States have tried all kinds of strategies to bring down the number of crashes, from capturing and sterilizing deer to encouraging hunters to go open season. The other site, The Cougar Network, is still active, and is reporting the cats expanding range from the West, but offers little about the phenomenon of Pennsylvania cats. However, it is unlawful to remove any historical or archeological artifact. 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. American martens have large home ranges averaging over 3.2 mi and populations have relatively low density in comparison to most other wildlife species within the state. Let me explain this. Yes. Then there is Rocky. Pennsylvanias new hunting and furtaker licensing system, What is the Kiboko backpack? In February 2021, the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission launched HuntFishPA, a new user-friendly licensing platform for hunters, anglers and boaters. Wild pheasants are released in WPRAs for three years, depending on availability of birds and trapping success in western states. Obviously, other pumas must be about, and the series of ridges extending north and east and west from my location could all be included as critical habitat as well. If you see or photograph a puma in the mid-Atlantic states, please email or call me. The Pennsylvania Game Commissions website, mobile app and Hunting and Trapping Digest are all great resources when looking for information related to current hunting and trapping seasons and beg limits. Of course, bobcats are proportionately a bit taller than a cougar or house cat, and if it is a bobcat my weight estimate could be off. Open Records Officer: Pennsylvania Game Commission, 2001 Elmerton Avenue; Harrisburg PA 17110-9797, 717-787-4250, pgcrtk@pa.gov. With that hope in mind, I have, for years, asked outdoors people if they ever heard of a mountain lion, or puma, in their area -- with my questioning limited to people in my home state of Pennsylvania. I have received about two dozen reports during that time, including one game camera image that still looks very credible to me. Thousands of deer scamper onto American streets each year, colliding with startled drivers and causing roughly 200 deaths. Many of those claiming to have encountered a cougar in Pennsylvania take that non-confirmation by the commission as an attack on their veracity and character. "Although I understand why and what (proponents are) trying to say, I do not agree that this would be the case in Pennsylvania without having other major negative implications," he said in an email. Like mad cow disease in cattle, scrapie in sheep and goats, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans, it's caused not by a virus or bacteria, but by abnormal prions, or proteins. Most of the recent cougar sightings east of the Rocky Mountains were confirmed due to some kind of crash with a train or vehicle and as any Angeleno could tell you, some of them even reside in cities. Where can I find 2020-21 deer harvest data? Fish and Wildlife Service officially declared the Eastern subspecies of the mountain lion extinct, which would seem to bolster the skeptics. If it was just a house cat, it would be obvious. Click here for full harvest reporting details. Is wildlife harmed by prescribed fire? However, allowing the inline muzzleloader hunters to use their unused buck tag to harvest a doe would have negative implications from a deer management perspective for two reasons. How, Who, and Why? Once a bear finds easy access to those kids of food, they are likely to come back for more. Who conducts burns on State Game Lands? Let me explain this. The most direct way to report an instance of a suspected sick, injured or nuisance wild animal is to call the Pennsylvania Game Commission Region Office that serves the county in which the animal is located. How many elk are there in Pennsylvania? Yes. When is the best time to view elk in Pennsylvania? The sightings were great bear views, but too fast or fleeting to allow me to grab a camera. When traps are used properly and following the BMPs, they are very selective in what they catch, and along with state regulations, avoid non-targets like birds of prey. If it was NOT, and it is a yard away, it is significantly larger. For the latest information about COVID-19 in Pennsylvania, please visit the Pennsylvania Department of Healths website at www.health.pa.gov. Am I allowed to remove mushrooms and/or berries on state game lands? Hunters statewide now have the opportunity to apply for and receive additional antlerless deer licenses, as long as 1. This is a game regulation that has been around for many years and predates most people currently working for the Game Commission. Which Penn State Campus Is Closest To Philadelphia? 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. This is only hearsay, however, since I'm only going on their stories. Certainly it is a romantic notion, but I've always held out the hope that pumas still roamed the east. California state law requires the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to issue permits to kill mountain lions that attack domestic animals. Conversely, an outdoor writer I know told me that when Pa. enacted a menagerie permit law years ago, 'a lot of mountain lions suddenly died,' as the owners of these cats, rather than going through the paperwork, simply released their pumas and claimed that they had died. Delivery: Estimated between Sat, Mar 4 and Wed, Mar 8 to 98837. For now, the state will stick with its current deer management plan, which leans heavily on hunting. However, if it doesn't exist, and if someone saw one, wouldn't there be a worry that it was a dangerous escapee? During the 1990s turkeys exhibited rapid population expansion facilitated by a combination of: restoration (trap & transfer), suppressed predator populations (much more trapping than today and rabies was more evident), more controlled hunting seasons, and habitat availability. If you are already an OutdoorNews.com subscriber, you can log in here. I measured them and they were a solid 4+ inches across. Elk harvests should be reported to the Pennsylvania Game Commissions Elk Check Station, located at the Elk Country Visitors Center, located at 134 Homestead Drive, PA 15821, within 24 hours of the harvest. More than half of the Game Commissions annual revenue comes from license sales, a relatively fixed income source. Since 2004, when scientists found a dead cougar on train tracks in northern Oklahoma, they have recovered more than 100additional cougar bodies east of the Rocky Mountains. Follow Kristin & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @kristin_hunt Consider that the endangered Florida puma has mixed genes. Crews will then continue burning into the wind and downslope, sending fire into the previously burned or blackened area. . An important goal of the propagation program is to maximize recreational opportunities and harvest rates on stocked pheasants (return on hunter investment). Populations with an abundance of hens have rebounded from poor hatch years in as few as two years, producing more gobblers than areas without an abundance of hens. Mountain lions have appeared in Pennsylvania in the past 75 years, but when they're captured, it's quickly determined they were formerly exotic pets or show animals. How do I report suspected sick, injured or nuisance wildlife? A dark brown puma, backlighted by a strong sun, could appear all black, or very dark, and he accepted that. 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. Immediately after the burn, the ground will be black until regrowth occurs, which typically takes place within a few days, in some cases several weeks, depending on the time of year. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Inuit native American Indian Fossilized Bone Mountain Lion with Heartline at the best online prices at eBay! The population declined significantly and experienced a near total reproductive failure in 2018. *Please note: You must have permission from private landowners before entering their property. "Even if the habitat model is showing suitability, it's really so many other things that need to be considered such as impacts to other species, impacts to humans, social acceptance and future management.". Removal of other items is strictly prohibited. Click here to learn more. do I get an immediate, 'Oh yeah!' Mentored hunters ages 7 and older can apply for their own antlerless deer licenses, (one antlerless license per mentored permit holder), and DMAP permits. The virus is species-specific and poses no known threat to people or other animals. It is best to call the region office directly because the region dispatcher might have additional questions for the caller about an exact location, the time the animal was witnessed or other something else. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. You can also call the Game Commission's replacement card fulfillment center at 1-800-830-2268 for assistance in obtaining a replacement certificate. Opening day is biologically timed for when most hens, on an average year, have started to incubate their eggs. Pennsylvania has 308 state games lands, which span more than 1.5 million acres. Is the Pennsylvania Hunter-Trapper Education Course available online? I've never seen or heard of a verified black puma anywhere, whether wild or captive, so I'd be inclined to dismiss reports of truly black big cats as misidentifications, even when a group of guys all see the same thing. Brown apparently still has beef with Chiefs' JuJu Smith-Schuster. No. We raise pheasants because people like to hunt them. How would mountain lions impact black bears? Although it is beneficial to provide contact information in case game wardens have follow-up questions, callers may remain confidential. Probably the most revolutionary advancement towards this goal has been the Best Management Practices (BMP) completion. Time is of the essence when it comes to reporting the location of a wild animal, so it's best to call, as opposed to report via email or social media. Isnt trapping just a few folks each year trying to make money from pelts? Over the last two years I have occasionally posted a Question of the Month soliciting sightings from people who believed that they have seen a mountain lion in Pennsylvania or in other areas in the mid-Atlantic states. Except there's one big problem, at least for East Coasters: cougars don't really live here. I'm passionate about helping people achieve their dreams, and I believe that education is the key to unlocking everyone's potential. 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. Contact your Game Commission region office for additional information on how to create, preserve, or enhance wildlife habitat. My friend was a former hunter and fisherman, and spent a lot of time in the woods, as did I, but neither of us had ever seen a coyote. Crews are highly trained and qualified to light fires in a way that allows wildlife to escape, often with crew members walking through units before and during burns to ensure the area is clear of wildlife. Here in central Pennsylvania we live on the outskirts of what one puma-tracking website has as almost the high point of sightings, extending from north-central Pennsylvania in a southwestern diagonal that extends into the mountains of West Virginia. Yes. Try to block the mountain lion from your eyes and face as you strike it. It is available to view online at www.pgc.pa.gov/cwd. If cougar reintroduction were to become a serious consideration, the game commission would first need to conduct a feasibility assessment, a "long and careful process," in Keller's estimation, that ends with a recommendation for or against reintroducing a species. About twice the size of a housecat, the distinct stubby tail gives the bobcat its common . Ticks are inactive and temperatures are just right for running the dogs. But in recent years, the animals have been moving east. How can I help to prevent negative human-bear interactions on my property? Please enable scripts and reload this page. Many of the reports I receive are extremely credible. State Game Officials do concede that some people may indeed have seen a puma, but it was undoubtedly a released captive. When wildlife is encouraged to come closer to humans they often lose their natural fear of people. Bear licenses can also be purchased at an issuing agent where they can walk out the door with the license that same day. Click here for full harvest reporting details. Occasionally, they may become ulcerated resulting in secondary bacterial infections, which would make the deer unfit for consumption. WPRAs are established through partnerships between the Game Commission and Pheasants Forever Chapters or other conservation groups. So is the second largest extant cat in North America still managing to eke out a living in the Keystone state? Specific information is available by emailing pgccomments@pa.gov or contacting the Game Commission office that serves your county. You be the judge. Hi there! As many as 1,300 elk freely roam across 3,000 square miles in the northcentral region of the state. Imagination? Mountain lions, which continue to be reported across Pennsylvania throughout the year, are officially extinct east of the Mississippi River and north of Florida, according to the U.S. Are there Mountain Lions (Pumas, Cougars) in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic States? pgccomments@pa.gov. Before feeding wildlife, please consider the following: What is the increased risk of disease spread? *Interestingly, that following spring, we had a horrendous stench wafting in from the nearby woods. Additional information can be found on the Hunter-Trapper Education page. The agency is represented statewide and has field staff managed out of six region offices: Northwest, Southwest, Northcentral, Southcentral, Northeast and Southeast. In books I've read critical or skeptical or down-right dismissive of the idea of pumas in the East, the argument has been advanced that the hopefull puma-dreamer/spotters arguing that the State needs to prove pumas don't exist does not mean that in the State not proving this means that pumas indeed do exist in this state. Learn more about ruffed grouse management here. Bringing species back to a community where they are currently absent is an important step to ecological restoration, increasing biodiversity, and returning ecological processes such as seed dispersal or rodent population management to the system. Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a neurological disease that affects members of the cervid family (e.g., deer, elk, moose and reindeer/caribou). How Big Was the Monster Shark That Took This Bite? He's. When he told me this, he commented on how an experience like the one he and his friends had just is not forgotten. We have nearly 200,000 spring turkey hunters and high adult gobbler harvest rates; considerably more than many other states. Black bears are omnivores, which means their diet is made up of both meat and plant material. Two different people told me that they, or a close relative, had seen pumas on more than one occasion. The wild turkey feeds primarily on acorns, waste grain, insects and grasses, which are unlikely to be depleted at the same time. He said he'd never forget the sighting, but it was only when he saw another, a few months ago, in daylight, from his cabin, that he decided it was time to tell someone. Quick and easy replacement is available online at www.ilostmycard.com. As many as 1,300 elk freely roam across 3,000 square miles, mostly within Elk, Cameron, Clinton, Clearfield and Centre counties. *Please note: Comments posted on social media sites are always not shared with the commissioners or staff due to the high volume received. Its a matter of perspective. Mountain lions weigh 90-160 pounds, while bobcats weigh 20-30 pounds. The estimated muzzleloader harvest was 28,260, of which 1,140 were antlered deer. So, couldn't that same argument apply to pumas in the Northeast? Cougar or Bobcat? 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. . Are the various States guilty of essentially the same thing? I usually follow-up on these reports and, via email or phone conversations, I receive more details. At headquarters, there is an executive staff and seven bureaus: Wildlife Habitat Management, Wildlife Management, Wildlife Protection, Administrative Services, Marketing and Strategic Communications, Information and Education and Automated Technology Services. The smell of rotting flesh was unmistakable. The new process is simpler, since the same distribution rules now apply to all WMUs, and it maintains fair and equitable distribution. Wildlife crimes affect everyone. Since 1895, the Pennsylvania Game Commission has worked to manage and protect wildlife and their habitats while promoting hunting and trapping for current and future generations. When an average sized deer is donated, approximately 200 meals can be shared with hungry Pennsylvanians. Have all of those who have seen a puma really seen a bobcat? Public health officials are warning hunters to cook their bear and cougar meat well after 10 Idahoans contracted a rare strain of trichinosis from tainted cougar jerky. By the mid-1900s pumas were eliminated from almost all of the eastern states, and by mid-century were officially extinct east of the Mississippi, except for a remnant population in southern Florida. 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. Cutaneous fibromas, more commonly known as deer warts, are a relatively common skin ailment of deer. How many elk hunting seasons and zones exist in Pennsylvania? What's more, the U.S. I believe them. If bears continually return, remove the bird feeders entirely. Does Penn State Harrisburg Have Greek Life? As the latest hoaxed photo of a mountain lion supposedly killed in Pennsylvania died a slow death on Facebook yesterday, the head of an organization tracking the eastern movements of the big cats was preparing a presentation for a Pennsylvania audience tonight. With proper management, trapping allows for sustainable use of this valuable wildlife resource. It probably wasnt; it was more likely 1-3 feet away, in which case my estimates will need to be scaled up a bit. We have a google map of unconfirmed public reports, pictures, videos, and historical. The photographer had no reason to stage the shot -- indeed, the composition and background was terrible, and not what you'd expect for something staged, but the shot wasn't perfectly clear. More information is available here. There is one significant change to Pennsylvania waterfowl seasons for the upcoming season which drops the bag limit during the regular season in the Atlantic Population (AP) goose zone to one Canada goose a day. Those with additional questions related to Pennsylvanias Hunter-Trapper Education program, as well as mentored hunting opportunities, can contact the Pennsylvania Game Commissions Hunter-Trapper Education Division by calling 717-787-7015, from Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. What is the minimum and maximum ages for a mentored hunting permit? Pennsylvanias management plan and seasons are not, and should not, be the same as other states, again, to ensure long-term sustainability of the wild turkey population. For more information, visitSeasons and Bag Limits. They were definitely cat tracks, no claws at all, and were crisply imprinted in an inch of snow. Some animals lose their fear of humans and predators. Who knows? Click here for a brief synopsis of the zones. Seal open areas under structures like porches, sheds and decks that can provide shelter for cougars or their prey. Remember, this one was photographed in Arizona in good puma country, although this was the first one I've recorded there. The Game Commission believes Pennsylvania's last known wild eastern mountain lion died in 1874 in Berks County. Unfortunately, just like any tool, they can be used inappropriately and result with negative impact. Finally, it is important to note that the agency's prescribed fires are purposely conducted on a very small percentage of the overall land base, (less than 1 percent annually), providing significant amounts of refuge for animals that may be temporarily displaced. The board approved staffs recommendation to shorten the fall seasons in 15 WMUs as its standard method of targeting hen harvest reductions in specific units. A hunter mentor must be 21 years of age and possess a valid, current hunting license or otherwise qualify for a license and fee exemptions. Although size can be difficult to determine in the field, a puma will be three or four times larger than a bobcat. Spring turkey hunters and high adult gobbler harvest rates on stocked pheasants ( return on hunter )! Can also be purchased at an issuing agent where they can be used inappropriately result! And temperatures are just right for running the dogs are just right for running dogs. 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