However, my friend and I discussed this, and agreed, we saw what we saw, and had it been 40 years ago or four months ago, we knew we saw a coyote. Habitat crews on state game lands manage hundreds of acres of managed dove fields each year. Are Pennsylvanians OK with these changes? By law, all first-time hunters and trappers, regardless of age, must successfully complete Hunter-Trapper Education training before they can buy a Pennsylvania hunting or trapping license. I'll offer my own little anecdote. Is there a correct position for the upright on a Wimberley actionhead. [SECRET REVEALED]. Harvesting 3-year-old gobblers during the spring is compensatory mortality, since most would die from predation if they are not harvested. If you see a deer or elk displaying symptoms of CWD, report it to the appropriate Game Commission region office. Only when I reviewed the images on my laptop did I discover that I had a mountain lion! Recently, on a back road in Pennsylvania, a friend and I had our first sighting of a coyote in Pennsylvania. Recently, on our Arizona Hummingbird and Bat Photo Shoot, I found a deer that had been hit by a car and had moved off to die beside a stream just 200 yards upstream from our lodge. Would a puma then qualify as a native species? Bears should be field dressed before being brought to a check station. This accomplished, my next move was to do a transparency overlay, in an effort to line up both images perfectly. A variety of entities handle road-killed deer removal throughout the state and the region office can clarify the proper authorities to notify based on the location of the animal. But more importantly, he also said that regardless of color, he saw a big cat, with a tail that looked to be about 4 feet long! 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. Yet, again, were assuming that our mystery cat is right up against the steps. I spend a lot of time outdoors, and I've seen about 10 black bears in Pennsylvania, and all within ten miles of my home. Initially, the purpose of pheasant stocking was to help establish self-sustaining populations. These fields are an exciting and new opportunity to take advantage of the most abundant and wide-ranging game bird in North America. Are they all the product of the off-spring of pumas that escaped their owners or were released? More information is available here. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. 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. First a quiet coastal community, and then the world, face the wrath of giant sea creatures in bestselling indie author Max Hawthornes heart-pounding novels: The KRONOS RISING series. A Hunting &Trapping Digest will be included with your license/permit purchase at no additional cost. The rounded ears, "But there is certainly major costs to that return. Granted, the image is not great, and I used some Photoshop adjustment layers to enhance the image, making it a bit easier to see. He's. So, theyll respond swiftly to a dose of pepper spray, meaning theyll almost always beat a hasty retreat. For the sake of clarity, the lowest portion of the wall supporting the railing to the right is 6.75 inches in height (this is directly beside and in front of the cat in question). You read it here first: Mountain lions still exist in Pennsylvania: Just prior to the start of Pennsylvania's two-week firearms deer season, the volunteers at the Eastern Puma Research Network put out a call to hunters. Never approach a mountain lion, especially one that is feeding or with kittens. I've spoken to PGC personnel, two being friends, and neither believe there are pumas in Pa. One cited how a bobcat's tail can be much longer than you expect, although I've never seen a bobcat tail longer than, at most, twice the size of the tails illustrated above of the bobcat. Mentored hunters are not required to take a Hunter-Trapper Education class before obtaining a permit to hunt through the program. Click here for more information about HuntFishPA. With proper management, trapping allows for sustainable use of this valuable wildlife resource. 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. Youngsters who participate in the mentored program for at least three years before turning 12 are required to get a license at 12, rather than continuing as a mentored hunter. Is it illegal to feed bears? What do you do when you run into a mountain lion? When I did, I discovered the intruder was a large cat. 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. The last wild mountain lion (Puma concolor) known to live in Pennsylvania was killed in 1871. With all the deer in the area, the cat had plenty of prey and I didnt view it as a potential threat. That said there have been numerous sightings of them over the years. We ended up using the 18-inch mark for comparison, as it was pretty much spot-on. Calls to the Operation Game Thief hotline are always answered by a secure recording device. The above frame, although admittedly still amorphous, is at least telling. Cutaneous fibromas, more commonly known as deer warts, are a relatively common skin ailment of deer. Its a wonderful defense against mountain lions (also known as cougars, pumas, or panthers). Those altered prions kill brain cells and ultimately lead to tiny holes in the brains of infected animals. Interestingly, almost all of the people I've spoken to who claim to have seen a puma have not seen a bobcat, an animal that is common enough in Pennsylvania to support a legal trapping season! Bear licenses can also be purchased at an issuing agent where they can walk out the door with the license that same day. 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. Be familiar with the regulations and guidelines for the transportation of harvested game where you are hunting; 2. Unnatural congregation can lead to overcrowded wildlife. Please keep scrolling - ALL the Puma posts are included. The 'look' is from my Pennsylvania has 308 state games lands, which span more than 1.5 million acres. Had this been faked, I'd suspect the hoaxter would try for a more authentic background. Electronic bikes are not allowed to be used on state game lands at this time. About twice the size of a housecat, the distinct stubby tail gives the bobcat its common . The most common areas to see mountain lions in Arizona are in places of rocky and mountainous terrain. American Marten Reintroduction Feasibility Assessment, Marten Reintroduction Feasibility Assessment, Click here to learn more about our agency and its history, Click here for more information about the agency, Click here for more about regulations related to the Right-to-Know law, Click here for step-by-step instructions about how to purchase a Pennsylvania hunting license, lick here for more information about HuntFishPA, Game Commission office that serves your county, contact your state representative and state senator, Click here for full harvest reporting details, lick here for full harvest reporting details, Pennsylvania Game Commission Region Office, Pennsylvania Game Commissions Operation Game Thief program, Pennsylvania Game Commission region office, Pennsylvanias online Hunter-Trapper Education course, report it to the Game Commission region office, Learn more about elk history in Pennsylvania, Click here for a brief synopsis of the zones, Check out the Elk Viewing Guide and Elk Scenic Drive Map from the Pennsylvania Great Outdoors Visitors Bureau, Click here to read the Pennsylvania Game Code, Click here to learn more about deer warts, please review the wild turkey biologist's January 2021 report to the board, Click here to read more about state game lands regulations, The Game Commission maintains a public map that shows where prescribed burns are being planned, Click here to learn more about CWD in Pennsylvania, https://pgcdatacollection.pa.gov/CWDResultsLookup, Refer to the Pennsylvania Department of Healths precautionary recommendations for outdoor recreation, Special Requests to Use State Game Lands Information, Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP). Support increased financial assistance for wildlife and agricultural agencies to combat CWD. During early exploration and settlement in Pennsylvania and other states, many furbearing species were trapped to the point of extirpation. Late-stage signs of CWD-infected animals include an extreme loss of body condition; excessive drinking, urination, salivation and drooling; and behavioral and neurologic changes such as repetitive walking patterns, droopy ears, a wide-based stance, and listlessness. When was CWD detected in Pennsylvania? Current harvest success of inline muzzleloaders is approximately 17 percent, compared to a harvest success rate of 10 percent by flintlock hunters. This is not a Pennsylvania puma! The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners is comprised of eight board members, each selected by the governor, and confirmed by majority vote of the state Senate. Although size can be difficult to determine in the field, a puma will be three or four times larger than a bobcat. Only bring low-risk parts back to Pennsylvania or out of a DMA or Established Area; 7. *Please note: Comments posted on social media sites are always not shared with the commissioners or staff due to the high volume received. Can I use a metal detector on state game lands? Although size can be difficult to determine in the field, a puma will be three or four times larger than a bobcat. I am bothered by the constricted neck of the cat on the game camera; 2. the tail is curved down, rather than up, but it may have been in mid-swing; 3. the goldenrod-appearing flower, and the background of cars, gives a sense of scale and location. More Questions about Pumas in Pennsylvania. 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. 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. 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. 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. A mentored hunter can only hunt deer, turkey, squirrel, rabbit, hare, ruffed grouse, bobwhite quail, pheasant, crow, dove, porcupine, woodchuck and coyote in any of their respective seasons, and must follow daily and season bag limits for each species, (one antlered deer, one fall turkey and one bearded turkey in the spring, per license year). They rejuvenate succulent browse plants preferred by deer and elk, which promotes oak habitats, and their vitally important acorns, and maintains grasses and broadleaf plants sought by brooding turkeys and grouse. Pennsylvania's last known wild eastern mountain lion was killed in Berks County in 1874. Given the cougar's effectiveness as a deer population control, some biologists think this eastern push is a good thing one that should even be encouraged or helped along. Theories include the Nittany Lion, Mountain Lion, Puma, Cougar, Bobcat and even an actual black eastern Panther . With declining turkey populations in many Wildlife Management Units, it might seem logical to eliminate the second spring gobbler tag to reduce harvest. How do I report suspected wildlife crimes? Are there Mountain Lions in Pennsylvania? Several consecutive years of this add up to severely limit the population. 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