Harrisburg — According to official 2009 bear harvest figures released today by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, hunters took a total of 3,512 bears, which included 116 bears during the archery bear season; 3,052 bears during the statewide three-day season; and 344 bears during the extended seasons open in select areas of the state. This harvest ranks second among Pennsylvania’s annual…
Edgefield, S.C — The Pennsylvania State Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation received two L.A. Dixon Memorial Chapter Awards during the NWTF’s 34th annual National Convention and Sport Show, which was sponsored by Midway USA, in Nashville, Tenn. The Pennsylvania State Chapter was recognized by the NWTF for winning third place in the Highest Total Net/Net Dollars Raised and…
Edgefield, S.C. — Volunteers with the Jerry Zimmerman Memorial Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation are dedicated to preserving North America’s outdoor traditions by providing opportunities for youth to learn outdoor activities like hunting, fishing, shooting and more. NWTF’s Jerry Zimmerman Memorial Chapter from Zionsville, Pa., won the Best Xtreme JAKES Event Award at the 2010 NWTF national convention….
Harrisburg — Samples taken from the 43 hunter-killed elk during the state’s 2009 hunting season have all tested negative for chronic wasting disease (CWD), according to Dr. Walt Cottrell, the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s wildlife veterinarian. Samples also tested negative for brucellosis and tuberculosis. Cottrell noted that the Game Commission still is awaiting the results of CWD testing for…
Authorities in eastern China have said they will release 20 million algae-eating fish into one of the nation’s most scenic lakes that has been ravaged by pollution. Taihu Lake, which straddles Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces, has been severely polluted by sewage as well as industrial and agricultural waste, triggering a blue-green algae plague. Authorities started using fish to try to…
State College, Pa. — Pennsylvania Game Commission officials recently announced that they plan to conduct controlled burns on the Scotia Barrens on State Game Land 176 in Patton Township, Centre County, to improve habitat conditions within this unique ecosystem. Originally outlined in public meetings and meetings with news media in the area in March of 2009, Game Commission officials said that the planned prescribed…
Harrisburg — Landowners seeking to plant trees beneficial to wildlife can order seedlings being offered by the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Howard Nursery, which is accepting orders until April 27. Order forms and information are available on the agency’s Web site (www.pgc.state.pa.us) by clicking on the “General Store” in the menu bar under the homepage banner, then choosing “Howard Nursery,” and…
Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission recently announced the release of a fisheries recommendation for management of water released to Delaware River tributaries from New York City water supply reservoirs. The recommendation focuses on the Delaware River and its tributaries, the East Branch, West Branch and Neversink rivers where New York City reservoirs are located. “We worked…
Harrisburg — Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl Roe on Tuessay responded to the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee’s audit titled “The Deer Management Program of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, A Comprehensive Review and Evaluation.” “We believe it was a thorough review of our program and we appreciate the constructive criticism,” Roe said. “We welcome the conclusion that the overall scientific foundation of the…
Bills in Congress, some state agencies, and some environmental advocates are promoting a program of buying and selling pollution credits as a way to have regulated polluters pay unregulated farmers hundreds of millions of dollars every year to install practices that reduce nutrient runoff from their farms — the main source of pollution to the Chesapeake Bay. Advocates for this…
Harrisburg — Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe today issued the following statement on the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee’s audit titled “Examination of Current and Future Costs and Revenues from Forest Products, Oil, Gas and Mineral Extraction on Pennsylvania Game Commission Lands.” “I have to say that I was disappointed in the report, and we have major…
According AccuWeather.com, following a cold snap in the Northeast, Lake Erie’s surface is virtually frozen over for the first time in about 14 years. The ice ranges in thickness between paper thin along the northern shore and several inches along the southern shore, where many people are ice skating. GoErie.com reports that the lake hasn’t completely frozen since the winter…
Jeff Mulhollem Game and fish commissioner appointments have been controversial for a century. Today, with deer-management and trout-stocking issues at the forefront of sportsmen debate, that is likely more true than ever. “If Jesus Christ himself were nominating commissioner candidates, there would still be people unhappy with his selections,” says Robb Miller, adviser to Gov. Ed Rendell for hunting, fishing…
Coyotes of about 50 pounds are not unheard of in Pennsylvania, but to hear that three were just taken in the recent Mosquito Creek Coyote Hunt is an eye-opener. In case you missed it, it was established by a study conducted a few years ago in Massachusetts and Ontario that Eastern coyotes are a hybrid resulting from wolves breeding with…
