Junior Pheasant Hunts Offer Choice

Two dates on this year’s schedule, but registration deadline is nearing.

Junior hunters this fall will get two shots at taking part in a special pheasant hunt just for them.

In an effort to better accommodate the busy schedules families often have, the Pennsylvania Game Commission this year is allowing the sportsmen’s clubs that host Junior Pheasant Hunts some leeway in planning their events.

In previous years, all Junior Pheasant Hunt events statewide were held on the same Saturday. But this year, clubs are permitted to host events on either Saturday in the junior pheasant season.

And some clubs have responded by scheduling two events – one each on Oct. 12 and Oct. 19.

“We’re glad to see clubs stepping up to meet the growing interest our junior hunters have demonstrated,” Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe said.

Junior Pheasant Hunts are events for youngsters between the ages of 12 and 16 years old who have successfully completed a Hunter-Trapper Education course. The events are held on Saturdays during the one-week junior pheasant season, which this year runs from Saturday, Oct. 12 to Saturday, Oct. 19.

Junior Pheasant Hunts all are held on lands open to public hunting, and the Game Commission provides clubs with about 3,000 pheasants to stock for the hunts. The commission stocks another 15,000 pheasants statewide ahead of the junior season, and this year plans to release more than 200,000 pheasants across Pennsylvania.

Youngsters taking part in a Junior Pheasant Hunt event are not required to purchase a license, but they must wear the necessary amount of fluorescent orange and be accompanied as required by law.

  Juniors who register to hunt in a special event, or who otherwise hunt pheasants in the junior season, must adhere to Pennsylvania’s long-standing daily bag limit of two pheasants and may only harvest cock pheasants in select wildlife management units.

Roe urged youngsters interested in taking part in a Junior Pheasant Hunt to register soon. Space is limited for most events, and the registration deadline is Sept. 25. 

“Ask anyone who has been involved in our Junior Pheasant Hunts and they’ll tell you there’s really not a better opportunity out there for young hunters to get a taste of excitement and success afield,” Roe said. “Don’t wait until it’s too late to sign up.”

Those looking to register for events, can click on the Junior Pheasant Hunt button on the home page of the Game Commission’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us). Registration can be completed online.

Information on Junior Pheasant Hunts also can be found by scrolling the cursor over “Education” in the menu bar at the top of the home page, then following this sequence: Click on  “Go Hunting and Shooting,” then “Youth Programs,” then “Junior Pheasant Hunt  Program.”

A county-by-county list of events follows:

Allegheny County:

Bullcreek Rod and Gun Club will host its junior pheasant hunt at the club near Tarentum for 30 juniors on Oct. 12. The deadline to register is Sept. 25. Register online at http://www.register-ed.com/events/view/35345.

Armstrong County:

Apollo Spring Church Sportsmen’s Club will host its junior pheasant hunt at the club for 30 juniors on Oct. 12. The deadline to register is Sept. 25. Register online at http://www.register-ed.com/events/view/34502.

Beaver County:

Beaver County Sportsmen’s Conservation League will host two junior pheasant hunts for 24 juniors each – one at State Game Lands 173 on Oct. 12, and one at Raccoon Creek State Park on Oct. 19. Register online at http://www.register-ed.com/events/view/35518 for the hunt Oct. 12, or http://www.register-ed.com/events/view/35519 for the hunt Oct. 19. Deadline to register is Sept. 25

Bedford County:

Bedford County Sportsmen’s Club will host two junior pheasant hunts in Bedford on Oct. 12 and 19.  Fifty juniors will be accepted for each hunt. Register online at http://www.register-ed.com/events/view/34979 for the hunt on Oct. 12^, or http://www.register-ed.com/events/view/34981 for the hunt on Oct. 19. The deadline to register is Sept. 25. Contact Chad or Kelly Kendall at 814-847-2558 or email ckkendall@embarqmail.com after registering to verify hunt times.

Bedford-Fulton Pheasants Forever Chapter  No. 741 will host its junior pheasant hunt on State Game Lands 97 on Oct. 12.  Up to 30 juniors can participate and the deadline to register is Sept. 25.  Register online at http://www.register-ed.com/events/view/35510.

Southern Cove Rod & Gun Club will host its junior pheasant hunt in New Enterprise for 50 juniors on Oct. 12. The deadline to register is Sept. 25.  Register online at http://www.register-ed.com/events/view/34795.

Blair County:

Smokey Run Rod & Gun Club, Martinsburg Sportsman Club, Henrietta Sportsman Club, and Loop Sportsman Club will host a junior pheasant hunt on State Game Lands 147 for 25 juniors on Oct. 12. The deadline to register is Sept. 25.  Register online at http://www.register-ed.com/events/view/33480. 

Centre County:

3 Point Sportsmen Club will host its junior pheasant hunt in Sproul State Forest, reclaim strip mine land, Clarence, for 60 juniors on October 12. Register online at http://www.register-ed.com/events/view/35543. The deadline to register is Sept. 25.

Clearfield County:

Pennsylvania Wildlife Habitat Unlimited will host its junior pheasant hunt at the All Seasons Trap & Skeet Club near Luthersburg for 25 juniors on Oct. 12. Register online at http://www.register-ed.com/events/view/35053. The deadline to register is Sept. 25.

Columbia County:

Central Susquehanna Pheasants Forever will host its junior pheasant hunt on State Game Lands 226 near Millville for 15 juniors on Oct. 12. Register online at http://www.register-ed.com/events/view/35797. The deadline to register is Sept. 10.

Crawford County:

Black Ash Sportsman Club will host its junior pheasant hunt at the club for 20 juniors on Oct. 12. Register online at http://www.register-ed.com/events/view/35508. The deadline to register is Sept. 25.

Erie County:

Pheasants Forever of Northwest PA will host two junior pheasant hunts on Millers Farm, Riley Siding Road, Union City for 25 juniors each hunt. Register online at http://www.register-ed.com/events/view/34572 for the hunt Oct. 12, or http://www.register-ed.com/events/view/34573 for the hunt Oct. 19. The deadline to register is Sept. 25. 

Elk County:

North Central PA Pheasants Forever Chapter 630 will host two junior pheasant hunts on State Game Lands 44, Sawmut Tract in Brockport for 65 juniors each hunt. Register online at http://www.register-ed.com/events/view/33996 for the hunt Oct. 12^, or http://www.register-ed.com/events/view/33997 for the hunt Oct. 19. The deadline to register is Sept. 14.

Franklin County:

Cumberland Valley Chapter Pheasants Forever will hold its junior pheasant hunt on State Game Lands 124, Mercersburg for 40 juniors on Oct. 12. Register online http://www.register-ed.com/events/view/35347 for the hunt from 7 a.m. to noon, or http://www.register-ed.com/events/view/35504 for the hunt from 11a.m. to 3 p.m. The deadline to register is Sept. 15.

                                   

Lancaster County:

Lititz Sportsmen’s Association will host its junior pheasant hunt at Speedwell Forge Lake near Lititz for 25 juniors on Oct. 12. The deadline to register is Sept. 25. Register online at https://www.register-ed.com/events/view/34006.

Lexington Rod & Gun Club will host its junior pheasant hunt at Speedwell Forge Lake near Lititz for 20 juniors on Oct. 19. The deadline to register is Sept. 25. Register online at http://www.register-ed.com/events/view/35512.

Luzerne County:

Northeast PA Chapter of Pheasants Forever Chapter 803 will host its junior pheasant hunt on SGL 119 near Bear Creek for 45 juniors on Oct. 12. Register online at http://www.register-ed.com/events/view/33028.  The deadline to register is Sept. 25. 

United Sportsmens Camp 271 will host its junior pheasant hunt near Shickshinny for 30 juniors on Oct. 19.  Register online at http://www.register-ed.com/events/view/35059.  The deadline to register is Sept. 25.

Warren County:

Kalbfus Rod and Gun Club will hold its junior pheasant hunt at the Hibner property near Sugar Grove for 25 juniors on Oct. 12. Register online at http://www.register-ed.com/events/view/35515. The deadline to register is Sept. 25.

Corry Rod & Gun Club will host two junior pheasant hunts in Tidioute for 20 juniors each hunt. Register online at http://www.register-ed.com/events/view/34495 for the hunt Oct. 12, or http://www.register-ed.com/events/view/34496 for the hunt Oct. 19. The deadline to register is Sept. 25.

Washington County:

McDonald Sportsmen will host its junior pheasant hunt in McDonald for 50 juniors on Oct. 12. The deadline to register is Sept. 25. Register online at http://www.register-ed.com/events/view/34840.

Westmoreland County:

Law Enforcement Officers of Westmoreland County will host its junior pheasant hunt at Mammoth Park, Norvelt for 50 juniors on Oct. 12. Register online at http://www.register-ed.com/events/view/34930. The deadline to register is Sept. 25.

Rostraver Sportsmen & Conservation Association will host its junior pheasant hunt at the club in Belle Vernon for 30 juniors on Oct. 12. Register online at https://www.register-ed.com/events/view/34505. The deadline to register is Sept. 25.

York County:

Starview Sportsmen’s Association will host its junior pheasant hunt on State Game Lands 243 in Franklintown for 12 juniors on Oct. 12. Register online at http://www.register-ed.com/events/view/34842. The deadline to register is Sept. 25.

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Early Goose Season Allows Hunters To Target Stay-At-Home Birds

By Bob Frye 

Lower Burrell native and chairman of the Allegheny chapter
of Delta Waterfowl Don Taylor (left) and Clinton native and member
of Delta Waterfowl Ryan Slaney, 23, set up their blinds in a
demonstration for preparing for the September resident
goose season Saturday

Undoubtedly, a lot of people will start their Labor Day holiday by sleeping late and enjoying a leisurely morning.

Don Taylor won't be among them.

The Lower Burrell man will be up, dressed and out the door hours before the sun has shouldered aside the night. Anticipation will have made sleep impossible anyway.

But that's the nature of obsession.

Pennsylvania's resident Canada goose hunting season begins Monday. It's the first opportunity of the year for waterfowlers, and Taylor will be out there looking to knock a few birds out of the sky.

“It's a rush unlike anything else in Pennsylvania. It's a completely different experience, to call birds in, to make them come to you,” said Taylor, who serves as chairman of the Allegheny Chapter of Delta Waterfowl.

Wildlife managers wish there were more Taylors out there. Pennsylvania's resident geese — birds that live in the state year-round, rather than migrating — number about 279,000. The population goal is 150,000.

“Canada geese remain abundant in the state. Really, they're overabundant,” said Kevin Jacobs, the Pennsylvania Game Commission's waterfowl biologist.

Yet only about 30,000 people will hunt them this year, if history holds, a pittance in a state where 150,000 people pursue squirrels, 240,000 chase spring turkeys and 800,000 hunt deer. Jacobs said that's partly due to the unique economic barriers of the sport; decoys, for example, can be $150 or more for a half dozen.

“It takes a motivated individual to do it,” Jacobs said.

Hunters — even new waterfowlers — can have some success at this time of year without first having to acquire a garage full of gear, though, Taylor said. In fact, early-season waterfowling is the easiest waterfowling.

The flocks out there now are full of younger birds. They've never been shot over, and that lack of experience makes them more vulnerable than the wiser birds of later fall, he said. The fact they live in smaller family groups means they're more likely now to come in to smaller spreads, he added.

That won't be the case in, say, November, “when you really can't have too many” decoys, Taylor said.

But right now, less is more.

“If I'm on the water, I generally use between six and 12 decoys. If I'm in a field, I try to mimic what I see when scouting, but not go over,” Taylor said.

Calling is less critical now than later, too, Taylor added. In fact, early in the season, he calls “only when absolutely necessary” to coax birds in.

What you do need to do is figure out where the birds want to be and make sure you get there first, he said. He calls it “getting on the X.” That “X” often involves farm fields where the birds are feeding.

Canada geese are grazers, so low-cut grass and fields are prime places to find them, Jacobs said.

“Oat stubble is a real big thing this time of year. Geese love waste oats,” Jacobs said. “If you can find fields where dairy farmers have chopped down their corn for silage, that's probably the second-best kind of habitat. Pastures are also good places to hunt, probably No. 3 on the list.”

In some places, hunters hunt fields almost exclusively. That's the case in southern Westmoreland County, said Matt Lucas, the commission's wildlife conservation officer there. In others, like central Somerset County, it's lakes surrounded by agricultural fields where hunters do best.

“We've got some bigger bodies of water, Lake Stony Creek, Indian Lake, Somerset Lake, surrounded by farm fields, and there are a lot of opportunities to hunt geese there,” said conservation officer Brian Witherite.

Wherever you hunt, you need to stay hidden.

“Concealment is probably No. 1 in waterfowl hunting. Their eyesight is so keen,” Jacobs said. “If they see anything they don't like or that looks out of place, they'll fly right by.”

If you use something like a lay-down ground blind, you need to “muddy” or “stubble” it up to make it match the cover you're in, Taylor said. If you're on a river bank or public spot where it's either illegal to build a permanent blind or unwise, in that it gives away your spots to other hunters, tucking yourself in some weeds and sitting still can be enough, he added.

Resident geese, which live around people all the time, are almost trained to ignore some things. Movement where there should be none is not one of them, he said.

He's also always sure to cover his face with a camouflage mask, too.

Follow those suggestions and you may have some success, he said. You'll at least have fun while you're learning.

Birds, Elk Add Up To Fun Weekend In Pennsylvania Starting September 21st

By Bob Frye

Are you ready for a road trip?

There's a pretty interesting one on tap if you're into the outdoors. It offers the chance to see some hunting dogs at work, check out some wonderful wildlife artistry and get a glimpse of Pennsylvania's biggest game animal, one that's marking a milestone this year.

It all happens the weekend of Sept. 21 and 22. You'll spend half your time in Crawford County, the other half in Elk. Which day you spend where is up to you.

That weekend, in Linesville, Ducks Unlimited is holding its 32nd annual Pymatuning Wildlife Festival (pymatuningexpo.com).

Have you ever been there? I have, and it's a lot of fun.

Saturday is the bigger of the two days activity-wise. There's a parade for the kids, as well as the chance for them to help band some waterfowl. There's also a judged waterfowl carving contest and the competition to see which art print becomes the next Pennsylvania duck stamp. There are seminars on goose hunting, dog training and even trapping.

The day's big social event, though, is the “sportsmen's night out.” It's an auction and raffle event featuring everything from big-dollar items like guns, 3-D archery targets, ground blinds and fine art prints to lanyards, hats, stickers and more.

Sunday is the duck and goose calling contest for die-hard hunters.

In Elk County, meanwhile, the Pennsylvania Game Commission is holding a number of events in celebration of 100 years of having elk in the state.

Elk are native to Pennsylvania, but had disappeared by the dawn of the 20th century. Talk of bringing them back began in 1912. In 1913, that work actually began. For $1,500, 50 elk were brought in from Yellowstone National Park. Another 22 were secured from preserves in state. All were released on Clearfield and Clinton counties.

A century later, we've got enough elk to be holding a hunting season — one that's produced some of the largest elk in the world over the last decade.

On Sept. 21 and 22, the commission will celebrate with a couple of special events.

On Saturday, you can tag along with Game Commission staff as they look for elk around the Dent's Run viewing area. There will be a program about elk that afternoon.

Later, and again the next day, there will be an “interactive musical program” celebrating elk in Troy. Attendees can win Woolrich gift cards.

The events are all part of a fall's worth of events centered around elk sponsored by the commission. You can see the full schedule at www.pgc.state.pa.us.

Of course, while you're in elk country, you need to stop at the Elk Country Visitors Center. It held its own festival last weekend, but there's plenty to see and do there.

You won't be alone at any time on this trip. The waterfowl festival isn't gigantic, but it's a big deal for the small community in which it's held. The elk range attracts around 100,000 people annually each year between Labor Day and Halloween, all looking to see and hear bugling elk.

But if it's camaraderie you want with like-minded outdoorsmen and women, both Linesville and the elk range will be fun places to be later this month.

Robot Deer Will Be Used To Help Catch Poachers

By Bob Frye, Pittsburgh Tribune Review

That deer you take aim at this fall might not actually be a deer.

Not if you're inclined to do your shooting illegally, anyway.

Regional Pennsylvania Game Commission officers are going to be working with a new robotic deer —– a realistic-looking mechanical decoy whose head and tail move — to catch would-be poachers this year, courtesy of some local sportsmen.

The PA National Pike Branch of the Quality Deer Management Association purchased the $1,650 deer decoy for use by the commission. Members will present it to the agency at their banquet, set for Sept. 13 in Belle Vernon.

It's a way of giving back to the sport while also protecting honest sportsmen and the increasingly large bucks being produced by antler restrictions, said chapter officer Jason Beck of Monessen.

“We're seeing more nice deer out there than ever before. Some people try to take advantage of that the right way, and unfortunately, some feel the need to go about it the wrong way. We don't want honest sportsmen to suffer for that,” Beck said.

The commission has another robo-deer in use. It works when used in specific circumstances, said Tom Fazi, information and education supervisor for the commission in Bolivar.

“Every officer in the region has problem roads where they habitually see a lot of road hunting. That's where these get used,” Fazi said.

Officers can use “facsimiles,” as they're referred to in the law, to nab poachers without fear of anyone crying entrapment, added Doug Bergman, wildlife conservation officer in northern Fayette County. They're set up so that only people looking to take deer illegally end up shooting at them.

“We don't just take them out and stick them in plain view in the middle of a field. Someone has to be looking for them to see them,” he said.

Officers throughout the region will share the robo deer.

“Sometimes, that's how we get that kind of equipment, when a sportsmen's club decides it's had enough and donates something like that,” Bergman said.

Beck said the chapter is always looking to do more for the outdoor sports, whether that be helping with a youth day, signing up cooperators for the Hunters Sharing the Harvest program or doing habitat work on a game lands. That will continue, he said, with plans perhaps to provide the commission with surveillance cameras.

“We're trying to keep being as much of a ball of fire as we can,” Beck said.

Pennsylvania Celebrates Century Of Elk

Events add to excitement during bugling season, 100th anniversary year.

Year after year, Labor Day weekend kicks off a period of increased activity on Pennsylvania’s elk range.

As elk begin ramping up their routines ahead of peak bugling season, visitors flock in greater numbers to areas where they can see the wild spectacle unfold.

In a typical year, an estimated 75,000 to 100,000 people visit Elk County alone during the two-month span between Labor Day and Halloween.

But 2013 isn’t a typical year in regard to Pennsylvania’s elk. Rather, it’s an extraordinary one.

This year marks the 100^th anniversary of efforts to restore elk to Pennsylvania, and in commemoration of that landmark anniversary, special events are planned each weekend through Columbus Day at sites on the elk range.

With the added attractions and excitement over the anniversary, it’s hard to say how many people might make Pennsylvania’s elk country a destination this year. But there seems this year to be even more of a buzz than usual surrounding bugling season, Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G.  Roe said.

“If you’ve ever made a trip to the elk range in autumn and been a part of those enormous crowds, it’s hard to imagine you could add more excitement to the mix,” Roe said. “But that seems to be the case this year. With the anniversary going on, and events taking place each weekend, things are building to a fever pitch.”   

Those who make weekend trips to the elk range this fall will have an opportunity to take part in several tours of state game lands in hopes of seeing elk or hearing them bugle. Some tours are by vehicle, while others are by bicycle and go farther off the beaten path. There’s also an elk-viewing hike set for Saturday, Sept. 21.

Performances by Van Wagner, an award-winning educator and musician, tell the story of the elk’s comeback in Pennsylvania, and otherwise celebrate the state’s rural heritage.

The corral trap used in the Game Commission’s initiative to capture elk and expand the overall range of the herd will be on display through Columbus Day. And, as always, there’s something for everyone at the Elk Country Visitor Center near Benezette.

Different events are scheduled on different weekends, and at different times. For a full schedule of events, visit the homepage of the Game Commission’s website, www.pgc.state.pa.us and click on the button labeled “100^th Anniversary PA Elk Restoration.”

Roe said that while those making the trip to the elk range this year will be treated to something extra with these events, the elk themselves remain the real attraction. There’s really nothing like the display of a bull elk moving in at close range and piercing the brisk morning air with a cloud of vapor and an ear-splitting bugle, he said.

With the herd now containing more than 850 animals living in parts of five northcentral Pennsylvania counties, there’s as broad a chance as ever for visitors to take in those sights and sounds.

It’s a remarkable contrast to the era of more than a century ago, when elk found themselves eliminated from their natural range in Pennsylvania and the rest of the Northeast, Roe said. That turnaround is a reason for celebration, he said.

“One hundred years later, there’s no arguing that elk restoration here in Pennsylvania has been about as successful as could possibly be expected,” Roe said. “It’s something every Pennsylvanian can be proud of.”

Elk in Pennsylvania

Historically, elk inhabited much of Pennsylvania. But as more of the state was settled, the elk population declined.

By the late 1800s, Pennsylvania’s elk were eliminated from their last stronghold in areas around Elk County. And by the time the Pennsylvania Game Commission launched an effort to reintroduce elk to Pennsylvania, the animals had been gone from the state for about 50 years.

Between 1913 and 1926, the Game Commission released 177 elk into Pennsylvania’s wilds. And the elk that live here today are the progeny of those animals.

A three-year trap-and-transfer program launched by the Game Commission in 1998 expanded the elk’s range from 350 to 800 square miles, allowing the herd to grow. And aggressive management of habitat for elk also has helped to boost the number of elk, and steer elk into areas where they are less likely to have conflicts with people.

Today, Pennsylvania’s elk herd contains between 850 and 900 animals living in parts of Elk, Cameron, Clinton, Potter and Clearfield counties in the northcentral part of the state.

And a century after the first reintroduction efforts began, the elk’s restoration represents one of the great successes in wildlife conservation history.

Cwd Impacts Pennsylvanians Who Hunt Out-Of-State

Certain parts from harvested cervids cannot be brought back into Commonwealth.

The thousands of Pennsylvania hunters who soon will be heading off to hunt big game in other states can do their share to slow the spread of chronic wasting disease in the Commonwealth.

Those who hunt out-of-state are reminded that Pennsylvania prohibits importing specific carcass parts from members of the deer family – including mule deer, elk and moose – from 21 states and two Canadian provinces.

The parts ban affects hunters who harvest deer, elk or moose in: Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland (only from CWD Management Area), Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York (only from Madison and Oneida counties), North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia (only from CWD Containment Area), West Virginia (only from CWD Containment Area, which includes parts of three counties), Wisconsin and Wyoming; as well as the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. 

Pennsylvania hunters harvesting any deer, elk or moose in those areas, whether the animal was taken from the wild or from a captive, high-fence operation, must comply with rules aimed at slowing the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Pennsylvania.

CWD was detected in Pennsylvania for the first time last year, and those hunting out-of-state must leave behind the carcass parts that have the highest risk for transmitting the disease. 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.

“This is the first time that we’ve entered the fall hunting seasons knowing that we have chronic wasting disease inside Pennsylvania,” Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe said. “But that doesn’t mean we’ve given up the fight to slow the disease’s spread or make its impacts on our deer herd as minimal as possible.

“High-risk parts are classified as such for a reason,” he said. “And while we wish Pennsylvanians luck in all of their out-of-state hunts, we also ask them to make sure they’re following the rules and bringing back home with them only the parts they’re allowed.”

Hunters who are successful in those areas 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.

Roe urged hunters heading to a state with a history of CWD to become familiar with that state’s wildlife regulations and guidelines for the transportation of harvested game animals.

Pennsylvania detected its first case of chronic wasting disease last year in a captive deer kept at an Adams County facility, and another deer that had lived in the same pen later tested positive for the disease. Since that time, the disease was detected in three free-ranging deer harvested by hunters in Bedford and Blair counties during the 2012 firearms deer season.

In response to those cases, the Game Commission has outlined two Disease Management Areas (DMAs) totaling about 1,500 square miles, and special rules regarding deer hunting, the feeding of wildlife and the transport of high-risk deer parts apply within those areas. Maps of the DMAs are available at the Game Commission’s website and are shown on pages 53 and 54 of the 2013-14 Pennsylvania Hunting & Trapping Digest, which is presented to each Pennsylvania license buyer.   

The exact rules deer hunters within those areas will need to follow are being finalized and will be announced soon by the Game Commission.

However, those who live in a DMA and are successful in out-of-state hunts should know that – like other Pennsylvanians hunting out-of-state – they are permitted to bring low-risk deer parts back home with them.

Roe said hunters who harvest a 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 game 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 appears on page 5 of the Pennsylvania Hunting & Trapping Digest.  The contact information also is available on the agency’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us) by putting your cursor on “About Us” in the menu bar under the banner, then selecting “Regional Information” in the drop-down menu and then clicking on the region of choice in the map.

First identified in 1967, CWD is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) that affects cervids, including all species of deer, elk and moose. It is a progressive and always fatal disease of the nervous system. Scientists believe CWD is caused by an unknown agent capable of transforming normal brain proteins into an abnormal form.

There currently is no practical way to test live animals for CWD, nor is there a vaccine.  Clinical signs include poor posture, lowered head and ears, uncoordinated movement, rough-hair coat, weight loss, increased thirst, excessive drooling, and, ultimately, death.  There is currently no scientific evidence that CWD has or can spread to humans, either through contact with infected animals or by eating meat of infected animals.

As a precaution, however, humans are advised not to eat the meat of any animal testing positive for the disease.

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.

CWD precautions

Wildlife officials have suggested hunters in areas where chronic wasting disease (CWD) is known to exist follow these usual recommendations to prevent the possible spread of disease:

- Do not shoot, handle or consume any animal that appears sick; contact the state wildlife agency if you see or harvest an animal that appears sick.

- Wear rubber or latex gloves when field-dressing carcasses.

- Bone out the meat from your animal.

- Minimize the handling of brain and spinal tissues.

- Wash hands and instruments thoroughly after field-dressing is completed.

- Request that your animal is processed individually, without meat from other animals being added to meat from your animal, or process your own meat if you have the tools and ability to do so.

- Have your animal processed in the endemic area of the state where it was harvested, so that high-risk body parts can be properly disposed of there.  Only bring permitted materials back to Pennsylvania

-  Don’t consume the brain, spinal cord, eyes, spleen, tonsils or lymph nodes of harvested animals. (Normal field-dressing, coupled with boning out a carcass, will remove most, if not all, of these body parts. Cutting away all fatty tissue will help remove remaining lymph nodes.)

- Consider not consuming the meat from any animal that tests positive for the disease.

INFOGRAPHIC: Gun Crimes Plummet Even As Gun Sales Rise

Thanks to club member Vic Wilczynski for submitting...

A majority of Americans say they think gun crime has increased over the past 20 years, even though it has actually fallen dramatically, a recent Pew Research Center survey shows. The info-graphic below provides a closer look at some recent numbers.

Lyme Disease Infects 300,000 A Year, CDC Says

Maggie Fox NBC News

Lyme disease is a “tremendous” public health problem, infecting 10 times more Americans than reports have suggested, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports.
New estimates suggest that 300,000 people are infected with the tickborne illness every year.

“This new preliminary estimate confirms that Lyme disease is a tremendous public health problem in the United States, and clearly highlights the urgent need for prevention,” says Dr. Paul Mead, chief of epidemiology and surveillance for CDC’s Lyme disease program, based in Ft Collins, Colo.

“We know that routine surveillance only gives us part of the picture, and that the true number of illnesses is much greater,” Mead added in a statement.

Lyme disease is caused by bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi, carried by blacklegged ticks. Infection causes fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans. The infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system if it’s not treated.

More than 300,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported to CDC every year, making it the most commonly reported tick-borne illness in the United States, the CDC says. But some reports have suggested it is far more common than that.

Mead and colleagues looked at several sources, including medical billing records of 22 million people, a 2008 survey of laboratories processing blood tests and a survey of patients asking if they ever had Lyme disease. Taken together, the data indicate that 300,000 Americans are diagnosed with Lyme disease every year, Mead’s team told the International Conference on Lyme Borreliosis and other Tick Borne Diseases being held in Boston this week.

“Not everyone diagnosed or treated for Lyme disease is necessarily infected with Borrelia burgdorferi,” they wrote in a summary submitted to the conference. “Nevertheless, these results are consistent with earlier estimates that Lyme disease cases are underreported by a factor of three- to 12-fold.”

Treatment can be as simple as a single dose of the antibiotic doxycycline or it can involve a three-week to one-month course of antibiotics, depending on how long it takes to diagnose after infection. Infectious disease experts disagree on whether longer courses of treatment are helpful. Up to 20 percent of patients have long-term symptoms, the CDC says.

Lyme disease is most common in the Northeast and Midwest but cases have been reported from all 50 states. It has a complex life cycle involving mice and deer, and it’s usually the small, immature ticks, found on rodents, that are to blame for infecting people.

“That’s why it’s important to carefully check your body and clothing for ticks after being outdoors in woody and grassy areas. If you see a tick, you can lessen the chance of infection by removing it from your body early, even if it’s already begun to feed,” the National Institutes of Health advises.

There used to be a vaccine, but its maker stopped manufacturing it because too few people asked for it. The CDC recommends using an insect repellent that contains DEET, careful checking for ticks after being outdoors, and staying out of bushy, wooded areas.

“We know people can prevent tick bites through steps like using repellents and tick checks. Although these measures are effective, they aren’t fail-proof and people don’t always use them,” the CDC’s Dr. Lyle Petersen said in a statement. “We need to move to a broader approach to tick reduction, involving entire communities, to combat this public health problem.”

This might include killing ticks in back yards, control of rodents that carry the Lyme disease bacteria, and suburban planning involving deer and their interaction with people. Deer carry adult ticks that can carry the disease.

New Field and Stream Store Now Open In Cranberry Twp, PA

Finally made it over to the new Field and Stream Store (link) that opened yesterday in Cranberry Twp, PA north of Pittsburgh. Very awesome! Had a lot of ammo in stock too. Got a brick of .22 High Velocity (525 shells) for $22.99. A box of bear and deer load .44 mag for $49.99 and a box of .380 HP for $22.99. They had more ammo in one room than I've seen since you know who took office! Great fly-fishing dept too! Click on pictures to enlarge.

Just hours before I went over to the new Field and Stream Store in Cranberry they held a "Duck Dynasty" themed wedding (lots of camo) in the middle of the store. Just after the "I do's" Willie walked over and surprised the bride and groom! How cool is this!

Some walking around pictures...

Pennsylvania Might Delist Bald Eagle

Game Commission considers removing the bird from the state's threatened species list.

          With its numbers in Pennsylvania continuing to soar ever higher, the bald eagle soon could be removed from the state’s list of threatened species.
          The Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Bureau of Wildlife Management is recommending the bald eagle be upgraded from “threatened”  to “protected” status statewide.
          Doug Gross, a biologist who heads the bureau’s Endangered and Nongame Birds section, addressed the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners at the board’s working group meeting on Monday, saying the bald eagle’s remarkable comeback in Pennsylvania has reached a point where eagles safely can be removed from threatened species list. 
          As of Monday, Gross said, 266 nesting pairs have been confirmed statewide so far this year.  And while that count is not final and the number of confirmed nesting pairs still could rise, the updated figure represents the continuation of an upward trend in Pennsylvania.          

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In 2012, researchers documented 237 nesting pairs statewide. 
          “This year marks just another high point in the spectacular and widespread recovery of bald eagles in Pennsylvania, and it’s clear that the definition of a threatened species no longer describes them accurately,” Gross said. 
          According to Pennsylvania regulations, a threatened species is defined as one that, throughout its range in the Commonwealth, may become endangered in the foreseeable future. 
          The Bureau of Wildlife Management’s recommendation to delist the bald eagle as a state threatened species is based on eagles achieving a number of goals outlined in the state’s bald-eagle management plan. 
          The plan calls for delisting eagles as threatened if all of four criteria are met for five consecutive years. There must be at least 150 active nests statewide; successful pairs in at least 40 counties; at least a 60 percent success rate of known nests; and productivity of at least 1.2 eaglets fledged per successful nest.
          Three of those criteria already have been met for a five-year span, and eagles in 2013 will exceed for a fifth-straight year the requirement of nesting successfully in at least 40 counties, Gross said. Determining nest success is the biggest challenge in eagle monitoring and the agency welcomes information about the success and productivity of nests, Gross said.
          The proposal to delist will be made formally to the Board of Game Commissioners at the board’s regular meeting in September. The board then could choose to vote on the proposal at a subsequent meeting. That process will afford the public with an opportunity to comment on the proposal, Gross noted. 
          Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe noted the proposal to delist comes in the 30th anniversary year of the agency’s first efforts to restore bald-eagle populations statewide. When the Game Commission launched its restoration program in 1983, only three pairs of nesting eagles remained in the state – all of them located in Crawford County, in northwestern Pennsylvania along the Ohio border. At that time, eagle populations had been decimated by the effects of water pollution, persecution and compromised nest success caused by organochlorine pesticides such as DDT.
          Three decades later, Pennsylvania’s booming bald-eagle population represents one of the great success stories in wildlife conservation history, Roe said. 
          “It seems that each passing year writes a new chapter in the story of the bald eagle’s success in Pennsylvania and the latest numbers, and the recommendation to delist the eagle as a state threatened species, is the best news yet,” Roe said. “But the story isn’t over. Pennsylvania has plenty of good bald-eagle habitat that’s not currently being used by eagles. And as the years roll on, I’m sure eagles will give us plenty more to celebrate.”  
          Gross said removing bald eagles from the state threatened species list would neither hinder eagle populations in Pennsylvania nor knock off course the species’ comeback here.
          If the bald eagle is delisted, the bird will continue to be protected under the federal Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (the Eagle Act), the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and the Lacey Act. Under the Eagle Act, those who harm or disturb eagles are subject to a civil penalty of up to one year in jail or a $5,000 fine for their first offense, and criminal convictions can result in fines as high as $250,000.
          “We will not be abandoning the bald eagle, but giving it less emphasis as we turn to new challenges in bird conservation in the state,” Gross said. 
          The Game Commission, too, will continue to follow its bald-eagle management plan, which calls for the agency to monitor nests, at least through 2017. 
          Likewise, the commission will continue to urge those who encounter eagle nests to keep their distance, and not do anything to frighten the birds. The agency has recommended that people get no closer than 1,000 feet from any eagle nest.
          Any behavior that causes adult eagles to fly from the nest could compromise the success of that nest. They are more likely to abandon a nest disturbed early in the nesting cycle.  Additionally, eaglets can respond to frightening situations by trying to fledge the nest prematurely, and sometimes die as a result. 
          A wealth of information on bald eagles, where to view them and proper nest etiquette is available at the Game Commission’s website, www.pgc.state.pa.us by clicking on the bald eagle viewing icon, Gross said.
          The bald eagle was delisted as a state endangered species and reclassified as a threatened species in 2005, when about 100 nests were confirmed statewide. Especially when considering the sharp jump in eagle populations since then, it might seem hard to believe just how bleak the eagle’s future appeared just 30 years ago, when restoration began. 
          Initially, 12 seven-week-old eaglets were taken from nests in Saskatchewan and brought to specially constructed towers at two sites. At these towers – at Haldeman Island on the Susquehanna River near Harrisburg, and at Shohola Lake in Pike County – the birds were “hacked,” a process by which the eaglets essentially are raised by humans, but without knowing it, then released gradually into the wild.
          In all, 88 bald eaglets from Canada were released from the sites as part of the program, which was funded in part by the Richard King Mellon Foundation of Pittsburgh and the federal Endangered Species Fund. 
          Today, bald eagles inhabit 56 counties statewide and they continue to push the boundaries of their range. Just this year, three pairs of bald eagles nested in Allegheny County, two of them within the Pittsburgh city limits. 
          Gross said that in addition to nesting along the state’s major rivers and lakes, bald eagles now are nesting along medium-sized high-quality streams with good fishing and alternate foraging areas.
          “They are teaching us that there is a lot more eagle habitat in Pennsylvania than we imagined,” Gross said. “Eagles are adopting the kinds of quality places that outdoors people also enjoy.”  
          And with more habitat to be taken over, Roe predicts further growth will follow. 
          “It’s something of which every Pennsylvanian can be proud,” he said.

Commissioners meeting

          The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners will meet  Monday, Sept. 23 and Tuesday, Sept. 24 in Westmoreland County.
          The meetings will be held at the Lamplighter Restaurant, 6566 William Penn Highway, Delmont, Pa. 
          The board will hear public comment and agency staff reports Sept. 23, beginning at 8:30 a.m. Individuals interested in offering public testimony – limited to five minutes – can begin to register at 7:45 a.m. on a first-come, first-to-speak basis. 
          Then on Sept. 24, the board will take up its prepared agenda at a meeting beginning at 8:30 a.m. 
          A copy of the agenda for the upcoming meeting will be posted at a later date.

Monitoring eagle nests


          The Game Commission has relied on volunteers in its efforts to monitor bald-eagle nests statewide, and the support of volunteers will be needed more than ever as the agency attempts each year to compile an increasingly comprehensive list. 
          Perhaps the easiest way to report a nest is to contact the Game Commission through its public comments email address: pgccomments@pa.gov, and use the words “Eagle Nest Information” in the subject field. Reports also can be phoned in to a Game Commission Region Office or the Harrisburg headquarters.