Pennsylvania man charged again, for poaching
Walleye event cheat accused of shooting three bucks illegally
Pennsylvania man charged again, for poaching Read More »
Man who cheated in Lake Erie fishing tournament facing new Pennsylvania charges, this time deer related
A Mercer County man convicted of cheating in a high-stakes Lake Erie walleye tournament is now accused of poaching three white-tailed deer.
Chase Cominsky, 36, of Hermitage, Pa., was charged Oct. 23 with two counts of unlawful killing or taking of big game, three counts of unlawful taking or possession of game or wildlife, two counts of unlawful acts concerning licenses, and one count of improperly tagging big game kills, according to Pennsylvania Game Commission game warden group supervisor Sgt. Daniel Carl.
Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission files charges against pair in release of an alligator
Two western Pennsylvania men have been charged by the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission in connection with the release of an alligator that remains at large in the Kiskimenitas River.
Austin Randall, 23, of Lindora, Butler County, was issued a summary violation for releasing a non-native species, and Dominic Albert Hayward, 26, of Kiski Township, Armstrong County, was cited for being present when the release occurred, according to commission spokesman Mike Parker. Randall reportedly was in the process of re-homing the 2-foot gator with Hayward on Aug. 29 when the reptile, named Neo, escaped.
Blue catfish, freshwater drum invade Delaware River in Pennsylvania
An ill-conceived fisheries management plan in the Chesapeake Bay watershed 40 years ago could wreak havoc on the Delaware River today, as non-native blue catfish have begun to surface in the river’s lower reaches.
Another non-native – freshwater drum – also are proliferating in the lower Delaware, as well as in the lower Schuylkill River, prompting the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission to seek anglers’ help in reporting and removing both species. While their arrival is recent, they threaten to cause serious ecological harm, according to Sean Hartzell, the commission’s invasive species coordinator.
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Pennsylvania women fly-fishers help U.S. take bronze in championship event held in British Columbia
The United States won bronze at the recent second FIPS-Mouche Ladies World Fly Fishing Championship in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada.
Tess Weigand, 33, of Coburn, and Ashley Wilmont, 32, of State College – both of whom guide professionally in Pennsylvania – were on the six-member U.S. team that medaled in the tournament on Edith, Sullivan, Tunkwa, and Leighton lakes and the Similkameen River, Sept. 24-30.
Pennsylvania hunting clubs lose lawsuit on warrantless searches
Two Clearfield County hunting clubs that recently lost a warrantless search lawsuit against the Pennsylvania Game Commission and one of its game wardens have vowed to appeal their case to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania in late September ruled against the Punxsutawney Hunting Club and the Pitch Pine Hunting Club, which asserted in a suit filed in 2021 that the commission and warden Mark Gritzer repeatedly violated their private property rights with warrantless searches.
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Pennsylvania’s Dan Hill fondly remembered as a true advocate for sportsmen
Erie County Attorney Dan Hill joined the Pennsylvania Game Commission board in 2005 when hunters were still adjusting to the controversial deer herd reduction policy implemented by the agency years earlier.
One of Hill’s goals, he told the local press, was to help mediate hunters’ differences with the agency during a particularly contentious time. Although it would prove to be a nearly overwhelming task, a desire to seek compromise in challenging situations was one of Hill’s key strengths, according to friends and colleagues who gathered to mourn him Sept. 14, days after the 68-year-old suffered a fatal heart attack at his Fairfield Township home.
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Whitetail cull in Pittsburgh’s Frick Park off to slow start
Mountain biker Ted Melnyk stocked up on bright-colored jerseys in anticipation of the managed bowhunting set to begin in Pittsburgh’s Frick Park Sept. 30.
An avid cyclist, Melnyk had been following discussions about the hunt – a first for the city – on biking message boards, and felt prepared when he met up with buddies for their usual weekend ride. He also expressed support for the hunters since deer are far too abundant, he said.
“I started biking here 25 years ago, when it was rare to see even one deer. Now I see 15 and 20. There are so many, we’ve almost hit them.”
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Vandals release hundreds of minks from Northampton County farm in Pennsylvania
Hundreds of minks escaped from a Northampton County farm in mid-September in an apparent act of agricultural criminal mischief.
Someone is believed to have crept to Richard H. Stahl Sons fur farm in Rockefeller Township in the wee hours of Sept. 17 and cut holes in fencing, which allowed the animals to escape. Minks were appearing in residential yards and in cornfields, and many wound up as roadkill, according to Pennsylvania Game Commission education and information officer, Lt. Aaron Morrow.
“When I say they were everywhere, they were everywhere,” he said. “Because they had been captive minks, they didn’t know what to do.”
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