PA Outdoor Forums

2020 SEEDLING SALES, PROGRAMS CANCELED

Those who placed orders will receive refunds.

 
The Pennsylvania Game Commission announced today its Howard Nursery will not distribute seedlings as a result of mandatory closings and delays caused by COVID-19.

The nursery annually has provided over a million seedlings to Hunter Access Program cooperators, who allow public hunting on their properties, the Seedlings for Schools program and public sales.

Thankfully, no seedling beds yet had been opened. All seedlings will remain in beds until next spring for 2021 distribution.

“It is disappointing our seedlings can’t be distributed this year, but we look forward to the 2021 seedling season,” noted Brian Stone, nursery manager. “We expect to have a greater variety and higher quantities of seedlings – some in larger sizes.”

Unfortunately, the nursery had already received public orders. So, over the next few weeks, nursery staff will contact those who ordered to provide refunds, which will be provided in the order in which they were received.

Seedlings for Schools orders also will be alerted through email in the same order requests were received.

The nursery is closed currently; no one is available to answer phone calls. If you call, leave a message and someone will contact you. Please be patient for refunds.

GAME COMMISSION RELEASES DEER HARVEST REPORT

Buck harvest up 10 percent, overall harvest highest in 15 years.
 

Pennsylvania hunters posted their highest overall deer harvest in 15 years when they took 389,431 deer during the state’s 2019-20 hunting seasons, which closed in January, the Pennsylvania Game Commission reported today.

The 2019-20 deer harvest topped the previous year’s harvest of 374,690 by about 4 percent. The last time the total deer harvest exceeded this season’s total was in 2004-05, when 409,320 whitetails were taken.

The statewide buck harvest saw a generous bump of 10 percent, coming in at 163,240. In the 2018-19 seasons, 147,750 bucks were taken. In the preceding license year, 163,750 bucks were harvested. The largest harvest in the antler-restrictions era – 165,416 – occurred in the first year.

“One of the highlights of the 2019-20 deer harvest was deer hunters continue to experience antlered harvest success levels comparable to historic highs in the late 1990s and early 2000s,” noted Christopher Rosenberry, Game Commission Deer and Elk Section supervisor. “In recent years, about 17 to 18 percent of all hunters harvested an antlered deer, and we look for this trend to continue.

The antlerless deer harvest over the 2019-20 seasons was 226,191, which includes 10,461 taken with chronic wasting disease Deer Management Assistance Program permits. The 2018-19 overall antlerless deer harvest was 226,940, which was about 10 percent larger than the 2017-18 harvest of 203,409.

Except on Deer Management Assistance Program properties and in Wildlife Management Areas 2B, 5B and 5D, antlerless deer hunting with firearms doesn’t begin until the first Saturday of deer rifle season. That has limited antlerless deer hunting to seven of the rifle season’s 13 days.

Still, hunters took a good number of antlerless deer, mirroring the 2018-19 antlerless deer harvest.

“Keeping harvest pressure on antlerless deer is critical in our ongoing efforts to address the risk of chronic wasting disease (CWD), particularly in Disease Management Areas,” explained Rosenberry. “That hunters took over 10,000 antlerless deer with DMA DMAP permits illustrates the cooperation we need from deer hunters to help whitetails where CWD threats are at their greatest in Penn’s Woods.”

Across the 23 Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) used by the Game Commission to manage whitetails, the antlerless deer harvest decreased in almost half of them. The largest harvest declines occurred in WMU 2H, 39 percent, WMU 3A, 23 percent and WMU 1B, 20 percent.

WMUs posting the largest antlerless deer harvest increases were WMU 3B, 23 percent; WMU 4D, 21 percent; and WMU 4B, 20 percent.

On the antlered deer side of WMU-level harvests, the buck harvest dropped in only three units: WMUs 2C, 2H and 5D. The largest increases in antlered deer harvest were in WMU 2G, 29 percent; WMU 3C, 22 percent; WMU 4C, 21 percent; and WMU 3A, 19 percent.

The percentage of older bucks in the 2019-20 deer harvest remained amazingly high. About 66 percent of the bucks taken by hunters were at least 2½ years old. The remainder were 1½ years old.

“Pennsylvania deer hunters consistently continue to take 2½-year and older bucks over younger antlered bucks – by a two-to-one margin – in the Commonwealth,” said Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans. “If you hunted deer before antler restrictions, you know how significant this is. Most of us have waited a lifetime for deer hunting like Pennsylvania has today!

“The whitetail bucks roaming Penn’s Woods today are a product of an intensely managed deer herd,” Burhans noted. “But their existence also hinged on the willingness of deer hunters to sacrifice shooting spikes and small fork-horns for bucks with substantially more headgear!”

About 69 percent of the antlerless deer harvest was adult females; button-bucks comprised 16 percent and doe fawns made up 15 percent. In the 2018-19 seasons, adult females comprised 66 percent of the antlerless deer harvest.

Bowhunters accounted for about a third of Pennsylvania’s 2019-20 overall deer harvest, taking 145,908 deer (74,190 bucks and 71,718 antlerless deer) with either bows or crossbows. The 2018-19 archery buck harvest was 54,350, while the archery antlerless deer harvest was 56,369; unseasonably warm weather and rain impacted many fall bowhunting days in 2018.

“That bowhunters added 35,000 more deer to the overall archery deer harvest suggests bowhunters continue to improve their harvest success,” Rosenberry said. “Overall, though, bowhunters still are responsible for about a third of the statewide overall deer harvest, which is similar to the 2018-19 seasons.”

The muzzleloader harvest – 29,604 – was up from to the previous year’s harvest of 23,909. The 2019-20 muzzleloader harvest included 1,260 antlered bucks compared to 1,290 bucks in the 2018-19 seasons.

Total deer harvest estimates by WMU for 2019-20 (with 2018-19 figures in parentheses) are as follows:

 

WMU 1A: 6,400 (5,800) antlered, 13,200 (12,400) antlerless;

WMU 1B: 8,700 (8,000) antlered, 12,700 (15,800) antlerless;

WMU 2A: 6,900 (6,000) antlered, 9,900 (10,900) antlerless;

WMU 2B: 5,500 (5,000) antlered, 10,400 (12,000) antlerless;

WMU 2C: 9,400 (9,600) antlered, 14,069 (11,787) antlerless;

WMU 2D: 13,000 (11,800) antlered, 18,888 (20,958) antlerless;

WMU 2E: 6,400 (6,300) antlered, 9,473 (9,701) antlerless;

WMU 2F: 9,000 (7,700) antlered, 9,724 (7,973) antlerless;

WMU 2G: 8,100 (6,300) antlered, 6,105 (7,402) antlerless;

WMU 2H: 2,400 (2,500) antlered, 1,100 (1,800) antlerless;

WMU 3A: 5,700 (4,800) antlered, 5,700 (7,400) antlerless;

WMU 3B: 7,600 (7,000) antlered, 10,300 (8,400) antlerless;

WMU 3C: 9,400 (7,700) antlered, 12,800 (12,200) antlerless;

WMU 3D: 6,000 (5,200) antlered, 4,900 (5,700) antlerless;

WMU 4A: 6,000 (5,100) antlered, 7,924 (8,230) antlerless;

WMU 4B: 5,700 (5,300) antlered, 8,285 (6,916) antlerless;

WMU 4C: 7,000 (5,800) antlered, 8,300 (7,200) antlerless;

WMU 4D: 8,700 (8,300) antlered, 10,955 (9,081) antlerless;

WMU 4E: 7,300 (7,000) antlered, 9,500 (9,300) antlerless;

WMU 5A: 3,400 (3,100) antlered, 5,000 (4,600) antlerless;

WMU 5B: 10,200 (9,200) antlered, 15,345 (14,608) antlerless;

WMU 5C: 7,600 (7,600) antlered, 14,427 (16,415) antlerless;

WMU 5D: 2,500 (2,600) antlered, 6,700 (6,000) antlerless; and

Unknown WMU: 340 (50) antlered, 496 (169) antlerless.

 

Season-specific 2019-20 deer harvest estimates (with 2018-19 harvest estimates in parentheses) are as follows:

WMU 1A: archery, 3,240 (2,530) antlered, 4,320 (3,150) antlerless; and muzzleloader, 60 (70) antlered, 1,680 (1,150) antlerless.

WMU 1B: archery, 3,960 (2,750) antlered, 3,230 (2,790) antlerless; muzzleloader, 40 (50) antlered, 1,170 (1,210) antlerless.

WMU 2A: archery, 3,140 (2,050) antlered, 2,540 (2,040) antlerless; muzzleloader, 60 (50) antlered, 960 (960) antlerless.

WMU 2B: archery, 4,150 (3,520) antlered, 5,500 (5,760) antlerless; muzzleloader, 50 (80) antlered, 700 (640) antlerless.

WMU 2C: archery, 4,230 (3,400) antlered, 3,939 (2,378) antlerless; muzzleloader, 70 (100) antlered, 1,854 (1,315) antlerless.

WMU 2D: archery, 5,800 (4,540) antlered, 4,085 (3,472) antlerless; muzzleloader, 100 (60) antlered, 2,701 (2,274) antlerless.

WMU 2E: archery, 2,540 (1,950) antlered, 1,944 (1,601) antlerless; muzzleloader, 60 (50) antlered, 1,252 (1,205) antlerless.

WMU 2F: archery, 3,340 (2,520) antlered, 2,006 (1,216) antlerless; muzzleloader, 60 (80) antlered, 1,534 (998) antlerless.

WMU 2G: archery, 2,540 (1,430) antlered, 1,381 (1,341) antlerless; muzzleloader, 60 (70) antlered, 1,321 (1,060) antlerless.

WMU 2H: archery, 690 (480) antlered, 230 (270­) antlerless; muzzleloader, 10 (20) antlered, 170 (230) antlerless.

WMU 3A: archery, 2,080 (1,180) antlered, 1,400 (1,320) antlerless; muzzleloader, 20 (20) antlered, 800 (780) antlerless.

WMU 3B: archery, 3,160 (2,160) antlered, 2,590 (1,630) antlerless; muzzleloader, 40 (40) antlered, 1,710 (1,170) antlerless.

WMU 3C: archery, 3,370 (1,940) antlered, 2,860 (1,820) antlerless; muzzleloader, 30 (60) antlered, 1,740 (1,280) antlerless.

WMU 3D: archery, 2,250 (1,660) antlered, 1,470 (1,410) antlerless; muzzleloader, 50 (40) antlered, 830 (590) antlerless.

WMU 4A: archery, 1,610 (820) antlered, 1,696 (1,338) antlerless; muzzleloader, 90 (80) antlered, 1,313 (991) antlerless.

WMU 4B: archery, 2,350 (1,760) antlered, 2,551 (1,598) antlerless; muzzleloader, 50 (40) antlered, 1,070 (627) antlerless.

WMU 4C: archery, 3,550 (2,350) antlered, 2,960 (1,900) antlerless; muzzleloader, 50 (50) antlered, 1,240 (800) antlerless.

WMU 4D: archery, 3,120 (2,430) antlered, 3,287 (1,796) antlerless; muzzleloader, 80 (70) antlered, 1,618 (1,002) antlerless.

WMU 4E: archery, 3,420 (2,550) antlered, 2,750 (1,890) antlerless; muzzleloader, 80 (50) antlered, 1,250 (1,010) antlerless.

WMU 5A: archery, 1,580 (880) antlered, 1,880 (1,220) antlerless; muzzleloader, 20 (20) antlered, 620 (480) antlerless.

WMU 5B: archery, 6,420 (4,640) antlered, 7,400 (5,401) antlerless; muzzleloader, 80 (60) antlered, 1,438 (1,365) antlerless.

WMU 5C: archery, 5,330 (4,690) antlered, 7,075 (7,238) antlerless; muzzleloader, 70 (110) antlered, 1,042 (1,272) antlerless.

WMU 5D: archery, 2,180 (2,080) antlered, 4,460 (3,790) antlerless; muzzleloader, 20 (20) antlered, 240 (210) antlerless.

Unknown WMU: archery, 140 (40) antlered, 164 (0) antlerless; muzzleloader, 10 (0) antlered, 94 (0) antlerless.

 

PGC CWD Press Conference

The Pennsylvania Game Commission is holding a press conference at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 28 to announce a new chronic wasting disease management area that includes parts of Lancaster, Lebanon and Berks counties.

The press conference will be held in the auditorium at the Game Commission’s Harrisburg headquarters, 2001 Elmerton Ave. Several staff from the Game Commission will be on hand to answer questions within their areas of expertise, and a few will deliver prepared remarks. Representatives from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs also are scheduled to attend.

For media unable to attend, the press conference will be live-streamed on the Game Commission’s YouTube channel. However, attending the press conference provides the best opportunity to ask questions of the assembled experts. Following the press conference, there also will be a Facebook Live event, hopefully starting sharply at 2 p.m. This event serves to provide the same information about the new Disease Management Area to a different audience, so if you watch the press conference, I don’t expect you’ll get anything more by watching the Facebook Live event.  Originally, we planned for Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans to appear on Facebook Live, but there’s been a change of plans and I will now be the one on camera.

Later in the afternoon, I will be putting out a news release and map of the new DMA.

I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Let me know if I can be of any assistance.

 

GAME COMMISSION OFFERS FREE CWD TESTS FOR DMA-HARVESTED DEER

Hunters encouraged to use any of 26 collection bins placed within Disease Management Areas.

 

Those hunting deer within the state’s Disease Management Areas (DMAs) will 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 is installing large metal bins at 26 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 will be checked and emptied every other day through the deer-hunting seasons.

All deer heads retrieved from the bins will be tested for CWD, and the hunters who submitted them will be notified of the results, likely within two weeks of drop-off.

This initiative not only will benefit the hunter by identifying deer that shouldn’t be consumed, it will help 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 will be placed within both DMA 2 and DMA 3 by the second week in October. Until the bins are available to use, blue, head-collection barrels have been placed for temporary use at all established collection sites.

The exact locations of all collection sites is available on the Chronic Wasting Disease page at www.pgc.pa.gov. The page can be accessed through a link under “Quick Clicks” on the left side of the homepage. And those who purchased Deer Management Assistance Program Permits for Units 2874 and 2875 within DMA 2 and Unit 3045 within DMA 3 have been mailed a letter with the locations.

The permanent bins are white in color and clearly are marked for the collection of deer heads.

The bins are for the collection of deer heads only, and all heads submitted for testing must be lawfully tagged, with the harvest tag legibly completed and attached to the deer’s ear. The information on the tag is needed in order to notify the hunter with test results.

Because the collection bins are secure and will be emptied regularly, hunters can feel comfortable in leaving the tag attached to the ear – a legal requirement for all deer harvests.

All heads deposited in collection bins should be placed in a plastic bag and tied shut. This will help ensure the tag remains with the head, which is important for test-notification purposes. The head can be bagged before being brought to the bin, or hunters can use the bags provided at bins.

The skulls and antlers from heads submitted for testing will not be returned. Hunters who harvest antlered deer within a DMA may remove the antlers before depositing the head.

Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans encouraged all hunters who harvest deer within a DMA to deposit the heads of those deer inside one of the bins.

Other than taking a deer head to a lab for testing, dropping it in a collection bin is the only way to ensure a deer is tested for CWD, Burhans said. While Game Commission staff performs CWD tests on a sample of the deer brought to meat processors statewide, not every deer brought to a processor is tested. But every deer brought to a bin that can be tested, will be tested, and each hunter will be notified of the test results, he said.

“It’s a great opportunity for hunters to be sure CWD is not detected in the deer they harvest,” Burhans said. “And by getting these free tests, hunters also are helping the Game Commission to take action that could prevent CWD’s spread, and preserve many more deer seasons, and many more healthy deer harvests to come.”

 

 

CWD in Pennsylvania

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) first was detected in Pennsylvania in 2012 at a captive deer farm in Adams County.

In response, the Game Commission established Disease Management Area 1 (DMA 1), a nearly 600-square-mile area in Adams and York counties, in which restrictions regarding the hunting and feeding of deer applied.

CWD was detected among free-ranging deer a few months later, in three deer harvested by hunters in Bedford and Blair counties in the 2012 firearms season. The deer were detected through the Game Commission’s ongoing CWD surveillance program.

Those CWD-positive deer resulted in the creation of DMA 2, which initially encompassed nearly 900 square miles in parts of Bedford, Blair, Cambria and Huntingdon counties, but since has expanded annually due to the detection of additional free-ranging and captive CWD-positive deer. DMA 2 now encompasses more than 2,845 square miles in parts of Adams, Bedford, Blair Cambria, Clearfield, Cumberland, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon and Somerset counties.

So far, 60 free-ranging CWD-positive deer, and dozens of CWD-positive captive deer, have been detected within the DMA.

In 2014, CWD was detected at a captive deer farm in Jefferson County, leading to the creation of DMA 3, which encompasses about 350 square miles in parts of Clearfield, Indiana and Jefferson counties. In July 2017, a sick-looking adult buck euthanized a month earlier on state game lands in Clearfield County, within DMA 3, was confirmed as CWD-positive.

Additionally, the Game Commission in 2017 eliminated DMA 1. Through five years of monitoring, which included the testing of 4,800 wild deer within DMA 1, CWD never was found in the wild within DMA 1.

Hunters harvesting deer within DMAs are prohibited from transporting the high-risk parts of those deer (head and backbone) outside the DMA. If those hunters live outside the DMA, and are processing the deer themselves, they must remove and properly dispose of the high-risk parts before taking other parts of the deer home.

Deer meat may be transported outside a DMA so long as the backbone has been removed. Antlers may also be transported from a DMA if the skull plate is free of visible brain material.

Hunters using professional meat processors to process the meat from deer they harvest within a DMA must take the deer to processors within the DMA, or otherwise included on the list of approved processors associated with that DMA. There’s also a list of approved taxidermists associated with each DMA.

The feeding of deer and the use or field possession of urine-based deer lures while hunting also are prohibited within DMAs.

 

PHEASANTS RELEASED, HUNTERS GET READY

Junior pheasant season begins Saturday, with statewide opener just weeks away.

 
A memorable season in which more birds will be released statewide awaits Pennsylvania’s pheasant hunters.
And as scary as it might seem, without a license-fee increase in the very near future, this might well be the last year the Game Commission releases pheasants for hunters.
The pheasant season kicks off Saturday, Oct. 8, with the start of the one-week season for junior hunters. Then on Saturday, Oct. 22, the season opens to hunters statewide.
In total, about 240,000 pheasants – about 25,000 more than last year – are scheduled for release statewide for the 2016-17 seasons.
The increase is due to several factors that have come together for the benefit of hunters.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission has planned some changes to its pheasant-propagation program to cut costs. Instead of raising chicks from breeder pheasants at the Game Commission’s game farms, the agency in 2017 plans to begin purchasing day-old chicks from private propagators.
The move is expected to save more than $200,000 annually, but this year also contributes to an increased number of pheasants released, since birds that would have been kept as breeders instead can be released on public-hunting grounds.
Additionally, the Game Commission purchased about 15,000 day-old chicks this year in a test run to ensure its program could operate smoothly if it transitions to purchasing all chicks to be raised. Those birds will be released, as well.
And while the agency took deliberate action to reduce production due to the anticipated increases from the release of breeder birds and the chicks that were purchased, this year experienced the highest hatch rate in recent memory.
All of this adds up to more pheasants afield in 2016-17.
“Against all odds, Pennsylvania’s pheasant hunters once again have plenty to be excited about this year,” said Game Commission Executive Director R. Matthew Hough. “It’s no secret the Game Commission has been navigating some rough financial waters; 17 years without one adjustment for inflation to our primary source of revenue – the hunting license – will do that.
“We have been forced as an agency to make many cuts to staff and programs, and moves to make the pheasant propagation program less costly are among these,” he said. “Fortunately for pheasant hunters, however, those moves will result this year in more ringnecks released statewide, adding even more excitement to some of the best hunting action around.
“But the future of pheasant hunting in Pennsylvania might not be as bright,” Hough said.
About 17,000 pheasants are scheduled for release for the weeklong junior-only season, which begins Oct. 8. Then, in mid-October several consecutive weekly releases of pheasants will begin, to be followed by a late-season release of hen pheasants.
The statewide pheasant season begins Oct. 22 and runs through Nov. 26, then reopens on Dec. 12, ending on the last day of February.
The additional releases of birds that were purchased as chicks or would have been maintained as breeding stock should be noticeable, said Robert C. Boyd, who oversees the Game Commission’s pheasant propagation program.
“These extra birds are being stocked during the second, third and fourth in-season releases, and the winter release,” Boyd said. “So while releases ahead of the junior season and statewide opener will continue to provide the typical early-season action, those who keep hunting through the season also are bound to encounter increased flushes and sustained opportunity to harvest pheasants,” Boyd said.
The best pheasant-hunting habitat and hunter access occur on more than 230 tracts of state game lands and other public lands under cooperative management with the Game Commission, and about 75 percent of the pheasants are stocked there.
The remaining 25 percent are released on private lands enrolled in the Game Commission’s Hunter Access Program.
The Game Commission stocks pheasants as a service to its hunters.  The program cost $4.3 million last year, but it has its benefits.
Nearly 100,000 hunters participate in pheasant hunting in Pennsylvania, racking up nearly 400,000 hunter days and contributing $30 million to $40 million to the state's economy. And surveys have indicated nearly 80 percent of hunters support the pheasant stocking program.
A wealth of information on ring-necked pheasants, the Game Commission’s pheasant management program, and stockings statewide can be found at www.pgc.pa.gov by searching “pheasant allocation.”
Only roosters may be hunted in many WMUs, check Page 48 of the 2016-17 Pennsylvania Hunting & Trapping Digest for details. The daily limit is two pheasants.
The digest is issued to all hunters at the time they buy their licenses, and also is available online through the Game Commission’s home page.
Hunters also should note that pheasant hunting is closed in all Wild Pheasant Recovery Areas, where the Game Commission is attempting to restore self-sustaining wild pheasant populations. Maps of Wild Pheasant Recovery Areas begin on Page 50 of the digest.
Hough said the agency remains committed to its pheasant program, which celebrated 100 years in 2015, despite hard times financially. As revenues continue to decline, however, it’s uncertain how the program might change, he said.
“But this year, for certain, pheasant hunters have a lot to look forward to,” Hough said.
 
PHEASANT HARVEST RATES

In recent years, the Game Commission has released more than 200,000 pheasants annually on state game lands and other properties open to public hunting.

And the agency wants as many of those birds as possible to end up in hunters’ game bags.

In working toward this end, the Game Commission last year conducted a study into existing pheasant harvest rates.

The agency last studied pheasant harvest rates in 1998, when the harvest rate was about 50 percent for Game Commission-raised pheasants released within or just before the hunting seasons.

For last year’s study, agency staff affixed leg bands to 5,566 pheasants. Some of the bands carried a $100 reward, which typically results in nearly a 100-percent reporting rate, increasing the study’s efficiency.

Banded pheasants were released in all Wildlife Management Units, except WMU 5D. Each band had its own identification number, as well as a toll free number to call and report. Banded pheasants were placed in labeled crates to identify where and when they were released.

Reports were accepted for all banded birds, regardless of their cause of death.

In all, 2,073 banded pheasants were recovered, with the reporting rate for non-reward bands coming in at nearly 68 percent.

Forty-three pheasants were found dead and reported. The cause of death was reported as unknown for 24 of them, while 14 were killed on roads and five were killed by predators.

The remaining pheasants were harvested by hunters.

Although most band recoveries occurred on the same property where pheasants were released, one pheasant released in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area was recovered in New Jersey, and road-killed pheasants were recovered up to 10 miles from their stocking locations.

Overall, the pheasant harvest rate was 49.1 percent.

Males were harvested at a higher rate (53.8 percent) than females (41.1 percent), perhaps due to hunter selectivity.

Harvest rates were higher on game lands (48.7 percent) and other public properties (50.7 percent) than they were on privately owned Hunter Access properties (37.3 percent). This could result from greater hunter effort on public property.

Harvest rates were lowest for pheasants released for the Junior Hunt (40.6 percent), likely due to hunter inexperience, and that pheasants need to survive two weeks or more to make it to the regular season.

Similarly, the harvest rate of pheasants stocked preseason was 46.7 percent.

Harvest rates were highest and nearly identical for the first three in-season releases, where the harvest rate averaged 52.9 percent.

More pheasants were harvested on Saturdays (36.1 percent) and Fridays (26.8 percent), with the smallest percent taken on Tuesdays (6.1 percent).

Harvest rates also varied depending on day of week pheasants were stocked.

During the four in-season stockings, harvests were highest for pheasants released Wednesday through Fridays (50 to 53 percent), and 47.1 percent on Tuesdays.

While overall harvest rates and patterns shown by the latest study generally are consistent with those in the 1998 study, the results still provide a good start in identifying how changes to pheasant-release strategies might increase harvest rates.

Clearly, releasing pheasants on public properties later in the week results in the highest harvest rates.

And maintaining a high number of pheasants released, particularly in the first few weeks of the season, should result in more pheasants bagged by hunters.

2015-16 HUNTING/TRAPPING SEASONS RECEIVE FINAL APPROVAL

Allocation set for antlerless deer licenses, elk licenses.

 

The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today set hunting and trapping seasons and bag limits for the 2015-16 license year, which begins July 1.

A list of all seasons and bag limits appears at the end of this news release.

The commissioners also set the number of antlerless deer licenses to be allocated, as well as the number of elk licenses to be allocated for the coming license year.

The board voted to allocate 746,500 antlerless deer licenses statewide. Allocations by Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) are as follows, with the allocation from the previous license year appearing in parentheses: WMU 1A 46,000 (47,000); WMU 1B 29,000 (30,000); WMU 2A 43,000 (46,000); WMU 2B 61,000 (60,000); WMU 2C 31,000 (38,000); WMU 2D 55,000 (61,000); WMU 2E 21,000 (21,000); WMU 2F 22,000 (27,000); WMU 2G 22,000 (22,000); WMU 2H 6,500 (5,500); WMU 3A 19,000 (18,000); WMU 3B 28,000 (33,000);WMU 3C 36,000 (32,000); WMU 3D 25,000 (25,000); WMU 4A 30,000 (28,000); WMU 4B 26,000 (26,000); WMU 4C 25,000 (25,000); WMU 4D 33,000 (33,000); WMU 4E 25,000 (21,000); WMU 5A 19,000 (19,000); WMU 5B 50,000 (49,000); WMU 5C 70,000 (95,000); and WMU 5D 24,000 (18,000).

Hunters should note the boundaries have changed for WMUs 5C and 5D, and that WMUs 1A, 1B, 3A and 3D have been added to the split-season format that offers five days of antlered deer-only hunting followed by seven days of concurrent antlered and antlerless hunting during the statewide firearms deer season.

Concurrent hunting for antlered and antlerless deer throughout the entire firearms deer season remains in WMUs 2B, 5A, 5B and 5C. 

The board also directed that 13,500 antlerless permits be made available to hunt and harvest deer within Disease Management Area 2, which in the 2015-16 license year will include parts of Bedford, Blair, Huntingdon, Cambria, Fulton and Somerset counties. This is the second year for the permit, which is meant to reduce antlerless deer numbers in the only area of the state where chronic wasting disease has been detected among free-ranging deer.

Hunting licenses for 2015-16 go on sale in mid-June and become effective July 1. After hunters purchase a general hunting license, they may apply for antlerless deer licenses based on staggered timelines, which will be outlined in the 2015-16 Pennsylvania Hunting & Trapping Digest presented to each license buyer. The 2015-16 digest also will be available at the Game Commission’s website, www.pgc.state.pa.us in mid-June

The board on Friday also voted to issue 116 elk licenses (21 antlered, 95 antlerless) for the 2015 hunt.

The licenses again will be awarded by lottery, and the deadline to enter the drawing is July 31.

Elk applications cost $10.70, and only one application may be submitted each license year.

Other modifications proposed for the 2015-16 seasons include extending the squirrel, rabbit and pheasant seasons to end on the last day of February, opening bobwhite quail season in all but one of the state’s Wildlife Management Units; expanding the crow hunting season to include an additional weekend; decreasing the length of the fall turkey season in WMUs 2E, 3D, 4A, 4B and 4D  to create a two-week fall season, plus a three-day Thanksgiving season; running the archery deer season from Sept. 19 through Nov. 28 in WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D; and implementing a conservative-harvest river otter season in WMUs 3C and 3D.

Several highlights pertaining to 2015-16 seasons and bag limits follow.

 

SPLIT FIREARMS DEER SEASONS APPROVED

 

The Board of Game Commissioners adopted a slate of deer seasons for 2015-16, giving final approval to a split, five-day antlered deer season (Nov. 30-Dec. 4) and seven-day concurrent season (Dec. 5-12) in 18 Wildlife Management Units. The list includes (WMUs) 1A, 1B, 2A, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D and 4E. The package also retains the two-week (Nov. 30-Dec. 12) concurrent, antlered and antlerless deer season in WMUs 2B, 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D.

Hunters with Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) antlerless deer permits may use the permits on the lands for which they were issued during any established deer season, and will continue to be permitted to harvest antlerless deer from Nov. 30- Dec. 12 in 1A, 1B, 2A, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D and 4E. Fees for DMAP permits are $10.70 for residents and $35.70 for nonresidents.

DMAP permits also may be transferred to Mentored Hunting Program participants.

The board retained antler restrictions in place for adult and senior license holders. The restrictions  remain as “three-up” on one side, not counting a brow tine, for the western Wildlife Management Units of 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B and 2D, and the three points on one side in all other WMUs. Those exempt from these antler restrictions are mentored youth hunters, junior license holders, disabled hunters with a permit to use a vehicle as a blind and resident active duty military on leave.

Another deer-season change to gain final approval applies to Wildlife Management Units 2B, 5C and 5D, where the archery season has traditionally opened early, with the first weeks being open to antlerless deer hunting only.

The commissioners gave final approval to concurrent hunting of antlered and antlerless deer in WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D during all seasons, with the first segment of the archery season to run from Sept. 19 to Nov. 28 in those WMUs.

 

OTTER TRAPPING SEASON APPROVED

 

The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today gave final approval to a limited otter trapping season that allows for a conservative harvest of otters for the first time in Pennsylvania in more than a half-century.

With the vote, otters can be harvested by licensed furtakers who also obtain a separate otter permit.

The otter season is three days long – from Feb. 21, 2016 to Feb. 23, 2016 – with an option for the Game Commission to extend the season by an additional five days. Those with a valid permit are able to harvest, by trapping only, one otter during the season. The season will be open only in WMUs 3C and 3D, in the northeastern part of the state.

Otter trapping regulations largely follow those for beavers. It is unlawful to place, or make use of, materials or products except raw native wood or stone to direct the travel of otters. Manmade materials may be used only to support traps or snares.

It also is unlawful to check, set, reset or otherwise maintain otter traps or snares, or remove otters from a traps or snares, unless the person is identified by the attached name tag as the owner.

Tagging requirements for those harvesting otters are identical to the requirements for tagging bobcats and fishers. Before removing an otter from the location where it was caught, the trapper must fully complete and attach to the animal a tag furnished with the permit. The tag would need to remain attached until a Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) tag is attached, if applicable, or the animal is mounted, tanned, made into a commercial fur or prepared for consumption.

Those harvesting otters would be required to report harvests within 24 hours, which is less time compared to the 48 hours allotted to those harvesting fishers and bobcats.

The creation of an otter season also would have an impact on beaver trappers within the WMUs where an otter season is open.

Within any WMU with an open otter trapping season, beaver trappers are able to use no more than five traps or snares, and no more than two traps can be body-gripping traps. This limitation is applicable during periods when the open beaver trapping season overlaps by calendar date with the open otter trapping season, and it extends for five additional, consecutive days after the close of the otter season.

Ordinarily, beaver trappers are limited to 10 traps, two of which may be body-gripping.

There has been no season for harvest of river otters in Pennsylvania since 1952. But most other states that now have sustainable otter populations have implemented a season. In fact, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island are the only eastern states without a season for river-otter harvest, and Indiana is in the process of starting a regulated otter harvest.

In Pennsylvania, river otters continue to thrive and are among the many great success stories in wildlife conservation.

It is estimated that as much as 75 percent of America’s otter population had been lost by the start of the 20th century, due to factors including habitat destruction, water pollution and unregulated harvest.

Otters never were completely extirpated in Pennsylvania, though their numbers were reduced vastly. The Pocono region, particularly the counties of Wayne, Pike and Monroe, continued to sustain otters.

With a cleaner environment and otter populations restored through reintroduction programs and natural dispersal, otter populations are increasing across their range in Pennsylvania.

Today, they are present in almost every county and, in a lot of areas, they’re becoming as common as beavers.

An otter permit will cost $6.70.

 

FALL TURKEY SEASON CHANGES APPROVED

 

The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today gave final approval to fall turkey seasons for 2015 and spring gobbler dates for 2016.

The slate of turkey seasons approved reduces the length of the fall seasons three weeks to two weeks in five Wildlife Management Units – WMUs 2E, 3D, 4A, 4B and 4D.

In addition to a two-week fall season, the three-day Thanksgiving season would continue to be held in those WMUs.

Game Commission staff said both the spring harvest density and the summer sighting index have declined in those WMUs and, in accordance with the Wild Turkey Management Plan, a decrease in season length is recommended.

The fall season dates for 2015, approved by the board today, are: WMU 1B, Oct. 31-Nov.7 and Nov. 26-28; WMU 2B (shotgun and bow only), Oct. 31-Nov. 20, and Nov. 26-28; WMUs 1A, 2A, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4B and 4D; Oct. 31-Nov. 14, and Nov. 26-28; WMUs 2C, 4C and 4E, Oct. 31-Nov. 20, and Nov. 26-28; and WMU 5A, Nov. 5-7. WMUs 5B, 5C and 5D will remain closed for the fall seasons.

The 2016 spring gobbler season will to run from April 30-May 31. the board continued the change in legal hunting hours to reflect the following: from April 30-May 14, legal shooting hours will be one-half hour before sunrise until noon timeframe; and from May 16-31, hunters may hunt all day, from one-half hour before sunrise until one-half hour after sunset.

The board adopted a one-day Spring Gobbler Youth Hunt on April 23, 2016, which will run from one-half hour before sunrise until noon. All junior license holders and Mentored Youth Hunting Program permit holders can participate in this special one-day hunt, as well as the other spring season dates.

 

SQUIRREL, RABBIT AND PHEASNT SEASONS EXTENDED

 

The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today voted to extend the late-season segments of the squirrel, ring-necked pheasant and cottontail rabbit seasons.

In the 2015-16 license year, those seasons will end on Feb. 29.

The change comes after testimony offered Thursday by four rabbit hunters, who noted a number of other states end rabbit seasons annually on the last day of February, and that the majority of rabbits harvested during the late season are males.

Game Commission staff advised there is no biological evidence to suggest adverse impacts will result from adding another eight or nine days to a season that initially was proposed to end on Feb. 20.

 

PROPOSED 2015-16 HUNTING SEASONS AND BAG LIMITS

 

SQUIRRELS, Red, Gray, Black and Fox (Combined): Special season for eligible junior hunters, with or without required license, and mentored youth – Oct. 10-16 (6 daily, 18 in possession limit after first day).

 

SQUIRRELS, Red, Gray, Black and Fox (Combined): Oct. 17-Nov. 28; Dec. 14-24 and Dec. 26-Feb. 29 (6 daily, 18 possession).

 

RUFFED GROUSE: Oct. 17–Nov. 28, Dec. 14-24 and Dec. 26-Jan. 23 (2 daily, 6 possession).

 

RABBIT (Cottontail) Special season for eligible junior hunters, with or without required license: Oct. 10-17 (4 daily, 12 possession).

 

RABBIT (Cottontail): Oct. 24-Nov. 28, Dec. 14-24 and Dec. 26-Feb. 29 (4 daily, 12 possession).

 

PHEASANT: Special season for eligible junior hunters, with or without required license – Oct. 10-17 (2 daily, 6 in possession). Male pheasants only in WMUs 2A, 2C, 4C, 4E, 5A and 5B. Male and female pheasants may be taken in all other WMUs. There is no open season for the taking of pheasants in any Wild Pheasant Recovery Areas in any WMU.

 

PHEASANT: Male only in WMUs 2A, 2C, 4C, 4E, 5A and 5B. Male and female may be taken in all other WMUs – Oct. 24-Nov. 28, Dec. 14-24 and Dec. 26-Feb. 29 (2 daily, 6 in possession). There is no open season for the taking of pheasants in any Wild Pheasant Recovery Areas in any WMU.

 

BOBWHITE QUAIL: Oct. 24-Nov. 28 (4 daily, 12 possession). (Closed in 5A, Open in all other WMUs.)

 

HARES (SNOWSHOE RABBITS) OR VARYING HARES: Dec. 26–Jan.1, in all WMUs except WMUs 3B, 3C and 3D, where season will run from Dec. 26-29 (1 daily, 3 possession).

 

WOODCHUCKS (GROUNDHOGS): No closed season, except on Sundays and during the regular firearms deer seasons. No limit.

 

PORCUPINES: Sept. 1-March 31, except during overlap with the regular firearms deer season. (3 daily, season limit of 10).

 

CROWS: July 3-April 10, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday only. No limit.

 

STARLINGS AND ENGLISH SPARROWS: No closed season, except during the antlered and antlerless deer season. No limit.

 

WILD TURKEY (Male or Female): WMU 1B – Oct. 31-Nov. 7 and Nov. 26-28; WMU 2B (Shotgun and bow and arrow) – Oct. 31-Nov. 20 and Nov. 26-28; WMUs 1A, 2A, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4B and 4D– Oct. 31-Nov. 14 and Nov. 26-28; WMUs 2C, 4C and 4E– Oct. 31-Nov. 20  and Nov. 26-28; WMU 5A – Nov. 5-7; WMUs 5B, 5C and 5D – CLOSED TO FALL TURKEY HUNTING.

 

SPRING GOBBLER (Bearded bird only): Special season for eligible junior hunters, with required license, and mentored youth – April 23, 2016. Only 1 spring gobbler may be taken during this hunt.

 

SPRING GOBBLER (Bearded bird only): April 30-May 31, 2016. Daily limit 1, season limit 2. (Second spring gobbler may be only taken by persons who possess a valid special wild turkey license.) From April 30-May 14, legal hunting hours are one-half hour before sunrise until noon; from May 16-31, legal hunting hours are one-half hour before sunrise until one-half hour after sunset.

 

BLACK BEAR (Statewide) Archery: Nov. 16-20. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.

 

BLACK BEAR (Statewide): Nov. 21-25. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.

 

BLACK BEAR (WMUs 2C, 4B, 4C, 4D and 4E): Dec. 2-5. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.

 

BLACK BEAR (WMUs 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D): Nov. 30-Dec. 12. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.

 

BLACK BEAR (WMUs 3A, 3B, 3C and 3D): Nov. 30-Dec. 5. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.

 

BLACK BEAR (WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D) archery: Sept. 19-Nov. 14. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.

 

BLACK BEAR (WMU 5B) archery: Oct. 3-Nov. 14. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.

 

BLACK BEAR (WMUs 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D) muzzleloader: Oct. 17-24. Only 1 bear may be taken during the license year.

 

BLACK BEAR (WMUs 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D) special firearms: Oct. 22-24, for junior and senior license holders, disabled hunters with a permit to use a vehicle as a blind and resident active duty military.

 

ELK (Antlered or Antlerless): Nov. 2-7. Only one elk may be taken during the license year.

 

ELK, EXTENDED (Antlered and Antlerless): Nov. 9-14. Only one elk may be taken during the license year. Eligible elk license recipients who haven’t harvested an elk by Nov. 8, in designated areas.

 

 

DEER, ARCHERY (Antlered and Antlerless) WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D: Sept. 19- Nov. 28 and Dec. 26-Jan. 23, 2016. One antlerless deer with each required antlerless license. One antlered deer per hunting license year.

 

DEER, ARCHERY (Antlered and Antlerless) Statewide: Oct. 3-Nov. 14 and Dec. 26-Jan. 9. One antlered deer per hunting license year. One antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

 

DEER (Antlered and Antlerless) WMUs 2B, 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D: Nov. 30-Dec. 12. One antlered deer per hunting license year. An antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

 

DEER (Antlered Only) WMUs 1A, 1B, 2A, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3A 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D and 4E: Nov. 30-Dec. 4. One antlered deer per hunting license year. (Holders of valid DMAP antlerless deer permits may harvest antlerless deer on DMAP properties during this period.)

 

DEER (Antlered and Antlerless) WMUs 1A, 1B, 2A, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3A 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D and 4E: Dec. 5-12. One antlered deer per hunting license year. An antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

 

DEER, ANTLERLESS (Statewide): Oct. 22-24. Junior and Senior License Holders, Mentored Youth Permit Holders, Disabled Person Permit (to use a vehicle) Holders, and Pennsylvania residents serving on active duty in U.S. Armed Services or in the U.S. Coast Guard only, with required antlerless license. Also included are persons who have reached or will reach their 65th birthday in the year of the application for a license and hold a valid adult license, or qualify for license and fee exemptions under section 2706. One antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

 

DEER, ANTLERLESS MUZZLELOADER (Statewide): Oct. 17-24. An antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

 

DEER, ANTLERED OR ANTLERLESS FLINTLOCK (Statewide): Dec. 26-Jan. 9. One antlered deer per hunting license year, or one antlerless deer and an additional antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

 

DEER, ANTLERED OR ANTLERLESS FLINTLOCK (WMUs 2B, 5C, 5D): Dec. 26-Jan. 23. One antlered deer per hunting license year, or one antlerless deer and an additional antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

 

DEER, ANTLERLESS EXTENDED REGULAR FIREARMS: (Allegheny, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties): Dec. 26-Jan. 23. An antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

 

DEER, ANTLERLESS (Military Bases): Hunting permitted on days established by the U.S. Department of the Army at Letterkenny Army Depot, Franklin County; New Cumberland Army Depot, York County; and Fort Detrick, Raven Rock Site, Adams County. An antlerless deer with each required antlerless license.

 

 

PROPOSED 2015-16 FURBEARER HUNTING SEASONS

 

COYOTES: No closed season. Unlimited. Outside of any big game season (deer, bear, elk and turkey), coyotes may be taken with a hunting license or a furtaker license, and without wearing orange. During any big game season, coyotes may be taken while lawfully hunting big game or with a furtaker license.

 

RACCOONS and FOXES: Oct. 24–Feb. 20, unlimited.

 

OPOSSUM, STRIPED SKUNKS and WEASELS: No closed season, except Sundays. No limits.

 

BOBCAT (WMUs 2A, 2C, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4C, 4D and 4E): Jan. 16-Feb. 9. One bobcat per license year. Licensed furtakers may obtain one permit each.

 

 

PROPOSED 2015-16 TRAPPING SEASONS

 

MINKS and MUSKRATS: Nov. 21–Jan. 10. Unlimited.

 

COYOTES, FOXES, OPOSSUMS, RACCOONS, STRIPED SKUNKS and WEASELS: Oct. 25–Feb. 21. No limit.

 

COYOTES and FOXES (Statewide) Cable Restraints: Dec. 26-Feb. 21. No limit. Participants must pass cable restraint certification course.

 

BEAVERS (Statewide): Dec. 26–March 31 (Limits vary depending on WMU).

 

BOBCATS (WMUs 2A, 2C, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4C, 4D and 4E): Dec. 19-Jan. 10.

One bobcat per license year. Licensed furtakers may obtain one permit each.

 

FISHERS (WMUs 1B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4D and 4E): Dec. 19-24. One fisher per license year. Licensed furtakers may obtain one permit each.

 

RIVER OTTERS (WMUs 3C and 3D): Feb. 21-23, 2016. One river otter per license year. Licensed furtakers may obtain one permit each.

 

 

PROPOSED 2015-16 FALCONRY SEASONS

 

SQUIRRELS (combined), BOBWHITE QUAIL, RUFFED GROUSE, COTTONTAIL RABBITS, Sept. 1-March 31, 2016.

 

SNOWSHOE OR VARYING HARES, RINGNECK PHEASANTS (Male or Female combined): Sept. 1-March 31. Daily and Field Possession limits vary. (Migratory game bird seasons and bag limits for falconers will be set in accordance with federal regulations in August.)

 

No open season on other wild birds or mammals.

Waterfowl and Migratory Game Bird seasons to be established in accordance with federal regulations this summer.

EGGS HATCHED, EAGLE CAM TAKES ON NEW LIFE

Viewership climbs toward 1 million with months of adventure awaiting.

With more than a million viewers worldwide, and the news broadcasted widely to local and national audiences, you might already be well aware the spotlight on Pennsylvania’s most well-known bald eagle nest has turned to two new stars.

Those keeping their “eagle eyes” on the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s bald eagle cam spotted new chicks in the nest soon after daybreak on consecutive mornings Tuesday and Wednesday. For wildlife lovers everywhere, it was reason to celebrate; both eggs that had been incubated since mid-February in the nest near Codorus State Park in Hanover successfully hatched.

But for the growing number of eagle-cam viewers, there’s more good news.

Things are just getting started.

As long as the nestlings remain healthy, there will be increasing activity at the nest in the coming weeks and months. Things will start off slowly, with an adult at the nest almost all the time brooding the chicks to keep them warm and safe. But like most newborns, they’ll eat a lot, too.

The young birds will develop feathers in three to four weeks, will be able to walk around the nest in six to seven weeks, and in about three months, they’ll be ready for their first flights.

Their growth is rapid and, if all goes well, is sure to captivate what already has been an enormous audience.

The chicks’ hatching created a surge in viewers that briefly strained the capacity of servers, as nearly 129,000 devices connected to the stream Tuesday, many of them joining as word spread the first chick had hatched. But capacity was added, and on Wednesday even more devices – 155,000 – were used to access the stream without issues.

For the new nestlings, of course, the future is a great unknown, and that’s one of the things that’s likely to keep viewers coming back for more. Viewers of the eagle cam should understand, though, the live stream gives them the opportunity to view wildlife in its natural setting in real time, and just about anything could happen. The Game Commission does not plan to intervene if the birds become distressed, or appear to be in danger.

Often the best intentions to help wildlife end up doing more harm than good, and the best solution is to let wildlife remain a part of nature.

Tim Sears, the founder of HDOnTap (hdontap.com), which provided the camera and streaming services for the eagle cam project, said the company is proud to partner in an effort that’s brought joy to so many.

“Along with the selfless care of the new little eaglets from some dedicated parents, it’s amazing to watch the demand and popularity of the live stream grow,” Sears said. “The warm comments from viewers and how the live stream has inspired all ages to learn more about eagles and conservation puts a big smile on everyone’s face here at HDOnTap!"

With months remaining to go, this year’s eagle cam already has done much to educate the public about bald eagles, said Lori Neely Mitchell, who heads up the eagle cam project for the Game Commission.

For instance, on March 6 – the day after scenes of a snow-covered adult eagle stubbornly keeping two eggs warm and dry drew national attention – more than 3,500 people viewed the Game Commission’s educational film on eagles, which, like the eagle cam, also is available at the agency’s website. And about 900 people a day have been watching the film since then.

“We certainly share in all of the excitement that has gone along with these two chicks hatching,” Neely Mitchell said. “But at the same time, we’re excited, too, to lead a project that has helped to educate so many people about bald eagles, and about nature, in general.”

Game Commission endangered bird biologist Patti Barber pointed out that, without people, bald-eagle populations never could have rebounded to such amazing levels. In 1983, when the Game Commission launched what would become a seven-year program to restore bald eagles to the state, Pennsylvania had only three known bald-eagle nests – all of them located in Crawford County in the northwestern corner of the state.

At present, Barber said, the number of bald-eagle nests spread throughout the commonwealth might be approaching 300.

And it’s people who paved the way for that comeback, by passing laws to ensure clean water, a healthy environment and protections for eagles and other wildlife.

“Knowing that history shows the importance of engaging people’s natural interest in eagles, ensuring they’ll continue to thrive in Pennsylvania and elsewhere,” Barber said.

The Game Commission’s bald eagle cam can be viewed at the agency’s website, www.pgc.state.pa.us. Click on the icon titled “Bald Eagle Live Stream,” then click on the window available on the page that opens.

The eagle cam would not be possible without the efforts of many partners. In addition to HDOnTap, Comcast Business, the Friends of Codorus State Park, the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Sunbelt Rentals and Swam Electric Co. joined in the effort.

Dave Dombroski, vice president of Comcast Business in the Keystone Region, said the project already has proved fulfilling.

“We’ve all been captivated and heartened over the past few days by the amazing images of the newly-hatched eaglets and the dedicated care they are receiving from mom and dad,” Dombroski said. “Knowing how quickly these eaglets will grow, we’re sure our sense of wonder will do the same as we get to watch them mature.”

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Nest etiquette

 

While viewers always are welcome online, those making trips to view bald-eagle nests in person are reminded to keep their distance.

Different pairs of eagles have different levels of tolerance for human activity near nests. Nests built in spots with a lot of surrounding bustle, often offer opportunities to view from a distance without invading the eagles’ comfort zone. But other nests are more vulnerable to disturbance.

Federal safeguards exist to protect nesting eagles, and keep people at a distance.

Signs are posted around many known nest sites, but the guidelines apply regardless of whether signs are posted.

Approaching an eagle nest too closely could frighten off the adults and cause them to abandon the nest or prevent them from keeping eggs or chicks at the proper temperature. Frightened eaglets might also jump from the safety of a nest, then have no way to return.

More tips on nest-viewing etiquette can be found on the bald-eagle page of the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s website, www.pgc.state.pa.us.

 

Monster fish caught through the ice in northwest PA
By P.J. REILLY | Staff Writer
A giant musky was caught by two Pittsburgh men fishing through the ice in northwest Pennsylvania earlier this month.
Nicholas Colangelo and Luke Wholey spent about 18 hours fishing through the ice on Pymatuning Reservoir in Crawford County, when Colangelo hauled in a 53-inch musky, according to various media reports.
Colangelo had the fish on the line for 30 minutes before he managed to lift it through a 10-inch hole in the ice.
A fish that size is likely over 30 years old, and so, after snapping a few photos, Colangelo and Wholey slid the leviathan back through the ice, and set it free.


A quick look at Colangelo's Facebook page shows the catch was no fluke.
He and Wholey are dedicated musky anglers, as evidenced by the photos of big fish on Colangelo's page.
That's what it takes to catch these peculiarly crafty predators, according to Steve Mellinger of Mount Joy.
Mellinger fishes year-round on the Susquehanna River, exclusively for muskies, and has pulled some impressive beasts out of the flow in Lancaster County, including one that was 46 inches long and weighed 35 pounds.

http://lancasteronline.com/sports/outdoors/monster-fish-caught-through-the-ice-in-northwest-pa/article_d6cc18c2-bced-11e4-bd26-53ffafc9fef7.html