been tremendous; the setback of allowing
that first buck to pass for safety reasons must have been almost overwhelming. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But not for long. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A second buck soon came within range of the two hunters. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And this time A.J. had a clear, safe shot. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It took only one, 170-grain bullet from the new rifle to drop the 110-pound
deer in its tracks. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Obviously, A.J. learned the lessons taught at the hunter education course
very well. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A.J. is passionate about the outdoors. He hunts. He goes fishing. He said
he has traveled to Ontario to fish for smallmouths on a friend's 17-foot boat. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For now, A.J. is concerned with doing well in school, with finding a trade. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I don't know what I want to do yet. Maybe I'll look into carpentry, or be
a electrician. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "But whatever I do I'll need to have time to hunt and fish. I'd like to
take a trip to Alaska to hunt when I get older," A.J. said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Regardless of what career path Andrew Rosencrans follows, or where his
boots take him in the out-of-doors, he will always remember that first deer
hunt. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That first hunt, on the first day in Pennsylvania, when he took his first
five-point buck with a new lever-action rifle. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 George Smith is The Times Leader outdoors editor. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Andrew Rosencrans from Trucksville, Kingston Township, poses with the buck
he killed on opening day. The deer had five points. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Young Hunter Learns Fast 
Andrew Rosencrans From Trucksville, Kingston Township, Was Successful In His 
Pursuit On The Second Day In December While Many Grown Men Who Are Veteran 
Hunters Were Not.

Young Hunter Learns Fast Andrew Rosencrans From Trucksville, Kingston Township, Was Successful In His Pursuit On The Second Day In December While Many Grown Men Who Are Veteran Hunters Were Not.