Beaver County Sportsmen's Conservation League

To promote and foster, the protection and conservation of our wildlife resources

Issue Of Unlicensed Drivers On Game Lands Addressed

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Proposed regulation would require that only licensed drivers operate vehicles on game lands.

Wildlife Conservation Officers and deputies routinely encounter unlicensed drivers operating motor vehicles on roads, in parking areas and elsewhere on game lands.

But since only police have the authority to enforce the state’s Vehicle Code, the violations only can be enforced when the appropriate police agency is available to take the case.

In instances when police can’t respond, the violations go unaddressed.

But the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today gave preliminary approval to a regulation that will allow officers to stop unlicensed drivers from unlawfully driving on game lands.

The proposed regulation states that vehicles requiring registration under the Vehicle Code can be operated on game lands only by licensed drivers.

The measure will be brought back to the March meeting for a final vote by the board.

Courtesy Pennsylvania Game Commission

Board Reorganizes, Future Meeting Dates Scheduled

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Commissioner James Daley takes over as board secretary.

At their first quarterly meeting of 2017, the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners reorganized, selecting officers to serve the board this year.

Commissioner Brian Hoover stayed on as the board’s president, Commissioner Timothy Layton remained the board’s vice president, and Commissioner James Daley took over as the board’s secretary.

The board also selected its meeting dates for the coming year.

The board will meet next at its working group meeting to be held Feb. 27 at the Harrisburg headquarters.

The board’s next quarterly meeting is scheduled to be held March 27 and 28, and the board plans to meet again on June 26 and 27 and on Sept. 25 and 26.

Courtesy Pennsylvania Game Commission

Shooting Range Rule Changes Move Ahead

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Amendment package includes expanded Sunday hours at Game Commission ranges.

The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today gave preliminary approval to a package of regulatory changes regarding the use of Game Commission-owned public shooting ranges.

One change would allow shooting ranges on state game lands to be open longer – from 8 a.m. to sunset – on Sundays within the firearms deer and bear seasons.

As it is now, shooting ranges on game lands regularly are open from 8 a.m. to sunset Monday through Saturday, but regular Sunday hours are noon to sunset. On the Sundays immediately preceding the firearms deer and firearms bear seasons, however, ranges are open from 8 a.m. to sunset.

Commissioners said the proposed expansion of Sunday hours, while minor, would create a convenience for hunters who might find themselves pressed for time to adjust sights or scopes on firearms at the height of the hunting season.

Other amendments would prohibit range users from intentionally shooting at or damaging the frames and stands on which target backboards are mounted, or using a firearms in negligent disregard for the safety of others.

An amendment clarifying automatic firearms cannot be used Game Commission ranges also was passed as part of the package, and another amendment clarifies that Game Commission shooting ranges, regardless of length or size, are designated by default as rifle ranges, and may be designated as handgun-only ranges if posted as such by the commission.

The amendments will be brought back to the March meeting for a final vote.

Courtesy Pennsylvania Game Commission

 

Agency Announces Changing Of Guard In Leadership

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Executive Director R. Matthew Hough retiring; Deputy Executive Director Bryan Burhans to take helm.

After more than three years as executive director of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, and nearly 35 years with the agency, R. Matthew Hough today announced he will retire March 24.

Following his announcement, and the commissioners expressing their appreciation to Hough on a job well done, Commissioner Robert W. Schlemmer made a motion to appoint Game Commission Deputy Executive Director Bryan Burhans as Hough’s permanent replacement, beginning March 25.

The motion was approved unanimously.

Hough in making his announcement recalled proclaiming to a sixth-grade classmate he’d pursue a career in wildlife conservation, and said working for the Game Commission has been a dream come true.

“I’ve been blessed,” he said.

Commissioners thanked Hough for guiding the Game Commission through challenging times, and for the stability that resulted.

“You stepped up into the position, you filled the position perfectly, we could not have asked for a better executive director,” President Commissioner Brian Hoover said.

“You’ve said that you feel blessed,” Commissioner Charlie Fox told Hough. “I think we all feel blessed having you.”

Burhans said the Pennsylvania Game Commission remains a leader in wildlife conservation nationwide, and he’s honored for the opportunity to serve the agency, its employees, the Board of Commissioners and – importantly – wildlife, hunters and trappers.

“Director Hough’s leadership has set the agency on a steady course that only can lead to success,” Burhans said.

Burhans came to the Game Commission in 2014 as the agency’s deputy director of administration. He was commissioned as deputy wildlife conservation officer in 2015, and in addition to his responsibilities in the executive office, presently serves in the field in Lebanon County.

Burhans served as president and CEO of The American Chestnut Foundation headquartered in Asheville, N.C. He also served on the executive staff at the National Wild Turkey Federation for more than 12 years, worked as a wildlife biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and as a biologist with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

Hough began his career with the Game Commission in 1981, as a Wildlife Conservation Officer trainee in the 18th Class of the Ross Leffler School of Conservation. Upon graduation in 1982, he was assigned to serve as a Wildlife Conservation Officer in southwestern Westmoreland County. In 1986, Hough received a lateral transfer to his home area of northern Washington County.

In 1992, Hough was promoted to the Game Commission’s Southwest Region Office where he served for periods as Federal Aid Supervisor, Information and Education Supervisor, and Law Enforcement Supervisor prior to becoming Regional Director in 2003. In 2010, he became Deputy Executive Director of Field Operations at the agency’s Harrisburg headquarters

Courtesy Pennsylvania Game Commission

REPORT YOUR HARVEST

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It only take a minute to report your harvest online.    

REPORT YOUR HARVEST

REPORT YOUR HARVEST

Other ways to report

  1. By PHONE: Call toll-free to 1-855-724-8681 or 1-855-PAHUNT1 and follow the prompts.
  2. By MAIL: Tear out the harvest report card in your current Hunting and Trapping Digest, fill it out with the correct information and drop it off at your local post office. No postage necessary if mailed in the United States.

REPORT IT ON LINE

http://www.pgc.pa.gov/HuntTrap/Pages/Report-a-Harvest.aspx

GAME COMMISSION REMINDS DEER HUNTERS OF RIFLE RESTRICTIONS

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11/23/2016  MEDIA CONTACT: Travis Lau – 717-705-6541

GAME COMMISSION REMINDS DEER HUNTERS OF RIFLE RESTRICTIONS

STORY LINK    http://www.media.pa.gov/Pages/Game-Commission-Details.aspx?newsid=85

As the statewide firearms deer season approaches, the Pennsylvania Game Commission reminds deer hunters that rifles used during the season must be manually operated.

Earlier this month, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed legislation that will enable the Pennsylvania Game Commission to regulate the use of semiautomatic rifles and air rifles for hunting, and the bill was signed into law this week.

But the Game Commission has not yet made any changes to the lists of lawful arms and ammunition for any hunting season.

For deer hunters in the upcoming firearms deer season, that means all centerfire rifles, handguns and shotguns to be used must be manually operated. The only exception is that semiautomatic shotguns may be used to hunt deer in five counties – Allegheny, Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery – that are defined as Special Regulations Areas.

Semiautomatic rifles generally are not permitted for any type of hunting in any part of the state at this time.

Things could change in the coming months. At its upcoming meetings, the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners will be discussing the newly signed legislation and the possibility of adding semiautomatic rifles and air rifles to the lawful arms and ammunition list for various hunting seasons. But any changes must follow the schedule dictated by required procedure.

STATE’S HUNGRY THANKFUL FOR HUNTERS, DONATED VENISON

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STATE’S HUNGRY THANKFUL FOR HUNTERS, DONATED VENISON

11/22/2016 MEDIA CONTACT: Travis Lau – 717-705-6541

STORY LINK       http://www.media.pa.gov/Pages/Game-Commission-Details.aspx?newsid=84

When they sit down at the dinner table on Thursday, Pennsylvania’s hunters will have plenty for which to be thankful.

It’s prime time for Pennsylvania hunting and, with any luck, some game bags or ear tags have been filled already, or are nearly about to be.

But as hunters are giving thanks, they should know also they’re in a prime position to receive thanks for what they might choose to give.

Each year, the generosity of Pennsylvania’s hunters results in about 200,000 meals for the state’s hungry.

By donating venison through Hunters Sharing the Harvest – a program that works through a network of meat processors to channel venison donations to local food banks, soup kitchens and hungry families – hunters extend their helping hands to those in need.

And for the second straight year, the Pennsylvania Game Commission and other partners are making it easy for hunters to help out. Once again this year, the Game Commission donated $20,000 to the program – money that enables Hunters Sharing the Harvest to accept venison donations without charging hunters. In prior years, hunters who donated venison needed also to pay a $15 tax-deductible fee to cover deer-processing costs. Visit Hunters Sharing The Harvest to find a participating processor.

By helping to remove the fee, the Game Commission hopes to spur additional venison donations, allowing the program to feed more people, said R. Matthew Hough, the agency’s executive director.

GAME COMMISSION TO CLOSE TWO PHEASANT FARMS

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GAME COMMISSION TO CLOSE TWO PHEASANT FARMS

 12/14/2016  MEDIA CONTACT: Travis Lau – 717-705-6541

 STORY LINK      http://www.media.pa.gov/Pages/Game-Commission-Details.aspx?newsid=92

The Pennsylvania Game Commission announced plans to close two pheasant farms – the Western Game Farm in Crawford County and the Northcentral Game Farm in Lycoming County.

As a result of the closures, 14 employees were notified their positions are being eliminated, effective Jan. 27.

The decision to close the farms strictly is a financial one.

Revenue from the sale of hunting and furtaker licenses makes up the majority of the Game Commission’s budget. Legislation that would have provided a much-needed increase in license-fee revenue was not approved in the General Assembly’s 2016 session. The Game Commission now is preparing to enter a third decade without an increase in the cost of a hunting or furtaker license, and the agency faces an $8 million budget shortfall in the coming fiscal year.

Game Commission Executive Director R. Matthew Hough said closing the two pheasant farms figures to save the agency about $1.5 million in the next fiscal year.

“It’s a difficult decision to make,” Hough said. “Our employees at the Western Game Farm and Northcentral Game Farm have worked hard throughout their careers to make our pheasant propagation program the best it can be.

They’ve done an outstanding job, and it’s tough to look them in the eyes and tell them their positions are being eliminated – especially at this time of year. But, as an agency that has not seen its primary revenue source increase in almost 18 years, it – unfortunately – is necessary to make these types of reductions.”

The Game Commission will continue to operate two pheasant farms – the Loyalsock Game Farm in Lycoming County and the Southwest Game Farm in Armstrong County.

Bob Boyd, who heads up the Game Commission’s pheasant propagation program, said the agency will strive to produce the same quality birds it has. Obviously, pheasant production will decrease overall in 2017-18 due to the closure of the two farms, Boyd said. But the agency has hopes to release about 170,000 pheasants for hunting in the fall of 2017, he said.

Meanwhile, the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners is considering adopting regulations to create a “pheasant hunting permit” as a requirement to hunt Pennsylvania pheasants. The current proposed cost of the permit is $25 for adults, and $1 for junior hunters.

Revenue from the permit fees could sustain the program into the future.

While the Game Commission is permitted under law to create new permits, hunting and furtaker license fees must be approved by the General Assembly.

For several years, the Game Commission has sought to increase license revenues through pursuing legislation to increase the cost of a hunting license, or allow the agency’s Board of Commissioners to set license fees. However, neither proposal has been approved by the General Assembly. The latest attempt, Senate Bill 1166, expired in the House of Representatives at the completion of the 2016 legislative session, despite near-unanimous approval in the Senate.

Senate Bill 1166 also was supported by all major statewide sporting groups, such as the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, the United Bowhunters of Pennsylvania, the Quality Deer Management Association, the National Wild Turkey Federation, the Keystone Elk Country Alliance, Pheasants Forever, Ducks Unlimited, the Pennsylvania Trappers Association and the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy.

Hough said that, without legislative support to increase revenues, the Game Commission will have no choice but to continue to curtail programs.

“While making program cuts is very difficult for me because of the impact those cuts have on our employees, all reductions in the programs and services the agency provides affect our hunters and trappers, and every citizen of the Commonwealth,” Hough said. “And unfortunately, without a license revenue increase, additional programs will have to be reduced or eliminated.”

 

 

 

ELK CAM GOES LIVE

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HARRISBURG, PA – Each September, thousands of visitors make their way to Pennsylvania’s elk country to experience for themselves the wonder of the bugling season.

And while there’s nothing quite like seeing a giant bull up close, or feeling your rib cage resonate as it lets loose an ear-splitting bugle, the opportunity again has come to get a glimpse of Pennsylvania’s prime time for elk – without ever having to leave home.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission has installed a camera on State Game Lands 311 in Elk County, in a field that typically is a hub of elk activity as the bugling season heats up. The camera was installed with help from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Bureau of Forestry and the Northcentral Regional Planning and Development Commission. Video and sound from the camera are being live streamed on the Game Commission’s website, www.pgc.pa.gov, and some good-sized bull elk, not to mention turkeys, deer and other wildlife, already have made appearances.

The live stream, which is provided by the Game Commission’s partner, HDOnTap, is the latest in a string of real-time wildlife-watching opportunities offered by the Game Commission, including the ever-popular EagleCam that has attracted millions of viewers.Game Commission Executive Director R. Matthew Hough said while there’s no substitute for visiting elk country in person, the camera gives viewers a taste of what the excitement is all about.

http://www.pgc.pa.gov/Wildlife/WildlifeSpecies/Elk/Pages/default.aspx

ELK Live Stream

GAME COMMISSION APPOINTS NORTHWEST REGION DIRECTOR

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HARRISBURG, PA – The Pennsylvania Game Commission has appointed a new director of the Northwest Region Office in Franklin.

Richard Cramer, who has spent many of his 25 years with the Game Commission working within the Northwest Region, has been named director of the region office.

Cramer fills the vacancy created when former region director Keith Harbaugh retired.

Game Commission Executive Director R. Matthew Hough said Cramer will fulfill his new role nicely.

“Whether through the performance of his duties as a wildlife conservation officer in Forest County, a land manager responsible for habitat management on 10 state game lands totaling more than 45,000 acres in the region, or a land management supervisor in the region office, Rich has excelled in his service to the Game Commission and citizens of the Commonwealth,” Hough said. “He has a broad range of experience with the agency, holding several diverse positions providing a rare breadth of experience found in few if any others, and I’m proud to announce him as region director.”

Cramer grew up near the small town of McKean in Erie County.

After graduating from Edinboro University in 1988 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Cramer served an internship in marketing with the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association.

He began his Game Commission career when he was selected to attend the 21st class of the Ross Leffler School of Conservation in June 1991. Upon graduation in February 1992, he was assigned as a wildlife conservation officer in eastern Allegheny County.

In 1994, he transferred to western Forest County, where he served as a WCO for four years, and then accepted the Wildlife Education Supervisor position in the Northwest Region Office from 1998 to 2000.

Cramer served again as the WCO in western Forest County from 2000 to 2005, and then was promoted to a Land Management Group Supervisor in the Northwest Region, serving in that capacity from 2005 to 2014.

From 2014 up until he was appointed director of the Northwest Region, Cramer served as the Land Management Supervisor in the region.

“I am truly humbled to be named region director and intend to do my best to serve the public, do what is in the best interest of wildlife, and foster a great working environment for the Northwest Region staff,” Cramer said.

Article from PA Game News Web Site

http://www.media.pa.gov/Pages/Game-Commission-Details.aspx?newsid=53