Thousands Of Acres Added To PA Game Lands Across The State

Purchases add more than 16,000 acres to game lands system.

          The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners on Tuesday approved a purchase that will add nearly 13,000 acres to State Game Lands 25 in Jones Township, Elk County.

          The nearly $12.2 million purchase does not include timber rights for many tree species on the property. The property’s seller, The Conservation Fund, will reserve the timber for 25 years with the right to harvest, cut, remove and otherwise manage and use all timber, except conifer, white oak, walnut and apple trees.

          The 12,911-acre acquisition is mainly forested with mixed northern hardwoods, with a small component of mixed conifers in locations, interspersed with forest openings. Streams and tributaries – many of them containing wild trout – as well as upland wetland areas, are located on the acquired tracts. These lands are bisected by U.S. Route 219, and have multiple access points from township roads.

          The acquisition is divided into three parcels, and while the eastern border of the eastern-most parcel borders State Game Lands 25, the property also adjoins Allegheny National Forest to the west.

          The enormity of the acquisition can’t be understated, said William Capouillez, who directs the Game Commission’s Bureau of Wildlife Habitat Management.

          It’s one of the biggest purchases in decades, and links one of the biggest game lands in the Commonwealth to the Allegheny National Forest – one of the largest forested public resources in the state.

          With the acquisition, a huge contiguous block of protected habitat has been created, Capouillez said. But the deal does more than that, he said.

          The deal calls for payment to The Conservation Fund to be made either in one lump sum, or in not more than six annual installment payments. Under the agreement, the Game Commission may make the payments in cash, or transfer to The Conservation Fund timber revenue the commission generates on other state game lands tracts.

          Being able to provide the value from timber is an important part of the deal, Capouillez said. It will encourage greater timber harvest in other parts of the state, and the result will be the creation of more early-successional habitat, a component that is severely lacking throughout the state, he said.

          “This is a commitment by the agency to increase our timber harvest and habitat creation on game lands through a partnership with The Conservation Fund,” Capouillez said.

          The acquisition creates more than 20 square miles of additional game lands.

          Other land acquisitions approved by the board on Tuesday include:

·                      More than 2,100 acres to state game lands in Jefferson County.

Under the contract, the commission will purchase from Green Hills Land Co. LLC a 1,967-acre tract adjacent to State Game Lands 87 in Gaskill and Henderson townships, Jefferson County, as well as a 26-acre interior tract into State Game Lands 54 in Snyder Township, Jefferson County.

Additionally, the commission will purchase from Hanak Limited Partnership more than 163 acres north of State Game Lands 195 in Snyder Township, Jefferson County.

Again, the scale of the acquisition is notable, Capouillez said. It’s yet another addition to State Game Lands 87, which now tops 15,000 acres but just a few years ago was an 1,100-acre tract. Also, the acquisition creates a contiguous block westward to State Game Lands 195.

“How often can you say you’ve connected two game lands?” Capouillez asked.

More than 1,000 acres of the 1,967-acre tract is made up of northern hardwoods, while about 955 acres consist of shrub land and reverting fields associated with previous surface mining activity. Small wetlands and mining-related water impoundments also are present on the property.

The 26-acre interior tract is forested with northern hardwoods, with ironwood, mountain laurel and grapes in the understory. The 163-acre parcel also is forested with northern hardwoods.

The option price for the three properties is a $2.4 million lump sum, to be paid with funds from third-party commitments as compensation for habitat and recreational losses that occurred on state game lands from previously approved projects.

·                       A nearly 54-acre tract in Springfield Township, Erie County, south of State Game Lands 314.

The tract is forested mostly with northern hardwoods with an oak component, and there are at least three species of special concern plants on the property.

In making the $47,525 lump sum purchase from Western Pennsylvania Conservancy Inc., the Game Commission has agreed no use of the surface for oil and gas exploration, production, removal or sale will be allowed.

Funds for the purchase come from third-party commitments as compensation for habitat and recreational losses from previously approved projects on game lands.

Western Pennsylvania Conservancy is working in conjunction with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to acquire the property through funding available through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative’s Joint Venture Habitat Restoration and Protection grant program.

·                      A tract of more than 81 acres adjacent to State Game Lands 311 in Benezette Township, Elk County. The property is being purchased from Richard and Michele Vollmer for $399,000 lump sum to be paid with funds from third-party commitments as compensation for habitat and recreational losses that occurred on state game lands from previously approved projects. The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation also has pledged $100,000 toward the purchase of the property, which is a mixture of woodlots and shrub lands with grass fields.

The property is located in the center of the range of the largest elk subpopulation in Pennsylvania, and creates a prime elk-viewing opportunity. Winslow Hill Road bisects the property. 

The Vollmers will retain the oil and gas rights on the property.  

·                       A more than 642-acre tract in Frankstown Township, Blair County, adjacent to State Game Lands 147.

The option price is $1,150,000 to be funded by habitat mitigation commitments for impacts to state and federally listed species. The Eastern small-footed myotis, a Pennsylvania threatened species, and the Indiana bat, are the impetus for the mitigation funding. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must give its approval before the property can be purchased.

The property is forested with about 72 percent in mixed oak and the remainder in mixed hardwoods. There are two forest openings on the property, each less than an acre in size, and several intermittent streams cross the property.

The property is being sold by Paul Good.

·                        A more than 175-acre tract in Athens and Smithfield townships, Bradford County, adjacent to State Game Lands 239.

The option price is $451,000 and will be paid with funds from third-party commitments as compensation for habitat and recreational losses that occurred on state game lands from previously approved projects.

About half of the property is comprised of mixed hardwoods with the remainder in grassland and reverting fields; some sections contain various evergreens originally planted to sell as Christmas trees.

The property is being sold by Evergreen Land Development LLC, which will reserve the oil and gas rights.

                                   

          Capouillez said the purchases approved Tuesday, when added to other lands newly approved to be acquired through other methods total nearly 18,000 acres, or 30 square miles.

          The acquisitions also represent an opportunity to create more early-successional forestland statewide, Capouillez noted.

DONATION, EXCHANGES ADD TO STATE GAME LANDS SYSTEM

Pair donates more than 42 acres in Allegheny County.

          A land donation and two land transfers brought on by the issuance of right of way licenses have added more than 600 acres to the state game lands system.

          The board approved the actions at its meeting on Tuesday.

          Anthony Gagliardi and Carol Lund donated to the Game Commission a more than 42-acre tract in Springfield Township, Allegheny County. The tract, which is 16 miles southeast of State Game Lands 203, is comprised of mixed northern hardwoods, with the remainder in reverting old fields and small forest openings.

          Gagliardi and Lund will retain the oil and gas rights on the property, which is bisected by Crone Hollow Road, and can be accessed also from High Street.

          Meanwhile, the Game Commission acquired more than 650 acres in exchange for providing surface access to companies performing work above or below the surface.

          Iron Mountain Information Management LLC will convey to the Game Commission 278 acres in Cherry and Washington townships, Butler County. The property connects two parcels of State Game Lands 95.

          The property is mostly forested, with about 6 acres in shrub land and reverting old fields. Thirty acres of the property are agricultural lands, 20 acres of which is tillable.

          A tributary to the South Branch of the Slippery Rock Creek, and associated riparian areas, are on the property. The presence of the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake, a Pennsylvania endangered species has been noted on the property.

          The property comes in exchange for rights that will allow Iron Mountain to construct two boreholes and a water pipeline in order to access and use the groundwater and void space located in a previously excavated limestone deep mine located beneath State Game Lands 95.

          Additionally, Consolidation Coal Co., also known as Consol, has agreed to convey to the Game Commission five properties totaling more than 215 acres.

          Two of the properties – one about 26 acres, the other more than 14 acres – are in Jackson Township, Greene County, adjacent to State Game Lands 179. The tracts are mostly forested with mixed hardwoods, and there also are reverting old fields.

          The other three properties adjoin State Game Lands 245. Two of the properties – a more than 5-acre indenture, and a more than 21-acre tract – are in Morris Township, Washington County. The smaller tract is forested with mixed hardwoods and there’s a 1-acre open field. The larger tract includes 17 acres of woodland in pole-size timber, 2 acres in tillable agricultural fields, and 2 acres in grassland.

          The land conveyed by Consol is in exchange for rights of way across State Game Lands 179 for 69 kV electric transmission line, and across State Game Lands 245 for a 16-inch water pipeline. The value of the land offsets the value of 12 years of right-of-way license fees for the transmission lines, and 25 years of license fees for the water pipeline.

TIMBER OFFSETS LAND ACQUISTION

Game Commission getting 246 acres in Blair County.

          The Game Commission will exchange timber it had offered for sale for a more than 246-acre tract that is an interior into State Game Lands 198 in Blair County.

          The Board of Game Commissioners approved the deal on Tuesday.

          The timber is associated with the “Blue Knob Removal” timber sale in Blair and Bedford counties, located on State Game Lands 26. The “Blue Knob Removal” sale involves three blocks of timber. Two blocks will be credited against the entire value of the land exchanged, with the remaining block to be purchased for more than $90,622 by E&E Logging and Sons Timber.

          The property being conveyed is forested with mixed oak, maple and birch and currently is being timbered by E&E Logging, creating early-successional forestland.

          Acquiring the tract will provide better access to existing portions of State Game Lands 198.

PROPERTIES PURCHASED AT AUCTION ANNOUNCED

Former school building to become new Southcentral Region Office.

          William Capouillez, the director of the Game Commission’s Bureau of Wildlife Habitat Management, on Tuesday announced the commission purchased properties at auction in 2013 that will be added to the state game lands system.

          Pennsylvania Code authorizes land purchases at auction and requires purchases be made known to the general public at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Commissioners.

          The commission in October purchased three tracts totaling nearly 144 acres in Frankstown Township, Blair County, paying for the land with escrowed funds totaling $294,000. The funds come from a prior land exchange with Penn State University on State Game Lands 176.

          The tracts purchased at auction are adjacent to State Game Lands 147 and are within 5 miles of the Hartman Mine Hibernacula, which is known to be used by Indiana bats, a state and federally listed endangered species. The tracts are forested with mixed hardwoods with an understory of witch hazel at higher elevations.

          The Game Commission also purchased at auction a 27,000-square-foot school building in Huntingdon County that it plans to turn into a new headquarters for the Southcentral Region.

          The property sits on 9 acres in Brady Township, Huntingdon County, and is known as the Brady Henderson Elementary School property.

          The property was purchased for $200,000 as the result of an auction scheduled to occur on June 15.

BOUNDARIES CHANGE FOR PROPAGATION AREAS

A reduction in propagation area buffer zones is warranted.

          The Board of Game Commissioners approved changing the boundaries for propagation areas at two state game lands in Butler County.

          The boundary changes will reduce the size of the propagation areas the Game Commission has determined no longer need to be so big.

          Propagation Area 108 at Moraine Cooperative Management Area 406 will be reduced from 386 to 161 acres. The area was established as a waterfowl propagation area through cooperation between the Game Commission and Moraine State Park. The initial focus was to provide a resting and nesting area for geese. Given their population increases, though, geese have become a nuisance issue at the park.

          The change in boundary will increase public access, while maintaining a buffer for migrating waterfowl, especially ducks. The new boundary also is more user-friendly because it is established along roads, field edges and already-cleared portions of the existing boundary line.

          Meanwhile, Propagation Area 111 on State Game Lands 95 will be reduced from 308 to 201 acres. The area initially was established as a stopover and resting habitat for waterfowl, mainly geese.

          The reduction will maintain a buffer around the lake to prevent harassment of nesting waterfowl, while opening access on 107 additional acres that previously were restricted.

          The new boundary at this area also will be easier to identify because most of it will run along roads and field edges as opposed to running through wooded areas.

GAS LEASE NETS $4.5M BONUS PAYMENT

Oil and gas reserve to be developed beneath portion of State Game Lands 298.

          The Board of Game Commissioners Tuesday approved a deal that will allow for the development of the commissions’ oil and gas reserve under State Game Lands 298 in Eldred and Gamble townships, Lycoming County. The development will be conducted with no surface impact to the game lands. 

          Two bids were received in November 2013, but one company later withdrew the bid. With the bid offered by FyreRok Reservoir Consulting withdrawn, the board approved the bid submitted by the only other bidder, Inflection Energy LLC, of Denver, Colo.

          Inflection has agreed to pay the commission 20 percent in royalties from the oil, gas and liquid hydrocarbons produced and sold from under the tract. Inflection also will pay the commission a one-time bonus payment of $4,560,840

2014-15 PA Hunting/Trapping Seasons Receive Preliminary Approval

Many seasons will start later in coming license year.

The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today gave preliminary approval to hunting and trapping seasons and bag limits for 2014-15 license year.

Hunters and trappers – particularly those setting vacations for this fall and winter – are advised that, once again, several seasons in the 2014-15 license year will open or run about a week later than they do in many years to accommodate calendar swings related to the timing of Thanksgiving.

Other modifications proposed for the 2014-15 seasons include: changes to fall turkey seasons in several Wildlife Management Units; new extended bear hunting opportunities in WMUs 2C and 4B; an expansion of the fisher trapping season to WMUs 1B, 3B and 3C; and increased possession limits for small game.

The public may offer comments on all proposed 2014-15 seasons and bag limits, as well as other board actions, between now and the board’s next meeting, April 7 and 8, at which time the board is scheduled to finalize seasons and bag limits for 2014-15.

Also, the board will receive staff recommendations for antlerless deer license allocations for the 23 WMUs at its April meeting. Deer harvest estimates for the 2013-14 seasons will be available in mid-March.

Following are several articles on meeting highlights.

SPLIT FIREARMS DEER SEASONS UP FOR APRIL APPROVAL

The Board of Game Commissioners adopted a slate of deer seasons for 2014-15 that retains the split, five-day antlered deer season (Dec. 1-5) and seven-day concurrent season (Dec. 6-13) in 12 Wildlife Management Units. The list includes (WMUs) 2A, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3B, 3C, 4B, 4D and 4E. The package also retains the two-week (Dec. 1-13) concurrent, antlered and antlerless deer season in WMUs 1A, 1B, 2B, 3A, 3D, 4A, 4C, 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D.

Hunters with Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) antlerless deer permits may use the permits on the lands for which they were issued during any established deer season, and will continue to be permitted to harvest antlerless deer from Dec. 1-13 in WMUs 2A, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3B, 3C, 4B, 4D and 4E. Fees for DMAP permits are $10.70 for residents and $35.70 for nonresidents.

DMAP permits also may be transferred to Mentored Hunting Program participants.

The board retained antler restrictions in place for adult and senior license holders since the 2011-12 seasons. It remains the “three-up” on one side, not counting a brow tine, provision for the western Wildlife Management Units of 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B and 2D, and the three points on one side in all other WMUs. Those exempt from these antler restrictions are junior license holders, disabled hunters with a permit to use a vehicle as a blind and resident active duty military on leave.

BOARD PROPOSES EXPANDED BEAR SEASONS

The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today proposed opening up extended bear hunting opportunities to two additional WMUs in 2014.

WMUs 2C and 4B each would be open to bear hunting for four days in deer season, beginning the first Wednesday of the 2014 statewide general deer season Dec. 3.

Game Commission staff had recommended the additions based on increases in the bear populations within those WMUs.

WMU 2C has had a slightly increasing bear population trend. Highway mortalities of bears have been slowly increasing in the area, and there’s been a noticeable increase in human-bear conflicts there.

WMU 4B also has had an increasing trend of human-bear conflicts, and several incidents in recent years involving home entry or injury to pets and people. Highway mortality of bears also has increased there, as has the bear harvest, which has increased by about 20 percent annually since 2003. 

The Board retained expanded bear seasons in the state’s most urban Wildlife Management Units – WMUs 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D – and will continue to allow the harvest of black bears with a bear license during all deer seasons from September through early December in these WMUs.

The extended bear season dates for 2014 are:

- Sept. 20-Nov. 15 in WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D, for archery only;

- Oct. 4-Nov. 15 in WMU 5B, for archery only;

- Oct. 18-25 in WMUs 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D, for muzzleloaders only;

- Oct. 23-25 and Dec. 1-13 in WMUs 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D, using any legal sporting arm for juniors and seniors, disabled person permit holders to use a vehicle as a blind and resident active duty in armed services.

The statewide five-day archery bear season opens Nov. 17 and runs through Nov. 21. The four-day statewide bear season is slated to open on Saturday, Nov. 22, and then continues on Monday and runs through Wednesday, Nov. 24-26.

Extended bear seasons have been proposed as follows:

- Dec. 3-6 in WMUs 2C, 4B, 4C, 4D and 4E; and

- Dec. 1-6 in WMUs 3A, 3B, 3C and 3D.

- Dec. 1-13 in WMUs 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D.

FALL TURKEY SEASONS CHANGES MOVED FORWARD

The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today gave preliminary approval to fall turkey seasons for 2014 and spring gobbler dates for 2015.

Decreasing populations in WMUs 3A, 3B and 3C prompted the preliminary adoption of a two-week fall turkey season in those WMUs. Previously, there had been a three-week season there.

The three-day Thanksgiving season segment would continue in WMUs 3A, 3B and 3C despite the one-week decrease in the earlier segment.

Also, 2014 marks the final year of the hen harvest rate and survival rate study. So those WMUs in the study area will continue with the season lengths implemented last year.

And the board also proposed retaining a three-day fall turkey season in WMU 5A, but shifting it from midweek to a Thursday-through-Saturday framework.

The fall season dates for 2014: WMU 1B, Nov. 1-8 and Nov. 27-29; WMU 2B (shotgun and bow only), Nov. 1-21, and Nov. 27-29; WMUs 1A, 2A, 2D, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3A, 3B and 3C, Nov. 1-15, and Nov. 27-29; WMUs 2C, 2E, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D and 4E, Nov. 1-21, and Nov. 27-29; and WMU 5A, Nov. 6-8. WMUs 5B, 5C and 5D will remain closed for the fall seasons.

For the 2015 spring gobbler season, which is proposed to run from May 2-30, the board continued the change in legal hunting hours to reflect the following: from May 2-16, legal shooting hours will be one-half hour before sunrise until noon timeframe; and from May 18-30, hunters may hunt all day, from one-half hour before sunrise until one-half hour after sunset.

The board proposed holding the one-day Spring Gobbler Youth Hunt on April 25, 2015, which will run from one-half hour before sunrise until noon. All junior license holders and Mentored Youth Hunting Program permit holders can participate in this special one-day hunt, as well as the other spring season dates.

PROPOSED 2014-15 HUNTING SEASONS AND BAG LIMITS

SQUIRRELS, Red, Gray, Black and Fox (Combined): Special season for eligible junior hunters, with or without required license, and mentored youth – Oct. 11-17 (6 daily, 18 in possession limit after first day).

SQUIRRELS, Red, Gray, Black and Fox (Combined): Oct. 18-Nov. 29; Dec. 15-24 and Dec. 26-Feb. 21 (6 daily, 18 possession).

RUFFED GROUSE: Oct. 18–Nov. 29, Dec. 15-24 and Dec. 26-Jan. 24 (2 daily, 6 possession).

RABBIT (Cottontail) Special season for eligible junior hunters, with or without required license: Oct. 11-18 (4 daily, 12 possession).

RABBIT (Cottontail): Oct. 25-Nov. 29, Dec. 15-24 and Dec. 26-Feb. 21 (4 daily, 12 possession).

PHEASANT: Special season for eligible junior hunters, with or without required license – Oct. 11-18 (2 daily, 6 in possession). Male pheasants only in WMUs 2A, 2C, 4C, 4E, 5A and 5B. Male and female pheasants may be taken in all other WMUs. There is no open season for the taking of pheasants in any Wild Pheasant Recovery Areas in any WMU.

PHEASANT: Male only in WMUs 2A, 2C, 4C, 4E, 5A and 5B. Male and female may be taken in all other WMUs – – Oct. 25-Nov. 29, Dec. 15-24 and Dec. 26-Feb. 21 (2 daily, 6 in possession). There is no open season for the taking of pheasants in any Wild Pheasant Recovery Areas in any WMU.

BOBWHITE QUAIL: Oct. 25-Nov. 29 (4 daily, 12 possession). (Closed in WMUs 4A, 4B, 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D.)

HARES (SNOWSHOE RABBITS) OR VARYING HARES: Dec. 26–Jan. 1, in all WMUs except WMUs 3B, 3C and 3D, where season will run from Dec. 26-29 (1 daily, 3 possession).

WOODCHUCKS (GROUNDHOGS): No closed season, except on Sundays and during the regular firearms deer seasons. No limit.

PORCUPINES: Sept. 1-March 31, except during overlap with the regular firearms deer season. Daily limit of three, season limit of 10.

CROWS: July 4-April 5, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday only. No limit.

STARLINGS AND ENGLISH SPARROWS: No closed season, except during the antlered and antlerless deer season. No limit.

WILD TURKEY (Male or Female): WMU 1B – Nov. 1-8 and Nov. 27-29; WMU 2B (Shotgun and bow and arrow) – Nov. 1-21 and Nov. 27-29; WMUs 1A, 2A, 2D, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3A, 3B and 3C – Nov. 1-15 and Nov. 27-29; WMUs 2C, 2E, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D and 4E – Nov. 1-21 and Nov. 27-29; WMU 5A – Nov. 6-8; WMUs 5B, 5C and 5D – CLOSED TO FALL TURKEY HUNTING.

SPRING GOBBLER (Bearded bird only): Special season for eligible junior hunters, with required license, and mentored youth – April 25, 2015. Only 1 spring gobbler may be taken during this hunt.

SPRING GOBBLER (Bearded bird only): May 2-30, 2015. Daily limit 1, season limit 2. (Second spring gobbler may be only taken by persons who possess a valid special wild turkey license.) From May 2-16, legal hunting hours are one-half hour before sunrise until noon; from May 18-30, legal hunting hours are one-half hour before sunrise until one-half hour after sunset.

BLACK BEAR (Statewide) Archery: Nov. 17-21. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.

BLACK BEAR (Statewide): Nov. 22-26. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.

BLACK BEAR (WMUs 2C, 4B, 4C, 4D and 4E): Dec. 3-6. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.

BLACK BEAR (WMUs 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D): Dec. 1-13. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.

BLACK BEAR (WMUs 3A, 3B, 3C and 3D): Dec. 1-6. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.

BLACK BEAR (WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D) archery: Sept. 20-Nov. 15. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.

BLACK BEAR (WMU 5B) archery: Oct. 4-Nov. 15. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.

BLACK BEAR (WMUs 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D) muzzleloader: Oct. 18-25. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.

BLACK BEAR (WMUs 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D) special firearms: Oct. 23-25, for junior and senior license holders, disabled hunters with a permit to use a vehicle as a blind and resident active duty military.

ELK (Antlered or Antlerless): Nov. 3-8. Only one elk may be taken during the license year.

ELK, EXTENDED (Antlered and Antlerless): Nov. 10-15. Only one elk may be taken during the license year. Eligible elk license recipients who haven’t harvested an elk by Nov. 8, in designated areas.

DEER, ARCHERY (Antlerless Only) WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D: Sept. 20-Oct. 3, and Nov. 17-29. One antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER, ARCHERY (Antlered and Antlerless) WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D: Jan. 12-24. One antlered deer per hunting license year. One antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER, ARCHERY (Antlered and Antlerless) Statewide: Oct. 4-Nov. 15 and Dec. 26-Jan. 10. One antlered deer per hunting license year. One antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER (Antlered and Antlerless) WMUs 1A, 1B, 2B, 3A, 3D, 4A, 4C, 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D: Dec. 1-13. One antlered deer per hunting license year. An antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER (Antlered Only) WMUs 2A, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3B, 3C, 4B, 4D and 4E: Dec. 1-5. One antlered deer per hunting license year. (Holders of valid DMAP antlerless deer permits may harvest antlerless deer on DMAP properties during this period.)

DEER (Antlered and Antlerless) WMUs 2A, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3B, 3C, 4B, 4D and 4E: Dec. 6-13. One antlered deer per hunting license year. An antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER, ANTLERLESS (Statewide): Oct. 23-25. Junior and Senior License Holders, Disabled Person Permit (to use a vehicle) Holders, and Pennsylvania residents serving on active duty in

U.S. Armed Services or in the U.S. Coast Guard only, with required antlerless license. Also included are persons who have reached or will reach their 65th birthday in the year of the application for a license and hold a valid adult license, or qualify for license and fee exemptions under section 2706. One antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER, ANTLERLESS MUZZLELOADER (Statewide): Oct. 18-25. An antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER, ANTLERED OR ANTLERLESS FLINTLOCK (Statewide): Dec. 26-Jan. 10. One antlered deer per hunting license year, or one antlerless deer and an additional antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER, ANTLERED OR ANTLERLESS FLINTLOCK (WMUs 2B, 5C, 5D): Dec. 26-Jan. 24. One antlered deer per hunting license year, or one antlerless deer and an additional antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER, ANTLERLESS EXTENDED REGULAR FIREARMS: (Allegheny, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties): Dec. 26-Jan. 24. An antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

DEER, ANTLERLESS (Military Bases): Hunting permitted on days established by the U.S. Department of the Army at Letterkenny Army Depot, Franklin County; New Cumberland Army Depot, York County; and Fort Detrick, Raven Rock Site, Adams County. An antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

PROPOSED 2014-15 FURBEARER HUNTING SEASONS

COYOTES: No closed season. Unlimited. Outside of any big game season (deer, bear, elk and turkey), coyotes may be taken with a hunting license or a furtaker license, and without wearing orange. During any big game season, coyotes may be taken while lawfully hunting big game or with a furtaker license.

RACCOONS and FOXES: Oct. 25–Feb. 21, unlimited.

OPOSSUM, STRIPED SKUNKS and WEASELS: No closed season, except Sundays. No limits.

BOBCAT (WMUs 2A, 2C, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4C, 4D and 4E): Jan. 20-Feb. 10. One bobcat per license year, but all licensed furtakers may obtain one permit.

PROPOSED 2014-15 TRAPPING SEASONS

MINKS and MUSKRATS: Nov. 22–Jan. 11. Unlimited.

COYOTES, FOXES, OPOSSUMS, RACCOONS, STRIPED SKUNKS and WEASELS: Oct. 26–Feb. 22. No limit.

COYOTES and FOXES (Statewide) Cable Restraints: Dec. 26-Feb. 22. No limit. Participants must pass cable restraint certification course.

BEAVERS (Statewide): Dec. 26–March 31 (Limits vary depending on WMU).

BOBCATS (WMUs 2A, 2C, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4C, 4D and 4E): Dec. 20-Jan. 11.

One bobcat per license year, and all licensed furtakers may obtain one permit.

FISHERS (WMUs 1B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3A, 3B, 3D, 4D and 4E): Dec. 20-25. One fisher per license year, and all licensed furtakers may obtain one permit.

PROPOSED 2014-15 FALCONRY SEASONS

SQUIRRELS (combined), BOBWHITE QUAIL, RUFFED GROUSE, COTTONTAIL RABBITS,

SNOWSHOE OR VARYING HARES, RINGNECK PHEASANTS (Male or Female combined): Sept. 1-March 31. Daily and Field Possession limits vary. (Migratory game bird seasons and bag limits for falconers will be set in accordance with federal regulations in August.)

No open season on other wild birds or mammals.

Waterfowl and Migratory Game Bird seasons to be established in accordance with federal regulations this summer.

Bull Creek To Host Advanced Turkey Hunting Class

On April 5^th 2014 from 8 AM to 5 PM Bull Creek Rod and Gun Club will host a PA Game Commission sanctioned advanced turkey hunting course. You MUST register in advance online.  To register, click here. Only 20 seats are available first come first served so don't wait!

Whether you are new to tur­key hunting and want to gain many seasons’ worth of knowledge and skills in one day or an experienced tur­key hunter wanting to learn new skills and concepts to help you increase your chances of success in the turkey woods, this course is your ticket. Successful Turkey Hunting will make sure you really enjoy your next turkey hunting experience.

Even before you attend a class, you’ll discover a lot about the wild tur­key and turkey hunting by reviewing the online student guide. A printed copy is yours to keep at the end of the course and can be mailed ahead of time if you prefer it to the online guide. During the day in the “classroom,” you’ll learn orienteering skills to help you navigate the back country in search of wary birds; scouting methods and hunting techniques, including the effective use of decoys; shot selection methods to increase your success rate, enhance your hunting experience, and keep you safe; proven distance estimation techniques to fine tune both your eye and your shotgun to consistently bag more birds; and calling techniques using most of the popular call types available today. You may even bring your own turkey gun (12- or 20-gauge) to class to learn how to maximize its effectiveness by practicing on the range. Ammunition is provided, and if you don’t have a shotgun, one will be available for you to use.

Successful Turkey Hunting is a new voluntary, advanced, one-day hunter education training program. Prior to attending, you should complete the independent study part of this program online or by using a printed copy of the student guide. The independent study part of the training should take about six to eight hours. To receive a training certificate recognized by other states (Delaware requires one to hunt turkeys) or provinces, you must pass an open-book, written exam at the conclusion of this class.

The course fee of $15 includes a diaphragm call that is yours to take home as well as the ammo and targets used during the class. A printed copy of the 144-page Successful Turkey Hunting Student Manual includes information on turkey biology and behav­ior, scouting, sporting implements, safety, hunting techniques, field care and recipes, and is yours to keep!

This advanced hunter education oppor­tunity fulfills an objective of the agency’s Strategic Plan to provide advanced train­ing courses. The National Wild Turkey Federation assisted in the development of this course by providing training DVD’s, many conceptual ideas and much of the content for the student manual. Funding to support it comes from the Federal As­sistance Program

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Overview

Do you want to learn how to be a successful turkey hunter, both spring and fall? Then this advanced training class is for you! Our Successful Turkey Hunting program will give you the skills and knowledge you need to really enjoy your next turkey-hunting experience. Even before you attend a class, you’ll discover a lot about the wild turkey and turkey hunting by reviewing our online student guide. A printed copy is yours to keep at the end of the course!

Details

In our classroom, we’ll teach you the orienteering skills needed to navigate the back country in search of wary birds, plus shot selection methods to increase your success rate, enhance your hunting experience, and keep you safe. Next, you’ll learn both basic and advanced calling techniques using most of the popular call types available today. We’ll even give you a turkey call to take home after the class!

Moving outside, you’ll learn scouting methods and hunting techniques, including the effective use of decoys. Then we’ll show you how to fine-tune both your eye and your shotgun to consistently bag more birds.

Bring your 12-gauge or 20-gauge shotgun to the class! On our range, we’ll show you how to maximize its effectiveness. No ammunition is required – we’ll provide it. If you don’t have a shotgun, we’ve got one for you.

More Information

IMPORTANT: This is a voluntary, advanced, one-day hunter education training program. To receive a training certificate recognized by other states or provinces, you must pass an open-book, written exam at the conclusion of this class.

Prior to attending, you should complete the independent study part of this program by clicking on the link below. If you don’t want to study online, please telephone the PGC Hunter-Trapper Education Division at 717-787-7015 (M-F from 8:00am to 4:00pm) to request a printed version of our Successful Turkey Hunting! Student Manual. The independent-study part of the training will take about 6 to 8 hours to complete.

Link to Student Manual

Successful Turkey Hunting! Student Manual.

Massive New Great American Outdoor Show Debuts

By John Hayes / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

In the year since one of America's biggest outdoors shows shot itself in the foot, the National Rifle Association has retooled the event, attempting to recast its public image as a family-oriented advocate of the outdoors lifestyle.

The new NRA-sponsored Great American Outdoor Show debuts Feb. 1-9 in Harrisburg at the site of the former Eastern Sports and Outdoors Show.

Last January, weeks after the Newtown, Conn., shooting tragedy, the 65-year-old expo's British owners announced a ban on the sale of semi-automatic rifles. In an internationally publicized demonstration of pro-gun solidarity, hundreds of vendors boycotted the event including non-firearms firms such as Bass Pro Shops, ThermaCell and the Pennsylvania Independent Oil and Gas Association. The vendor boycott killed the expo, costing the Harrisburg business community some $80 million and many jobs.

The NRA is promoting the new expo as the world's biggest outdoors show with more family activities, country music concerts and, of course, more guns including the high-performance modern sporting rifles that had been at the center of the controversy.

Jeremy Greene, NRA director of general operations, said reviving the expo was good business.
"We had been a participant in that show in Harrisburg for over 35 years ... [and have] 900,000 members within 300 miles of Harrisburg," he said. "The media pick up on our Second Amendment stand, but in addition we advocate for firearm safety, marksmanship and education training. The NRA has always been very much in tune with the outdoors industry in general. This isn't a gun show, it's about the lifestyle."

Seminars and celebrity speakers will focus on fishing, hunting, cooking and other outdoor lifestyle activities -- not firearm advocacy. But there will be guns -- an entire "shooting sports hall" filled with them. Buyers, however, can't just walk out with a new toy. They'll be processed through the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System. The exchange will not take place at the venue. Approved buyers can pick up their guns at a federally licensed firearm dealer located near their homes.

BIG PA BEARS, BIG PA HARVEST

Fifty-eight bears topping 500 pounds part of fifth-largest harvest in Pennsylvania history.

          Pennsylvania hunters harvested a total of 3,510 bears in 2013, the fifth-highest tally in state history, the Pennsylvania Game Commission reported today.
          The final total continues a trend of recent bear seasons taking their place in the record books. With harvest totals for 2013 now official, three of the five highest harvests have occurred in the past three years.
          The all-time high was recorded in 2011, when 4,350 bears were harvested. In 2012, Pennsylvania hunters harvested 3,632 bears – the third-largest harvest in state history.
          What might place 2013 in a class of its own is the number of large bears taken. Hunters in 2013 harvested 58 bears that weighed 500 pounds or more, and nine of those bears weighed 600 pounds or more.
          While 2012 saw a higher number of bears harvested statewide compared to 2013, fewer large bears were taken. Forty-five of the bears in the 2012 harvest weighed 500 pounds or more, with five of them weighing 600 pounds or more.
          “Seeing large bears in the harvest speaks well to the health of our bear population, but it also shows the opportunity that exists to harvest a truly, trophy-sized animal,” said Mark Ternent, the Game Commission’s bear biologist.
          The harvest’s heaviest bear, taken in Lackawanna County on Nov. 25 by Daniel J. Beavers, of Covington Township, Lackawanna County, weighed an estimated 772 pounds.
          The second- and third-heaviest bears of 2013 were taken later in the season. Nicholas Corridoni, of Duryea, turned the extended bear season in Luzerne County into a successful one by taking a bear estimated at 656 pounds during a Dec. 5 hunt in Pittston Township. And Derek A. Long, of Yukon, harvested a bear estimated at 640 pounds during the final day of the general season while hunting in Covington Township, Clearfield County.
          One bear on the 2013 top 10 list – a male with an actual live weight of 598 pounds – was taken in the statewide bear archery season. Randall E. Tressler, of McVeytown, took the bear Nov. 20 with a crossbow in Wayne Township, Mifflin County.
          Overall, 197 bears were taken during the statewide archery season in 2013.
          The remaining bears on the top 10 list all were taken in the four-day general season, which had a total harvest of 2,521 bears. They include: an estimated 632-pounder taken Nov. 23 in East Providence Township, Bedford County, by Michael L. Truax, of Everett; an estimated 628-pound bear taken Nov. 27 in Texas Township, Wayne County, by Matthew F. Doherty, of Honesdale; an estimated 627-pound bear taken Nov. 23 in Bloss Township, Tioga County, by Wayne A. Gehers, of Mohnton; an estimated 616-pounder taken Nov. 23 in Union Township, Tioga County, by Bradley S. Rohrer, of Lancaster; an estimated 601-pound bear taken Nov. 25 in Shrewsbury Township, Sullivan County, by Jeffrey C. Kratz, of Collegeville; and an estimated 597-pound bear taken Nov. 23 in Greene Township, Pike County, by Jenna L. Schoenagel, of Greentown.
          Extended bear seasons played a significant role in the overall harvest in 2013. Statewide, 780 bears were taken during extended seasons, which are open in select wildlife-management units. The total represents an increase compared to the 672 bears harvested during extended seasons in 2012.
          Tioga County claimed the highest harvest in extended seasons, with 100 bears taken after the close of the general statewide bear season. Other top counties, and their harvest totals during the extended seasons, were: Wayne, 66; Bradford, 65; Pike, 60; and Potter, 54.
          Bears were harvested in 53 of the state’s 67 counties. And unlike many years, when the top counties for bear harvests come exclusively from the Northeast and Northcentral regions, the Northwest Region also is represented on the top five counties list in 2013. Meanwhile, one of the usual leaders, Clinton County, dropped from the list. Among counties leading the bear harvest were: Tioga, 286 (227 in 2012); Lycoming, 234 (341); Potter, 196 (179); Pike, 150 (108); and Warren, 148 (94).
          Ternent said changes in the top five counties list this year have their explanations. Acorns are a highly sought-after food by bears in the fall. And in years like 2013 when acorns are scarce, northcentral counties like Clinton, which are made up mostly of oak forest, tend to see harvest decline. Meanwhile, counties farther north, like Tioga and Potter, increase their harvests because beech and cherry are more common.
          A shifting of the harvest is not permanent though, Ternent said, and hunting prospects in Clinton County should be exceptional next year.
          Likewise, Ternent said, the gains seen in places like Warren County reflect expansion of the state’s bear population into an area that once was considered on the fringe of the statewide range. The expansion has been followed by growth in the region’s bear population, and correspondingly, increasing harvests, he said.
          Final county harvests by region (with 2012 figures in parentheses) are:

Northwest (466): Warren, 148 (94); Jefferson, 70 (51); Venango, 70 (62); Clarion, 59 (77); Forest, 50 (56); Crawford, 36 (6); Butler, 24 (11); Erie, 6 (7); and Mercer, 3 (1).

Southwest (335): Somerset, 106 (94); Fayette, 67 (79); Indiana, 49 (24); Armstrong, 43 (35); Westmoreland, 41 (37); Cambria, 26 (11); and Allegheny, 3 (4).

Northcentral (1,430): Tioga, 286 (227); Lycoming, 234 (341); Potter 196 (179); Clinton, 133 (265); Clearfield, 125 (102); Cameron, 108 (67); McKean, 108 (134); Elk, 103 (76); Centre, 96 (143); and Union, 41 (82).

Southcentral (273): Huntingdon, 67 (125); Bedford, 55 (86); Mifflin, 31 (62); Blair, 29 (50); Juniata, 28 (37); Fulton, 19 (25); Snyder, 18 (14); Perry, 16 (32); Franklin, 9 (14); Cumberland, 1(2); and Adams, 0 (2).

Northeast (919): Pike, 150 (108); Wayne, 127 (73); Sullivan, 105 (60); Luzerne, 98 (100); Bradford, 96 (86); Monroe, 79 (102); Wyoming, 66 (57); Carbon, 57 (67); Susquehanna, 55 (41); Lackawanna, 48 (37); Columbia, 24 (36); Northumberland, 14 (26); and Montour, 0 (3).

            Southeast (87): Schuylkill, 35 (39); Dauphin, 23 (48); Northampton, 18 (21); Lebanon, 7 (4);

Berks, 4 (7); and Lehigh 0 (3).

The final bear harvests by Wildlife Management Unit (with final 2012 figures in parentheses) were: WMU 1A, 16 (4); WMU 1B, 94 (38); WMU 2B, 4 (6); WMU 2C, 247 (268); WMU 2D, 171 (162); WMU 2E, 93 (50); WMU 2F, 309 (285); WMU 2G, 575 (829); WMU 2H, 87 (0); WMU 3A, 362 (342); WMU 3B, 364 (279); WMU 3C, 195 (146); WMU 3D, 393 (305); WMU 4A, 80 (139); WMU 4B, 67 (84); WMU 4C, 93 (163); WMU 4D, 275 (403); WMU 4E, 68 (110); WMU 5A, 0 (1); WMU 5B, 1 (2); and WMU 5C, 16 (16).

          Numbers at the WMU level might be a bit misleading because of the creation of WMU 2H, which previously was part of WMU 2G.

          In any case, Pennsylvania’s 2013 bear harvest ranks as one of the largest on record.

          “The totals provide further proof that there’s never been a better time to hunt bears in Pennsylvania,” Ternent said.

          Other recent bear harvests include: 3,090 in 2010; 3,512 in 2009; 3,458 in 2008; 2,360 in 2007; 3,124 in 2006; 4,162 in 2005; 2,976 in 2004; 3,004 in 2003; 2,686 in 2002; 3,063 in 2001; 3,075 in 2000; and 1,741 in 1999.