Large numbers of hens in the woods can mean lots of hung-up gobblers in the spring, but an abundance of female turkeys only helps gobbler populations. However, the spring season does not impact the overall annual turkey population, due to the timing of when the season opens after peak breeding, and when more than half of the hens have begun incubating eggs. (Remember: Prescribed burns are not the same as wildfires.) Are there Mountain Lions (Pumas, Cougars) in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic States? Note the long, usually thick tail. Express concerns about CWD to your political representatives. Hunting mortality or number of turkeys harvested, especially in the fall, can affect turkey population due to the harvest of hens. 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. 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. Reports generally go uninvestigated by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, which discounts them as mistaken identities, illegal pets escaped or released and outright fabrications. How do I report a banded waterfowl harvest? Unfortunately, due to recent declines in hunter flush rates and brood observations, the 2019-20 grouse season recommendation calls for a continued statewide closure of the late season for at least one year. Although there was no evidence that the 2011 mountain lion ever set foot in Pennsylvania, DNA evidence confirmed that it had been both west and east of the state. 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. 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. Exact dates for reporting vary annually, but are generally January through May. 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. "Cougars really are deer specialists," said Laura Prugh, an author on the study. Human foods do not offer a healthy diet for animals. The reason biologists believe predation rates increase in wet weather has to do with scenting conditions. Yes. But they're probably bobcats. Click here for full harvest reporting details. Rarely seen but surprisingly numerous, the bobcat (Lynx rufus) prowls most of Pennsylvania's woods throughout much of the state. 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. Who knows? They add diversity to the hunting experience at a time when wild pheasant populations are low and provide valuable youth hunter recruitment opportunities. There are many benefits to regulated trapping, but here are just a few examples: Trapping is used to protect endangered and threatened species during critical times of the year such as sea turtle nests or ground nesting birds like the piping plover. License buyers must first successfully complete a Hunter-Trapper Education Course. An example of this is the ban on jaw-toothed traps, as well as a size limit on certain traps. 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! It was discovered when it was killed by a vehicle while crossing a highway. At one point, there was debate whether that cat should be protected, since its genes were diluted from escapees or released pumas that originated in South America or our West. And it likely will result in the collateral benefit of increasing harvest reporting. Hunters with bears to be checked after check stations close should contact the appropriate region office. And a quiet, snowy covert makes a grouse flush all-the-more dramatic. While weather conditions and dryness are the primary factors for scheduling, the Game Commission also considers potential impacts to plants and animals, particularly those listed as "threatened" or "endangered," and adjusts burn timing accordingly to reduce conflicts. The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners voted in April 2021 to prohibit the use of centerfire rimfire rifles and handguns during the fall turkey season in response to concerns about spring harvest density being below goal in 15 of the states 23 Wildlife Management Units. There are currently four WPRAs in the state. CWD has since spread from those initial detection sites over a larger geographic area. Are the Latest Fast CF Cards worth the Expense? 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). If you took a hunter or trapper education course before the above dates, you must complete a Hunter Education Program Replacement Certificate Affidavit (PDF) form, which can be downloaded from this site. How do I report suspected sick, injured or nuisance wildlife? The agency is represented statewide and has field staff managed out of six region offices: Northwest, Southwest, Northcentral, Southcentral, Northeast and Southeast. Isnt that what happened to beaver and river otter in Pennsylvania? I got my start in education as a teacher, working with students in grades K-12. Some biologists thinks it's time to bring them back to help manage deer populations. Future season-setting will be guided by a consistent and transparent process based on grouse abundance, summer sightings and disease risk. Our visitor is also far too tall to be a house cat, so thats out. In addition, hens are less prone to abandon their nests if disturbed after incubation is underway. How do I report my bobcat or fisher harvest(s)? Of course, the writer's comments were hearsay, but it does make sense. Have your animal processed in the area in which it was harvested so high-risk parts can be disposed of properly; 5. This is actually a good thing, as genetic isolation generally weakens a species. Ticks are inactive and temperatures are just right for running the dogs. Species such as grouse and rabbits are eaten infrequently while species such as turkey and goshawk were not identified within remains found in diet research. Isnt trapping just a few folks each year trying to make money from pelts? The agencys goal is to maintain proper wild turkey management strategies while providing maximum hunting opportunities. Contaminated carcasses or high-risk carcass parts which includes the head (including brain, tonsils, eyes and any lymph nodes); spinal cord backbone; spleen; skull plate with attached antlers, if visible brain or spinal cord tissue is present; cape, if visible brain or spinal cord tissue is present; upper canine teeth, if root structure or other soft tissue is present; any object or article containing visible brain or spinal cord tissue; unfinished taxidermy mounts; and brain-tanned hides may also spread the disease indirectly through environmental contamination, which lasts for years, if not decades. Many of the reports I receive are extremely credible. Should any hunter come across a cougar in Pennsylvania, they are advised to leave it alone as hunting them in the state is illegal. Mountain lions weigh 90-160 pounds, while bobcats weigh 20-30 pounds. Learn more about elk history in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania's last known wild eastern mountain lion was killed in Berks County in 1874. There is no limit on the total number of licenses a hunter can obtain in a license year. What does a Mountain Lion look like on a game camera? The goal of a WPRA is to establish a sustainable wild pheasant population that can be hunted. Please keep scrolling - ALL the Puma posts are included. The agency is primarily funded by hunting and furtaker license sales, as well as State Game Lands timber, mineral, oil/gas revenues, a federal excise tax on sporting arms and ammunition, and assets that have been procured with license dollars. We have a google map of unconfirmed public reports, pictures, videos, and historical. Where can I find Depth of Field reference charts? He's a hunter, a woodsman, and he's seen a lot of game, so I can believe he saw a back-lighted puma. 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. 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. When is the best time to view elk in Pennsylvania? 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. As many as 1,300 elk freely roam across 3,000 square miles in the northcentral region of the state. Can you get sick from eating mountain lion? Wild trapped pheasants are released with the goal of establishing populations of at least ten hens per square mile in the spring. In personal contacts, that monthly average might even be higher. No. Hopefully, we'll see the real thing. Mountain lions are large, tan cats. Over time, cats that had been released in Florida, probably pets that outlived their welcome, bred with the native puma, and their genes mingled. No. Kristin Hunt 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. What do you do when you run into a mountain lion? For the latest information about COVID-19 in Pennsylvania, please visit the Pennsylvania Department of Healths website at www.health.pa.gov. Are there Mountain Lions in Pennsylvania? The Nittany Lion at State College wasn't just created out of thin air. 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. Occasionally, though, humans fool them. Fish . Deer populations are managed through the allocation of antlerless licenses. These fields are an exciting and new opportunity to take advantage of the most abundant and wide-ranging game bird in North America. Natural food sources can be low this time of year, so bears are more likely to help themselves to food that is easily accessible. For mentored hunters ages 7 and older, the permit includes antlered deer, fall turkey and spring turkey harvest tags. They ran across my yard, moving alongside my house, then disappeared into the woods. http://bit.ly/PGCOGT. Its distinctly possible. For many decades, cougars confined themselves to prowling the wooded and mountainous areas of the western U.S. The wild turkey feeds primarily on acorns, waste grain, insects and grasses, which are unlikely to be depleted at the same time. The digest is also available for printing and viewing online. Mountain lions weigh 90-160 pounds . Cougars also called mountain lions or pumas are uniquely suited to hunt and kill deer, who not only cause traffic accidents but overgraze to the point of endangering native species and eliminating habitats for smaller animals. Office of Open Records: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Open Records, Commonwealth Keystone Building, 400 North Street, 4th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17120-0225. The current estimate is 2,000 - 2,700 throughout Arizona. Do Billionaires Send Their Kids To School? Please keep scrolling - ALL the Puma posts are included. The commission's furbearer biologist Thomas Keller said the PGC would "likely not be supportive of mountain lion reintroduction," pointing to the dangers posed to hikers, pets and other wildlife. Except for Florida, the eastern mountain lion is believed to have extricated from the east coast by 1900. I could fill pages recounting the eye-witness reports I've heard, and for every report critics could certainly say 'but there's no physical evidence!' Mountain lions, also commonly known as cougars, are officially extinct in both Pennsylvania and the United States east of the Mississippi. Cougars, also known as mountain lions or pumas, once were native to the eastern U.S. If the tag was on the antlers, there would be no way to identify the head or carcass. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Calls to the Operation Game Thief hotline are always answered by a secure recording device. I took a few frames and tried enhancing them, lightening them and increasing contrast. However, if it doesn't exist, and if someone saw one, wouldn't there be a worry that it was a dangerous escapee? State law currently mandates that the Pennsylvania Game Commission utilizes county treasurers offices in the antlerless license distribution process. Prescribed fires can be conducted throughout the year, depending on the ecological objectives. Cougars were officially declared extinct east of the Mississippi in the 1930s. Sign up to be the firstto know the latest news, release dates, signings & more. There ended up being a half-eaten deer back there, partially covered. 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. Let me explain this. Is it illegal to feed elk? By expanding concurrent seasons statewide, hunters are provided with more opportunities to harvest antlerless deer. Pennsylvania has embraced these BMPs and put additional regulations in place to ensure trapping follows these principles. A Rural Legend -- The Search For Pennsylvania Mountain Lions | Penn State University A recent rumor of a cougar killed by a vehicle on Interstate 80 attracted some attention at Penn State. 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. This means the cat in question is at least 7 inches taller than it appears in the film. Is it lawful to find and retain deer and/or elk antlers on state game lands? Comments for the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners regarding current and/or proposed seasons and bag limits may be submitted to pgccomments@pa.gov. There is no prohibition, per se, on metal detecting on state game lands. 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. The American Marten is a native species to Pennsylvania that was extirpated 100 years ago due to deforestation and unregulated harvest. We do not currently know the effects of disease turkey populations. This includes data organized by season, species (white-tailed deer or elk), age, collection method, sex and collection site (down to the township level). DNA tests confirmed the big cat originated in South Dakota and that it also previously had been tracked in 2009 and 2010 through Wisconsin and Minnesota, where the animal's DNA had previously been collected through blood, hair and droppings. 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. More information is available here. This is not a Pennsylvania puma! Click here for more information about HuntFishPA. 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. Paws 'N' Claws Animal Park in the Poconos. Plus, you can set alarms on timers to make sure they go off at certain times of the day when youve spotted cougars coming onto your property. He said the idea of having mountain lions in Pennsylvania again - they roamed the state as late as the early 1800s - seems nice at first, but would never . It has been illegal to hunt and kill mountain lions in California since 1971, but hunting the cats is permitted in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado, Utah and Nevada. *It is illegal to feed elk and bear and deer with Chronic Wasting Disease Management Areas. The decision to burn can be made as late as the morning of the burn. Archived Questions of the Month Click here to learn more about deer warts. If it was NOT, and it is a yard away, it is significantly larger. Based on the image below, wherein I have used red dots to outline the cats body, I am a bit hard pressed to say that it is a bobcat. But it is unlikely. Wildlife diseases are usually transferred from animal to animal by nose-to-nose contact, saliva, feces and urine. original web site, although if I ever have enough time I might We ended up using the 18-inch mark for comparison, as it was pretty much spot-on. The wild pheasants are monitored by Game Commission wildlife biologists to determine survival and population numbers using radio telemetry, crowing counts, brood surveys and flushing surveys. Click here for full harvest reporting details. Only bring low-risk parts back to Pennsylvania or out of a DMA or Established Area; 7. 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. There are three ways hunters can report their deer or turkey harvests: Online at HuntFishPA, by phone at the NEW toll-free number 1-800-838-4431 or by mail (using the postcard in the Hunting & Trapping Digest). They were the size of small ponies, I kid you not, and had to be either mule deer or a small group of female elk. One man sent me a game camera photo that was blurry but looked like a mountain lion, or puma, as I like to call them. Please keep scrolling - ALL the Puma posts are included. It could, of course, also be an exceptionally big house cat, but how to find out? PHILADELPHIA (AP) An instinct coiled way down in the human brain knows the difference between a bobcat and a mountain lion. My next task was to estimate the size of the cat. Hunter mountain lions in pennsylvania opportunities hunting mortality or number of turkeys harvested, especially in the spring season-setting be! 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