Nearly 100 lucky participants in Pennsylvania’s 2018 elk hunt have taken home a trophy.

Ninety-nine elk were taken by 125 hunters during the regular one-week elk season that ended Nov. 10. And for those licensed to hunt antlered elk, also known as bulls, the success rate was 96 percent, with 25 of 26 tags filled.

The 2018 harvest included some large elk. Thirteen bulls each were estimated to weigh 700 pounds or more, with two of them going more than 800 pounds. The heaviest bull taken in this year’s hunt was estimated at 894 pounds. That bull, which sported an 7-by-8-point rack, was taken in Gibson Township, Cameron County by Richard L. Reicherter I, of Wynnewood, Pa.

Meanwhile, an 806-pounder with a 10-by-7 rack was taken in Goshen Township, Clearfield County by Mark D. Copp, of Wellsboro.

Official measurements of bull racks taken in the hunt cannot be recorded until the antlers have air dried for at least 60 days after the animal was harvested.

There also were some large antlerless elk taken in the harvest. Eight of the 74 cows taken by hunters during the one-week season weighed over 500 pounds.

Thirty-nine elk – nine bulls and 30 cows – were taken on the opening day of the elk season Nov. 5.

“Overall, the 2018 elk season was fairly typical with a slightly lower success rate for antlerless elk hunters,” said Jeremy Banfield, Game Commission elk biologist.

One difference from previous years was the distribution of elk harvests across all the hunt zones, Banfield noted.

“Normally we’d like at least a 50 percent success rate in each zone, where this year several zones had 100 percent success, while others reached only 20 to 40 percent success.

“Poor weather on Monday, Tuesday, and again on Friday might have contributed to the lower harvest, but most hunters recognize the rarity of having an elk tag and will hunt hard no matter the weather. Several hunters reported seeing elk while hunting and just not being able to connect with them.”

Successful hunters within 24 hours of harvest are required to bring their elk to a check station, where tissue samples are collected to test for chronic wasting disease, brucellosis, and tuberculosis. To date none of these diseases have been detected in Pennsylvania elk.

To participate in the elk hunt, hunters must submit an application, then must be selected through a random drawing and purchase a license. The drawing annually attracts more than 30,000 applicants.

Release # 74-18

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Nov. 16, 2018

For Information Contact:

Travis Lau  717-705-6541   trlau@pa.gov

Courtesy of PA Game Commission

 

While it might be winter, landowners can begin making plans to help wildlife this spring – and beyond – by planting tree and shrub seedlings offered by the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Howard Nursery.

The 2019 seedling order form is available online, and sales are set to begin Jan. 7 at 7 a.m.

The Howard Nursery grows tree and shrub seedlings for state game lands, participating Hunter Access cooperators, the Seedlings for Schools program and the Game Commission’s conservation partners. Any remaining surplus is available to Pennsylvania residents for purchase for wildlife food and cover, watershed protection, soil-erosion control, and for reclamation of disturbed areas, such as surface mine sites and utility rights-of-way.

The selection of seedlings changes from year to year due to available seed, seedling germination, or growing conditions.

“Last year, game lands and partner demands for seedlings was greater than our supply,” explained Brian D. Stone, manager at Howard Nursery. “This year, after fulfilling our commitments to our game lands projects and our partners, we will have a limited supply of surplus available for public sale.”

Seedlings are sold in units of 25. The 2019 order form contains a selection of shrubs and nut-bearing trees, most of which are native to Pennsylvania and collected from Pennsylvania sources. The order form also offers seedling descriptions, site preferences and benefits.

Those species available are: buttonbush, graystem dogwood, Northern bayberry, ninebark, chokecherry, common elderberry, arrowwood viburnum, Washington hawthorn, black walnut, black locust, and black-gum.

Many of the seedlings offered for sale can be purchased at a discounted price.

Orders of 12 or more total units qualify for applicable discounted pricing. With the discount, prices are as low as $5.50 per unit. Regular price ranges from $7.50 to $9.50, depending upon the seedling species.

Species that qualify for the discount are marked on the order form.

Stone said those who are interested might want to call Howard Nursery at 814-355-4434. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Orders can be placed by telephone, as well.

The order form and information about the seedlings for sale will be available at the Game Commission’s website, www.pgc.pa.gov. Place your cursor over “Information & Resources” in the menu bar at the top of the homepage, then click on “Make a Purchase” and select the option to order products from Howard Nursery to find the 2019 Seedling Order Form.

If you have problems downloading the order form, you likely need to install the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader, which can be found by doing an Internet search and downloaded for free.

The order form can be completed and submitted online, or printed out and faxed or mailed. Payment is not due until the order is confirmed by Howard Nursery. For those without Internet access, order forms can be obtained at Game Commission offices or various displays or booths at shows in which the agency participates through the spring or by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Howard Nursery, 197 Nursery Road, Howard, PA 16841.

The preferred method of delivery is by United Parcel Service (UPS). Shipping and handling charges do apply.

Orders are shipped only Monday through Wednesday to assure delivery for weekend planting. However, orders also may be picked up in person at the nursery once buyers are notified the order is ready.

Generally, seedlings ship in the month of April.

Release # 01-19

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Jan. 3, 2018

For Information Contact:

Travis Lau     717-705-6541    trlau@pa.gov

Courtesy of PA Game Commission

12/19/2018

PARTNERSHIP CONSERVES 750 ACRES

HARRISBURG, PA – The Pennsylvania Game Commission and The Conservation Fund announced today the purchase of 752 acres of forestland near Red Rock.

Bordered on three sides by Ricketts Glen State Park and State Game Lands (SGL) 13 and 57, the property provides habitat for a variety of migratory birds, popular game animals, aquatic life and threatened and endangered species. The newly protected area in Sullivan County features wetlands, swamps and forested headwaters for two miles of the high-quality Mehoopany Creek, including core habitat for natural heritage areas important for preserving biologic diversity and water quality of the North Branch of the Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

“While this is a large acquisition for the Game Commission in terms of acreage, the overall impact is larger still,” said Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans. “The acquisition pushes the total acreage of State Game Lands 13 to over 50,000 acres, and it creates nearly 100,000 acres of contiguous state game lands because State Game Lands 13 and 57 border one another. For hunters, trappers and all users of game lands—and importantly, for wildlife—the acquisition is an important achievement in conservation. On behalf of these parties and the Game Commission, allow me to thank The Conservation Fund for its efforts.”

The Pennsylvania Game Commission purchased the land on December 18 with transactional support from The Conservation Fund and funding from Williams in connection with the construction and operation of the company’s Atlantic Sunrise natural gas pipeline project. Now part of SGL 13, the land is open to the public for hiking, hunting, fishing and wildlife-viewing, activities that support the outdoor recreation economy of the Endless Mountains Heritage Region. Additional funding for the acquisition was provided by the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

“This is a great place to visit and experience the outdoors. In addition to wildlife and bird watching, the property has high quality habitat for game species and will prove a worthy addition to the opportunities afield for Pennsylvania hunters.” said Kyle Shenk, Pennsylvania State Director for The Conservation Fund. “Securing large contiguous forest as public land prevents fragmentation of habitat—which is good for wildlife, the forest products industry and local economies.”

Located within the Audubon Society’s designated Loyalsock North Mountain Forest Block Continentally Important Bird Area (IBA) and among more than 109,500 acres of protected public lands, the property supports breeding habitat for 75 species of migratory birds and bats, including state listed species like the American bittern, yellow-bellied flycatcher, American woodcock, Louisiana waterthrush and the silver-haired bat.

About The Conservation Fund

At The Conservation Fund, we make conservation work for America. By creating solutions that make environmental and economic sense, we are redefining conservation to demonstrate its essential role in our future prosperity. Top-ranked for efficiency and effectiveness, we have worked in all 50 states since 1985 to protect more than eight million acres of land, including more than 106,000 acres in Pennsylvania. Visit conservationfund.org for additional information.

 

MEDIA CONTACT: Travis Lau – 717-705-6541  PA Game Commission

Courtesy of PA Game Commission

The Game Commission owns and manages nearly 1.5 million acres of state game lands throughout the Commonwealth. The primary purpose of these lands is the management of habitat for wildlife and provide opportunities for lawful hunting and trapping. Secondary recreational uses are permitted in accordance with the Game Commission’s regulations.

State Game Lands RegulationsOpens In A New Window – Title 58

State Game Lands PDF Maps

Mapping Center: Create personalized state game lands maps.

Public Shooting Ranges 

The Game Commission maintains public shooting ranges on game lands across the state.

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Seasonal Roads 

More than 400 miles of roads are open seasonally on state game lands. Seasonal openings are based on hunting seasons, road conditions and safety. These listings provide maps, road descriptions and their opening and closing dates.

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Southcentral NOTE: Due to extremely wet weather conditions, a decision was made to close the seasonal road on Jack’s Mountain, State Game Lands 99 prior to the end of Flintlock Muzzleloader Season, ending on January 12th.  Hunter’s will still have access to this game lands and the top of Jack’s Mountain via White Road off State Route 747.
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Access for Hunters with Disabilities 

Hunters and trappers with disabilities can find additional information on the Permits for Hunters with Disabilities page. Permitted persons can access state game lands using ATVs on these designated routes. Note: This information is in the process of being updated. Please reach out to the region directly if no routes are listed.

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Designated Routes for Horses and Bicycles 

These multi-use roads or trails are open to bicycling and horseback riding at certain times of the year, and under certain restrictions. Riding activities are not permitted (except on Sundays or on roads open to public travel) from the last Saturday in September thru the third Saturday in January, and before 1 p.m. from the second Saturday in April thru the last Saturday in May. This does not apply to anyone lawfully engaged in hunting, trapping or fishing on state game lands. Designated routes are posted by the Game Commission as being open to travel by a non-motorized vehicle, conveyance or animal.

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Snowmobile Trails 

Designated routes for snowmobile use on State Game Lands are open, provided there is sufficient snow, from the third Sunday in January through April 1. Riders may only use snowmobiles that are registered and display valid registration decal.

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Additional Information

Game Lands Special Use Permit (PDF)

Special Requests to Use State Game Lands Information

 

 

 

 

On Sept. 25, the Board of Game Commissioners took preliminary action to update the state’s list of threatened and endangered species, which includes downgrading three protected cave bat species and reclassifying them as state endangered species.

The three bat species, all of which have been decimated by white-nose syndrome since it appeared in Pennsylvania in 2008, are the northern long-eared bat, tri-colored bat and little brown bat.

Additionally, the board voted preliminarily to upgrade the peregrine falcon’s status from endangered to threatened; upgrade the piping plover from extirpated to endangered, and list the red knot – a federally threatened species – as a threatened species within Pennsylvania, as well.

The northern long-eared bat was listed as a federal threatened species in April 2015. In addition, tri-colored bats and little brown bats currently are being considered for protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

A state listing allows for the Game Commission to work with industry that might have projects affected by the presence of endangered or threatened species. While projects will continue to be reviewed by the Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory (PNDI), regarding bats, the proposal would affect projects only if they’re within 300 meters of a recent maternity roost, hibernacula or capture location for threatened or endangered bats. Sites that held these bats prior to the arrival of white-nose syndrome, but not since, won’t affect projects.

If the preliminarily approved measure is adopted, only 34 new hibernation sites and 112 maternity sites statewide would be added into the PNDI.

Through a state-endangered listing, the Game Commission will coordinate with developers to resolve conflicts, pointed out Dan Brauning, Game Commission Wildlife Diversity Division Chief. For little brown and tri-colored bats, the Game Commission will be the lead agency in determining potential impacts. However, for northern long-eared bats, coordination by both the Game Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be necessary.

“These cave bats teeter on the brink of state extirpation; extinction is not yet out of the question,” Brauning noted. “Their need for additional protections is obvious and overdue. For the Game Commission to do anything less would be recklessly irresponsible.”

The Game Commission had moved to list these bats in 2012, but concerns about unnecessary oversight and job loss heard from representatives of timber, oil, coal and gas industries and legislators prompted additional discussion.

“The Game Commission strives to work whenever possible with industry, to save jobs, and be a part of sound state government,” emphasized agency Executive Director Bryan Burhans. “But we cannot look the other way as bats tumble toward extinction. This agency has statutory and state constitutional commitments to represent and conserve all wildlife for today and tomorrow.”

Because bats have lost upward of 97 percent of their historic populations in Pennsylvania, every remaining bat matters, Brauning said.

What works against these cave bats is their annual reproduction provides limited replacement. Most female cave bats have one pup per year, a rate that would place their potential recovery more than a century away.

There’s no doubt a state-endangered listing of these cave bat species will require the implementation of additional protective measures. But given the mammoth collapse of these winged mammals, there’s no doubt they need more help; the sooner, the better.

But some of the proposals for status change represent better news.

The peregrine falcon has seen a steady statewide recovery, which qualifies its status to be upgraded to threatened under the agency’s Peregrine Falcon Management Plan.

Upgrading the piping plover’s status to endangered recognizes its return to breeding in Pennsylvania After more than 60 years of absence, piping plover pairs successfully nested at Presque Isle State Park in 2017 and 2018.

And changing the status of the red knot – a rare migrant bird found in Pennsylvania mostly at Presque Isle State Park – recognizes its vulnerability to further declines.

The status changes will be brought back to the January meeting for a final vote. Click here to keep reading.

MEDIA CONTACT: Travis Lau – 717-705-6541

COURTESY OF PA GAME COMMISSION

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has agreed to support a proposal for further expansion of the Motus Wildlife Tracking System in Pennsylvania and four other states to monitor eight migratory species of greatest conservation and other wildlife.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission will lead a team involving the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Northeast Motus Collaboration and other partnering organizations to collect life-cycle information of seven migratory birds and one bat that have been in serious declines for at least years, and in some cases, decades.

The Northeast Motus Collaboration is a partnership of the Willistown Conservation Trust, Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art, Project Owlnet and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s Powdermill Nature Reserve. The collaboration is housed under the Motus Wildlife Tracking System, established in 2013 by Bird Studies Canada. The network currently tracks wildlife from more than 500 stations around the world.

The USFWS is providing $497,929 to help underwrite this wildlife surveillance, which tracks migrating animals with nanotags – radio transmitters so small, they can be fitted to monarch butterflies. Collaboration member organizations and others are providing more than $225,000 to meet federal matching funding requirements.

The Pennsylvania species being targeted by this fieldwork are Swainson’s thrush, wood thrush, blackpoll warblers, Canada warblers, rusty blackbirds, American woodcock and northern long-eared bats. Other priority species, such as New England’s Bicknell’s thrush, also are targeted by this research.

“This project embodies contemporary wildlife conservation: state and federal government agencies working with private conservation organizations and universities to help species that demand more attention than traditional wildlife management can provide,” explained Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans. “The agency is indebted to partner organizations, such as the Willistown Conservation Trust and the Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art, for their commitment to wildlife. Today, conservation counts on partners more than ever before.”

Nanotags are the innovation that makes this research possible. They weigh as little as one-eighth the weight of a penny and can accomplish what much heavier telemetry gear couldn’t do as recently as 10 years ago. Almost overnight they have helped strengthen the science used in wildlife conservation.

Nanotags transmit a signal that can reach out about 10 miles. This project aims to provide more receiver stations to collect those nanotag transmissions. Currently, there are more than 40 in Pennsylvania. The expectation is that about 12 more receiving stations would be added under this proposal.

“Pennsylvania already is well equipped with receiving stations in western and southern counties,” explained Dan Brauning, who supervises the Game Commission’s Wildlife Diversity Division. “Clusters of new receiver stations will be established on the Pocono Plateau, as well as across the northern tier, and along the Kittatinny Ridge/South Mountain system.”

But this proposal covers more than Pennsylvania. It will work to establish more receiving stations in four other states: New York, Maryland, New Jersey and Delaware.

Receiver stations already are collecting information that has been pondered by ornithologists and bat biologists since the dawn of American wildlife conservation. Soon, they will know more about the specifics of migration than ever before. Click here to continue reading.

MEDIA CONTACT: Travis Lau – 717-705-6541

COURTESY OF PA GAME COMMISSION