House Passes Gillespie Bill to Eliminate Use of Back Tags by Hunters

HARRISBURG – The state House has unanimously passed legislation introduced by state Rep. Keith Gillespie (R-Hellam) that would do away with the practice of sportsmen having to wear back tags while hunting. 

“We are now a step closer to no longer being one of two states – noting New York is the other -- that still requires back tags to be worn by our sportsmen,” said Gillespie. “In addition to being an outdated practice, this is inconvenient for hunters as well.” 

The Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) initiated the change, according to Gillespie, who points out that sportsmen often lose the tags while crawling through the brush or coming in contact with trees in the process of hunting. 

“I know there will be complaints from residents who wish to see visual proof of a license, but this legislation does nothing to detract them from still having the right approach a hunter and ask to see a license,” Gillespie added. “Frankly, the print on these tags is so small that I find it hard to believe it could be read from a distance.” 

Gillespie, an avid sportsman, is a member of the House Game and Fisheries Committee. The bill will now be considered by the state Senate. 

Bull Creek and Bull Creek Members Featured in Post Gazette Article

Female participation in outdoor activities is rising

Sunday, June 12, 2011

By Shannon M. Nass, Special to the Post-Gazette

Trepidation and expectancy was in the air as women of all ages and from all walks of life gathered to try their hand at trap shooting, bird watching and archery. The activities were part of the annual National Wild Turkey Federation's Women in the Outdoors event at Bull Creek Rod and Gun Club in Tarentum June 4. 


The 25 seasoned outdoor veterans and first-timers represented the increasing number of women who are participating in outdoor pursuits.

"Women are the fastest growing segment of the sporting community," said Jeff Souders, Pennsylvania Women in the Outdoors coordinator. Souders was present at the event, a National Wild Turkey Federation outreach program. 

"It's a non-competitive, easygoing, friendly atmosphere and it's non-threatening, so women are more likely to try it out," he said.

The event was coordinated by the Allegheny Valley chapter of Women in the Outdoors and included courses in archery, bird watching, Dutch oven cooking, handguns, rifle marksmanship, shot guns, trapshooting, self-defense and soap making.

The federation launched the program in 1998 in response to an increasing number of women participating in outdoor activities.

"We saw that there was a growing interest in women wanting to get outdoors and wanting to try new activities," said Teresa Carroll, coordinator of the program for the federation.

Events such as the one at Bull Creek and numerous women-only hunts are organized by local chapters all across the country each year. With 84 Women in the Outdoors chapters, Carroll said Pennsylvania is one of the strongest states.

It's not surprising since, according to the Wild Turkey Federation, women are Pennsylvania's fastest growing group of hunters.

This trend sparked the interest of the Pennsylvania Game Commission and in June 2010, it partnered with the federation to help provide more outdoor opportunities to women in Pennsylvania. Carroll said the game commission is closely monitoring the events to see what impact the program has on the recruitment and retention of female hunters in Pennsylvania.

In addition, funding provided by the commission enabled the federation to hire Souders as a full-time, Women in the Outdoors coordinator in Pennsylvania, making it the only state with its own coordinator.

He said he is working to increase the number of events in Pennsylvania and reach out to women who have never participated in the program. He also supports the volunteer coordinators who help with events.

Lori Lojak of Fawn Township is the volunteer event coordinator for the Allegheny Valley chapter of Women in the Outdoors. "I want to make women aware of what's out there and get people involved with the outdoors," she said.

Lojak said the event at Bull Creek draws new women every year with varying levels of skills.

Firearms classes are the most popular, she said. "A lot of the women are taking the gun classes," she said. "The firearm instructors are busy all day."

Upon Lojak's prompting, Melissa Garstecki of South Side attended the event at Bull Creek for the first time and signed up for the archery and firearm classes. Garstecki said she considers herself a city girl and was nervous about coming to the event.

"This is a very different experience for me," she said. "This is very unlike me." Garstecki proved to be an excellent markswoman and as a result of her experience, she said she plans to spend more time in the outdoors.

"I've never experienced anything like this before," she said. "I love it." The events are open to women ages 14 and older. Carroll said the women-only environment helps participants feel more comfortable and is less intimidating.

"A lot of women are not sure about the program, but if you can get them to one of our events, the event sells itself," she said. "The women who come really get an unexpected surprise."

The Bible Chapel in Peters Township is reaching out to women as well through their Viva program, an outdoor adventure group for women.

Women's ministry director Laura Ankrom said that when Viva was launched a few years ago, it didn't take much coaxing to get women involved. "Women were ready for something like this," she said. "We didn't have any trouble finding people who wanted to get outside."

Vonnie Teagarden of Waynesburg is the Viva leader and a veteran outdoors enthusiast.

"I'm happiest when there's blue sky over me and green grass under my feet," she said.

Some of the activities Teagarden plans each year are cross-country skiing, hiking, biking, kayaking, horseback riding and caving. New this year is zip lining.

Ankrom said there is camaraderie among the women and new friendships are formed at every event. She also noted the sense of accomplishment among first-timers.

"Once they've completed an activity, they are very proud of themselves," she said. "They had this little twinge in their head that maybe they wouldn't be able to finish it, and when they finish, there's a great amount of joy and pride in the fact that they accomplished something. They really like that feeling."

Souders said camaraderie and newfound confidence are also present among the women at the events and may very well be the driving force behind their increased participation.

"At every event, you can see the ladies come in, and they're passive when they first get here. By lunchtime, they've shot the guns, they've looked at some birds, and they're best friends," said Souders. "Their confidence builds, and hopefully they'll take the confidence that they build here and they'll continue to pursue it on their own or with their families."

For more information, visit www.womenintheoutdoors.org For more information on Viva, visit www.biblechapel.org.

Women in the Outdoors holds a training program at Bull Creek Rod & Gun Club near Tarentum. Scott Rafalko, right, of the Allegheny Valley Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, instructs Julie McClelland of Allison Park in how to use a shotgun. Other women are, from left: Donna Betza of Lower Burrell, Brittany Thomas of Deer Lake, and Sara Flasher of the North Side.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11163/1153139-358-0.stm

Lawmakers, Farm Bureau at Odds Over Sunday Hunting

By Bob Frye, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, June 12, 2011
There are probably few issues on which the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and Humane Society of the United States are allies.

Sunday hunting is one of them.

Pennsylvania is one of just 11 states nationwide to prohibit — at least partially — hunting on Sundays. Hunters here can pursue coyotes, foxes and crows on the week's seventh day, but all other species are off limits.

That law's been in place since 1873.

Now, though, some lawmakers want to change that. Citing the expected economic benefits of Sunday hunting — which some believe could top $1 billion annually -- state Rep. John Evans, a Crawford County Republican, and Rep. Ed Staback, a Lackawanna County Democrat, are crafting legislation that would remove the prohibition and give the Pennsylvania Game Commission the option to include Sundays in hunting seasons if it chose to do so.

The bill is expected to come forward within the next few weeks.

On Thursday, the first of three public hearings on the issue took place at Seven Springs Mountain Resort. The hearing was hosted by the House of Representatives Game and Fisheries Committee.

The Farm Bureau and Humane Society made it clear they don't like the proposal.

Nila Coga, a Somerset County vegetable grower and member of the Farm Bureau's board of directors, as well as an ordained minister, said farmers view Sundays as their day of "peace and quiet." They don't want to deal with hunters knocking on their doors at 4 and 5 a.m. looking for permission to hunt. That "can be more frustrating than telemarketers calling at dinner time," she said.

If that occurs, many farmers may post their land against hunting completely, she said.

Staback said he's heard those concerns for years. They are the same ones voiced when New York and Ohio allowed Sunday hunting a decade ago, he said.

"And you now what? Not one of those issues they feared ever materialized," Staback said. "Some of the stuff you guys are alluding to is farfetched."

Sarah Speed, state director for the Humane Society of the United States — who denied the organization is anti-hunting, despite its official stance against killing wildlife for "fun or sport" — said that group opposes hunting on Sundays because it's the one day of the week when non-hunters can use the woods without fear of being shot. Sundays are also important to wildlife because they are the one day of rest "they've had and they're used to."

The hearing featured supporters of Sunday hunting, too: the National Rifle Association, National Shooting Sports Foundation and United States Sportsmen's Alliance. The groups — part of a Sunday Hunting Coalition launched this year to remove the bans on Sunday hunting everywhere — touted the positive impact of adding a weekend day to the hunting schedule for working people and those with children.

"With the ban on hunting on Sundays in place, we are severely limiting our opportunities for recruiting new hunters," said Evan Heusenkveld, director of state services for the Sportsmen's Alliance.

Jake McGuigan of the Shooting Sports Foundation agreed, noting that agencies like the Game Commission rely on license-buying hunters for the money to pay for conservation.

"Where is that funding going to come from in the future if we do not expand opportunities with Sunday hunting?" he asked.

When asked, though, they could not say that legalizing Sunday hunting in other states has directly led to more youth hunters being created.

The issue is controversial, said Evans, majority chairman of the Game and Fisheries Committee. He once opposed Sunday hunting himself, he said. He's changed his mind because of its potential to recruit hunters, create jobs and inject huge amounts of new dollars into the state economy.

That's why he plans to move forward, he said.

"I think there are some pretty compelling arguments for allowing this," he said

Read more: Lawmakers, Farm Bureau at odds over Sunday hunting - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/outdoors/s_741561.html

Bull Creek Hosts 10th Annual Women In The Outdoors Event and Banquet

The National Wild Turkey Federation’s Women In The Outdoors Program was held at Bull Creek Rod and Gun Club this past Saturday June 4^th. Event co-coordinator and club member Lori Lojak reports that 25 women participated in classes including handguns, rifle, shotgun, archery, self-defense, soap making, Dutch oven and bird watching.

Lori reported “The women really enjoyed themselves; some first timers found that they were very good at shooting, with one hitting 4 out of 6 [clay] birds and this was the first time she ever shot a gun!”

Women in the Outdoors events are held across the country using experts and trained professionals to teach outdoor skills in a noncompetitive environment. The Women in the Outdoors program helps members develop outdoor skills and emphasizes the importance of wildlife management and the role of hunters in conservation. For more information on joining please go to www.womenintheoutdoors.org.

Here are some pictures from this year’s event:

Handgun Shooting

Archery

WITO Gear!

Trap Shooting

Archery

Self Defense

Shotgun

Bird Watching

Reloading Shotgun Shells

Dutch Oven

French Creek Valley Chapter Of The Ruffed Grouse Society 2011 Wing Shooting Schools And Youth Pheasant Hunts

French Creek Valley Chapter Of The Ruffed Grouse Society
2011 Wing Shooting Schools And Youth Pheasant Hunts


JULY 30th & AUG 13th --- SHOTGUN SAFETY & CLAY SHOOTING INSTRUCTION
Clinton/Irwin Gun Club provided by NSSA, NSCA and NRA Certified instructor Nick Sisely


SEPT 10th & 27th --- YOUTH PHEASANT HUNTS


The shooting preserve of Jeff Cross in Saegertown, provided by Mr. Cross. The future of habitat conservation begins with new hunters. The French Creek Valley Chapter of the Ruffed Grouse Society will have several days of free instruction and introduction to wing shooting and hunting throughout the summer and early fall. Please encourage a young person or new hunter to take part and mentor the future of conservation.


There is no fee for instruction or youth pheasant hunts. Please reply by the registration deadlines listed below. Students need to bring or purchase their own ammunition. Ammunition will be available for purchase at the events.


A 20 gauge Tri – Star youth gun will be available for students at the safety and clay shooting instruction events for those that do not bring their own shotgun. Hearing protection and safety glasses, are required, and will be available for use; however students are encouraged to bring their own.


Students must be at least 12 years of age and accompanied by a parent or guardian to all events. The signature of a parent or guardian on the registration form and waiver of liability form are required to participate. To take part in the youth pheasant hunts, participants must have a valid hunter’s safety card. In addition to hearing protection and safety glasses youth pheasant hunters and parents/guardians accompanying them in the field are required to wear 250 square inches of blaze orange, including a blaze orange hat.


All events go on rain or shine. Please dress appropriately for the weather and field conditions. Refreshments and food will not be provided at these free events.


The Clinton Irwin Gun Club is located at 333 Jones Road in Harrisville, PA 16038. The shooting preserve of Mr. Cross is located at 19394 Jamie Road in Saegertown, PA 16433.

For more information and to register click on this link.

A Two-For-One Deal!

Phil Rutt of Quarryville, PA shows off his two-for-one catches.

Rutt was fishing a small lake in Bradford County on May 14 when he hooked the small largemouth on the right. As he was reeling in that fish, the bigger largemouth — 24-inches long, 8 pounds — swam out of the depths and inhaled the smaller bass.

Rutt managed to hook the big bass in the lip with the hook that was also stuck in the mouth of the smaller fish, and he landed both.

After a few pictures, both fish were released.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/396414_A-two-for-one-deal.html

Wet Spring Could Hamper Fall Game Bird Hunting

Sunday, May 29, 2011
By Scott Shalaway

The end of summer seems a long way off, but the rain we've received over the last six weeks will affect the success of ground-nesting game birds. This includes ducks, geese, ruffed grouse, turkeys and, to a limited degree because there are so few, bobwhite and ring-necked pheasants.

These birds are particularly susceptible to wet springs because when the ground is saturated, it is difficult to keep eggs dry and warm. When rainfall is normal, hens use their bodies to shield the clutch from rainfall. But when it rains almost every day, chilling moisture seeps into the nest from the ground.

The nesting period for these game birds is fairly lengthy. Hens lay one egg per day and clutch size varies from four or five eggs for geese to 10 or more for bobwhite, grouse, turkeys, ducks and pheasants. Then add an incubation period that ranges from 23 days for bobwhite and grouse to 31 days for turkeys.

Unfortunately, the last month has been very wet. It has certainly been an unusual year and could result in very few successful nests. Game bird numbers could be down this fall.

Fortunately, most ground nesting birds renest if they lose their first attempt. They can recover, but late nests are more vulnerable to predators such as foxes and raccoons that have lots of babies to feed. And second clutches are often smaller than the first clutch.

Game birds have long incubation periods because their young are precocial. When these chicks hatch, they can leave the nest in a matter of hours. Precocial chicks stay with one or both parents for several weeks after hatching, but feed independently within a matter of days. During wet springs, however, even insect populations suffer and young precocial birds may have a hard time finding high protein food.

Watch for broods of game birds this spring and into the summer. Your observations will be best guide to predicting the status of fall populations.

Scott Shalaway is a biologist and author. His other weekly Post-Gazette column, "GETintoNATURE," is published in the GETout section. Shalaway can be reached at http://scottshalaway.googlepages.com and RD 5, Cameron, WV 26033.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11149/1149982-358.stm

New Deer Survive Due To Concealment, Timing

Sunday, May 22, 2011

By Ben Moyer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

There are thousands of them out there right now -- six to eight pounds each, warm brown dappled with white, looking like they're all legs and ears. The sight warms the hearts of animal lover and seasoned hunters alike.

They are whitetail fawns, nearing the peak of their springtime arrivals.

Doug Furin of Jumonville, Fayette County, saw a fawn last week, while digging "ramps" or wild leeks.

"I didn't even know it was there," Furin said. "I laid my bag of ramps on the ground and started to dig when I caught movement out of the side of my eye. There was this fawn, curled up in the leaves beside my bag. I'd almost stepped on it."

Furin did the right thing by the fawn and its mother. He left in a hurry.

"I know enough not to disturb them," he said. "I took a quick picture, heard the doe snort and got out of there. I think [the doe] had another one nearby because she kept looking back and forth."

Furin's encounter gave him a glimpse of the white-tailed deer's simple, but effective, strategy for ushering enough fawns into adulthood to sustain the species -- camouflaged young, concealed in the doe's absence, emitting little or no scent.

When a fawn lies motionless, the spots, numbering about a hundred on each side, give the appearance of dappled sunlight, an effective camouflage unless the young deer flinches, as did Furin's. Although Furin found the newborn lying down, it is likely that it had already taken some steps. Biologists' accounts document that fawns typically try to stand within 10 minutes of birth, and that most can stagger a few steps soon after. Young of large ruminants like deer, caribou and antelope must be able to leave the birth site quickly to avoid predators attracted to the scent of fluids lost by the doe. By six days of age, fawns can easily follow their mother anywhere.

Despite those built-in precautions, predators still exploit the protein windfall of whitetail fawns. In a two-year (2000-2001) study of fawn mortality on two sites in central Pennsylvania, Game Commission and Penn State biologists identified predation as the greatest source of fawn mortality. Researchers monitored marked fawns until the fall hunting season and found 46 percent of all spring and summer fawn mortality attributable to predators. Fawns were especially vulnerable during their first nine weeks. Bears and coyotes killed roughly equal numbers. Bobcat predation was minor.

Still, biologists concluded that enough fawns survived to at least sustain the herd.

"We have no evidence to suggest that the fawn survival rates we observed were preventing population growth," the authors wrote.

Another, more complex, ploy has helped whitetails thrive for hundreds of thousands of years, despite predators that find and eat as many fawns as they can.

"It's called a 'birth pulse' or 'birth synchrony.' The idea is that most fawns are born in a short window of time, which overwhelms predation. Even bears and coyotes can only eat so many fawns at the same time," said Marrett Grund, farmland deer project leader for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and a former deer biologist with the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Grund explained that when the ratio of adult does to bucks in a population is balanced, bucks are able to breed all available does during a tight span in the fall rut. After a seven-month gestation, then, does drop their fawns at roughly the same time.

Among Pennsylvania's deer herd, 70 percent of fawns are born within 14 days of the first day of June.

But in herds with higher proportions of females, some does do not conceive until later 28-day estrus cycles, spreading out the birth pulse throughout the summer.

"If the pulse is extended, predators can feed on fawns for a longer period of time," Grund said. "Over the season, predators form a 'search image,' sort of like humans do when they are searching for mushrooms or something else that's hard to see. Given enough time, predators get good at finding [fawns]."

Grund explained that roughly equal numbers of male and female fawns are born each spring.

"But when deer densities become unnaturally high, the birth proportions shift to about 52 percent males. We believe that is a natural way for the population to self-regulate," Grund said.

Grund agreed that Furin did the right thing when he found his fawn. "It's a rare opportunity. Enjoy it," Grund said. "But do not touch. The proximity of a large predator, represented by your presence, is stressful to the fawn. If you handle or touch it, you only add to the stress."

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11142/1148165-358-0.stm

This Hunting Season Is Over - For Good!



The Navy Seal was asked what he felt right before he
shot Osama Ben Laden and his response was, "Recoil".



Local Gun Maker Introduces High-end Pistol

By Bob Frye, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, May 1, 2011

Pennsylvania gained fame more than two centuries ago for producing some of the finest, most accurate longrifles in the world, the misnamed "Kentucky" rifle.

Could it next be known for being home to some of the best pistols around?

Perhaps, if a Butler County manufacturer — the only gun maker in Pennsylvania — succeeds. Cabot Guns will officially launch a line of four high-end, 1911-style sidearms in January at the Las Vegas-based SHOT Show, the shooting industry's annual convention.

But shooters will get a sneak peak at the guns starting today, at Cabot's booth - No. 3508 — at the National Rifle Association's gun show at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. The company's website, http://www.cabotguns.com/, goes live today, too.

All of the company's pistols are made by Penn United Technologies Inc. in Cabot. The manufacturer has ties to the defense, oil and gas and electronic technology industries, said Cabot president Robert Bianchin.

In fact, it's that background which sets the company apart. Penn United is making guns so fine that the parts from one gun can be interchanged with the parts from another, something that's never been possible before, Bianchin said.

"We build them where the parts are identical, clones every time. The tolerances are 0.001 inches all the time, every time," he said.

"As an example, if you took a human hair and split it three times, then split it again 10 times, that's what we're working with. That's why we believe this is the highest quality 1911 ever produced."

It might need to be if the company is to succeed.

The 1911 is a single action, semi-automatic, recoil-operated .45-caliber gun. Created by legendary gun maker John Browning, it's called the 1911 because that's the year it was adopted as the official sidearm of the American military. It remained in service from World War I through the mid-1980s.

They remain the most popular style of handgun with recreational and competitive pistol shooters, said Bruce Piendl, general manager of Anthony Arms and Accessories in West Mifflin.

"The way people talk about Corvettes and Harley Davidsons, that's how they talk about 1911s," he said.

But the competition for that market is intense. Virtually every major gun manufacturer produces a 1911, he said.

"So there are tons of 1911s out there," Piendl said.

That's OK, Bianchin said. Cabot Guns' 1911 are intended to satisfy a specific niche in that market. The quality of their manufacture — plus aesthetic features like grips made from Sonoran desert ironwood — make them the "Ferrari of the 1911 pistols."

The price reflects that, too. They will average $4,500 each, with some as expensive as $4,950.

"We weren't looking to save money anywhere. They're very expensive to make," Bianchin said. "So they aren't for everyone. But for connoisseurs, collectors, competitive shooters, people who expect top-of-the-line quality, I think they're going to be very impressed."

The company has bigger plans, too. Over the next 12 to 24 months, it plans to produce additional sidearms, including concealed carry and women's versions. It may develop factory tours and a museum of sorts to turn its facility into a destination for gun owners, too.

"We think Cabot Guns has the potential to become a major and enduring brand in the next five to 10 years," Bianchin said.

Read more: Local gun maker introduces high-end pistol - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/outdoors/s_734843.html