News – Page 5

06/25/2018 NEW GAME COMMISSIONERS WELCOMED

July 3, 2018 by Staff

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

July 3, 2018 by Staff

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

July 4th is Fish-for-Free Day

June 25, 2018 by Staff

Families and friends visiting Pennsylvania’s popular outdoor spots during Independence Day on Wednesday, July 4th can enjoy a day of free fishing, thanks to the PFBC.

Fish-for-Free Days allow anyone – residents and non-residents – to legally fish in Pennsylvania without a fishing license. From 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m., no fishing license is needed to fish in Pennsylvania’s waterways. All other fishing regulations apply.

Do Not Disturb Young Wildlife

June 25, 2018 by Staff

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)

June 25, 2018 by Staff

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

June 25, 2018 by Staff

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.

“Days of Summer” Giveaway!

June 25, 2018 by Staff

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) has partnered with “The Rest of PA,” a consortia of local tourism entities and Bass Pro Shops in Harrisburg to sponsor a giveaway that includes a two-day getaway package and an Ascend 10T Sit-on-Top Lime Green Fishing Kayak.

The first prize in this giveaway is a choice of two remaining weekend get-away packages from the four regional locations sponsoring this prize: Columbia Montour Visitors Bureau, Endless Mountains Visitors Bureau, Susquehanna River Valley Visitors Bureau and Visit Potter-Tioga. The choices will be known after the winner of the “Spring into Fishing Getaway” selects one of the three remaining excursions.
The getaway package includes accommodations for up to four people including lodging, meals and exposure to local fishing.

The second-place prize is an Ascend 10T Sit-on-Top lime green fishing kayak donated by Bass Pro Shops. This sit-on-top model is ideal to target a variety of species on Commonwealth waters.

The public can enter this giveaway by visiting www.GoneFishingPA.com from June 1 through August 20, or by entering in person at the following events at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa.:

Gander Outdoors 400 Weekend – July 27-29
ABC Supply 500 Weekend – Aug. 18-19

The winners will be notified after August 20. A date, time and location for the winner to pick up the kayak will be determined in the weeks after the winner is notified, and the other prizes will be mailed after they’ve been awarded. No purchase is required and only one entry per qualifying adult will be accepted.

FishBoatPA mobile application–FREE!

June 25, 2018 by Staff

With thousands of downloads, anglers and boaters know the value of FishBoatPA– the official (and FREE) app from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. Whether you want to go fishing, explore waterways by boat, buy a fishing license, or simply enjoy the beauty of Pennsylvania’s aquatic resources, the FishBoatPA app provides the information and services you need. And, our app has been recently updated to reflect the summer months of “bass fishing and boating.” There are more features and information than ever in this free app.

Access to fishing and boating regulations.
Near Me mapping feature for locating boating access points, stocked streams and lakes, bass locations, and where to purchase fishing licenses.
New! Lake Erie shoreline and tributary fishing.
Fish identification tool.

It’s available for Android through the Google PLAY store and for iPhone through Apple’s App Store. For more information, CLICK HERE.

2018 – 19 Pennsylvania Hunting Licenses Are Available

June 25, 2018 by Staff

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

2018 Eagle CAM Links

February 26, 2018 by Staff

Webcams links to US Bald Eagle nests

Webcams links to US Bald Eagle nests

Pittsburgh, Hays Neighborhood

Pittsburgh, Harmar

Hanover, PA

Washington, D.C.

Northeast Florida

Southeast Florida

Decorah, Iowa