// February 12, 2021 Many believe mountain lions still exist in Pennsylvania. Over the years Ive had whitetail deer visits that number in the hundreds, if not thousands, wild turkeys showing up in groups that often number forty or more individuals, opossum, bobcats, hedgehogs, groups of raccoons, and once, a half-dozen deer that made our resident whitetails look like midgets. Good luck, and let me know! The Pennsylvania Game Commission periodically receives reports and photos of mountain lions. Support increased financial assistance for wildlife and agricultural agencies to combat CWD. Reporting leg-bands helps the Game Commission and the U.S. The Pennsylvania Game Commissions Operation Game Thief program serves to protect wild birds and wild mammals and encourages those who have information related to wildlife crimes to report details as soon as possible. But they are less shy of pets and livestock, and they don't necessarily stay in the woods, either. Please remember to be respectful of private property while visiting. Is it lawful to find and retain deer and/or elk antlers on state game lands? Have all of those who have seen a puma really seen a bobcat? If you encounter a dead or injured animal that you suspect is a victim of a wildlife crime, please report the instance to the Operation Game Thiefs toll-free hotline 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year at 1-888-PGC-8001 or fill out an online form at http://bit.ly/PGCOGT. Before feeding wildlife, please consider the following: What is the increased risk of disease spread? Feel free to reach out with your opinions, via Facebook or Twitter. Deer aging crews visit processors to examine deer heads to collect age, sex, harvest location and hunter information. Stay calm. This includes data organized by season, species (white-tailed deer or elk), age, collection method, sex and collection site (down to the township level). How Can Hunters Modernize Antlerless Deer License Applications? So glad to post. So is the second largest extant cat in North America still managing to eke out a living in the Keystone state? Reporting is mandatory, regardless of harvest, for DMAP (Deep Management Assistance Permits) and second spring turkey licenses. Fire improves wildlife habitat and hunting opportunities by increasing soft mast production in shrubs like blueberry, huckleberry and blackberry. Specific information is available by emailing pgccomments@pa.gov or contacting the Game Commission office that serves your county. For the 2021-22 license year, there are three elk hunting seasons: Archery, Sept. 11-25; Firearms, Nov. 1-6; and Late Season Jan. 1-8, 2022. How does the 7D hold up in a recent shoot? That smacks of mountain lion behavior pun intended. Over the last few months several people have responded to this question with reports of their own. redo these pages to match the new web site But that's not Bobcats tend to be a bit taller and lankier, with proportionately shorter torsos than those of house cats, panthers, leopards, and pumas. It is important to note that these symptoms are characteristic of many diseases other than CWD. Ask your butcher to process your meat individually, without meat from other animals, or process your own meat; 6. License buyers must first successfully complete a Hunter-Trapper Education Course. How do I report my elk harvest? In an effort to expand hunting opportunities, in 2021, Sunday hunting is only open on the following dates for the following species. Weather, especially during spring nesting season can affect turkey populations. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). Mountain lions were once widespread across North America, but their range shrunk dramatically as they were pursued through unregulated hunting and by farmers aiming to protect their livestock, and moved off the landscape by habitat fragmentation. The rule change could make more antlerless licenses available deeper into hunting season, perhaps giving hunters who purchase their licenses later a chance to get one. The agencys goal is to maintain proper wild turkey management strategies while providing maximum hunting opportunities. Human foods do not offer a healthy diet for animals. The new process is simpler, since the same distribution rules now apply to all WMUs, and it maintains fair and equitable distribution. They reduce deadly deer-vehicle collisions and help maintain the health and viability of prey species by removing sick individuals and by reducing the spread of deadly diseases such as chronic wasting disease, an epidemic plaguing deer and elk herds throughout the country. http://bit.ly/PGCOGT. This was fortunate, of course, as I was able to use items in the frame for comparison, to match the size of said images and the steps in additional photos. The counties typically with the highest harvest are in the northcentral part of the state, namely Clinton, Lycoming and Tioga counties. Are there Mountain Lions (Pumas, Cougars) in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic States? Through stringent trap testing, BMPs provide a guide to trappers for ensuring animal welfare and trap efficiency for each individual species. View our annual reports, which include the Game Fund Revenues, Expenditures and Reserve Funds. *Please note: Since the Game Commission does not receive funding from the state budget, the agency must maintain a healthy reserve fund balance to continue to operate and fund long-term infrastructure projects. Click here for full harvest reporting details. Home Pennsylvania State University Can You Shoot A Mountain Lion In Pennsylvania? Thousands of deer. Office of Open Records: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Open Records, Commonwealth Keystone Building, 400 North Street, 4th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17120-0225. pgccomments@pa.gov for their messages to be shared with the Board of Game Commissioners and appropriate staff. How would mountain lions impact the entire trophic scale underneath them? While mountain lion attacks are rare, they do happen. So is the second largest extant cat in North America still managing to eke out a living in the Keystone state? Removal of other items is strictly prohibited. Several populations of Gray Squirrels scattered around the country are black, and recently I heard of a neighborhood of black Eastern Chipmunks. What would account for the long tails? Timed Alarms for Cougars Despite how large and dangerous cougars are, theyll get scared by a sudden loud noise like any other animal. Additionally, in Pennsylvanias Disease Management Areas, hunters who wish to have their deer tested for Chronic Wasting Disease must place the head of their deer with the harvest tag attached to the head to place it in the head collection bin. Mountain lions weigh 90-160 pounds, while bobcats weigh 20-30 pounds. Moreover, this approach would be exceedingly difficult to implement logistically because open and closed dates for individual counties and properties would differ across the state and change from week to week throughout the season. Smoke will generally dissipate once ignition is complete but may linger in the immediate vicinity for several hours after the burn while downed logs smolder and burn out. Yes. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. If it was just a house cat, it would be obvious. Second, antlers are often the first thing removed from a deer when processing begins. What happens on the day of the burn? I'm wondering, then, if the complete dismissal of sightings of Eastern pumas (other than the acknowledgement of released or escaped pets) isn't motivated by economics. Exact dates for reporting vary annually, but are generally January through May. Its distinctly possible. Users must realize that these decisions are highly weather dependent and therefore cannot be made more than a few days in advance. But in recent years, the animals have been moving east. How many elk are there in Pennsylvania? The bobcat, also known as the bay Iynx, wildcat, red lynx and swamp tiger, is the states only feline predator. When encountering young wildlife, be it deer, birds, rabbits or other animals, the Game Commission urges Pennsylvanians to resist the urge to interfere with young wildlife or remove any wild animal from its natural setting, for the protection of humans and wildlife. Those impacts are not immediately visible as CWD-infected animals might not show symptoms of the disease for 18 to 24 months. The northeastern U.S. population is thought to have disappeared in the 1930s. Please keep scrolling - ALL the Puma posts are included. The proposal to remove the three-license limit for antlerless deer hunters statewide is intended to ensure that licenses allocated within a WMU are issued to the fullest extent possible. The virus is species-specific and poses no known threat to people or other animals. Little is known of the wolf in Pennsylvania, or if indeed the same animal now called the Eastern coyote in fact might have been similar to the wolf of the past. As part of the American Marten Reintroduction Feasibility Assessment the Game Commission conducted extensive diet research from across the marten's range and found that marten eat primarily rodents, followed by a high percentage of insects and plants. Bears should be field dressed before being brought to a check station. But Ill leave it up to you, my readers. Even though the majority of the harvest occurs during the first week of the season, our harvest data show that fifteen to eighteen percent of the harvest can occur the last Monday-Friday of the season, so the longer the fall season length the higher the harvest. No evidence has ever been produced to support those charges. The estimated muzzleloader harvest was 28,260, of which 1,140 were antlered deer. However, diseases may interact with other population influences, such as habitat & weather, and result in population declines. Each year, over tha past five, I've spoken with at least one person who swears they personally saw a puma in this state. Click here for more information about the agency. From a deer management perspective, it would be possible to allow the use of inline muzzleloaders during the late season flintlock season if the hunters were required to use their antlerless tag for that specific Wildlife Management Unit (WMU). Its a wonderful defense against mountain lions (also known as cougars, pumas, or panthers). How can I replace my Hunter-Trapper Education card? It probably wasnt; it was more likely 1-3 feet away, in which case my estimates will need to be scaled up a bit. When are prescribed fires scheduled? Wildlife experts have noted, with astonishment, cougar populations in midwestern regions like North Dakota and Nebraska. What Is Good About Penn State University? Many of those making the reports generally . Our visitor is also far too tall to be a house cat, so thats out. However, it is clearly a mountain lion, and I'm presenting this poor image as a baseline reference for anyone recording a mountain lion on a game camera, or seeing one. In response to COVID-19, is the Game Commission considering additional hunting opportunities or changes to existing hunting regulations? Why stock pheasant that cant survive? This is the most asked turkey hunting question the Game Commission receives. If you ask me, the answer is yes. But a mix of bounty hunting . Species restoration also supports economic growth within the outdoor recreation industry as well as considers the cultural importance to Indigenous peoples. Because turkeys eat a variety of foods, large populations won't damage their habitat. One might argue that the eastern puma is extinct, but that does not mean that there are not pumas (mountain lions, cougars) in the east. They also instill a fear. Not only is it illegal to feed elk in Pennsylvania, but it teaches them to associate people, cars and/or homes with food. Heres how The Express-Times reported the unusual story on Sept. 26, 1996. *Interestingly, that following spring, we had a horrendous stench wafting in from the nearby woods. In an October study, researchers identified several regions along the East Coast that could be suitable habitats, including a section of Pennsylvania north of Du Bois and northeast of Williamsport. We ended up using the 18-inch mark for comparison, as it was pretty much spot-on. Maybe someday, one of those fake cougar sightings will turn out to be true. By requiring the tag in an ear, the antlers can be removed, but the deer head, at a minimum, and carcass remain identifiable. Why is there no post-Christmas grouse hunting season? Mountain lions are 7-9 feet, while bobcats are 3 feet long. Is it illegal to feed bears? Then I saw and was like, 'It could be a bobcat, possibly mountain lion,' " Nick Dodge said. Previous Game Commission research has shown that reducing the fall season by one week allows more hens to survive to spring and reproduce. Black bears eat a diet consisting of plants and meats. Mature trees are left standing and are typically not impacted by the fire, (unless that is the desired effect). Other crew members are assigned to monitor the weather and smoke conditions throughout the day to ensure the fire stays within its prescription and is achieving the desired ecological effects. Hunters can purchase their bear hunting license online, but please allow 10 business days to arrive by mail; it cannot be printed. License fees cannot be increased without approval of the General Assembly. A hunter can retain the antlers and still have the head tested for CWD if the harvest tag is properly attached to the ear. We encourage everyone to continue to take precautionary measures during this time and to continue to be safe and responsible during these unprecedented times. Wildlife need habitat, not handouts. What is a prescribed fire? What is the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners? In Pennsylvania, one of the most important things that trapping provides is data and information used to help assess and make decisions on management of this suite of species. Now, forty years ago coyotes were rare or almost nonexistent in Pennsylvania, and had had that same sighting back then, when coyotes were thought not to exist within the state we would have had the 'facts' to doubt what we saw. The best time of day to view elk is in the mornings and evenings. Absolutely, not. The Mentored Hunting Program has expanded in recent years to offer opportunities to unlicensed hunters of ALL ages. How do I deal with shaving weight for carrying my gear? Secondary recreational uses are also permitted in accordance with the Game Commission's regulations. Which Penn State Campus Is Closest To Philadelphia? On that note, I was speaking with a Fed Ex driver recently who told me that one of his colleagues had seen what he swore was a dead mountain lion on the side of a road. Elk, Pa.s largest wild animal, have become a tourism boom in the northwest part of the state. They cover large areas of the state; in fact, many counties only have one game warden assigned. We appreciate incidents being reported. The other three images are from my file, selected to most closely approximate the pose of the cat from the game camera. Let's say the facts indicate that there have been a lot of 'pet' pumas, and many of these escaped. Their digestive systems and metabolism are adapted to survive harsh winter weather, including deep snow, cold temperatures and high winds. In all those hours I never saw a coyote, bear, or bobcat, and yet all live in my area. 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