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Tom Venesky

Number of Pennsylvania game lands with Deer Management Assistance Program tags nearly doubles

Featured, Home Page News, Hunting, National Hunting, National News, News, Pennsylvania /

Last year the Pennsylvania Game Commission allocated Deer Management Assistance Program tags on game lands for the first time.
This year, the number of game lands with DMAP tags nearly doubled. For the 2024-25 hunting season, DMAP will be utilized on 41 game lands located in the Northwest, Northcentral, Northeast and Southeast regions. A total of 7,000 tags will be available, and more than 360,000 game lands acres will be enrolled.

Number of Pennsylvania game lands with Deer Management Assistance Program tags nearly doubles Read More »

Tom Venesky: Should Pennsylvania trout season be closed during summers of excessive heat?

Featured, Fishing, Home Page News, National Fishing, Opinion, Pennsylvania /

“It’s a very difficult time for trout.”
That’s what a now-retired Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission biologist told me years ago when I asked him about lows flows and rising water temperatures during the summer. His assessment of summer’s impact on trout still holds true to this day, and I think about it often whenever we get a heat wave and dry weather.

Tom Venesky: Should Pennsylvania trout season be closed during summers of excessive heat? Read More »

Noise issue with bitcoin mine on Pennsylvania game land close to being resolved

Featured, National News, Nature Page & Night Sky, News, Pennsylvania /

Issues surrounding noise emanating from a bitcoin mine on State Game Land 44 near Ridgway, Pa., in Elk County seem to be quieting down.
The area in question is located in Horton Township, and the mine – which consists of banks of computers running around the clock to unlock cryptocurrency. The process of bitcoin mining is lucrative, as one bitcoin can be worth more than $50,000. The issue surrounding State Game Land 44 surfaced in 2022 when users of the game land parcel heard the noise generated by the operation of the bitcoin mine.

Noise issue with bitcoin mine on Pennsylvania game land close to being resolved Read More »

Tom Venesky: Legislators continue to silence Pennsylvania hunters, anglers

Featured, Fishing, Home Page News, Hunting, Opinion, Pennsylvania /

For more than a year, a bill that would give sportsmen and women a voice in selecting who represents them on the Pennsylvania Game and Fish & Boat Commission boards has sat silent in committee.
House Bill 1508 would put the process of selecting commissioners in the hands of hunters and anglers by allowing sportsmen’s groups within a district where a commissioner’s term is soon to expire to nominate candidates for the position. Licensed hunters, trappers and anglers within the district would then vote for the candidates, and the top three vote-getters would be forwarded to the governor, who picks one for the appointment.

Tom Venesky: Legislators continue to silence Pennsylvania hunters, anglers Read More »

Connectivity report details steps for wildlife corridors in Pennsylvania

Featured, Home Page News, National News, Nature Page & Night Sky, News, Pennsylvania /

A recent study on connecting wildlife habitats in Pennsylvania identified several areas in the state as priorities for “conservation corridors” while calling on state agencies, including the Game Commission, to help combat the impacts of fragmented habitats.
The report, “The Current Status of Conservation Connectivity in Pennsylvania,” was authorized by House Resolution 87, which state Reps. Mary Jo Daley, D-Montgomery County, and Jason Ortitay, R-Allegheny and Washington counties, sponsored and passed with bipartisan support last year.

Connectivity report details steps for wildlife corridors in Pennsylvania Read More »

‘Let us help defend you,’ hunting groups plead with Pennsylvania Game Commission

Featured, Home Page News, Hunting, National Hunting, National News, News, Pennsylvania /

Two representatives of state hunting organizations urged the Pennsylvania Game Commission to acknowledge the heat the agency is receiving from the Legislature, and they pleaded with commissioners to let them help.
During the July 12 quarterly meeting, Mike Kriner, with the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen and Conservationists, and John Bingaman, with Hunter Nation, cautioned commissioners about legislative mentions of a “takeover,” and asked the agency to meet with their organizations and others.

‘Let us help defend you,’ hunting groups plead with Pennsylvania Game Commission Read More »

Tom Venesky: Time to let farmers plant again on Pennsylvania game lands

Featured, Home Page News, Hunting, National Hunting, Opinion, Pennsylvania /

Crop damage concerns have been at the forefront lately as the Pennsylvania Legislature considers bills aimed at reducing the impact of deer.

So far, not much has worked when it comes to reducing crop damage. Lengthy seasons, increased antlerless license allocations, ag tags, DMAP coupons – those are just a few of the things utilized to lessen the impact of deer on crops. But the formula – kill more deer, lower the population and reduce crop damage – hasn’t been that effective. If it had, then there wouldn’t be bills in the Legislature focused on addressing the issue.

Tom Venesky: Time to let farmers plant again on Pennsylvania game lands Read More »

Tom Venesky: Farming for a solution to CWD in Pennsylvania

Featured, Hunting, Opinion, Pennsylvania /

The deer farming industry has often taken much of the blame for the spread of chronic wasting disease to wild deer in Pennsylvania.
Whether the blame is accurate or the industry is unjustly being used as a scapegoat remains open for debate. But in the haste to name a culprit for the spread of CWD, maybe all of the finger pointing has caused us to overlook potential solutions. Perhaps the deer farming industry that has been accused of contributing to the spread of CWD may actually have the remedy.

Tom Venesky: Farming for a solution to CWD in Pennsylvania Read More »

Pennsylvania deer farms face a shortage of veterinarians

Featured, Home Page News, Hunting, National News, News, Pennsylvania /

When it comes to the health of their herds, many Pennsylvania deer farmers have to take matters into their own hands. And it’s not by choice.
A shortage of veterinarians that are either trained, or willing, to take on deer farms as clients is scarce in some parts of the state. The shortage of veterinarians has forced many of Pennsylvania’s 650 deer farms – which supply trophy bucks to hunting preserves and are a source for urine-based deer lure – to focus on prevention in the hopes of limiting their need for a veterinarian that can be difficult to find.

Pennsylvania deer farms face a shortage of veterinarians Read More »

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