December 2017 WCO Report 2017 December Report WCO Matt Kramer
Wildlife Conservation Officer December 2017 Report.
Pistol 101 January 19, 2018 Class
WHEN: Friday January 19, 2018 6 PM – 10:30 PM
WHERE: Beaver Valley Rifle & Pistol Club 505 Constitution Blvd, Beaver Falls, PA 15010
COURSE CURRICULUM
Basic Pistol Class- Classroom and Live Fire Training.
Students learn the rules for safe gun handling, pistol parts and operation, ammunition components, shooting fundamentals, range rules, two-handled standing position, PA Law and continued opportunities for skill development.
CO-ED CLASS 21+ Years of Age
INCLUDED
NRA Certified Instructors
Range Time
Targets
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY
Personal Protection (Eye & Ear Protection, Baseball Cap)
Firearm (Rentals are available)
100 Rounds of NON-Jacketed Ammunition
COST $99 / $75 for Club Members
CONTACT
724-600-2020
www.blueline-firearmstraining.com
1/19/18 Pistol 101 Registration Form
Pistol 101 Class
COURSE CURRICULUM
Basic Pistol Class- Classroom and Live Fire Training Students learn the rules for safe gun handling, pistol parts and operation, ammunition components, shooting fundamentals, range rules, two-handed standing position, Pa law and continued opportunities for skill development.
LOCATION
Beaver Valley Rifle & Pistol Club
505 Constitutions Blvd, Beaver Falls, PA 15010
Co-Ed Class 21+ Years of Age
INCLUDED
NRA Certified Instructors, Range Time, Targets, & Study Guide
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY
Personal Protection, (Safety Glasses & Ear Protection)
Firearm (Rentals available)
200 Rounds of Ammunition
COST $125
CONTACT
PHONE 724-495-9104
EMAIL [email protected]
WEB SITE www.blueline-firearmstraining.com
Pennsylvania: Second Amendment Action Day Scheduled for May 22!
On Monday, May 22, at 10:00 a.m., Second Amendment supporters, state lawmakers and pro-gun organizations will be gathering once again for the Annual Right to Keep and Bear Arms Rally on the Capitol steps in Harrisburg. Please join fellow NRA members, gun owners and state lawmakers to rally against the malicious attacks on the Second Amendment made by the Obama Administration and other anti-gun federal and state lawmakers.
Don’t forget to wear red, white and blue during the event to show your patriotic support for the Second Amendment.
Hunters Could Get Change to Use Semiautomatic Rifles
Board preliminarily approves use within all rifle seasons.
Semiautomatic rifles soon could be approved for Pennsylvania hunters participating in most seasons in which manual rifles can be used.
The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today gave unanimous preliminary approval to regulatory changes that would permit the use of semiautomatic rifles and shotguns while hunting big game, small game and furbearers. A five-round magazine would be required for all semiautomatic BIG GAME hunting rifles, with the total ammunition capacity limited to six rounds, based on the preliminarily approved measure. No restrictions on small game clips.
The measure also preliminarily approves the use of air rifles for small-game and furbearers.
The proposal will be brought back to the March meeting for a final vote.
Pennsylvania historically has prohibited the use of semiautomatic rifles, but a new law took effect in November, enabling the Game Commission to regulate semiautomatic rifles and air guns. The new law does not authorize the Game Commission to regulate the use of semiautomatic handguns.
Pennsylvania is the only state in the nation that currently has no hunting seasons during which semiautomatic rifles can be used.
Since the law took effect, the Game Commission has received hundreds of comments about the potential to approve semiautomatic rifles for hunting. Commissioner James Daley said most who offered comment took no opposition to the idea of permitting semiautomatic rifles for small game and furbearers. For big game, the comments were about half in favor and half opposed to semiautomatic rifles, Daley said.
But most of those who opposed cited concerns over compromised safety as their primary reason for opposition, he said.
Prior to a vote, Game Commission staff did a thorough review of hunter safety in states that allow semiautomatic rifles, including neighboring states and states that most resemble Pennsylvania in terms of hunter density. The review uncovered no evidence the use of semiautomatic rifles has led to a decline in hunter safety in any state where they’re permitted for hunting.
The board’s next quarterly meeting is scheduled to be held March 27 and 28 at the Game Commission’s Harrisburg headquarters.
Commissioners said they welcome any and all public comments regarding the proposed changes, and that those comments will aid the board in making its decision. Comments are accepted by mail, by email to [email protected] or can be made firsthand by those who register to speak at the start of the board’s March 28 meeting.
Semiautomatic rifles in .22 caliber or less that propel single-projectile ammunition and semiautomatic shotguns 10 gauge or smaller propelling ammunition not larger than No. 4 lead – also No. 2 steel or No. 4 composition or alloy – would be legal firearms arms for small-game seasons under a regulation preliminarily approved by the Board of Game Commissioners.
Semiautomatic firearms that propel single-projectile ammunition also would be legal sporting arms for woodchucks and furbearers. There is no caliber restriction for woodchucks or furbearers.
For big game, semiautomatic centerfire rifles and shotguns would be legal sporting arms.
Full-metal-jacket ammunition would continue to be prohibited for deer, bear and elk hunting.
All semiautomatic firearms would be limited to six rounds’ ammunition capacity – magazines can hold no more than five rounds.
Semiautomatics would be legal in seasons in which modern firearms can be used to take deer, black bears, elk and fall turkeys.
Air-guns would be legal for small game in calibers from .177 to .22 that propel single-projectile pellets or bullets, under the regulatory changes preliminarily approved by the Board of Game Commissioners.
For woodchucks and furbearers, air-guns must be at least .22 caliber and propel a single-projectile pellet or bullet. BB ammunition is not authorized for small game, furbearers or woodchucks.
Courtesy Pennsylvania Game Commission
NRA LIFE MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNTS UNTIL MARCH 31ST
NRA LIFE MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNTS UNTIL MARCH 31ST
$600 Life Membership
Due to the popularity of current membership specials.
We are authorized to sell the NRA Life Membership for $600 fully paid through March 31, 2017!
The $600 Life Membership is not eligible using Easy Pay (EPL) and must be paid in full.
Use this opportunity to buy an NRA Life Membership for a fraction of the full price!
1/3/17
Labor Day Offers Special Fishing Opportunities
Labor Day Offers Special Fishing Opportunities
To introduce both children and adults to fishing, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) is offering two special opportunities on Labor Day, Sept. 5. The first is a $1 license for adult residents and non-residents for Labor Day only. The second opportunity is the Mentored Youth Pinfish Day, which provides youth anglers who obtained a free Mentored Youth Permit or purchased a Mentored Youth Voluntary License during the spring an extra opportunity to fish on 19 lakes, including Cross Creek Lake and Peters Township Lake (Reservoir No. 2). To participate in the mentored youth program, adult anglers (16 years or older) must have a valid Pennsylvania fishing license and be accompanied by a youth. Youth anglers can obtain their free PFBC-issued permit or purchase a voluntary youth fishing license at GoneFishingPA.com.
GAME COMMISSION APPOINTS NORTHWEST REGION DIRECTOR
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
License Increase Proposal
License Increase Proposal
The Game Commission’s mission is to manage Pennsylvania’s wild birds, wild mammals, and their habitats for current and future generations.
The agency is funded by hunting license sales and federal taxes on ammunition and firearms, not by state tax dollars. Hunting licenses support all wildlife, not just game. The Game Commission hasn’t had a license increase since 1999 when a general hunting license went from $12 to $19. Marcellus Shale money helped bridge the gap in our funding until now; those funds are now dwindling. As sportsmen and women, we know that hunting and trapping are not only vital to the state’s economy, but of utmost importance to everyone concerned with the future of wildlife management in Pennsylvania.
The agency is funded by hunting license sales and federal taxes on ammunition and firearms, not by state tax dollars. Hunting licenses support all wildlife, not just game. The Game Commission hasn’t had a license increase since 1999 when a general hunting license went from $12 to $19. Marcellus Shale money helped bridge the gap in our funding until now; those funds are now dwindling. As sportsmen and women, we know that hunting and trapping are not only vital to the state’s economy, but of utmost importance to everyone concerned with the future of wildlife management in Pennsylvania.
How will a license increase make a difference?
As your wildlife agency we will be able to continue to purchase lands, to manage habitat that will benefit our native birds and mammals, and continue to protect our threatened and endangered species. Legislation has recently been introduced that would allow the Game Commission Board of Commissioners to set license fees, and remove funding for wildlife from the legislative process. If you’re concerned about the future of wildlife conservation in the Commonwealth, we request that you contact your state Senator and Representative and ask them to support Senate Bill 1166. Find your local Senator and Representative.
Financial Briefing
The Game Commission has managed Pennsylvania’s wildlife resources for more than 120 years. And since 1913, when the state began selling hunting licenses to finance wildlife management, license revenue has been used to rebuild wildlife populations, protect wildlife through law enforcement, and assemble a 1.5 million-acre state game lands system to provide wildlife habitat and public hunting opportunities. The Game Commission currently manages 480 species of wild birds and mammals, most of which aren’t hunted. The Commonwealth is one of the best states in the country to hunt deer, bear, wild turkeys and elk, not to mention small game and furbearers.
The agency is facing overwhelming financial challenges, many of which are beyond its control and are certain to continue into the future. Hunting license fees account for almost 40 percent of the Game Commission’s revenue. The fee for hunting and trapping licenses has not increased in 16 years: the second-longest period the Game Commission ever has gone without an increase. The longest span was from the Great Depression through World War II. The agency has been operating at a deficit since fiscal year 2013-14 and projects a deficit of $12 million in the current fiscal year primarily due to large increases in personnel expenses.
Read more here: http://www.pgc.pa.gov/HuntTrap/LicensesandPermits/Pages/LicenseIncreaseProposal.aspx#.V1HAhqPD-1s