Rochester Sportsmen's Club

Family Field Day July 21, 2018

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About the Event

We will have a great day of family fun. Ages of the youth can be from 9-16. Mom and Dad are encouraged to step up and try as well. We will have dog training, trapping, canoeing, Shooting of .22 pistols and rifles,archery, trap, sporting clays, Primitive living, ROTC zip lining, Turkey and Deer hunting.

Lunch will be provided as well as some fun door prizes.

Starts at 6:30 registration and begins at 8:00 until 3:00.

EMT on duty

Registration Is Online www.pgc.state.pa.us

On PA Game Commission Web Site Selection Education

Look for Field Days

Here is the link location https://www.register-ed.com/events/view/123301

For More Information Contact: Jerry Hooks 724-601-6964

06/25/2018 NEW GAME COMMISSIONERS WELCOMED

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Two vacancies on the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners were filled recently by Scott H. Foradora, of DuBois, and Dennis R. Fredericks, of Amity, to bring the board to its full complement of eight.

Foradora was selected from Region 3, which includes Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Jefferson, McKean and Potter counties. This position was left vacant when former Game Commissioner David Putnam’s term expired.

Fredericks was selected from Region 2, which includes Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Washington and Westmoreland counties. This position was left vacant when former Game Commissioner Robert Schlemmer’s term expired. Learn more about the new commissioners in this recent news release.

Courtesy PA Game Commission  www.pgc.pa.gov

06/27/2018 SECOND ANNUAL WILD PHEASANT YOUTH HUNT ANNOUNCED

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For the second year in a row, 48 junior hunters will have the chance this fall to harvest wild pheasant roosters in Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission announced the application process for the second annual Central Susquehanna Wild Pheasant Recovery Area (WPRA) youth hunt.

Junior hunters between the ages of 12 and 16 are eligible to apply, and each applicant must obtain a 2018-19 Pennsylvania junior hunting or combination license, as well as a free 2018-19 junior pheasant permit, prior to applying. Applications must be filled out online and submitted by the close of business on Friday, Aug. 3.

Applicants will be selected at random during a Aug. 17 drawing, and those who are selected for permits will be notified by Aug. 24.

Courtesy PA Game Commission  www.pgc.pa.gov

Do Not Disturb Young Wildlife

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Whether in their backyards or high on a mountain, it’s almost certain Pennsylvanians will encounter young wildlife this time of year.

While some young animals might appear to be abandoned, usually they are not. It’s likely their mothers are watching over them from somewhere nearby.

So when encountering young deer, birds, raccoons or other young wildlife, the best thing people can do is leave the animals alone.

“People want to help wildlife that appears to be in trouble, but what they often don’t realize is that when they encounter a young wild animal by itself in the spring, it’s usually not alone nor in need of rescue; its mother is nearby,” said Matthew Schnupp, the Game Commission’s wildlife management director. “Leaving such an animal alone so it can reunite with its mother is the best, most-caring thing you can do for it. It ensures the young animal has the chance to grow up as intended.”

Adult animals often leave their young while they forage for food, but they don’t go far and they do return. Wildlife also often relies on a natural defensive tactic called the “hider strategy,” where young animals will remain motionless and “hide” in surrounding cover while adults draw the attention of potential predators or other intruders away from their young.

Deer employ this strategy, and deer fawns sometimes are assumed to be abandoned when, in fact, their mothers are nearby.

The Game Commission urges Pennsylvanians to resist the urge to interfere with young wildlife or remove any wild animal from its natural setting.

Such contact can be harmful to both people and wildlife. Wild animals can lose their natural fear of humans, making it difficult, even impossible, for them to ever again live normally in the wild. And anytime wildlife is handled, there’s always a risk people could contract diseases or parasites such as fleas, ticks and lice.

Wildlife that becomes habituated to humans also can pose a public-safety risk. A few years ago, a yearling, six-point buck attacked and severely injured two people. The investigation into the incident revealed that a neighboring family had illegally taken the deer into their home and fed it as a fawn, and they continued to feed the deer right up until the time of the attack.

It is illegal to take or possess wildlife from the wild. Under state law, the penalty for such a violation is a fine of up to $1,500 per animal.

Under no circumstances will anyone who illegally takes wildlife into captivity be allowed to keep that animal, and under a working agreement with state health officials, any “high risk” rabies vector species confiscated after human contact must be euthanized and tested; it cannot be returned to the wild because the risk of spreading disease is too high.

Animals infected with rabies might not show obvious symptoms, but still might be able to transmit the disease. Though any mammal might carry rabies, the rabies vector species identified in the agreement are: skunks, raccoons, foxes, bats, coyotes and groundhogs.

People can get rabies from the saliva of a rabid animal if they are bitten or scratched, or if the saliva gets into the person’s eyes, mouth or a fresh wound.

Only wildlife rehabilitators, who are licensed by the Game Commission, are permitted to care for injured or orphaned wildlife for the purposes of eventual release back into the wild. For those who find wildlife that truly is in need of assistance, a listing of licensed wildlife rehabilitators can be found on the Pennsylvania Association of Wildlife Rehabilitators website, www.pawr.com.

If you are unable to identify a wildlife rehabilitator in your area, contact the Game Commission region office that serves the county in which the animal is found so that you can be referred to the appropriate licensed wildlife rehabilitator.

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)

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Pennsylvanians who harvest deer anywhere in New York, Ohio, Maryland or West Virginia no longer may bring them home without first removing the carcass parts with the highest risk of transmitting chronic wasting disease (CWD).

As part of the fight to slow the spread of CWD in the Commonwealth, the Pennsylvania Game Commission has updated its executive order prohibiting the importation of high-risk deer parts into Pennsylvania.

While the order has always prohibited whole deer from being brought into Pennsylvania from most U.S. states and Canadian provinces where CWD exists, it previously permitted deer harvested in New York, Ohio, Maryland or West Virginia to be brought in, so long as the deer weren’t reported to have been harvested in any county where CWD has been detected.

The updated order gives Pennsylvania’s free-ranging deer better protection, said Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans.

“The previous rules didn’t provide assurance that deer harvested in CWD-positive counties within New York, Ohio, Maryland or West Virginia weren’t making their way into the Commonwealth,” Burhans said. “While the order prohibited the high-risk parts of those deer from being imported into Pennsylvania, enforcement was difficult for many reasons.

“As we’ve seen in Pennsylvania, just because CWD appears confined to a specific area, doesn’t mean it won’t turn up somewhere completely new, miles away,” Burhans said. “Tightening up this order puts teeth in the Game Commission’s ability to enforce it, allowing us to better protect our deer and elk from CWD.”

Now that the updated order has taken effect, there are a total of 24 states and two Canadian provinces from which high-risk cervid parts cannot be imported into Pennsylvania.

The parts ban affects hunters who harvest deer, elk, moose, mule deer and other cervids in: Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming; as well as the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Those harvesting cervids in the identified states and provinces must leave behind the carcass parts that have the highest risk for transmitting CWD. Those parts are: the head (including brain, tonsils, eyes and any lymph nodes); spinal cord/backbone; spleen; skull plate with attached antlers, if visible brain or spinal cord tissue is present; cape, if visible brain or spinal cord tissue is present; upper canine teeth, if root structure or other soft tissue is present; any object or article containing visible brain or spinal cord tissue; unfinished taxidermy mounts; and brain-tanned hides.

Hunters who are successful in those states and provinces from which the importation of high-risk parts into Pennsylvania is banned are allowed to import meat from any deer, elk, moose, mule deer or caribou, so long as the backbone is not present.

Successful hunters also are allowed to bring back cleaned skull plates with attached antlers, if no visible brain or spinal cord tissue is present; tanned hide or raw hide with no visible brain or spinal cord tissue present; capes, if no visible brain or spinal cord tissue is present; upper canine teeth, if no root structure or other soft tissue is present; and finished taxidermy mounts.

Pennsylvania first detected chronic wasting disease in 2012 at a captive deer facility in Adams County. The disease has since been detected in free-ranging and captive deer in parts of southcentral and northcentral Pennsylvania. To date, 104 free-ranging CWD-positive deer have been detected in Pennsylvania.

The Game Commission in late February also established its fourth Disease Management Area, DMA 4, in Lancaster, Lebanon and Berks counties in response to CWD turning up at a captive deer facility in Lancaster County.

Burhans said hunters who harvest deer, elk or moose in a state or province where CWD is known to exist should follow instructions from that state’s wildlife agency on how and where to submit the appropriate samples to have their animal tested. If, after returning to Pennsylvania, a hunter is notified that his or her harvest tested positive for CWD, the hunter is encouraged to immediately contact the Game Commission region office that serves the county in which they reside for disposal recommendations and assistance.

A list of region offices and contact information can be found at www.pgc.pa.gov by scrolling to the bottom of any page to select the “Connect with Us” tab.

First identified in 1967, CWD affects members of the cervid family, including all species of deer, elk and moose. To date, there have been no reported cases of CWD infection in people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But the disease is always fatal to the cervids it infects.

As a precaution, CDC recommends people avoid eating meat from deer and elk that look sick or that test positive for CWD.

More information on CWD can be found at CDC’s website, www.cdc.gov.

There currently is no practical way to test live animals for CWD, nor is there a vaccine. Clinical signs of CWD include poor posture, lowered head and ears, uncoordinated movement, rough-hair coat, weight loss, increased thirst, excessive drooling, and, ultimately, death.

Much more information on CWD, as well as a video showing hunters how they can process venison for transport and consumption, is available at the Game Commission’s website.

2018-19 MIGRATORY BIRD SEASONS SET

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Pennsylvania’s 2018-19 migratory game bird seasons have been selected.

Annual migratory game bird seasons are selected by states from frameworks established by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Game Commission selections were made after reviewing last year’s season results, population survey data, and input gathered from hunters and the public.

“Under the USFWS regulatory schedule in place since 2016, states now make season selections in early spring rather than late summer,” said Ian Gregg, chief of the Game Commission’s Game Management Division. “Thus, they can be announced and published alongside other hunting season dates, providing hunters additional time to plan their vacations.”

The 2018-19 waterfowl seasons are very similar to those selected in 2017-18. However, hunters will enjoy longer seasons for doves, woodcock, and other “webless” migratory game bird species this year.

“For states where Sunday hunting is closed by state law, the USFWS recently approved compensatory days for webless migratory game bird hunting,” said Gregg. “This provision, which had already been in place for waterfowl, exempts Sundays from being counted against the total number of hunting days allowable under federal frameworks.

“Using doves as an example, in 2017-18, Pennsylvania could only use 78 of the allotted 90 hunting days under the frameworks due to the lack of compensatory days,” Gregg said. “With the change, we are now able to provide 90 actual hunting days for doves.”

Webless Migratory Game Bird Seasons

 

As usual, Sept. 1 will mark the beginning of dove season statewide. The first segment of the season will run through Nov. 24. It will then re-open on Dec. 18 and run through Jan. 5.

Hunters are reminded that, through a regulation change approved by the Board of Game Commissioners in April, hunting hours are now one-half hour before sunrise to sunset throughout the entire dove season.

In previous years, hunting hours during the early portion of the season did not open until noon.

For both dove-season segments the daily bag limit is 15, and the possession limit is 45.

Pennsylvania’s woodcock and common snipe seasons now have two segments. For both species, the first segment opens on Oct. 13 and closes on Nov. 24, and the second segment opens on Dec. 10 and runs through Dec. 18. Daily limits are three woodcock and eight snipe, with possession limits three times the respective daily bag limits.

Virginia and sora rail hunting will run from Sept. 1 to Nov. 21. Bag limits, singly or combined, are three daily and nine in possession. The season for king and clapper rails remains closed.

Hunting for gallinules also runs from Sept. 1 to Nov. 21, and the bag limits are three daily and nine in possession.

Migratory game bird hunters, including those afield for doves and woodcock, are required to obtain and carry a Pennsylvania migratory game bird license ($3.90 for residents, $6.90 for nonresidents), as well as a general hunting, combination or lifetime license.

Hunting hours for woodcock, snipe, rails, and gallinules are one-half hour before sunrise until sunset.

Federal regulations posted on Game Commission’s website

In addition to posting the migratory game bird seasons on its website, the Pennsylvania Game Commission has posted a synopsis of federal regulations that govern migratory game bird and waterfowl seasons to assist hunters in finding answers to questions.

To review the information, go to www.pgc.pa.gov, put your cursor on “Hunt/Trap” in the menu bar at the top of the page, click on “Hunting,” scroll down and click on “Waterfowl Hunting and Conservation,” then scroll down and click on “Federal Waterfowl Regulations” in the “Waterfowl Hunting Regulations” section.

Additional information can be found on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website, www.fws.gov/hunting/whatres.html, where a complete version of the federal regulations (50 CFR Part 20) is posted. When state law differs from the federal law, hunters must comply with the more restrictive law.

Hunters encouraged to report banded birds

Migratory game bird hunters are encouraged to report banded ducks, geese, doves and woodcock they harvest online at www.reportband.gov.

“Telephone band reporting has been eliminated by the federal Bird Banding Laboratory due to cost and data-quality concerns,” said Stempka. “Hunters encountering older bands inscribed with the 1-800-327-BAND telephone number can still report them, but will need to use www.reportband.gov to do so. Callers to the 1-800 number will receive a recorded message directing them to the website.”

Hunters will be requested to provide information on where, when and what species of migratory birds were taken, in addition to the band number. This information is crucial to the successful management of migratory birds.

Stempka also stressed that reporting leg-bands helps the Game Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service learn more about migratory bird movements, and survival and harvest rates, which are critical to population management and setting of hunting regulations. Each year, nearly 380,000 ducks and geese and 30,000 mourning doves are banded across the United States and Canada. Last year, over 6,000 migratory game birds, including more than 5,000 waterfowl, were banded in Pennsylvania.

“Pennsylvania continues to monitor migratory game bird populations in cooperation with other wildlife management agencies across North America,” Stempka explained. “Information provided by hunters is essential to manage migratory game bird populations and support hunting opportunities through time. By reporting the recovery of a leg-band, hunters not only assist in managing the resource, but also have an opportunity to learn interesting facts about the bird they harvested.”

Stempka noted that modern band-reporting systems have produced big dividends. Under the old reporting system, used until the mid-1990s, only about one-third of recovered banded birds were reported by hunters. Since initiation of the online and toll-free methods, band reporting rates have improved to more than 70 percent. This has improved greatly migratory bird management while reducing monitoring costs.

View waterfowl season highlights and the 2018-19 migratory game bird seasons and bag limits.

2018 – 19 Pennsylvania Hunting Licenses Are Available

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Important Information for Online License Buyers

Some internet users might be unable to buy their 2018-19 Pennsylvania hunting licenses online due to an upcoming Internet security update.

The update affects all purchasing websites – not just the Pennsylvania Automated Licensing System – and users of older-model computers are impacted most because many of these systems will be unable to make online purchases of any kind once the update is complete.

Newer computers largely won’t be affected, though users might need to install updated versions of operating systems and web browsers.

The easiest way to determine whether your computer will be capable of making Internet purchases once the update is complete is by going to https://tls1test.salesforce.com/s/ to test your system. If your machine passes the test, it should be good to go in making future online purchases, including buying a hunting license.

Licenses for the 2018-19 license year go on sale Monday, June 18.

Buying licenses as soon as they go on sale increases a hunter’s chances of securing a Deer Management Assistance Program permit for properties where few permits are available.

Buy Your Hunting / Furtaker License 2018 -2019

CWD MANAGEMENT AREA TO BE ANNOUNCED

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The Pennsylvania Game Commission has scheduled a press conference to announce the new Disease Management Area that will be established in response to chronic wasting disease being detected at a Lancaster County deer farm.

The press conference is scheduled to be held Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 1 p.m. at the Game Commission’s headquarters, 2001 Elmerton Ave., Harrisburg.

The Game Commission plans to livestream the press conference on its YouTube channel, where it also will remain posted to view at later times.

Following the press conference, Executive Director Bryan Burhans also will be participating in a Facebook Live video to discuss chronic wasting disease (CWD).

CWD, which is always fatal to deer, elk and other cervids, first was detected in Pennsylvania in 2012 at a captive deer farm in Adams County. It has been detected among free-ranging deer in two areas of the state.

In areas where CWD is detected in captive-raised or free-ranging deer, the Game Commission establishes Disease Management Areas (DMAs), within which special rules apply regarding the hunting, feeding and transport of deer.

Hunters within DMAs are prohibited from using urine-based deer attractants, or possessing them while afield. Deer harvested within a DMA may not be transported whole outside the DMA. Their high-risk parts – including the head and backbone – must be removed and disposed of before meat, antlers and other low-risk parts are transported from the DMA. The feeding of deer is prohibited within DMAs, as is the transport of live cervids.

The Lancaster County CWD-positive deer will result in DMA 4, the boundary of which is being finalized.

Courtesy PA Game Commission

STATE’S HUNGRY THANKFUL FOR HUNTERS

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When they sit down at the dinner table on Thursday, Pennsylvania’s hunters will have plenty for which to be thankful. It’s prime time for Pennsylvania hunting and, with any luck, some game bags or ear tags have been filled already, or are nearly about to be.

But as hunters are giving thanks, they should know also they’re in a prime position to receive thanks for what they might choose to give.

Each year, the generosity of Pennsylvania’s hunters results in about 200,000 meals for the state’s hungry.

By donating venison through Hunters Sharing the Harvest – a program that works through a network of meat processors to channel venison donations to local food banks, soup kitchens and hungry families – hunters extend their helping hands to those in need.

And, once again this year, the Pennsylvania Game Commission and other partners are making it easy for hunters to help out. The Game Commission again donated $20,000 to the program – money that enables Hunters Sharing the Harvest to accept venison donations without charging hunters. In prior years, hunters who donated venison needed also to pay a $15 tax-deductible fee to cover deer-processing costs.

Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans said the agency is proud to partner with Hunters Sharing the Harvest, a program that exemplifies the generosity of Pennsylvania’s hunters.

“There’s no greater gift than feeding someone who is hungry, and our state’s hunters have stepped up to do that, time and again, by working through the program to generously donate meat from the deer they harvest to people in need,” Burhans said.

At a Tuesday news conference to kick off the busiest season for venison donations, Hunters Sharing the Harvest Executive Director John Plowman thanked the Game Commission and others who have helped to make the program a success. All deer donated through Hunters Sharing the Harvest must be processed professionally by a participating butcher. For information on where to take deer to be donated, or to learn more about the program generally, visit Hunters Sharing the Harvest’s website, www.sharedeer.org.

GAME COMMISSION OFFERS FREE CWD TESTS FOR DMA-HARVESTED DEER

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CDW binsHunters within the state’s Disease Management Areas (DMAs) have the opportunity to have their deer tested – free of charge – for chronic wasting disease (CWD), and at the same time help the Game Commission fight this deadly disease.

The Game Commission has installed large metal bins at about two dozen locations for the collection of harvested deer heads within DMA 2 and DMA 3. The bins, which are similar to those used for clothing donations, keep contents secure and are checked and emptied every other day through the deer-hunting seasons.

All deer heads retrieved from the bins that can be tested for CWD, will be tested, and the hunters who submitted them will be notified of the results as soon as they’re available.

This initiative not only benefits the hunter by identifying deer that shouldn’t be consumed, it helps the Game Commission assess and monitor progress of the disease and the effectiveness of future management actions.

“CWD is an increasing threat to Pennsylvania’s deer and elk, and our hunting tradition,” said Wayne Laroche, Game Commission Special Assistant for CWD Response. “So far this year, the number of CWD-positive deer detected in DMA 2 has increased at a faster rate; the first free-ranging CWD-positive deer has been found within DMA 3; and three new deer farms have turned up positive within DMA 2.

“Still, prevalence of the disease in Pennsylvania is low,” Laroche said. “There’s still a chance to minimize the disease’s impacts on wild deer. And it’s a win-win scenario for the hunters who bring the heads of their harvested deer to a collection bin. Not only do they help protect wild deer against the disease’s spread, if they shoot a diseased animal, they’ll know about it and can discard the meat.”

Collection bins were placed within both DMA 2 and DMA 3 in early October, and many of the deer heads dropped off there during the statewide archery deer season already have been tested for CWD, with the hunters notified of the results. The bins will remain in use through the late archery and flintlock deer seasons.

The exact locations of all collection sites is available on the Chronic Wasting Disease page at www.pgc.pa.gov.