The council's first task will be screening candidates for two vacant commissioner seats on the Pennsylvania Game Commission board. On March 26 the council was expected to interview nine applicants who have applied for the vacant seats in the southeast and northcentral regions. It’s going to be a long process, but one that the council should be able to finish…
It's important for hunters, anglers and outdoor writers to serve as watch dogs and raise a concern when our state agencies make a decision that we feel will negatively impact hunting or fishing. As long as one sticks to the facts and doesn’t engage in personal attacks, it’s not a bad thing to be critical or point out a negative….
When the Pennsylvania Game Commission board members meet in April, they have a chance to correct a big mistake. During commissioners’ January meeting, preliminary approval was given to a motion allowing hunters to use bait on certain areas in the southeast region of the state. Baiting will be allowed during any of the deer seasons on farms enrolled in the…
As Gov. Tom Corbett prepares the state budget, there is concern that he may allow additional leasing of state forest land for natural-gas drilling. Approximately 700,000 of the 2.2 million acres of state forest land has already been leased.Last week, more than 40 sportsmen’s groups representing 100,000-plus hunters, anglers and outdoor enthusiasts sent a letter to Corbett asking that he…
I’m not sure where the sudden demand to do away with the license-display requirement came from, but I do know it’s an issue that highlights just how different the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission truly are. Especially when it comes to law enforcement. Beginning with the 2012 hunting season, hunting licenses will no longer need to…
I hope this doesn’t set a precedent. In October and December of 2010 a group of hunters from Maine went on a killing spree in Bradford County. They killed 32 deer, at least that’s how many officials know of, and fortunately they didn’t get away with it. Well, kind of. Two of the hunters, or more accurately poachers, were recently…
When Pennsylvania Game Commission biologist Kevin Wenner told me the age of a black bear that had to be put down in Carbon County last week, I asked him to repeat it. Twice. Wenner said the female bear was 35 years old. That means it was born in 1976 when Gerald Ford was president and went on to live through…
The numbers were telling. They were revealed during a recent public forum with the Pennsylvania Game Commission and two state legislators. The event was held in Hanover Township, Luzerne County, and the panel consisted of Game Commission Executive Director Carl Roe, Commissioner Jay Delaney and state Reps. Ed Staback and Gerald Mullery. Both are on the House Game and Fisheries…
Since the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission decided to stock fewer, but bigger trout a few years ago, I haven’t heard many complaints from anglers. But if they go ahead with a recently discussed plan of action, I have a feeling the positive feelings may turn negative.The agency is considering reducing the size of stocked trout — from 11 inches…
I doubt the pros and cons of Marcellus Shale drilling will be settled anytime soon. One side contends that gas drilling carries minimal impact, won’t contaminate water and the environment, and brings with it huge economic gains. Those with concerns about drilling argue that the practice does contaminate groundwater, is an intrusion on the environment and, while it may benefit…
The Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission wants to lease its land (pending board approval) and sell its water to gas companies drilling in the Marcellus shale. It sounds alarming, considering a partnership between an agency charged with managing and protecting aquatic life could be partnering with an industry that has been accused of contaminating ground water, streams and lakes. Thankfully,…
There is something lost in the Sunday hunting debate. Dialogue from both sides of the issue picked up steam this week after the Pennsylvania Game Commission board approved a resolution supporting Sunday hunting.Those in favor of Sunday hunting rattled off several points as to why we should be allowed to hunt seven days a week.They say it will increase hunting…
On a sunny Wednesday afternoon in early May, Dotter’s Creek in Monroe County became more than a Class A wild trout stream. It was a place of healing. Twenty one veterans from wars ranging from Vietnam to Afghanistan came to Dotters Creek, and for a few hours their minds focused only on the clear water and the trout below. The…
When the Susquehanna River was named the most endangered river in the country on May 17 by American Rivers, you would think it would’ve triggered a proactive reaction from group’s such as the Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC). But in a strange twist, the organization attempted to downplay the designation and go on the defensive. American Rivers listed the Susquehanna…
I never thought I would turn down an added opportunity to hunt longer and spend more time in the woods, but I am. This spring, I won't hunt past noon during the final two weeks of the gobbler season. The Pennsylvania Game Commission is giving hunters that opportunity this year, by extending the hunting hours from a half hour before…
Several years ago I witnessed a shameful scene during the first day of trout season. It was along the banks of a popular stream, filled with wide, deep pools meandering through an open forest. The slow-flowing pools were easy to cast into, and the brush-free banks made access easy for all. Including children.Anglers of all ages lined the bank, and…
A prediction made by two Pennsylvania Game Commission officials recently is extremely alarming. One official – PGC wildlife veterinarian Dr. Walter Cottrell – said in a story that appeared in Pennsylvania Outdoors News that it's probable that chronic wasting disease is either already in the state or it's only a matter of time before it arrives. Cottrell's remark was made…
Let’s hope the mail moves quickly. If it does, it could be a life-saver for trout in the Lehigh River.During its meeting last week to announce the Francis E. Walter Dam water release dates, officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said they have ordered new bypass valves for the dam. The devices would allow water to be drawn…
It makes me leery that the National Rifle Association is among a group of national organizations pushing for the implementation of Sunday hunting in Pennsylvania and the 10 other states where it is either prohibited or limited. Why?Because this is the same organization that so vehemently opposed state Rep. Ed Staback’s anti-poaching bill – the one that is currently sending…
I’m looking forward to hunting turkeys in the fall again. Not that I don’t look forward to the fall turkey season every year, but after experiencing the new split season that was in place for 2010, it was hard to get excited for a repeat in 2011.Why?Two reasons: The fact that the season started a week later and a Saturday…
When an Allegheny County man was sentenced to jail last week for poaching, the case set an important precedent. And it also exposed a serious shortcoming in the law. According to a Pennsylvania Game Commission release, Anthony Mark Marasco was sentenced to two 90-day concurrent prison sentences and ordered to pay more than $4,750 in fines after being convicted of…
Every time the state issues the list, I cringe.The latest one came out earlier this month – an updated fish consumption advisory for 2011, and it tells us which waterways are basically contaminated to the point that we have to limit how often, and how much, we can eat fish from those waters.It’s a sad reflection on just how much…
It was an encouraging sign, but with a hint of concern.A pair of bald eagles has started constructing a nest on a lake in Luzerne County. A local Wildlife Conservation Officer told me about the new nest, and I drove out to see it for myself.As of last summer, there was one confirmed bald eagle nest in the county –…
If there was ever a time when hunters from the northeast should voice their opinion to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, it’s this month. The PGC board meets Jan. 30 to Feb. 1 to give preliminary approval to the hunting and trapping seasons, as well as bag limits, for the 2011-2012 season. As is usually the case, deer will be a…
It simply defies logic.An ongoing study by the Pennsylvania Game Commission to gauge the impact of the split buck and doe rifle season has yielded some interesting, and puzzling, data.Jim Stickles, the PGC’s field crew leader in charge of the study in Wildlife Management Unit 3C, told me last week that despite having trapped and radio-collared 91 more antlerless deer…
Here’s a novel approach: In an age where it’s the norm to criticize our state wildlife agencies for everything under the sun (sometimes deserved, sometimes not), one of those agencies would actually like us to let them know when one of their own has done a good job. The Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission has a new section on its…
