Board Takes Step to Protect Game Commission Shooting Ranges; Board Approves Measure to Limit Treestands on State Game Lands; Board Moves to Allow Use of Bait on 'Red Tag' Farms in Southeast; Board Makes Changes to DMAP Program; Board Proposes New Tool for Snow Goose Conservation Hunt; Board Purchases New State Game Lands and Accepts Donation; Board Approves Two Land Exchanges; Board Takes Other Actions

WILKES-BARRE, Pa., Oct. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today gave preliminary approval to a regulatory change to require State Game Land shooting range users to possess either a valid Pennsylvania hunting or furtaker license or purchase a range permit. In doing so, the agency is seeking to accomplish the twin goals of having unlicensed persons contribute toward the cost of maintaining the ranges, and to better quantify and control the use of the shooting ranges.

"Over the past few years, the Game Commission has made large investments into its 29 State Game Land shooting ranges across this Commonwealth," said Carl G. Roe, Game Commission executive director. "These investments have taken the form of lead remediation, safety barrier reconstruction, shooting range redesign and other related projects. These investments came at a high cost, but kept many shooting ranges open and available to the public.

"Historically, hunters and furtakers have provided most, if not all, of the resources for keeping the agency's shooting ranges open to the public through their license dollars. Additionally, the open use of State Game Lands for shooting activities by those not licensed has resulted in situations where ranges and State Game Lands have been used for illicit activities."

The proposed regulatory change, which must be approved by the Board a second time before taking effect, requires all users of State Game Land shooting ranges to possess either a valid Pennsylvania hunting or furtaker license or a Game Commission-issued range permit, which would cost $30 per year for residents and nonresidents. Exceptions to this proposed permit requirement would be those 16 years of age and younger properly accompanied by a licensed or permitted person 18 years of age or older, and each licensed hunter or range permit holder could have one guest.

The proposed change also prohibits all other target shooting from taking place on State Game Lands, except at designated ranges.

This proposal will not result in any increased cost or change in privileges for licensed hunters and furtakers.

BOARD APPROVES MEASURE TO LIMIT TREESTANDS ON STATE GAME LANDS

The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today gave preliminary approval to a regulatory change to allow the placement of portable hunting stands from two weeks before the opening of the first big game season to two weeks after the close of the last big game season within each respective Wildlife Management Unit, excluding the spring gobbler season.

Game Commissioner Ronald Weaner requested that Game Commission staff prepare an amendment for the January meeting to require treestand owners to put identification information on stands used on State Game Lands.

A portable treestand is one that is not permanently affixed to a tree.  They include climbing, hang-on and ladder treestands, as well as those constructed and lashed to trees.  Treestands nailed or bolted to trees are illegal on State Game Lands.  

"The Game Commission has historically permitted the placement and use of portable hunting stands on State Game Lands, and its continued support for the use of treestands has not diminished," said Carl G. Roe, Game Commission executive director. "However, the agency has identified that this general permission has, in certain instances, resulted in the unintended consequence of some portable hunting stands seemingly becoming permanent fixtures on State Game Lands.

"Additionally, it has given some treestand owners the impression that they can lay claim to a section of State Game Lands."

If approved by the Board in January, hunters would, in essence, be able to place their treestands on State Game Lands two weeks prior to the archery deer season, and then have to remove the stands two weeks after the late flintlock deer seasons.  

BOARD MOVES TO ALLOW USE OF BAIT ON 'RED TAG' FARMS IN SOUTHEAST

To further the Game Commission's efforts to find effective tools to manage the deer populations on agriculture lands in the southeast corner of the state, the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today gave preliminary approval to a regulatory change to create a focused, limited authorization permitting the use of bait for deer hunting in WMUs 5C and 5D on approved properties enrolled in the agency's Agriculture Deer Depredation Program, commonly referred to as the "Red Tag" program.

"Earlier this year, the Game Commission's three-year evaluation of the effectiveness of permitting the use of bait for deer hunting across the southeast Special Regulations Areas counties expired," said Carl G. Roe, Game Commission executive director. "The agency concluded that broad scale and widely accessible baiting did not establish viable increases in harvest rates to justify an extension of the experimental program.

"Under this proposal, the agency is seeking to focus the use of bait on those farms most in need of deer control assistance during the 'Red Tag' deer harvesting timeframe. Farmers applying to enroll in the Red Tag program would need to include in their application justification for the need to use bait."

Farmers enrolled in the "Red Tag" program are provided with a specific number of antlerless deer permits, which are red in color.  Farmers then give these permits to hunters to use to harvest deer from Feb. 1 to Sept. 28 each calendar year, excluding Sundays, during the hours of dawn to dusk only. The permits are not valid from May 16 to June 30, and can only be used to take antlerless deer.

The listings of farms enrolled in the "Red Tag" program are maintained by the respective Region Offices as those landowners enrolled in the program change from year to year.

BOARD MAKES CHANGES TO DMAP PROGRAM

As requested at its April meeting, the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today gave preliminary approval to a regulatory change to enhance accountability for the public landowners seeking to enroll in the Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP).

Under the new regulations, all public landowners will be required to provide an approved deer management plan along with their DMAP application. The regulation also proposes to advance the application date one month earlier to allow staff adequate time to review and process DMAP applications in a timely manner, as well as notify applicants about permit availability prior to the issuance of regular antlerless licenses.

The Board also directed staff to publicize the new application process and earlier dates for landowners to apply in early 2011.

In other DMAP-related action, the Board announced that it had taken a notational vote, on Aug. 17, giving final approval to issue 2,761 DMAP antlerless deer coupons to private landowners who are not enrolled in any of the agency's public access programs for the 2010-11 seasons.

BOARD PROPOSES NEW TOOL FOR SNOW GOOSE CONSERVATION HUNT

To give waterfowl hunters another tool to assist with efforts to address overabundant snow goose populations, the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today gave preliminary approval to a regulatory change to allow the use of electronic decoys during the Snow Goose Conservation Hunt.  If approved by the Board at its January meeting, this regulatory change could be in effect for hunters participating in the 2011 Snow Goose Conservation Hunt (Feb. 21-April 16).

For the 2010 Snow Goose Conservation Hunt, the Board approved the use of electronic calls and expanded hunting hours to one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset.

"Snow goose populations have reached levels that are causing extensive and possibly irreversible damage to the arctic and sub-arctic breeding grounds they and other nesting birds use," pointed out Kevin Jacobs, Game Commission waterfowl biologist. "For some populations of snow geese, their nesting habitats can no longer support these large numbers. What's more, these geese are beginning to impact habitat and crops in Mid-Atlantic States and Quebec.

"It's likely that North America has never had as many snow geese as it does now.  They have become a huge and unexpected problem for themselves and other wildlife that shares the wintering and breeding grounds these waterfowl occupy. More hunting hours and electronic decoys should provide hunters additional opportunity to harvest snow geese."

BOARD PURCHASES NEW STATE GAME LANDS AND ACCEPTS DONATION

The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today approved the purchase of 115.66 acres adjoining State Game Land 314, in Springfield Township, Erie County, from the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy for $400 per acre. The property consists of seven parcels with a diversity of habitat types, including roughly 780 feet of frontage on Lake Erie with undeveloped natural bluffs up to 75 feet high. Other habitat types include old reverting fields and woodland classified as Great Lakes Region Lake Plain Palustrine Forest, a critically imperiled plant community. The tracts are bisected by Old Lake Road, which provides access into the property. Although the majority of the property south of Old Lake Road is forested with maple, ash, beech, white pine and black cherry, there are small pockets of open wetlands and old fields reverting back to a natural condition. A tributary to Raccoon Creek flows through the southern portion of the property.

SGL 314 presently contains 3,178 acres in Erie County.

The Board also accepted a donation from Sofia Pearlman, of Camp Hill, of 10.4 acres in Franklin Township, York County, adjoining SGL 243. The tract is forested with mixed hardwoods containing yellow poplar, maple and beech as the predominate species. The understory is mostly spice bush and multiflora rose. The property lies south of Cabin Hollow Road.

SGL 243 presently contains 1,166 acres in York County.

BOARD APPROVES TWO LAND EXCHANGES

The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today approved a land exchange with Richard and Christie Youngkin involving a 25-foot wide by 3,448-foot long right-of-way across State Game Land 120 in exchange for three acres of land, both of which are in Beccaria Township, Clearfield County. The Youngkins own two interior parcels within SGL 120, and the Game Commission has agreed to accept one of the parcels in exchange for legal access across an existing road into the second interior. The easement for right-of-way shall not be used for the purpose of subdivision and the Youngkins have agreed not to construct any buildings closer than 150 feet from the boundary with SGL 120.

Two thirds of the property that the Game Commission will receive in exchange for the right-of-way is reverting grassland, with the other third in mixed forest cover, including an old apple orchard. Acquiring the three acres will remove an interior property lying within SGL 120, and reduce future boundary line maintenance.

The Board also approved an exchange involving a number of adjacent property owners who have been accessing their properties through SGL 111 in Lower Turkeyfoot Township, Somerset County. Some have been paying annual right-of-way licenses fees, while others have questionable legal access. The landowners have agreed to exchange the right-of-way for replacement land.

The landowners have agreed to cause to convey to the Game Commission a four-acre tract of land adjacent to SGL 93 in Shade Township, Somerset County, from the Wildlife for Everyone Endowment Foundation (WFEEF), which the WFEEF acquired with generous assistance from the Laurel Mountain Midstream Operating, LLC/Williams Pipeline Company, The Conservation Fund and Waste Management Incorporated. The replacement land is within the Flight 93 National Memorial boundary and along Johnson Bottom Road. The land is a mowed field.

Acquiring this property will expand the recently acquired SGL 93, which was named and dedicated in honor of the heroic passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93 who bravely sacrificed their lives on Sept. 11, 2001.

BOARD TAKES OTHER ACTIONS

In other action today, the Board of Game Commissioners:

• Approved a resolution, introduced by Game Commission President Jay Delaney, to support legislative efforts to allow for adult mentors to transfer one antlerless deer license or permit to a youth under the age of 12 participating in the Mentored Youth Hunting Program.  If such legislation is approved by the General Assembly and Governor, the Board would be able to add antlerless deer to the list of legal species for youth to pursue under the MYHP.  Current legal game species are: antlered deer, coyotes, groundhogs, squirrels and spring gobbler;
• Approved a resolution, introduced by Game Commission President Jay Delaney, directing agency staff to provide the public with Wildlife Management Unit deer population estimates at or before the Board's annual January meeting. The Board's goal with this resolution is to increase the public trust in deer management. This resolution is consistent with the recently completed Legislative Budget and Finance Committee's audit of the Game Commission's deer management program, which was conducted by the Wildlife Management Institute;
• Gave final approval to falconry permit regulations to require that a sponsor for a new falconer be a general or master class falconer having at least two years experience as a general class falconer. The regulatory change also expands the list of eligible species of eagles that a master class falconer may possess with additional written authorization to include eagles not covered under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act;
• Gave preliminary approval to a technical change to remove conflicting language in the regulations (Title 58) that resulted when the law (Title 34) was changed to permit hunters or trappers to harvest furbearers with a firearm having a light mounted on it;
• Gave preliminary approval to a measure to apply the regulatory protections afforded to State Game Lands to State Game Farms, where the agency raises pheasants;
• Gave preliminary approval to expand the non-toxic shot authorization to both fall turkey and spring gobbler seasons. The Board previously had approved the use of types of non-toxic shot that could be used for small game;
• Gave preliminary approval to a regulatory change to prohibit the use of fishing hooks or snagging hooks or any other device that is not a lawful trap, firearm, bow or crossbow from being utilized during licensed trapping activities;
• Changed the dates of the Board's January 2011 meeting to Jan. 30-Feb. 1, to be held at the agency's Harrisburg headquarters, 2001 Elmerton Avenue, just off the Progress Avenue exit of Interstate 81.

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SOURCE Pennsylvania Game Commission