Pennsylvania Game Commission Awards Elk Licenses to 50 Hunters; Elk Guide Permit Application Deadline Is Oct. 13; First-Ever September Elk Hunt Results in Harvest of Two Elk; WMU 5C Exhausts Antlerless Deer License Allocation

    KERSEY, Pa., Sept. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- On Saturday, Sept. 23,
 Pennsylvania Outdoor Elk Expo visitors helped the Pennsylvania Game
 Commission award elk licenses to 50 hunters in a public drawing. There were
 18,829 individuals eligible for the drawing. For the November 2006 elk
 hunt, the agency awarded 40 licenses (15 antlered and 25 antlerless) and,
 for the September 2007 elk hunt, 10 licenses (2 either sex and 8
 antlerless) were awarded.
     Those selected to receive licenses will be mailed a confirmation letter
 within a week.
     "While there is great interest in the names of the hunters who will
 receive these 50 elk hunting licenses, by law, the Game Commission is not
 permitted to release information about our license buyers to the public,"
 said Carl G. Roe, Game Commission executive director. "Beyond announcing
 the names and hometowns of those selected at the public drawing, we are not
 permitted to provide a complete list for public dissemination."
     For the November hunt, which will be held Nov. 6-11, all 15 antlered
 elk licenses were awarded to Pennsylvanians. Pennsylvania hunters selected
 represent the following counties: Armstrong; Clinton; Cumberland; Dauphin;
 Elk; Erie; Indiana; Lackawanna; Lancaster; Lycoming; Northumberland;
 Snyder; Union; Venango; and Washington.
     Of the 25 antlerless elk licenses awarded, 24 were awarded to
 Pennsylvanians and one was awarded to a hunter from New York. Pennsylvania
 hunters selected represented the following counties: Berks; Bucks; Butler;
 Cameron; Cumberland; Elk; Lackawanna; Lancaster (3); Lawrence; Luzerne;
 McKean; Mercer; Mifflin; Monroe; Northumberland; Perry (2); Warren;
 Westmoreland (2); and York (2).
     For the September 2007 hunt, which will be held September 17-22, 2007,
 nine licenses were awarded to Pennsylvania hunters and one to a hunter from
 South Carolina, who received an antlerless elk license. The two either-sex
 license recipients were from Allegheny County and Northumberland County.
 Seven antlerless elk licenses were awarded to Pennsylvania hunters living
 in the following counties: Allegheny; Berks; Butler; Elk; Northumberland;
 Tioga; and Warren.
     Roe noted that preference points played a significant role in
 determining those drawn. According to results, 28 of the individuals
 selected for an elk license had four preference points; 16 had three
 preference points; two had two preference points; and four had one
 preference point.
     All 50 elk license recipients will receive in the mail two copies of
 the Game Commission's elk hunter orientation DVD or video, which they must
 view prior to the elk hunt. The second copy is to be previewed by their
 guide, if they choose to use a guide. Elk license recipients are not
 required to use a guide.
     All elk license recipients must obtain a general hunting license prior
 to purchasing their elk license. Elk licenses cost $25 for residents and
 $250 for nonresidents.
     Created in 1895 as an independent state agency, the Game Commission is
 responsible for conserving and managing all wild birds and mammals in the
 Commonwealth, establishing hunting seasons and bag limits, enforcing
 hunting and trapping laws, and managing habitat on the 1.4 million acres of
 State Game Lands it has purchased over the years with hunting and furtaking
 license dollars to safeguard wildlife habitat. The agency also conducts
 numerous wildlife conservation programs for schools, civic organizations
 and sportsmen's clubs.
     The Game Commission does not receive any general state taxpayer dollars
 for its annual operating budget. The agency is funded by license sales
 revenues; the state's share of the federal Pittman-Robertson program, which
 is an excise tax collected through the sale of sporting arms and
 ammunition; and monies from the sale of oil, gas, coal, timber and minerals
 derived from State Game Lands.
             APPLICATION DEADLINE FOR ELK GUIDE PERMITS IS OCT. 13
     HARRISBURG, Pa., -- Anyone interested in applying to be an elk guide
 for the upcoming elk hunt should submit a completed application to the
 Pennsylvania Game Commission's Bureau of Wildlife Protection by Friday,
 Oct. 13. Elk guide permits cost $10 for residents and $25 for nonresidents.
     Guides may provide assistance in locating or tracking elk, but may not
 harvest an elk. Permit applications may be obtained from the Game
 Commission's Harrisburg headquarters by calling 717-787-5740.
     The Board of Game Commissioners created the elk guide permit to allow
 experienced individuals, especially those who live in the elk range or are
 familiar with the elk herd, to serve as guides for those who receive an elk
 license. Elk guide permits are not required for those who only plan to aid
 a successful elk hunter to remove an elk from the field.
     Since only properly licensed hunters may take part in the hunt, and
 since the agency is awarding only a limited number of licenses, the guide
 permit will remove any legal concerns about an elk hunter taking someone
 along to participate in the hunt.
     All elk license recipients will receive in the mail two copies of the
 Game Commission's videotaped elk hunter orientation program, which the
 hunter must view prior to the elk hunt. The second copy must be viewed by
 their guide, if the hunter chooses to use a guide.
     Those seeking elk guide permits also should consult with the state
 Department of Conservation and Natural Resources concerning special guiding
 permits and requirements on state forest or state park lands.
     Created in 1895 as an independent state agency, the Game Commission is
 responsible for conserving and managing all wild birds and mammals in the
 Commonwealth, establishing hunting seasons and bag limits, enforcing
 hunting and trapping laws, and managing habitat on the 1.4 million acres of
 State Game Lands it has purchased over the years with hunting and furtaking
 license dollars to safeguard wildlife habitat. The agency also conducts
 numerous wildlife conservation programs for schools, civic organizations
 and sportsmen's clubs.
     The Game Commission does not receive any general state taxpayer dollars
 for its annual operating budget. The agency is funded by license sales
 revenues; the state's share of the federal Pittman-Robertson program, which
 is an excise tax collected through the sale of sporting arms and
 ammunition; and monies from the sale of oil, gas, coal, timber and minerals
 derived from State Game Lands.
     FIRST-EVER SEPTEMBER ELK HUNT RESULTS IN HARVEST OF TWO ELK
     Pennsylvania's first-ever September elk hunt resulted in the harvest of
 two antlerless elk, according to Pennsylvania Game Commission officials.
 The season was held Sept. 18-23, and was proposed as a means to address elk
 conflicts reported by farmers in the area.
     The first elk of the season was taken by Richard E. Derhammer, of
 Harveys Lake, Wyoming County. At 7:15 a.m., on Sept. 20, Derhammer
 harvested an antlerless elk that weighed 420 pounds.
     At 6:45 a.m., on Sept. 22, Ronald R. Dombroiak, of North East, Erie
 County, harvested an antlerless elk. No weight was taken.
     "With this being the first year of an early season hunt, we had no
 expectations of the outcome or the results," said Dennis Dusza, Game
 Commission Northcentral Region director. "We knew this would be a tough
 hunt dependant upon a number of factors, including the timing of the rut,
 the food conditions throughout the range, the conditions of the
 agricultural crops and, most of all, the availability, location and
 movement of the elk.
     "From what has been reported to our officers, most of the hunters heard
 elk bugling, which is an obvious indication elk were in the area, during
 the season. Getting an elk close enough is not easy, and it will take some
 time for all those involved in this hunt, both the hunters and guides
 alike, to adapt to the season."
     Dusza noted that the agency is pleased with the results achieved
 through the efforts of the hunters, guides and landowners.
     "We will have to sit down and see if there are some things that could
 make this season better for the hunters and landowners alike," Dusza said.
 "For the first year, however, it gives us something to build upon and
 improve. Our thanks go out to the hunters for putting in the effort and we
 would also like to thank all the landowners in Elk Hunt Zone One for their
 cooperation and willingness to work with us on this season. Without them,
 this season would not have been possible."
               WMU 5C EXHAUSTS ANTLERLESS DEER LICENSE ALLOCATION
     Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe today
 announced that WMU 5C in southeast Pennsylvania has exhausted its
 antlerless deer license allocation. WMU 5C is comprised of portions of
 Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Lehigh, Montgomery and
 Northampton counties.
     So far, 17 of the state's 22 Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) have
 exhausted their antlerless deer license allocations. Those WMUs are: 1A,
 1B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 5B and 5C.
     Of the 859,000 antlerless licenses originally allocated, only 62,397
 antlerless deer licenses remain. Following is a listing of the available
 antlerless deer licenses for those WMUs with remaining allocations as of
 today (along with the initial allocation for each WMU): WMU 2A, 1,647
 (55,000); WMU 2B, 43,593 (68,000); WMU 4E, 3,112 (38,000); WMU 5A, 3,042
 (25,000); and WMU 5D, 11,003 (20,000).
     For updated information, please visit the Game Commission's "Doe
 License Update" in the "Quick Clicks" box in the upper right-hand corner of
 the agency's homepage (http://www.pgc.state.pa.us).
     Regular antlerless licenses and first-round unsold licenses were to be
 mailed by county treasurers to successful applicants no later than Monday,
 Sept. 18. Second-round unsold licenses will be mailed no later than Sunday,
 Oct. 1.
     Also, beginning Monday, Sept. 18, applicants were able to begin
 applying over-the-counter at county treasurers' offices in WMUs 2B, 5C and
 5D.
     Beginning Monday, Nov. 6, hunters may apply over-the-counter for unsold
 antlerless licenses in all WMUs.
     Resident and nonresident hunters may apply for Deer Management
 Assistance Program (DMAP) coupons that remain available for antlerless deer
 hunting opportunities, especially in those WMUs that have sold out of their
 antlerless deer license allocations.
     "While DMAP permits may be used only on the specific property for which
 they are issued, they do offer hunters additional antlerless deer hunting
 opportunities," Roe said. "DMAP was developed to provide a way for hunters
 to help landowners achieve the type of deer harvest they require to better
 manage their lands. We encourage hunters to contact these landowners and to
 help them manage deer populations on their properties."
     Landowners can't charge or accept any contribution from a hunter for a
 DMAP coupon. While hunters may obtain up to two DMAP permits per property,
 DMAP permits do not impact a hunter's eligibility to apply for and receive
 antlerless deer licenses issued for WMUs.
     DMAP permit allotments are not part of the annual general antlerless
 deer license allocations for WMUs. Hunters may not use DMAP permits to
 harvest an antlered deer.
     Resident hunters must mail DMAP coupons in a regular envelope, along
 with a check for $6 made payable to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, to
 the address listed on the coupon to receive their DMAP antlerless deer
 permit. Nonresidents must include a check for $26. The permit can be used
 to harvest one antlerless deer on the specific DMAP property. Maps for the
 properties are to be provided to hunters by the landowners.
     For more information on DMAP, visit the Game Commission's website
 (http://www.pgc.state.pa.us) and click on the "DMAP" box in the center of
 the homepage. Hunters also can check the state Department of Conservation
 and Natural Resources' website to see where coupons still are available for
 various state forests and parks by clicking on:
 http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/dmap/available.aspx.
     Created in 1895 as an independent state agency, the Game Commission is
 responsible for conserving and managing all wild birds and mammals in the
 Commonwealth, establishing hunting seasons and bag limits, enforcing
 hunting and trapping laws, and managing habitat on the 1.4 million acres of
 State Game Lands it has purchased over the years with hunting and furtaking
 license dollars to safeguard wildlife habitat. The agency also conducts
 numerous wildlife conservation programs for schools, civic organizations
 and sportsmen's clubs.
     The Game Commission does not receive any general state taxpayer dollars
 for its annual operating budget. The agency is funded by license sales
 revenues; the state's share of the federal Pittman-Robertson program, which
 is an excise tax collected through the sale of sporting arms and
 ammunition; and monies from the sale of oil, gas, coal, timber and minerals
 derived from State Game Lands.
 
 

SOURCE Pennsylvania Game Commission