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PENNSYLVANIA NASP STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS TO BE HELD ON MARCH 8

Registration open from Jan. 25 until Feb. 8

 
HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania Game Commission officials are encouraging all schools participating in the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) to register for Pennsylvania’s 2013 NASP State Tournament, which will be held on Friday, March 8, at the Penn State Multi-Sport Facility in University Park, Centre County. 

 
While there is no fee to register, registration opens on Friday, Jan. 25, and closes on Friday, Feb. 8. Registration can be done through the NASP link in the “Education” tab on the Game Commission’s homepage (www.pgc.state.pa.us), or directly through the NASP Tournament website (http://nasptournaments.org). Teams are encouraged to register early this year as space is limited.


NASP helps school districts in Pennsylvania meet physical education curriculum requirements of the state Department of Education, while at the same time introducing them to the world of competitive archery.


Last year, 494 students from 23 school districts participated in the NASP state competition.  This year, event organizers are expecting nearly 900 students from even more school districts and the 2013 tournament will be the largest NASP tournament to date for the agency.


“In addition to offering students a state archery championship for teams and individuals to compete for honors and trophies, the Game Commission is working with various partners to provide tournament participants and spectators the opportunity to visit a host of vendors, from archery equipment suppliers to a 3D range again this year for the Shooter’s Expo,” said Samantha Pedder, Game Commission outreach coordinator and state-level administrator for NASP.


Started in Kentucky, in 2002, NASP has spread throughout the United States, and is now reaching around the world, and includes nearly nine million participating students. There are over 10,000 schools participating in NASP in 47 states, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Tournaments are held at the state, national and international levels. Pennsylvania sent 70 NASP students to the 2012 national competition, which was held in Louisville, Kentucky; and four attended the international event held at Walt Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Florida in October last year.


NASP came to Pennsylvania in 2005. In mid-2010, the Game Commission began coordinating the program and has grown the program to include more than 125 schools and was recognized for the greatest percentage increase in participating schools in 2012.


For more information on NASP, visit the Game Commission’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us) and click on “Education” and then choose “National Archery in the Schools Program.” To get NASP started in a Pennsylvania school, contact Samantha Pedder, at the Game Commission headquarters, at 717-787-4250 (ext. 3327). Also, “PA NASP” can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PennNASP.

2012 FINAL BEAR HARVEST RANKS THIRD OVERALL

 

HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe today announced that the final bear harvest results from the state’s recently concluded seasons show that hunters harvested 3,632 bears, which ranks as the third highest in Pennsylvania history.


The record bear harvest was set in 2011, when hunters took 4,350 bears.  In 2005, hunters harvested 4,162 bears, which was the second highest in history.


The final harvest tallies by season are: 13 in the new, early seasons in Wildlife Management Units 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D; 262 bears taken during the statewide, five-day archery bear season; 2,685 bears taken during the four-day bear season, which included a Saturday-opener; and 672 bears taken during the extended bear season held in various WMUs during all or portions of the first week of the deer season.


In the 2005 bear season, hunters harvested 4,164 bears, and stood as the record harvest until 2011.


Other recent bear harvests include: 3,090 in 2010; 3,512 in 2009; 3,458 in 2008; 2,362 in 2007; 3,124 in 2006; 2,976 in 2004; 3,000 in 2003; 2,686 in 2002; 3,063 in 2001; 3,075 in 2000; 1,740 in 1999; and 2,598 in 1998.


The final bear harvests by Wildlife Management Unit (with final 2011 figures in parentheses) were: WMU 1A, 4 (13); WMU 1B, 38 (64); WMU 2B, 6 (1): WMU 2C, 268 (226); WMU 2D, 162 (150); WMU 2E, 50 (79); WMU 2F, 285 (345); WMU 2G, 829 (1,086); WMU 3A, 342 (564); WMU 3B, 279 (479); WMU 3C, 146 (299); WMU 3D, 305 (318); WMU 4A, 139 (72); WMU 4B, 84 (70); WMU 4C, 163 (148); WMU 4D, 403 (355); WMU 4E, 110 (79); WMU 5A, 1 (1); WMU 5B, 2 (0); and WMU 5C, 16 (1). 


Bears were harvested in 56 of the state’s 67 counties; which also marked a record for the number of counties included.  The top five bear harvest counties this year, once again, all come from the Northcentral Region: Lycoming, 341 (336 taken in 2011); Clinton, 265 (205); Tioga, 227 (381); Potter 179 (399); and Centre, 143 (129).


Final county harvests by region (with 2011 figures in parentheses) are:


Northwest: Warren, 94 (119); Clarion, 77 (47); Venango, 62 (56); Forest, 56 (90); Jefferson, 51 (45); Butler, 11 (9); Erie, 7 (7); Crawford, 6 (16); and Mercer, 1 (6).


Southwest: Somerset, 94 (75); Fayette, 79 (67); Westmoreland, 37 (24); Armstrong, 35 (66); Indiana, 24 (33); Cambria, 11 (35); and Allegheny, 4 (1).


Northcentral: Lycoming, 341 (336); Clinton, 265 (205); Tioga, 227 (381); Potter 179 (399); Centre, 143 (129); McKean, 134 (258); Clearfield, 102 (154); Union, 82 (49); Elk, 76 (153); and Cameron, 67 (100).


Southcentral: Huntingdon, 125 (73); Bedford, 86 (44); Mifflin, 62 (48); Blair, 50 (32); Juniata, 37 (33); Perry, 32 (13); Fulton, 25 (15); Franklin, 14 (13); Snyder, 14 (29); Adams, 2 (0); and Cumberland, 2 (4).


Northeast: Pike, 108 (116); Monroe, 102 (88); Luzerne, 100 (99); Bradford, 86 (126); Wayne, 73 (208); Carbon, 67 (45); Sullivan, 60 (180); Wyoming, 57 (57); Susquehanna, 41 (92); Lackawanna, 37 (25); Columbia, 36 (26); Northumberland, 26 (11); and Montour, 3 (0).


Southeast: Dauphin, 48 (46); Schuylkill, 39 (34); Northampton, 21 (4); Lehigh 3 (3); Berks, 7 (2); and Lebanon, 4 (13).


According to final reports, 45 bears weighing 500 pounds or more were legally harvested during the four seasons, and 5 bears surpassed the 600 pound mark.  The top 10 bears processed at check stations all had estimated live weights that exceeded 561 pounds. Joseph A. Spano, of East Stoudsburg, has harvested the largest bear so far this season. Taken Nov. 21, in Middle Smithfield Township, Monroe County, the male bear weighed an actual live weight of 709 pounds.


Other large bears (all but one, are estimated live weights) included: a 706-pound male taken by James R. Weisbrod, of Quakertown, in Greene Township, Pike County, on Nov. 20; a 699-pound male taken by William M. Rising, of Indiana, in Hamlin Township, McKean County, on Nov. 19; a 652-pound (actual live weight) male taken by Timothy J. Moffett, of Barto, in Middle Smithfield Township, Monroe County, on Nov. 17; a 620-pound male, taken by Robert A. Pitts, of Meadville, in Roulette Township, Potter County, on Nov. 17; a 598-pound male, taken by Michael P. Intallura, of Renovo, in Noyes Township, Clinton County, on Nov. 17; 586-pound male, taken by Brian K. Stuebgen, of Renfrew, in Sergeant Township, McKean County, on Nov. 19; a 576-pound male, taken by Dana L. Landis, of Chambersburg, in Southampton Township, Bedford County, on Nov. 19; a 573-pound male taken by Michael J. Kelly, of Pittsburgh, in Harmony Township, Forest County, on Nov. 21; and a 562-pound male taken by Bryan L. Leabhart, of Dudley, in Carbon Township, Huntingdon County, on Nov. 19.


“While the Game Commission is not qualified to provide specific food safety advice, bear hunters need to be aware of the need for proper preparation of any bear meat,” said Dr. Walter Cottrell, Game Commission wildlife veterinarian.  “In addition to the advice already provided on safe handling of game in the field, certain recommendations can be made. If in the course of field dressing and processing game a successful hunter encounters no abnormal odors, colors, or textures to the meat it should be safe to consume if cooked to an internal temperature of 135F for mammals, and 165F for birds as determined by a meat thermometer used according to the manufacturers recommendations.”


To Connect with Wildlife, visit the Game Commission at the following:

 

Website: www.pgc.state.pa.us

Twitter: www.twitter.com/PAGameComm

YouTube: www.youtube.com/pagamecommission

Facebook: www.facebook.com/PennsylvaniaGameCommission

PARTICIPATE IN GAME COMMISSION PHEASANT CHICK AND EGG PROGRAMS

 

HARRISBURG – Sportsmen’s organizations with approved propagation facilities can augment local ring-necked pheasant stockings and increase localized hunting opportunities by raising day‑old pheasant chicks supplied free-of-charge by the Pennsylvania Game Commission. 


Information and applications to participate can be downloaded from the agency’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us), by putting your cursor over “Hunt/Trap” in the menu bar at the top of the homepage, then clicking on “Hunting” in the drop-down menu listing, then selecting “Pheasant” in the “Small Game” listing, and then clicking on “Cooperating Sportsmen’s Clubs Pheasant Chick Program.” In order for Game Farm superintendents to plan and set hatches to accommodate requests, the Bureau of Wildlife Management must receive completed applications by March 31.


In 1929, the Game Commission began the propagation of pheasants on an extensive scale with the establishment of two game farms.  Over the next six decades, to off‑set the increasing demand for pheasants from hunters, three other farms were placed into operation, and the day‑old pheasant chick program was implemented and made available to sportsmen’s organizations, 4‑H clubs, farmers, and other cooperators for rearing and releasing on areas open to public hunting. 


In 1959, the number of pheasant chicks distributed to cooperators reached 229,685, an all-time high, in addition to the more than 88,500 pheasants raised and released by the agency.  Unfortunately, cooperator participation has dwindled significantly over the last few decades. In recent years, only a dozen or so clubs have participated; raising and releasing 4,000-5,000 birds.


Because of budgetary constraints, the Game Commission was forced, in 2005, to reduce its annual pheasant stocking allocation from 200,000 to 100,000. However, as part of the agency’s pheasant management plan and the recent realization of increased revenues from Marcellus shale natural gas development on State Game Lands, the agency increased that stocking effort to 200,000 birds for the 2012-13 seasons.


Calvin DuBrock, Game Commission Bureau of Wildlife Management director, said the agency provides, free of charge, day-old pheasant chicks to clubs entering into an agreement with the Game Commission to raise birds and promote recreational hunting on lands open to public hunting.  Gender is not determined as the chicks are boxed for distribution, but are generally at a one-to-one male/female ratio.  The number of chicks received depends on the size of the club’s facility.  The agency will provide enrolled clubs with plans for a brooder building, covered pen, and guidelines for rearing pheasants. 


“The agency also offers enrolled organizations technical assistance and advice at the club’s facility, and a training session and overview of agency game farm operations can be scheduled during the off‑season from January through March to assist in development of the club’s program,” DuBrock said.


To be eligible to receive pheasant chicks, a sportsmen’s club is required to have a minimum of 25 square feet of covered pen space available per bird.  In addition, 72 square inches of floor space per chick is recommended in the brooder building.  All feed and expenses incurred in the work of constructing covered pens and raising pheasants will be the responsibility of the club.  All pheasants propagated by organizations must be released on lands open to public hunting.


Pheasant chicks can be raised at the cooperator’s facility or by a designated caretaker with the proper facilities. 


“We recommend releasing some hen pheasants in early September in areas where habitat is sufficient to provide food and cover,” DuBrock said.  “These birds can provide good dog training opportunities and releasing hens early also provides additional room in the pen to finish growing out the males for the hunting season.  Maximum recreational opportunities can be attained by releasing male pheasants as close to the opening of small game season as possible.”


Game Commission pheasant hatches come off once a week during the month of May, and the chicks for clubs will be scheduled into those hatches.  Game farm superintendents will send notification to approved organizations when chicks will be ready for pick‑up.


The Game Commission requires a complete report of the production and release results.  Renewal applications will not be processed unless a complete report has been filed for the prior year.


In addition to the cooperating sportsmen’s club program, the agency also sells day-old hen pheasant chicks and surplus eggs in lots of 100 chicks for $60, or 300 eggs for $180.  Applications for chick and egg sales must be received by the supplying Game Commission game farm by March 31, and early requests receive top priority.  Both eggs and chicks must be picked up at the supplying game farm. Applicants who intend to sell, barter or transfer possession for purposes other than releasing on lands available for public hunting are required to have a Game Propagators Permit.  Contact the Game Commission’s Special Permits Division (717-783-8164) regarding propagation permits. 


Applications to purchase day-old hen pheasant chicks or surplus pheasant eggs also can be downloaded from the agency’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us), by putting your cursor over “Hunt/Trap” in the menu bar at the top of the homepage, then clicking on “Hunting” in the drop-down menu listing, then selecting “Pheasant” in the “Small Game” listing, and then clicking on “Day Old Pheasant Hen Chick & Surplus Egg Program.” 


The pheasant is native to Asia.  Recorded attempts to establish pheasants in North America date back to the mid 1700s.  These early attempts were unsuccessful; it wasn’t until 1881, in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, that pheasants first became established.


During the early 1890s, Pennsylvania citizens purchased pheasants from English gamekeepers and released them in Lehigh and Northampton counties.  For several decades many other small releases were made across the Commonwealth to establish pheasants for sport hunting.


In the early 1900s, the Game Commission set aside a special appropriation of funds to purchase and propagate game.  Pheasant eggs were purchased and given to agency refuge keepers, sportsmen’s organizations and private individuals interested in raising pheasants.  The first stocking of pheasants by the Game Commission occurred by 1915.

DMA CHECK STATION RETURNS TO VOLUNTARY STATUS

 

HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania Game Commission Southcentral Region Director Brad Myers today announced that hunters who harvest a deer within the 600-square-mile Disease Management Area (DMA) in Adams and York counties during the late archery and flintlock muzzleloader seasons can voluntarily check their deer at the agency’s check station.


The check station is at the Game Commission maintenance building on State Game Land 249, 1070 Lake Meade Road, East Berlin, Adams County. GPS coordinates for the building are: -77.07280 and 39.97018.


The check station will not be staffed during the late archery and flintlock muzzleloader seasons, although hunters may stop by the check station and follow the posted instructions to deposit deer heads in the marked containers provided, and deer spines and rib cages may be deposited in the dumpster on the site. Any deer heads deposited in the containers must have a field harvest tag attached to the ear to be eligible for testing. 


Hunters are reminded that even though sampling is voluntary, the parts ban still remains, meaning no high-risk parts are permitted to leave the DMA. Hunters also are reminded to remove the antlers on heads prior to bringing them in for deposit at the check station.


The check station was created by the Game Commission to collect samples from hunter-killed deer within the DMA to monitor for chronic wasting disease (CWD), which was found recently in a captive-born and -raised deer in Adams County.


“While no wild deer have been found to be infected with CWD, the Game Commission is doing its due diligence to monitor whether this disease has spread to wild deer within the DMA,” Myers said. “The benefit for hunters bringing deer harvested within the DMA to our check station is two-fold: the Game Commission will cover the cost of having the animal tested, and the hunter will be notified if the harvested deer is found to be infected with CWD. 


“The benefit to the agency is it can test a sufficient number of deer within the DMA without having to resort to culling deer to test.”


Myers noted that deer harvested outside of the DMA will not be eligible for testing at the check station; however, hunters may get their deer checked by the Department of Agriculture’s Veterinary Laboratory, for a fee, by calling 717-787-8808.


For more information from the departments of Agriculture and Health and the Pennsylvania Game Commission, visit:

 

* www.agriculture.state.pa.us (click on the “Chronic Wasting Disease Information” button on the homepage),

 

* www.pgc.state.pa.us (click on “CWD Info”), and

 

* www.health.state.pa.us (click on “Diseases and Conditions”).

 

GAME COMMISSION TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETING IN ADAMS COUNTY TO DISCUSS CWD

Game Commission check station will be open on Sundays during two-week firearms deer season

 

HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe today announced the agency will hold a third public meeting, on Nov. 12, to answer questions regarding the 600-square-mile Disease Management Area (DMA) in Adams and York counties and the Executive Order as part of the agency’s ongoing efforts to monitor the wild deer population for chronic wasting disease (CWD).


The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 12, at the Hampton Fire Company, 5371 Carlisle Pike in New Oxford, Adams County.  Representatives of the Department of Agriculture will be on hand to answer questions related to the efforts to trace out and trace back other captive deer that may have come into contact with the infected deer. 


The first public meeting was held on Oct. 17 in Adams County, and the second meeting was held on Nov. 8 in York County. Additionally, on Nov. 7, a meeting with deer processors and taxidermists was held to answer questions from these two industries on the impacts the DMA might have on their operations, and to solicit their willingness to serve as deer check stations during the two-week firearms deer season within the DMA.


The Game Commission mailed letters to nearly 47,000 license buyers who reside in Adams and York counties, as well as portions of northern Maryland, to alert them to the deer hunting changes within the DMA and to provide them a copy of the DMA map. As part of the letter, Roe reminded hunters who harvest a deer within the DMA during the two-week firearms deer season (Nov. 26-Dec. that they are required to bring their deer to a mandatory check station so that samples can be collected for CWD testing.


“For the convenience of hunters, all cooperating deer processors within the DMA boundaries will be considered check stations, as the Game Commission will be gathering samples from hunter-killed deer at those processors,” Roe said. “Given the volume of deer that may be harvested within the DMA, it would be unreasonable to expect all hunters to come to one site, and the traffic congestion that could be created by the convergence of hunters on this one rural road would be more than inconvenient for residents, as well as hunters.


“Allowing hunters to drop off their deer at any deer processor within the DMA meets the requirement that high-risk parts stay within the DMA, and is more convenient for the hunters. It also ensures that the Game Commission will have access to the parts from which we need to collect samples, as we already visit deer processors as part of our annual deer aging team visits and CWD sample collection efforts.”


Once the list of cooperating deer processors and taxidermists from within the DMA is finalized a news release will be issued and the list will be posted on the Game Commission’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us) in the “CWD Info” section.


Roe noted that hunters harvesting a deer within the DMA who process their own deer or who would like to take their deer to a processor or taxidermist outside of the DMA can visit the Game Commission operated check station at the agency’s maintenance building on State Game Land 249, 1070 Lake Meade Road, East Berlin, Adams County. GPS coordinates for the building are -77.07280 and 39.97018.  Game Commission check station hours during the two-week rifle deer season are from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday-Saturday, but will remain open beyond 8 p.m., as needed.  Also, the check station will be opened on Sundays, Dec. 2 and 9, from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. (It previously was announced that the check station would be closed on Sundays.) 


“To expedite the process, hunters should bring deer into the check station with the deer head accessible and, if it is in a pickup truck, with the head pointed to the tailgate,” said Brad Myers, Game Commission Southcentral Region director. “Also, hunters should not wait until evening to bring deer in, but bring them throughout the day.  This is especially important if the weather is warm.


“This station will not be checking or processing bears. Bear hunters should take their bears to established check stations, which are outlined on pages 37 and 38 of the 2012-13 Digest. Also, deer harvested outside of the DMA will not be eligible for testing at the check station.”


CWD testing of healthy appearing hunter-killed deer outside the DMA is available. Hunters who wish to have their deer tested may do so for a fee by making arrangements with the Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostics Laboratory System. For information visit www.padls.org, or call the Pennsylvania Veterinary Laboratory (717-787-8808) in Harrisburg, The Animal Diagnostics Laboratory (814-863-0837) in State College, or the New Bolton Center (610-444-5800) in Kennett Square.


On Oct. 11, the state Department of Agriculture announced that a captive deer died of CWD on a deer farm in Adams County.  Prior to its death, this deer had potentially spent time on three sites in Adams and York counties, which are now part of the Game Commission’s designated DMA.  As soon as the CWD-infected captive deer was found, the Commonwealth’s CWD Interagency Task Force was initiated to address the threat of the disease to captive and wild deer and elk populations in the state. On Nov. 7, the state Department of Agriculture announced that a second captive deer tested positive for CWD from the same deer farm in Adams County.


Task force members include representatives from the departments of Agriculture, Environmental Protection and Health, the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Geological Survey/Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and Penn State University/Cooperative Extension Offices. The task force will carry out the response plan, which includes education and outreach with public meetings and minimizing risk factors through continued surveillance, testing and management.


A 40-minute video with Dr. Walter Cottrell, Game Commission wildlife veterinarian, explaining CWD has been posted on the Game Commission’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us), and can be viewed by clicking on the “CWD Info” icon button in the center of the homepage and then scrolling down to the imbedded viewer.


For more information from the departments of Agriculture and Health and the Pennsylvania Game Commission, visit the following agency website’s:

* www.agriculture.state.pa.us (click on the “Chronic Wasting Disease Information” button on the homepage),

* www.pgc.state.pa.us (click on “CWD Info”), and

* www.health.state.pa.us (click on “Diseases and Conditions”).

 

First Case of Chronic Wasting Disease Found in Pennsylvania Deer
Adams County Captive Deer Tests Positive; No Evidence of Effect on Humans
 
Editor’s Note: Agriculture Secretary George Greig and other officials will hold a press conference to discuss Chronic Wasting Disease at 1 p.m. today, Thursday, Oct. 11, in the Capitol Media Center.
 
Harrisburg – The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture today confirmed the first positive case of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in the state on a deer farm in Adams County.
 
The disease is fatal in deer, elk and moose, but there is no evidence that CWD can be transmitted to humans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and The World Health Organization.
 
The positive sample was taken from a white-tailed deer at 1491 New Chester Rd., New Oxford, and tested as part of Pennsylvania’s intensive CWD monitoring efforts. The sample tissue was tested at the Pennsylvania Veterinary Laboratory in Harrisburg and verified at the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa.
 
In addition to the Adams County location, the department has quarantined two farms directly associated with the positive deer at 6464 Jacks Hollow Rd., Williamsport, Lycoming County, and 61 Pickett Rd., Dover, York County. The quarantine prevents movement of animals on and off the premises.
 
“Pennsylvania has an aggressive Chronic Wasting Disease surveillance program and a strong response plan,” said Agriculture Secretary George Greig. “Steps are being taken to prevent further spread of this disease to the state’s captive and wild deer populations.”

An interagency CWD task force is in place to address the threat of the disease to Pennsylvania’s captive and wild deer, elk and moose populations. The task force includes representatives of the departments of Agriculture, Environmental Protection and Health, the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
 
The task force will carry out the response plan, which includes education and outreach with public meetings and minimizing risk factors through continued surveillance, testing and management.
 
“To date CWD has not been found in Pennsylvania’s wild deer population,” said Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe. ”Concerns over CWD should not prevent anyone from enjoying deer hunting and consuming meat from healthy animals.”
Roe said that hunters should shoot only healthy-appearing animals, and take precautions like wearing rubber gloves when field-dressing their deer and wash thoroughly when finished. 
 
“Though no human disease has been associated with CWD, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people or other animals do not eat any part of an animal diagnosed with or showing signs of CWD,” said Acting Health Secretary Michael Wolf.
 
CWD attacks the brains of infected deer, elk and moose, producing small lesions that eventually result in death. It is transmitted by direct animal-to-animal contact through saliva, feces and urine.
 
Signs of the disease include weight loss, excessive salivation, increased drinking and urination, and abnormal behavior like stumbling, trembling and depression. Infected deer and elk may also allow unusually close approach by humans or natural predators. The disease is fatal and there is no known treatment or vaccine.
 
CWD was first discovered in Colorado captive mule deer in 1967, and has since been detected in 22 states and Canadian provinces, including Pennsylvania’s neighboring states of New York, West Virginia and Maryland. Pennsylvania is the 23rd state to find CWD in either a captive or wild population of deer and the 13th state to have it only in a captive deer herd.
 
Surveillance for CWD has been ongoing in Pennsylvania since 1998. The agriculture department coordinates a mandatory CWD monitoring program for more than 23,000 captive deer on 1,100 breeding farms, hobby farms and shooting preserves.
 
In addition, the Game Commission collects samples from hunter-harvested deer and elk and those that appear sick or behave abnormally. Since 1998, the commission has tested more than 38,000 free-ranging deer and elk for CWD and all have tested negative.
 
For more information from the departments of Agriculture and Health and the Pennsylvania Game Commission, visit:
www.agriculture.state.pa.us (click on the “Chronic Wasting Disease Information” button on the homepage),
www.pgc.state.pa.us (click on “CWD Info”), and
www.health.state.pa.us (click on “Diseases and Conditions”)
 
Media contacts:
Samantha Elliott Krepps, Agriculture, 717-787-5085
Aimee Tysarczyk, Health, 717-787-1783
Jerry Feaser, PGC, 717-705-6541

AVERAGE GROUSE HUNTING EXPECTED OVERALL for 2012

HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania Game Commission biologists expect ruffed grouse hunting to be average to slightly-below average for the nearly 100,000 hunters who annually pursue these challenging game birds.

 

“Conditions for over-wintering, incubating and brooding should have supported good reproduction this year,” said Lisa Williams, Game Commission grouse and woodcock biologist. “However, our Game Commission field staff observed fewer adult grouse and grouse broods this summer compared to prior years. Those sightings are often the best predictor of the season, so I advise hunters to hope for the best but keep their expectations realistic. Find areas of good dense cover and abundant food supply and you’ll put yourself in the best position for success.” 


The first segment of the state’s three-part grouse season opens Saturday, Oct. 13, and runs through Nov. 24. The season reopens Dec. 10 to 24, and then again from Dec. 26 to Jan. 26. Participating hunters must have a valid Pennsylvania hunting license and follow the regulations that govern this rugged sport of brush-busting and mountain-scampering. Wherever you hunt grouse, there is ample reason to carve out some time afield this season. Just be sure to take time to locate high-quality coverts that provide a good mix of food and cover.


“Losses of young forest habitat over the last several decades have been bad news for grouse, woodcock and other species that rely on these habitats,” said Ian Gregg, Game Commission Game Bird Section supervisor. “Our forests are getting older, and that’s a negative for grouse.  But, the good news is that the Game Commission is taking an active approach to improving the situation for grouse and other species that rely on young forests.  We have Grouse and Woodcock management plans that call for aggressive management of young forest habitats, and Game Commission staff in all regions are actively working to create suitable habitat – not only on State Game Lands, but on cooperating State Forests and other public and private lands. This work benefits multiple species and our efforts have received an overwhelmingly positive response from the public and from our conservation partners.”


Pennsylvania’s state bird is holding its own in areas of suitable habitat, and in some areas, thriving. Statewide, the Game Commission’s 314 active Grouse Cooperators hunted 7,787 hours and recorded 10,249 flushes for an average rate of 1.32 flushes per hour during the 2011-2012 grouse season. This 2011-2012 flush rate was equal to that of the previous season but six percent below the long term (46-year) average of 1.41 flushes per hour.  Embedded in those statewide averages, however, are memorable hunting experiences, with many hunters recording four to five flushes per hour in areas of good food and cover.


Williams noted that Pennsylvania consistently maintains the highest flush rates among nearby states such as Kentucky, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, West Virginia and Virginia.


“Grouse flush trends in most of our neighboring states show a continuing long term decline,” Williams said. “Over the past six to seven years, Pennsylvania flush rates have exceeded those of all neighboring states. During that time, our grouse population index has stabilized in some regions that were previously declining, and even increased in some portions of the Commonwealth. Anecdotal reports from grouse hunters as well as agency land managers and foresters suggest that forest understory conditions have improved for grouse as deer numbers were brought back into balance with their forest habitats.  I intend to further investigate this link between deer impacts, forest habitat quality and grouse numbers.”


Grouse hunting remains a popular fall pursuit in Pennsylvania. According to the agency’s Game Take Survey, an estimated 80,000 hunters took 52,000 grouse during the 2011-12 seasons, during 350,000 days afield. Though fewer than in the past, grouse hunters remain passionate about their quarry, and the ruffed grouse remains a popular game bird in the Commonwealth. Yet grouse hunter numbers remain well below those of the mid-1980s when Pennsylvania had more than 400,000 hunters pursuing the thunderbird.


“Several hunters have told me they can hunt all day and not see another grouse hunter,” says Williams. “For hunters seeking a season with a little more elbow room yet plenty of challenge, you might want to consider grouse hunting.”


The Game Commission conducts a Summer Sighting Survey in which Game Commission foresters and surveyors record numbers of broods and individual grouse seen while working in the woods during June, July and August. Trends in hunters’ fall flush rates follow those of the summer survey about 80 percent of the time, so this information is used to develop the season forecast.


“Sightings of adult grouse during the summer of 2012 were down roughly 40 percent and brood sightings were down 25 percent compared to last year,” Williams said. “Looking a bit further back over time, observations of both adults and broods this summer are down 25 percent from the most recent 10- year averages. So in spite of what I believe was a good year for reproduction, I’m forecasting an average to slightly below-average grouse season in 2012-13. This makes it particularly important to understand the characteristics of good grouse habitat, locate high-quality coverts, and focus your efforts there.” 


Grouse and woodcock hunters are urged to participate in the Game Commission’s Grouse Cooperator Survey, which enables the agency to monitor long-term changes in grouse populations in good habitats. Hunters of all skill levels are welcome, no matter how many days they are able to devote to grouse or woodcock hunting. For each day hunted, participants are asked to record the county and number of hours hunted, and number of grouse and woodcock flushed and bagged.


Hunters interested in participating in the Cooperator Survey are asked to contact the Pennsylvania Game Commission, Bureau of Wildlife Management by calling 717-787-5529, or writing to: Pennsylvania Game Commission, ATTN: Grouse Cooperator Survey, 2001 Elmerton Ave., Harrisburg, PA 17110-9797. New Cooperators will receive a copy of the annual newsletter provided to all survey participants and all forms needed for the upcoming season.


“Though cooperator information is presented as state or region averages, it is important to remember that statewide trends do not apply equally throughout Pennsylvania,” Williams emphasized. She groups Pennsylvania regions into three categories, as far as grouse hunting prospects:

 

1) Northwest and Northcentral: good to excellent. These regions are consistently the top two in the state and have maintained grouse flush rates at or above their long-term averages in recent years. The rate of timber harvest over the next few decades in this part of Pennsylvania may put enough land into good grouse cover that the “good old days” are just ahead. The six contiguous counties of Warren, Forest, McKean, Potter, Elk, and Cameron typically have the highest flush rates in the state and offer plenty of acreage in public and open-access private lands for hunters looking for new coverts.

 

2) Southwest, Southcentral and Northeast: fair. These regions maintain intermediate flush rates and habitat conditions with somewhat less extensive overall forest cover and lower rates of active forest management at a large landscape scale.  From 2010-2011 to 2011-2012, flush rates increased slightly or remained stable in each of these regions.

 

3) Southeast: fair in areas north of the Blue Mountain and poor south of it. Large parcels of forest habitat in southeastern Pennsylvania were already scarce and this region has lost early successional habitat even more rapidly than the rest of the state. Consequently, grouse hunting opportunities in the agricultural and urban-dominated landscapes south of the Blue Mountain are extremely limited. Again, locating high-quality habitat is key and taking the time to scout for grouse food and cover hotspots prior to the season may pay dividends.

 

Grouse hunters are reminded to wear at least 250 square inches of fluorescent orange clothing on the head, chest and back combined at all times; limit hunting parties to no more than six individuals; and plug shotguns to three-shell capacity (magazine and chamber combined).