Hunters within the state’s Disease Management Areas (DMAs) have the opportunity to have their deer tested – free of charge – for chronic wasting disease (CWD), and at the same time help the Game Commission fight this deadly disease.

The Game Commission has installed large metal bins at about two dozen locations for the collection of harvested deer heads within DMA 2 and DMA 3. The bins, which are similar to those used for clothing donations, keep contents secure and are checked and emptied every other day through the deer-hunting seasons.

All deer heads retrieved from the bins that can be tested for CWD, will be tested, and the hunters who submitted them will be notified of the results as soon as they’re available.

This initiative not only benefits the hunter by identifying deer that shouldn’t be consumed, it helps the Game Commission assess and monitor progress of the disease and the effectiveness of future management actions.

“CWD is an increasing threat to Pennsylvania’s deer and elk, and our hunting tradition,” said Wayne Laroche, Game Commission Special Assistant for CWD Response. “So far this year, the number of CWD-positive deer detected in DMA 2 has increased at a faster rate; the first free-ranging CWD-positive deer has been found within DMA 3; and three new deer farms have turned up positive within DMA 2.

“Still, prevalence of the disease in Pennsylvania is low,” Laroche said. “There’s still a chance to minimize the disease’s impacts on wild deer. And it’s a win-win scenario for the hunters who bring the heads of their harvested deer to a collection bin. Not only do they help protect wild deer against the disease’s spread, if they shoot a diseased animal, they’ll know about it and can discard the meat.”

Collection bins were placed within both DMA 2 and DMA 3 in early October, and many of the deer heads dropped off there during the statewide archery deer season already have been tested for CWD, with the hunters notified of the results. The bins will remain in use through the late archery and flintlock deer seasons.

The exact locations of all collection sites is available on the Chronic Wasting Disease page at www.pgc.pa.gov.

Hunters during the final day of Pennsylvania’s statewide bear season harvested 168 bears, raising the 2017 statewide season harvest to 1,796 – an about 30 percent decrease compared to the 2,579 bears taken during the four days of the statewide season in 2016.

Extensive rain on the season’s opening day, Nov. 18, led to the harvest decline.

Archery and other early-bear season harvest data is not included in this report. Comprehensive bear harvest totals that include bears taken during the early and extended seasons will be released in the coming months.

During the statewide season, bears were harvested in 54 counties.

The top 10 bears processed at check stations were either estimated or confirmed to have live weights of 576 pounds or more.

Two bears over 500 pounds were taken on the season’s final day. A male estimated at 581 pounds was taken in Tuscarora Township, Perry County, by Allen W. Esh, of Millerstown, Pa. Meanwhile, a male estimated at 568 pounds was taken in Fox Township, Elk County, by Edward J. Bellotti, of Kersey, Pa.

The state’s heaviest bear in the statewide season – a male estimated at 700 pounds – was taken in Oil Creek Township, Venango County, by Chad A. Wagner, of Titusville, Pa. He took it with a rifle at about 8 a.m. on Nov. 18, the season’s opening day.

Other large bears taken over the four-day season – all taken with a rifle – include: a 691-pound male taken Nov. 21 in Cherry Grove Township, Warren County, by James M. Langdon, of Wattsburg, Pa.; a 648-pound male taken Nov. 18 in Dreher Township, Wayne County, by Joseph D. Simon, of Newfoundland, Pa.; a 609-pound male taken Nov. 18 in Abbott Township, Potter County, by Michael R. Neimeyer, of Spring City, Pa.; a 601-pound male taken Nov. 20 in Valley Township, Armstrong County, by Bo J. Bowser, of Kittanning; a 595-pound male taken Nov. 18 in St. Marys Township, Elk County, by Stephanie A. Siford, of North East, Pa.; a 595-pound male taken Nov. 18 in Charleston Township, Tioga County, by Zachery L. Martin, of Wellsboro, Pa.; a 586-pound male taken Nov. 18 in Oil Creek Township, Crawford County, by Brian K. Baker, Titusville, Pa.; a 576-pound male taken Nov. 18 in Homer Township, Potter County, by Kirby R. Kornhaus, of Jonestown, Pa.; a 569-pound male taken Nov. 21 in Liberty Township, Centre County, by Conner L. Toner, of Beech Creek, Pa.; a 562-pound male taken Nov. 20 in Beech Creek Township, Clinton County, by William J. Miller, of Beech Creek, Pa.; a 561-pound male taken Nov. 20 in Fox Township, Sullivan County, by Tyler J. Bagley, Of Montgomery, Pa; a 561-pound male taken in Ross Township, Luzerne County, by Richard B. Kollar, of Shickshinny, Pa.

View more 2017 bear harvest details.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission has scheduled a series of public meetings to ensure Pennsylvanians remain informed about chronic wasting disease, and how this threat to the state’s deer and deer hunting impacts their lives.

View the scheduled meeting dates and locations.

Additional meetings may be scheduled. An up-to-date list of meetings can be found on the Chronic Wasting Disease page.

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) first was detected in Pennsylvania at a captive deer farm in Adams County in 2012, and has since been detected at an increasing rate in captive and free-ranging deer.

CWD always is fatal to the deer and elk it infects. As additional CWD-positive deer are detected in new areas, more and more Pennsylvanians must learn and comply with regulations geared to slow the disease’s spread.

The public meetings provide individuals an opportunity to ask questions and obtain detailed explanations about what they can do to help with efforts to curtail CWD.

A plethora of information about the disease, including maps of the Disease Management Areas within which special rules apply regarding the hunting and feeding of deer, can be found on the website.

Courtesy of Pennsylvania Game Commission  www.pgc.pa.gov

The investigation into the origin of two ear-tagged deer euthanized recently in Elk County has resulted in a conviction.

A 56-year-old Ridgway man pleaded guilty Aug. 16 to two counts of disturbing wildlife after reporting he’d handled the deer, saying both were wild and he tagged them in separate years while they were fawns. Fines and costs totaled $2,120.

It is unlawful in Pennsylvania to pick up, take into captivity or otherwise disturb wildlife, or release any deer into the wild. Doing so can result in stiff penalties, including imprisonment.

The ear-tagged deer were euthanized July 26 in Ridgway Township, Elk County. While the Game Commission uses ear tags in its research, the agency’s tags differ in appearance from the tags commonly used on deer farms. Because of the risk escaped or released captive deer or elk could spread chronic wasting disease (CWD) to areas where the disease has not been detected in the wild, Game Commission protocol authorizes wildlife conservation officers to shoot free-ranging ear-tagged deer they encounter.

Both deer euthanized July 26 tested negative for CWD. The results from genetic tests performed to learn more about the deer’s bloodlines are pending.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact the Game Commission’s Northcentral Region Office at 570-398-4744, or 570-398-4745. To report ear-tagged deer encountered in the wild, please call the Game Commission region office serving the area the deer were seen.

Courtesy of Pennsylvania Game Commission  www.pgc.pa.gov