A Saturday opener for the firearms deer season and the possibility of more older bucks throughout the Commonwealth have many Pennsylvanians excited about Nov. 30 and the weeks to follow.

Last year’s firearms deer season saw rainy weather nearly statewide throughout much of the opening day. But even then, 30 percent of the antlered deer harvested in the 2018-19 firearms season were taken on opening day. It was the best day of the season for buck harvest.

It’s likely that opening day will continue to be the best for buck harvest this year, when the season will open on a Saturday, said Christopher Rosenberry, supervisor of the Game Commission’s Deer and Elk Section.

“We expect the opening Saturday to become the biggest harvest day for bucks,” said Rosenberry. “The first Monday will play a lesser role, but how much less remains to be seen. The second Saturday, since it is concurrent with the start of antlerless season, will probably become the second-biggest harvest day for bucks.”

And there now is a third Saturday in the season, as well, since the season was expanded from 12 days to 13 to accommodate a Saturday opener in which more hunters likely will be able to participate.

Pennsylvania’s firearms season historically has drawn the biggest crowds of all hunting seasons and consequently has been the state’s principal deer-management tool for more than a century. Its coming preoccupies many Pennsylvanians through their Thanksgiving meals and sends many more to a variety of outlets to fill their last-minute needs.

“Every deer hunter wants to be afield for the opener,” noted Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans. “They spend days and days, scouting, buying specialized gear and getting their packs ready.

“When they’re sitting in the dark, waiting for daylight and hoping for a big buck to come, most deer hunters couldn’t be happier, particularly if their son or granddaughter is joining them. It’s a fulfilling experience, regardless of what happens.”

“Older, bigger-racked bucks are making up more of the buck harvest than they have for at least a couple decades,” Rosenberry said. “Hunters like the bucks in Pennsylvania today compared to what many of them saw 30 years ago.”

Every year, Pennsylvania hunters are taking huge bucks. Some are “book bucks,” antlered deer that make the Pennsylvania Big Game Records book or Boone & Crockett Club rankings. Others simply win neighborhood bragging rights.

But it’s important to remember, every deer matters when only about a third of hunters harvest whitetails during Pennsylvania’s slate of deer seasons.

“Whether it’s a young hunter’s first deer, or a big buck that fell to a hunter on a dark-to-dark sit, they all matter to these hunters, their families and the communities in which they live,” emphasized Burhans. “Hunting deer has been an exciting Pennsylvania pastime for centuries, and it’s sure to remain that way for many generations to come.”

STATEWIDE SEASON

The statewide general firearms season runs from Nov. 30 to Dec. 14. In most areas, hunters may take only antlered deer during the season’s first six days, with the antlerless and antlered seasons then running concurrently from the first Saturday, Dec. 7, to the season’s close. In WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D, however, properly licensed hunters may take either antlered or antlerless deer at any time during the season.

Rules regarding the number of points a legal buck must have on one antler also vary in different parts of the state, and young hunters statewide follow separate guidelines.

For a complete breakdown of antler restrictions, WMU boundaries and other regulations, consult the 2019-20 Pennsylvania Hunting & Trapping Digest, which is available online at the Game Commission’s website, www.pgc.pa.gov.

Hunters statewide must wear at all times a minimum of 250 square inches of fluorescent orange material on their head, chest and back combined. An orange hat and vest will satisfy the requirement. Nonhunters who might be afield during the deer season and other hunting seasons are asked to consider wearing orange, as

HUNT SAFELY FROM TREE

STANDS- WEAR A HARNESS

Wearing a full-body harness is essential to staying safe when using a tree stand, but a harness can prevent falls to the ground only if it is connected to the tree.

“That means you must wear your harness, and be sure it’s connected to the tree, at all times you’re in the stand, as well as when you’re getting into and out of the stand, or climbing or descending trees,” explained Meagan Thorpe, Game Commission hunter-education chief.

A hunter using a climbing stand should tie-in the safety rope or strap that pairs with the harness before beginning to climb.

BEAR SEASON’S NOT OVER YET

As we are getting ready to close out the statewide firearms bear season, remember an opportunity to harvest a bear still exisits in many WMU’s throught the state during the firearms deer season.

EXTENDED BEAR SEASON DATES

Nov. 30-Dec. 7, 2019

WMU’s: 1B, 2C, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4B,

4C, 4D, 4E, 5A

Nov. 30- Dec. 14, 2019

WMU’s: 2B, 5B, 5C, 5D

From all of us here at the Pennsylvania Game Commission, Happy Thanksgiving. Good luck and hunt safely!

Courtesy of Pennsylvania Game Commission

A recent State of the Birds report and Science article reveal that North America has lost nearly 3 billion breeding birds since 1970 – that’s a staggering 29 percent of all birds!

The results show tremendous losses across diverse groups of birds and habitats. However, the news is not all bad. Some bird populations, like waterfowl and raptors, have been improving due to dedicated efforts to understanding the problems and by developing science-based solutions. When we invest in wildlife, gains are made.

Among the steep continental declines are Eastern forest birds — 63 percent of species are declining, resulting in a loss of 166 million forest birds. One of those species, the wood thrush, is widespread throughout Pennsylvania and its beautiful song forms the soundtrack of Penn’s Woods.

In fact, Pennsylvania is home to more than 8 percent of the global population, yet it is a Species of Greatest Conservation Need throughout the northeastern United States due to habitat loss, habitat degradation and a nationwide population decline of approximately 50 percent since the mid-1960’s.

Aiming to develop solutions for wood thrushes in Pennsylvania oak forests, the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Penn State University are conducting a study on state game lands to understand forest habitats that support a greater number of wood thrush nests and produce more young.

The practice involves creating small canopy gaps consistent with small-scale forest utilization (for example, sustainable firewood harvesting). If we find that this practice is successful, we’ll share the guidance so everyone in Pennsylvania will have a simple, effective means of managing forests for wood thrushes, an important, native component of Pennsylvania forest ecosystems.

But, wood thrushes are just one of 90 bird Species of Greatest Conservation Need identified in the Pennsylvania Wildlife Action Plan. The Game Commission is your state wildlife agency responsible for ensuring native wild birds, mammals and the habitats that sustain them are here now and into the future. Yet, over 80 percent of the species under our care lack reliable funding to safeguard their survival. Here are a few ways you can help!

• Take action. Check out these 7 Simple Actions you can take to #BringBirdsBack. Also, learn what actions you can take for birds and other Species of Greatest Conservation Need in a geography you care about through the Wildlife Action Plan Conservation Opportunity Area Tool.
• Be a voice for birds. Ask your congressman or congresswoman to support bird-friendly bills, like the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, that will provide increased and reliable funding for states to develop and implement science-based solutions – like the wood thrush project – to prevent species from becoming endangered.
• Share your love for birds, other wildlife, and the outdoors with friends and family, especially the next generation!

Courtesy of Pennsylvania Game Commission

Birds Are In Trouble

 

The Pennsylvania Game Commission and Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission see today’s introduction of the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act in the U.S. House of Representatives as landmark legislation that could provide more care for Pennsylvania’s and the nation’s growing list of fish and wildlife with the greatest conservation needs.

The bipartisan legislation introduced by Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) and Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) with at least 61 bipartisan cosponsors, including four from Pennsylvania, would dedicate $1.3 billion annually by Congress to states to conserve troubled fish and wildlife.

Similar legislation was introduced in the 115th U.S. Congress in December 2017, calling for dedicated funding from $5 billion to $12 billion in annual revenues generated by energy- and mineral- extraction royalties currently collected by the federal government from industries on federal lands and waters. That bill, which had 116 cosponsors, reached the U.S. House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands. Hearings were held, but the bill went no further.

The legislation, now before Congress for its third consecutive year, has strong, bipartisan support for its innovative approach to solving America’s ongoing and deepening wildlife crisis. But like other historic conservation legislation – U.S. Migratory Bird Act, Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act (Dingell–Johnson), U.S. Endangered Species Act – it takes time to build majority support in the House and Senate and for Americans to remind their legislators of this country’s lasting commitment to wildlife conservation.

The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act proposes to provide sufficient funding to states to proactively conserve imperiled species identified in State Wildlife Action Plans. It is championed by the Blue Ribbon Panel on Sustaining America’s Diverse Fish & Wildlife Resources, a think-tank of 26 energy, business and conservation leaders assembled in 2014 by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, which serves North America’s state and provincial wildlife management agencies.

Pennsylvania currently receives about $1.5 million in federal State Wildlife Grant funds annually to manage the state’s 664 fish and wildlife species of greatest conservation need and their associated habitats to work toward goals in the State Wildlife Action Plan.

Under the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, Pennsylvania would receive dedicated annual federal fish and wildlife conservation funding that could exceed $30 million to better address the conservation actions for these species.

“Sometimes our actions in the crusade for American wildlife seem like listening to a broken record,” noted Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans. “But that repetition is needed to reach the masses and drive home our message that wildlife needs you to step up, get involved.

“The dividends this act can provide Pennsylvania should make its passage important to anyone who wants healthy and diverse wildlife communities and all the benefits those creatures provide daily to millions of Americans,” Burhans noted. “If we fail, wildlife everywhere loses, and our outdoors will relinquish more of its enchanting beauty. We’re approaching the eleventh hour. The time to act is now.”

The Fish and Boat Commission also recognizes the almost unprecedented value and expanded coverage this legislation could provide Pennsylvania’s fish and wildlife conservation.

“The state fish and wildlife agencies across the nation greatly appreciate the bipartisan recognition by Congress that our nation’s fish and wildlife are in peril and need help and attention,” said Fish and Boat Commission Executive Director Tim Schaeffer. “While additional funding will be directed towards fish and wildlife species of greatest conservation need, the conservation efforts that will be applied by the states will benefit all species and enhance fish and wildlife populations and communities for the benefit of all people who enjoy angling, hunting and wildlife-associated recreation.”

 

“The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act legislation not only provides the states the requisite funding to continue the job of fish and wildlife management and conservation,” noted Schaeffer, “but also provides the necessary security to ensure that our children and grandchildren can enjoy all of the species that rely on clean water and healthy habitats.”

The Game Commission and Fish and Boat Commission are working closely with state and national conservation partners to bring this once-in-a-lifetime initiative to a vote in Washington, D.C. The need for long-term dedicated funding is obvious, and the agencies are urging all Pennsylvania voters and conservationists to let legislators know how important the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act is to them and Pennsylvania.

Estimates have a third of all American fish and wildlife as vulnerable or at risk.

Through federal funding provided by the State Wildlife Grants Program – created by Congress in 2000 – to support Pennsylvania’s species of greatest conservation need, conservation actions taken by the Game Commission, Fish and Boat Commission, and partners have averted federal endangered species listings, such as the golden-winged warbler, and led to state delisting of several species: bald eagle, osprey, silver chub and spotted darter. Right now, wildlife needs all the friends it can muster to get the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act across the finish line.

“Our existing funding model can no longer keep up with the needs of the full array of fish and wildlife in this country,” said Ron Regan, Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies executive director. “This bill will allow all Americans to become investors in conserving our nation’s fish and wildlife heritage.”

The emphasis of Wildlife Action Plans is proactive management that keeps marginal wildlife populations from slipping into more expensive care. In fact, most species identified in Pennsylvania’s Wildlife Action Plan do not appear on state or federal threatened or endangered species lists. But most also aren’t receiving sufficient care; there isn’t enough federal funding to provide it.

Pennsylvania is renowned for its enchanting mountains, meandering rivers and expansive marshes. But what value does it have without fish and wildlife? They’re the pulse of the Commonwealth’s great outdoors, what makes it so unforgettable.

To get involved, all Pennsylvanians are asked to contact their legislators in the U.S. House of Representatives and ask them to support the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act. Let them know America’s conservation of imperiled fish and wildlife currently is insufficient and that the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act would bridge the funding shortfalls that make compromised fish and wildlife more vulnerable.

To learn more about the management of Pennsylvania’s wildlife and the state’s Wildlife Action Plan, visit the Pennsylvania Game Commission website at www.pgc.pa.gov. To learn more about the management of fish, reptiles, amphibians and other aquatic life, visit the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s website at www.fishandboat.com. To learn more about Recovering America’s Wildlife Act visit OurNatureUSA.com.

Courtesy of Pennsylvania Game Commission

This past weekend was a big one for Pennsylvania’s student archers.

Over 230 students participating in the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) traveled from Pennsylvania to Louisville, Ky. in search of a national title in one of four different tournaments.

The team from Montrose Elementary School, in Montrose, Pa., Susquehanna County, was crowned national champions in both the NASP National Center Shot Bullseye Tournament and the NASP National Centershot IBO 3D Challenge.

The team, which in March won the Pennsylvania State Championship, placed second in the NASP National IBO 3D Challenge and sent several individuals to the podium, as well.

Aiden Sprouse, a fifth-grader at Montrose, captured the national title at the Eastern National IBO 3D Challenge Tournament, outshooting 693 other students. Aiden also placed second in the NASP National Centershot IBO 3D Challenge with a score of 287 and placed second in the National Center Shot Bullseye Tournament, as well, with a score of 283.

Hailey Aukema, a fifth-grader from Montrose, took home third-place in the Eastern National IBO 3D Challenge with a score of 279.

Alanna Welsh, a fifth-grader at Montrose, turned in a score of 285 in the NASP Eastern National Bullseye Tournament, good enough for a fifth-place.

Meanwhile, Kaylee Landry, a senior from Susquehanna Community High School, placed fifth overall in the NASP Eastern National Bullseye Tournament. Kaylee shot a score of 296 out of a possible 300, which was better than 7,108 other archers. Her score earns her the opportunity to participate in the NASP Scholarship Shoot Off, where top honors could secure her a $20,000 scholarship.

A total of $113,000 in cash scholarships will be awarded by the end of this shoot-off.

Each of the 18 archers will be eligible for any of the following scholarship amounts:

• $20,000 – Top Male & Female
• $15,000 – 2nd Male & Female
• $10,000 – 3rd Male & Female
• $5,000 – 4th Male & Female
• $2,500 – 5th Male & Female
• $1,000 – 11-18th Combination of Male and Female Archers

Any archer that is unable to attend the scholarship-shoot-off will automatically be awarded one of the $1,000 scholarships.

Pennsylvania Game Commission shooting sports coordinator Todd Holmes congratulated the state’s student archers for their outstanding performances in Kentucky.

“We want to congratulate all the individuals and teams that so fittingly represented Pennsylvania at the national tournament, and wish Kaylee the best of luck in the Scholarship Shoot Off,” Holmes said. “We are Pennsylvania proud!”

For a full listing of all Pennsylvania teams and students visit https://nasptournaments.org/NationalWorld.aspx

Courtesy of Pennsylvania Game Commission

 

If you haven’t yet purchased your 2019-20 Pennsylvania hunting license, now might be the time.

The new license year began today, July 1, so only 2019-20 licenses are valid when hunting or using Game Commission shooting ranges. And sales of 2019-20 antlerless deer licenses are about to begin, and only hunters holding valid general licenses may apply.

Pennsylvania residents are given preference in applying for antlerless licenses, and resident hunters may apply for their first antlerless licenses beginning Monday, July 8.

Nonresidents may submit their first applications a week later, beginning Monday, July 15.

Resident applicants need to make checks and money orders payable to “County Treasurer” for $6.90 for each license they seek. The fee for nonresidents is $26.90 per license.

A list of participating county treasurers and their addresses can be found within the 2019-20 Pennsylvania Hunting & Trapping Digest, which again is being provided free of charge to all license buyers.

Applications that are incomplete or sent without proper remittance will be rejected and returned to the applicant. Applications received before the Monday start of any round also will be returned to sender.

In any WMU where antlerless licenses remain, resident and nonresident applicants may apply for a second license beginning Aug. 5, and a third license Aug. 19.

Applications during these rounds are accepted by mail only, and must be mailed with proper remittance in an official pink envelope, which ordinarily is provided by the license-issuing agent at the time a general hunting license is purchased.

In most parts of the state, hunters are limited to purchasing a total of three antlerless licenses.

However, in WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D, there is no limit to how many tags a hunter may acquire until the total allocation has been exhausted. Each hunter may apply for only one license per round in those WMUs until Aug. 5, when an unlimited number of applications can be submitted. Only three applications can be mailed in each envelope.

If licenses remain, over-the-counter sales begin Aug. 26 in WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D, and Oct. 7 in all other WMUs.

Courtesy of Pennsylvania Game Commission

 

Since last year, 123 additional free-ranging deer have tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in Pennsylvania, and Disease Management Areas 2 and 3 have been expanded again as a result of new cases.

With CWD testing from the 2018 deer seasons now completed, there now have been a total of 250 known CWD cases in free-ranging deer in Pennsylvania since 2012.

New CWD cases were detected in the following counties: Bedford (65), Blair (10), Cambria (2), Franklin (3), Fulton (33), Huntingdon (4), Jefferson (1), Juniata (1), Perry (1), and Somerset (3).

The Game Commission tested 9,631 free-ranging deer and 122 elk for CWD taken in the 2018 seasons. To date, no free-ranging elk have tested positive for CWD. A total of 6,525 deer tested came from existing Disease Management Areas (DMAs), with the remaining 3,106 deer tested from other areas in the state. The number of free-ranging deer tested increased significantly, compared to the 7,910 deer tested in 2017.

Expanded DMAs

Due to the detection of CWD, in both captive and free-ranging deer, DMAs 2 and 3 have been expanded, while no changes will be made to DMA 4.

For the most up-to-date maps and descriptions of DMA boundaries, please go to www.pgc.pa.gov. While the 2019-20 Pennsylvania Hunting & Trapping Digest once again will be provided free-of-charge to license buyers, in part to increase awareness of CWD and CWD management, updated DMA information could not be included because it wasn’t available by the print deadline.

DMA 2 now covers more than 6,715 square miles, an expansion of 2,101 square miles since last year. DMA 2 now includes all or parts of Adams, Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Clearfield, Cumberland, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Mifflin, Perry, Snyder, Somerset and Westmoreland counties. This expansion largely is due to the discovery of two new CWD cases in Juniata and Perry counties. Each of these cases is 20 miles or more away from the nearest previously documented case. Both of these deer were adults and one was displaying clinical symptoms of CWD at the time of death, which suggests CWD is established in the area and other deer in the area might already be infected.

CWD-infected deer, on average, do not display clinical symptoms of disease for 18 to 24 months.

DMA 3 has expanded by 203 square miles and now covers more than 1,119 square miles, due to the discovery of CWD in a captive deer facility in Clearfield County. The captive facility will remain under quarantine for five years from the date the positive test was confirmed. DMA 3 now includes all or parts of Armstrong, Clarion, Clearfield, Jefferson and Indiana counties.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture in February announced that a buck tested positive for CWD on a hunting preserve near Curwensville. Shortly after, the Game Commission warned the public that this positive would push the DMA into the elk range. However, after careful consideration, the Game Commission has opted to keep DMA 3 south of Interstate 80 and out of the elk range.

Game Commission CWD Coordinator Jared Oyster explained the justification behind this decision.

“Our first thought was to extend the DMA boundary into the elk range,” Oyster said. “However, after looking into the issue further, we decided it was best to keep the DMA boundary at I-80.

“If we would have extended the boundary into the elk range, it would have created several difficulties and risks, including the fact that elk hunters would not legally be able to transport their carcass to the mandatory check station, located in Benezette. Deer hunters within the DMA also would have been able to legally transport high-risk parts into a portion of the elk range, increasing the chance of CWD being introduced to that area. And, there were very few meat processors and taxidermists in that area to help. All of that said, we have plans to increase surveillance and collect additional CWD samples in the portion of the DMA bordering the elk range, so if it is present we can detect it as soon as possible,” Oyster said.

DMA 4 was established in February 2018 due to the discovery of CWD in a captive deer facility in Lancaster County. To date, no free-ranging deer have tested positive for CWD in DMA 4. DMA 4 covers 364 square miles and includes parts of Berks, Lancaster and Lebanon counties.

Hunters are prohibited from exporting high-risk parts from DMAs. High-risk parts include: the head (more specifically the brain, eyes, tonsils, lymph nodes); spinal cord/backbone; spleen; skull plate with attached antlers, if visible brain or spinal cord material is present; cape, if visible brain or spinal cord material is present; upper canine teeth, if root structure or other soft material is present; any object or article containing visible brain or spinal cord material; and brain-tanned hide.

DMAP within DMAs

The Game Commission will continue to offer Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) opportunities within portions of DMAs. DMAP units are established in areas where increased surveillance is needed to determine the prevalence and spatial distribution of CWD. Hunters can purchase up to two DMAP permits for each DMAP unit. Each permit allows for the harvest of one antlerless deer, and permits can be used during any open deer season—including the antlered-only firearms deer season. DMAP permits cost $10.90 each.

DMAP permits for the same 10 DMAP units set up within DMAs 2 and 3 in 2018 will be available for purchase when licenses go on sale on Monday, June 17. However, due to the discovery of new positives, 10 new DMAP units will be created for the 2019-20 deer hunting seasons. Permits for these DMAP units will be available in the coming weeks.

Six DMAP units will be added to DMA 2, for a total of 15 DMAP units within the DMA. One DMAP unit will be added in DMA 3, around the captive deer facility that tested positive in February, for a total of 4 DMAP units. Hunters with DMAP permits for DMA 4 can use them anywhere within the DMA.

DMAP permits can be used only within the DMAP unit for which they are issued. Because DMAP units within DMAs might encompass a mix of private and public land, hunters with DMAP permits, as always, should know where they’re hunting and that they have permission to hunt there. Hunters are encouraged to submit deer heads for CWD testing. Samples submitted by hunters help the Game Commission understand the prevalence and distribution of the disease in the local area.

CWD

CWD first was identified in Colorado in 1967. CWD since has been detected in 26 states and three Canadian provinces. CWD is a fatal brain disease that affects members of the cervid family including deer, elk and moose.

Misfolded proteins called prions are believed to be the culprit of CWD. Prions are shed through saliva, urine and feces of infected animals.

On average, infected individuals don’t display symptoms for 18 to 24 months. Symptoms include lowered head and ears, weight loss, excessive drooling, rough-hair coat, uncoordinated movements, and, ultimately, death. Unfortunately, there is no cure or treatment for CWD.

To date, CWD has not been found to infect humans. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends people avoid eating meat from CWD-infected animals.

More information on CWD can be found at www.pa.pgc.gov.

Courtesy of Pennsylvania Game Commission