Before feeding wildlife, please consider the following: What is the increased risk of disease spread? If I go by the huge tracks I found three years ago, Im convinced that there are. All rights reserved. Initially, the purpose of pheasant stocking was to help establish self-sustaining populations. But this one was black, and he knows mountain lions are some variant of brown. Big cats still roam parts of Pennsylvania. Larger and more aggressive animals often exclude younger and weaker animals which causes aggressive behavior resulting in injuries and even death for particularly vulnerable individuals. A prescribed fire, or prescribed burn, is an organized, coordinated effort that works to apply fire at the right place, at the right time, and at the right intensity to improve the health and resilience of forests, grasslands and shrublands. In July and August I received seven different reports, and everyone involved had done a search of some type to compare images of bobcats and pumas. Which is the better camera, the Mark IV or the 7D? I've seen scores of leopards in the grasslands and deserts of East Africa and I've never seen, nor spoke with anyone, who has seen a black leopard there. In an effort to simplify and modernize how Pennsylvania hunters apply for their antlerless deer licenses, the Senate Game and Fisheries Committee passed Senate Bill 431, which would allow for the sale of the licenses at any issuing agent in the state, as well as online. Can so many people be wrong? See also: The Cougar Network, working with state agencies, have documented multiple mountain lions as far east as Kentucky, Tennessee and Michigan in recent years, as well as one cat killed on a highway in Milford, Connecticut, in June 2011. The post-Christmas grouse season, (hereafter late season), is well-loved by many grouse hunters. Delivery: Estimated between Sat, Mar 4 and Wed, Mar 8 to 98837. Granted, the image is not great, and I used some Photoshop adjustment layers to enhance the image, making it a bit easier to see. Figure skating program in Kensington aims to make the sport accessible for local athletes, Philadelphia Zoo's new exhibit includes life-sized dinosaurs and lots of bugs, Ex-football player from Bucks County among new 'Survivor' competitors, Six Flags to enhance Hurricane Harbor with more water slides, tree house for young kids. Animal welfare is important not only to the public, but to wildlife managers and trappers alike, and will continue to be a critical component of trapping in Pennsylvania. Then there is Rocky. The Game Commission often partners with organizations like the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, The Nature Conservancy, Letterkenny Army Depot, and Fort Indiantown Gap, among others, which allows more burns to be accomplished across all lands. It is our mission to manage and protect wildlife and their habitats while promoting hunting and trapping for current and future generations. The mountain lion, which is also called a cougar, puma or panther, weighs on . On the other hand, there are probably thousands of game cameras covering water holes and game trails throughout Pennsylvania, and to my knowledge no one has yet recorded a puma. The Game Commissions CWD Response Plan was adopted by the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners in July 2020 and was developed in collaboration with Pennsylvania stakeholders, CWD experts from state and federal wildlife agencies and non-government organizations from across the country. What should I do if I encounter young wildlife? A successful bear hunter must take the bear, along with his or her hunting license and bear license, to a Pennsylvania Game Commission check station within 24 hours of the harvest. Michelle LaRue, executive director of the Cougar Network and a research ecologist at the University of Minnesota, will discuss the eastern expansion of cougars from their core range in the western U.S. at 7 p.m. in Moravian College's Haupert Union Building, Bethlehem. Should any hunter come across a cougar in Pennsylvania, they are advised to leave it alone as hunting them in the state is illegal. 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). A few additional ways to help prevent bears getting into garbage: Keep garbage cans clean by washing them out a few times a year with bleach or ammonia; keep bears from easily getting inside cans by attaching ratchet straps (not bungee cords) across the lid in an X pattern; and do not strap cans to a tree or post, as doing so actually gives a bear leverage to more easily access a can if someone is using an actual bear-proof container or using the ratchet straps. Hunters harvesting bears anywhere during the statewide archery bear season, or during any early season should contact the appropriate region office for instructions to have the animals checked. 18 inches. Why cant waterfowl be hunted on Sundays? Volunteers help with brood surveys and flushing surveys. If I scaled Mace up to the filmed cats minimum shoulder height of 18 inches, it suggests a body weight of just over 50 pounds. So is the second largest extant cat in North America still managing to eke out a living in the Keystone state? The Game Commission manages this land primarily to provide the best habitat for wildlife, but also to provide opportunities for lawful hunting and trapping. How many elk are there in Pennsylvania? We will get through this pandemic together and the Game Commission appreciates the publics compliance and support. Do lots of hens mean fewer gobblers? Why are rifles being banned for fall turkey hunting in the 2021 season? You know; the closer an object is to the lens, the bigger it appears. PhillyVoice Staff, Pennsylvania's popular bear cam returns with live feed from new den, Two bald eagle eggs spotted on New Jersey farm's nest cam, Marine experts offer explanations why humpback whales are dying at the Jersey Shore, Eagles' A.J. Have all of those who have seen a puma really seen a bobcat? It was discovered when it was killed by a vehicle while crossing a highway. What do you do when you run into a mountain lion? Continually feeding many wild animals in the same place can harm the habitat, people and the animals themselves. Archery and late seasons elk hunters will be notified of this location by letter or contact the Northcentral Region Office at 570-398-4744. Brown apparently still has beef with Chiefs' JuJu Smith-Schuster. A sample permission slip is available on page 4 of the 2022-23 Hunting and Trapping Digest. Refer to the Pennsylvania Department of Healths precautionary recommendations for outdoor recreation. Be safe and stay healthy! Last year, the board allowed concurrent seasons in select WMUs, mainly in areas where Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) had been detected in free-ranging deer. Click here for ways to be ELK SMART. "People do hunt deer, and we are hiring sharpshooters and it hasn't brought their populations down the way that a healthy population of cougars would be able to do," Prugh said. But even that little guy isn't prowling the Poconos yet. The Pennsylvania Game Commission is headquartered at 2001 Elmerton Avenue in Harrisburg, in Dauphin County. pgccomments@pa.gov. That smacks of mountain lion behavior pun intended. It seems unlikely, considering captives have never shown this trait, but people are reporting big black cats. Reporting leg-bands helps the Game Commission and the U.S. It was far too big to be a house cat, at which point I had to figure out; was this a bobcat or a cougar, and would my results answer the question: are there mountain lions in Pennsylvania? This ensures that all hens have had opportunities to breed with gobblers, and lay their full clutch of eggs, uninterrupted by hunters. Would a puma then qualify as a native species? What species can a mentored hunter hunt? I believe them. According to the commission, the last Pennsylvania mountain lion was killed in the late 1800s. In order to successfully manage furbearers in the Commonwealth, and ensure healthy populations into the future, trapping matters to all of us. Animals infected with CWD may not show signs of infection for 12 or more months. The new process is simpler, since the same distribution rules now apply to all WMUs, and it maintains fair and equitable distribution. Since turkey restoration efforts 5 environmental factors have changed and the interactions of these five factors can negatively affect turkey populations. Most of my original Questions of the Month for the last several The estimated muzzleloader harvest was 28,260, of which 1,140 were antlered deer. Yes. I found tracks of it charging an adult whitetail, followed by its tracks stopping where they met, which indicated it had attached itself to the deer and was trying to bring it down. For example, leopards and jaguars, normally spotted cats, have a melanistic color morph, the 'black panther,' the black leopard or black jaguar. I don't want to seem like a nut case here, but I must ask this question and you'll soon understand why? Because the success of a seasons' offspring can be directly affected by poor weather in the spring, an abundance of hens can make it easier for a population to recover from poor hatch years. In addition, if nuisance bears are being attracted to an area by other wildlife feeding, game wardens can issue written notice to temporarily halt the activity. Albinos are often very light sensitive, and they certainly are conspicuous, and most do not live very long. Everyone else, when reporting, were frustrated as they were told they had seen a bobcat. For information about local game lands, please reach out to the Game Commission region office that serves the county in which the lands are located. ), A few winters back, I found an enormous series of cat tracks leading onto my property from the street outside. This accomplished, my next move was to do a transparency overlay, in an effort to line up both images perfectly. The late season flintlock season is a popular and unique opportunity, as only Pennsylvania offers this special hunt, which is enjoyed by an estimated 75,000 flintlock hunters. Let me explain this. NEW! Flying over the area, I've looked down and commented upon the amount of habitat that would be available for a puma, if only they existed. Bobcat heights are listed as ranging from 12 to 24 inches. It wasn't, and I assumed it was a road-kill. How do I report a road-killed deer? If a bear on your property becomes a nuisance by being destructive or dangerous, you can report it to the Game Commission region office that serves the county in which its located. Comments for the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners regarding current and/or proposed seasons and bag limits may be submitted to pgccomments@pa.gov. Ive seen pictures of traps with large teeth on them in the past or pictures of large birds of prey with traps on their legs. Please dont feed wildlife, it may cause more harm than good! Im not a trapper, so whether trapping is allowed or not, why does it matter to me? Photos submitted as mountain lions are typically feral housecats. How can I become a Hunter-Trapper Education instructor? That's true. Periodically, via Google searches, I receive reports from people who believe they had seen a mountain lion in Pennsylvania, or in other mid-Atlantic states. At one time mountain lions, or more properly puma (Puma concolor), enjoyed the widest geographic range of any New World mammal, and were found throughout all of the contiguous United States. The big cats largely disappeared from the eastern U.S. roughly a century ago. 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. Can so many people be so wrong? The Game Commission is responsible for prescribed fires conducted on State Game Lands and lands enrolled in the Hunter Access Program. 2019 mountain lion in Pennsylvania / definitive proof Joe and Angelika Kelley 12 subscribers Subscribe 91 16K views 3 years ago When something digs up your yard and you film it. First, inline muzzleloaders are far more efficient, compared to a flintlock rifle. Some biologists thinks it's time to bring them back to help manage deer populations. Does my mentored hunter need to purchase his or her own doe tag? Store clean grills and smokers in a secure area that keeps bears out. Click here for information, including regulations, maps, public shooting ranges, seasonal road schedules, access for hunters with disabilities, designated routes for horses and bicycles and more. Please keep scrolling - ALL the Puma posts are included. The report is available at www.pgc.pa.gov or by clicking here. Currently, due to the lesser effectiveness of the flintlock rifle and the relatively few deer harvested by flintlock hunters, allowing them to use their unused buck tag has not been an issue in meeting the agencys deer management goals. In July and August I received seven different reports, and everyone involved had done a search of some type to compare images of bobcats and pumas. Are Pennsylvanians OK with these changes? Who knows? How would mountain lions impact black bears? Open Records Officer: Pennsylvania Game Commission, 2001 Elmerton Avenue; Harrisburg PA 17110-9797, 717-787-4250, pgcrtk@pa.gov. Human foods do not offer a healthy diet for animals. Who manages Pennsylvanias state game lands system? It is our mission to manage and protect wildlife and their habitats while promoting hunting and trapping for current and future generations. Proudly founded in 1681 as a place of tolerance and freedom. The bobcat, also known as the bay Iynx, wildcat, red lynx and swamp tiger, is the states only feline predator. They haven't been . Would my mountain ridge be declared 'Critical Habitat' for the puma? Why not work to establish a wild population in Pennsylvania? 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. On the second night, a mountain lion passed by, apparently drawn by the smell but put off by the stench, as the cat did not visit the kill. According to the commission, the last Pennsylvania mountain lion was killed in the late 1800s. The agency is always faced with the challenge of providing as many hunting opportunities as possible, while ensuring the wildlife resource is managed sustainably. Quick and easy replacement is available online at www.ilostmycard.com. Why stock pheasant that cant survive? Yet there is a taste for meat of threatened wild animals in other parts of the worldtoo many species to list, said Allan. If so, what would happen to the hunting industry in all of these states? On that, I've had emails sent with game trail photo attachments, or killed pumas, supposedly shot in Pennsylvania, but these were hoaxes. Ironically, I almost deleted the image, as on the small camera LCD monitor the cat was small and I thought that it was just another deer that moved along the stream. Wet hens may leave a more significant scent trail allowing predators to be more successful at finding nests. 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