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FeedPennsylvania Cuffs & Collars - November 23rd, 2012
NORTHWEST REGION
•Clarion County WCO Steven J. Ace has filed several citations with the most common were for littering, baiting, spotlighting with firearms in the vehicle (not just a handgun), illegal deer, safety zone violations and orange violations.
•Crawford County WCO Jacob J. Olexsak said an individual entered guilty pleas for the unlawful taking of three antlered deer last rifle season. The defendant shot a legal buck on the opening day of rifle season and, on the first Saturday, in an attempt to fill an antlerless tag killed two deer, he said. Both of the deer were antlered – a six- and an eight-point – and were left untouched on the game land he was hunting. On the last day of the rifle season, the defendant killed another antlered deer and tagged it as an antlerless deer.
•Crawford County WCO Mark A. Allegro said an unlawfully possessed highway killed bear was recovered from a man’s garage. The two defendants were debating on attempting to freeze the bear until the upcoming season when the investigation revealed that they were in possession of the bear. The 325-pound male was killed in southcentral Crawford County.
•Forest County WCO Daniel P. Schmidt and Forest/Warren Counties LMGS Rich Cramer stopped several people illegally riding ATVs and dirt bikes on Collins Pine Property, which is enrolled in the Game Commission’s Hunter Access Program. Four citations were filed.
•Forest County WCO Daniel P. Schmidt cited an individual for killing a turkey out of season and a second individual for hunting grouse on SGL 24 on a Sunday.
•Jefferson County WCO Roger A. Hartless and WCO Cadet Kirk Miller, while patrolling a Hunter Access Program property near Brookville, found a couch dumped along a remote township road. “An inspection of the interior of the couch produced a small photo album with several family member photos inside,” Hartless said. The album will be returned to the owners as soon as the individuals in the photos can be identified and an investigation into the dumping of the couch is completed.
•Mercer County WCO Donald G. Chaybin received information concerning late shooting by waterfowl hunters. The caller stated it had been happening several times a week since duck season opened, which was nearly a month before he called. A father and son were apprehended for hunting ducks after legal hours. The son wasn’t being properly accompanied by the adult hunter, also they didn’t have their licenses with them and the father’s shotgun wasn’t plugged as required.
•Warren County WCO Dustin M. Stoner said a red-tailed hawk was shot and critically injured, on Nov. 2, in an area known locally as the bean fields in Irvine. The bird was transported to the Tamarack Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, where it had to be euthanized due to the severity of its injuries. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Game Commission Office in Franklin at 814-432-3187.
SOUTHWEST REGION
•Armstrong County WCO Gary Toward reports that a homeowner provided information that led to charges being filed against an individual for alighting from a vehicle and shooting from the roadway, shooting at a pheasant that was standing on the roadway and shooting within the homeowner’s safety zone. “The homeowner took careful note of the truck’s description and license plate number and provided the information to Deputy WCO Dave Shaul,” he said. “When confronted, the defendant had little to say other than he ‘really wanted that pheasant.’”
•Cambria County WCO Seth Mesoras issued several citations to individuals for the unlawful use of bait while archery hunting and failure to wear the proper amount of fluorescent orange material while pheasant hunting.
•WCO Cadet Jesse Bish, while on field assignment with Indiana County WCO Patrick Snickles, reports that evidence of poaching is scattered throughout the county. Anybody who witnesses or has information of a violation is asked to call the Southwest Regional Office at 724-238-9523.
•Washington County WCO Chris Bergman filed charges against a Mount Pleasant man for unlawful killing or taking of big game. The individual was accompanying a junior hunter during the October special firearms deer season, which is open to junior/senior license holders and other qualified individuals. The man shot at an antlerless deer while they were leaving a farm field in Grindstone, Fayette County. A witness reported the unlawful act.
•Washington County WCO Chris Bergman interviewed two Forward Township, Allegheny County, individuals after one of the men was stopped by Forward Township Police. The driver had in possession a head and hide from an antlerless deer, along with a partially butchered carcass. After interviewing and investigating, the other individual produced a lawful tag, which he removed from the deer when the driver attempted to dump the remains on township property.
NORTHCENTRAL REGION
•Elk County WCO Doty A. McDowell said officers handled a case of five individuals poaching five deer.
•Potter County WCO William C. Ragosta recently completed several investigations dealing with unlawfully taken deer. One of these investigations dealt with a repeat offender. Several citations also were filed and a hearing held for three co-defendants who operated ATVs on a property enrolled in the agency’s Hunter Access Program.
•Centre County WCO Dan Murray charged two individuals for using a vehicle to locate game in Howard Township. They also were charged with having a loaded firearm in a vehicle.
•Centre County WCO Dan Murray charged three individuals for unlawful taking or possession of antlerless deer in Burnside Township.
•Centre County WCO Dan Murray charged two individuals for possessing alcohol on SGL 100 in Snow Show Township.
•Centre County WCO Dan Murray charged one individual for hunting in a baited area.
•Centre County WCO Dan Murray charged one individual for hunting with a semi-automatic rifle in Howard Township.
•Centre County WCO Dan Murray charged one individual for spotlighting with a crossbow in the vehicle in Bald Eagle State Park.
•Centre County WCO Dan Murray said two individuals were found guilty of unlawful taking and possession of game or wildlife and disturbance of game or wildlife for stealing a fawn from the wild. The fawn, which was taken to Centre Wildlife Rehabilitators in Port Matilda, was later released back into the wild. The defendants were ordered to pay nearly $2,000 in restitution to the rehabber, in addition to the fines and penalties imposed by the Game and Wildlife Code.
•Centre County WCO Dan Murray issued several warnings for unsigned hunting licenses, SGL regulations violations, failure to carry a second form of ID while hunting and for failing to sign the federal waterfowl stamp.
SOUTHCENTRAL REGION
•Adams County WCO Kevin Anderson said three defendants recently pleaded guilty to spotlighting while in possession of a loaded 17-caliber rifle. The rifle, which had a fully loaded magazine with one round in the chamber, was between the front driver and passenger seat. When asked, the occupants claimed that they had been groundhog hunting and just placed the rifle there for the ride home. One of the occupant’s 10-month-old daughter was in her car seat in the back of the vehicle.
•Adams County WCO Darren David received a report of gunfire late at night on an October evening, in an area at the border of Straban and Hamilton townships. Six young adults driving three vehicles trespassed onto a secluded soybean field where they were drinking beer and shooting pistols from the back of a pickup truck. Most of them fled from officers and hid the firearms in a wooded area. Charges are pending.
•Bedford County WCO Jeremy Coughenour said a concerned landowner’s tip led to several charges being filed against a Bedford County man and a West Virginia accomplice. “A shooting spree, lasting from before midnight until 4 a.m., on Oct. 27, was interrupted by officers as the suspects attempted to recover their second illegal deer of the morning,” he said.
•Bedford County WCO Chris Skipper made several recent arrests for illegal deer, baiting, license violations unlawful activities on state game lands and late spotlighting, of which one had a .22 rifle in the vehicle.
•Cumberland County WCO Tim Wenrich said various cases were investigated in October, including hunting through the use of bait or enticement, fluorescent orange violations, unlawful shot for small game, and unlawfully taking big game.
•Fulton County WCO Kevin Mountz, during archery season in October, said a hunter in a portable treestand witnessed an individual shooting from the driver’s window and killing a deer that was feeding on acorns. “The truck sped off and returned about 10 minutes later,” he said. Two subjects exited, threw the deer in the bed of the truck and drove off. The hunter in the treestand immediately called from his cellphone to report the violation giving detailed information. Within an hour, the individuals were apprehended.
NORTHEAST REGION
•Wayne County WCO James McCarthy cited several people for the unlawful taking of white-tailed deer in the district, but reports of night shooting continue.
•Montour/Northumberland Counties WCO Rick Deiterich cited several individuals for hunting in a baited area near Danville. A farmer enrolled in the Hunter Access Program called to report that a hunter who was scouting the landowner’s property discovered bait and treestands. The property was found to contain two mineral blocks and an unknown foreign substance that had deer tearing up the ground. Four people were cited for hunting in a baited area, and one hunter had three forms of bait on his person. Two of the individuals who were cited have pleaded guilty and had fines set, while the other two requested hearings.
•Montour/Northumberland Counties WCO Rick Deiterich said a Danville-area man, who was in possession of two Patagonian cavies, was cited for possessing the animals without the proper special permits. “The cavies look like miniature kangaroo rats and are native to Argentina,” he said. The animals were seized, and the man pleaded guilty to the citations.
•Wayne County WCO Frank Dooley apprehended five individuals who ignored posted signs and closed gates on state game lands, causing all-terrain vehicle damage to seeded areas and planted food plots. Fines and costs have been assessed at $3,600.
•Wayne County WCO Frank Dooley filed charges against two non-residents for killing two bears in baited areas and without licenses. Fines and costs are assessed in excess of $4,200, plus $3,000 in restitution for the replacement cost of the wildlife.
•Sullivan County WCO Rick Finnegan said a hunter confessed to shooting at turkeys from the road on opening day.
•Sullivan County WCO Rick Finnegan said charges were filed against a man whose 8-year-old son harvested a turkey and did not tag it.
•Sullivan County WCO Rick Finnegan filed charges on five juveniles from Union County after they ran down a deer with a truck in Montour County.
•WCO Cadet Cassie Zliceski, working with Sullivan County WCO Rick Finnegan, said citations were filed against two hunters on opening day of fall turkey for using a vehicle to locate game, shooting on the highway and having a loaded gun in the vehicle. Also, multiple baited areas have been reported and are being investigated.
•Northumberland County WCO Jason Kelley encountered many hunters out on the first day of pheasant season. There were several hunters issued warnings for having unplugged shotguns and failure to carry additional identification on their person.
•WCO Cadet Steven Knickel said a doe and eight-point buck were shot illegally. Both cases have been solved, and citations were filed.
•Wyoming County WCO Victor Rosa cited several individuals for hunting in a baited area.
•Susquehanna County WCO Mike Webb said many individuals have been cited for the use of bait, illegal deer, hunting without a license and SGL violations. Several individuals also were warned for spotlighting violations.
SOUTHEAST REGION
•WCO Cadet Chris Reidmiller said vehicle stops resulted in seven citations being filed and one charge of possession of a controlled substance.
•WCO Cadet Cory Ammerman, working with Bucks County WCO John Papson, is investigating an individual for possibly harvesting a second buck, and cited a hunter for hunting without a license and having an untagged buck. A separate investigation yielded an individual hunting over bait during the archery season.
•Bucks County WCO Richard Macklem II filed citations on multiple individuals for spotlighting after 11 p.m.
•Bucks County WCO Richard Macklem II was called by one of the local police departments for a truck that had a deer in the back of it with no tag. “Once I arrived, it turns out the individual shot the deer after alighting from his vehicle, in a safety zone and he had no hunting license,’ he said. Citations were issued.
•Chester County WCO Keith Mullin handled one mistake kill in the early archery season, as well as one deer unfit for consumption. The unfit deer appeared to have an old wound that was badly infected. The infection had spread throughout most of the body.
•Dauphin County WCO Mike Doherty reports that bears have been a time-consuming problem in the southern part of the county. Two beekeepers had their hives destroyed by different bears, one of which was killed crossing Route 81 only a few nights later. Also, a sow and two cubs have been feeding at the dumpster of a local McDonalds.
•Lancaster County WCO John Veylupek cited persons for failure to wear the required amount of fluorescent orange while hunting and failure to tag big game properly.
•Lancaster County WCO Dennis Warfel filed citations for violations occurring at the Muddy Run Recreational Park. One individual had a loaded firearm in a vehicle and two other individuals drove their vehicles into an area posted closed to motorized vehicles.
•WCO Cadet Ryan Gildea, working with Lancaster County WCO Dennis Warfel, received a report of two individuals hunting inside the fenced area of Muddy Run Recreational Park. The individuals were cited for hunting in a park open to public use and posted against hunting.
•WCO Cadet Michael Greiner, working with Lebanon County WCO Mike Reeder, filed charges on information provided by an informant on an illegal deer taken out of SGL 145. The Lebanon City man confessed to taking a doe without a doe tag for WMU 5B while muzzleloader hunting.
•Lehigh County WCO Kevin Halbfoerster filed charges on two individuals who had a loaded shotgun in their moving vehicle. The driver also was charged with driving under the influence. The driver’s 11-year-old son was in the back seat.
•Montgomery County WCO Chris Heil is investigating several violations involving trespassing while hunting, hunting over bait, damage to trees and killing an 8-point buck out of season.
•Montgomery County WCO Chris Heil, with the assistance of the Montgomery Township Police Department, arrested a juvenile and an adult for the unlawful chasing, tracking, shooting and killing a white-tailed buck within several safety zones.
•WCO Cadet Philip Kasper said a bear was harvested illegally by a hunter who did not possess a bear license.
•WCO Cadet Philip Kasper, working with Northampton County WCO Brad Kreider, finished an investigation of a hunting-related shooting incident in which a duck hunter was shot in the foot when his dog jumped onto his loaded shotgun that was on the ground next to his vehicle.
