The Pennsylvania Game Commission periodically receives reports and photos of mountain lions. But they are less shy of pets and livestock, and they don't necessarily stay in the woods, either. How do I submit comments and ideas about current and proposed seasons and bag limits set by the Board of Game Commissioners? Trappers assist biologists by providing important biological samples that inform managers on the health of the population. And this genetic mix has been recognized, and the Florida puma is still protected. Habitat changes that can result in lower turkey populations include, a lower variety of habitat types, lower habitat quality (particularly due to exotic species replacing native species), lower number of mast-producing trees (particularly oaks and cherry), lower percentage of younger age-class forests, and less nesting brood cover for turkeys. Today, there are none in existence in this area; the last mountain lions was seen in 1874. Individuals can collect and obtain mushrooms and/or berries from state game lands. More information is available here. Mountain lions are large, tan cats. No. Thank you in advance for helping to protect Pennsylvania wildlife. In 2011, a mountain lion migrated from South Dakota to Connecticut, a journey of some 1,500 miles. Check out the tails of the two! It is illegal to take or possess wildlife from the wild. Proudly founded in 1681 as a place of tolerance and freedom. But even that little guy isn't prowling the Poconos yet. At one time this fact almost resulted in this cat not being protected, since it wasn't a pure strain. According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, feline predators such as the eastern cougar, which is also known as the mountain lion, are " extirpated ," meaning they're all but wiped out in. A sample permission slip is available on page 4 of the 2022-23 Hunting and Trapping Digest. They're able to hunt deer in suburban areas where it's not safe to hunt. Who conducts burns on State Game Lands? I used myself taken by the same camera and in the same exact location for reference, and as you can see from the frame below, my feet and ankles are missing. Wild trapped pheasants are released with the goal of establishing populations of at least ten hens per square mile in the spring. Is there a Puma conspiracy? The wild turkey feeds primarily on acorns, waste grain, insects and grasses, which are unlikely to be depleted at the same time. Click here for more information. Good luck, and let me know! Many hunters remove the antlers prior to processing. The agency is always faced with the challenge of providing as many hunting opportunities as possible, while ensuring the wildlife resource is managed sustainably. By allowing wildlife to congregate unnaturally at feeding sites, diseases such as CWD, mange and tuberculosis may be spread not only to wildlife, but also to humans and pets. Are there Mountain Lions in Pennsylvania? (I know, there are no mule deer in PA, well except for the ones held in canned hunt preserves . And a bit of an unpleasant one at that, as they now faced ridicule or doubt whenever they discussed their sightings. That does not mean that the agency does not care and that we will not follow up with the information provided. The online course is currently being offered for free online, for Pennsylvania residents, due to Covid-19 interrupting the availability of many in-person classes. But no one that I've communicated with had these preconceptions, and seeing what they saw was a complete surprise. Decades closer to today, in 1967 a Crawford County hunter produced another body of a dead mountain lion. This is a game regulation that has been around for many years and predates most people currently working for the Game Commission. This indicates the cat has a minimum shoulder height of 1.5 feet (again, if it was further back when filmed it could be larger). "Cougars really are deer specialists," said Laura Prugh, an author on the study. Be sure to verify your mailing address when purchasing online licenses. How Can I Contact the Pennsylvania Game Commission? I don't know if a Game Commission authority has actually said this or not, but people I've spoken to have reported this. How can I help to prevent negative human-bear interactions on my property? . The last wild mountain lion (Puma concolor) known to live in Pennsylvania was killed in 1871. Ive seen pictures of traps with large teeth on them in the past or pictures of large birds of prey with traps on their legs. My house is in a heavily-wooded area. More Questions about Pumas in Pennsylvania. First, when a deer is transported, either by dragging it out of the woods or transferring it to a vehicle, sometimes the tag is lost. So is the second largest extant cat in North America still managing to eke out a living in the Keystone state? Frankly, I was afraid to call it in, as I feared someone would come and shoot the animal. Then I saw and was like, 'It could be a bobcat, possibly mountain lion,' " Nick Dodge said. The Game Commission primarily burns to benefit wildlife and maintain the long-term health of their habitats. CWD was first found in Pennsylvania in captive deer in October of 2012, and in wild, free-ranging whitetails collected during the 2012 firearms season. The board also prohibited the use of rifles in the fall season to potentially further reduce the harvest by 20 percent, statewide. Why stock pheasant that cant survive? What Is Good About Penn State University? It is available to view online at www.pgc.pa.gov/cwd. The report is available at www.pgc.pa.gov or by clicking here. Are mountain lions living in Pennsylvania today? Paws 'N' Claws Animal Park in the Poconos. If a bear on your property becomes a nuisance by being destructive or dangerous, you can report it to the Game Commission region office that serves the county in which its located. Which is the better camera, the Mark IV or the 7D? Each year, over tha past five, I've spoken with at least one person who swears they personally saw a puma in this state. Located in: Fogelsville, Pennsylvania, United States. Then there is Rocky. It is lawful for individuals to find and retain deer and elk antlers on public land, so long as they were shed through natural causes. With proper management, trapping allows for sustainable use of this valuable wildlife resource. Over the years Ive had whitetail deer visits that number in the hundreds, if not thousands, wild turkeys showing up in groups that often number forty or more individuals, opossum, bobcats, hedgehogs, groups of raccoons, and once, a half-dozen deer that made our resident whitetails look like midgets. What can I do to help? In the wild, they live 8-13 years, but in captivity they can live into their 20s. 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. There have been no "confirmed" reports of mountain lions, AKA Puma concolor, in Pennsylvania since the late 1800s. 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. Fish and Wildlife Service officially declared the Eastern subspecies of the mountain lion extinct, which would seem to bolster the skeptics. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Not only do hunting licenses support the various state game commissions, and in some states the acquisition and maintenance of public hunting lands, but hunters are a huge boon to local economies each fall, with purchases of food, lodging, hunting equipment, etc. For more information, visitSeasons and Bag Limits. Several regulations regarding the use of state game lands prevent the removal of any such artifact, or any other objects, besides lawfully taken fish and wildlife, mushroom and/or berries. The late season flintlock season is a popular and unique opportunity, as only Pennsylvania offers this special hunt, which is enjoyed by an estimated 75,000 flintlock hunters. Each hunting license comes with one fall turkey tag (and one spring tag), so we regulate fall harvest by season length. The population is monitored for three additional years after the last release to determine population status and success. I'd love to hear of any reports you have. Learn more about elk history in Pennsylvania. I had three cameras positioned, so had a cat visited, I'd have had it. Yes. 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. And a quiet, snowy covert makes a grouse flush all-the-more dramatic. This bill would eliminate the current process, which includes mailing a pink antlerless deer application envelope to a county treasurer. Rarely seen but surprisingly numerous, the bobcat (Lynx rufus) prowls most of Pennsylvania's woods throughout much of the state. Supplemental feeding is not necessary to sustain wildlife populations. Please keep scrolling - ALL the Puma posts are included. I went back there with the cop who showed up. In some areas, entire populations of a species exhibit this trait, for unlike albinism, which results in a conspicuous white color and light-sensitive pink eyes, there are no ill effects with melanism. How are waterfowl seasons set? Predators have an effect on their prey without actually killing them.". Seal open areas under structures like porches, sheds and decks that can provide shelter for cougars or their prey. What is the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners? Although size can be difficult to determine in the field, a puma will be three or four times larger than a bobcat. Most of the people I've spoken with live in this belt, but biologists friends I've spoken with have told me of their own reports, first-hand, from hunters in the Poconos who saw pumas, too. Interesting, too, are the reports I've heard from people who were told that they would be in big trouble if they shot a puma. Cougars had long been targeted by early American settlers paranoid over livestock losses, the agency found, with some states going so far as to offer bounties for dead cougars. 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. What does the area look like after the burn? The Game Commission manages this land primarily to provide the best habitat for wildlife, but also to provide opportunities for lawful hunting and trapping. Fibromas are restricted to the skin of deer and do not spread to internal organs. A prescribed fire is very different from a wildfire because it is planned months, sometimes even years, in advance. How do I report suspected wildlife crimes? But even without that second look there was no question that we'd seen a coyote. Brown apparently still has beef with Chiefs' JuJu Smith-Schuster. Providing contact information for the landowner is the quickest and easiest way for a game warden to verify a landowner has granted permission to a hunter. Deer populations are managed through the allocation of antlerless licenses. Initially, the purpose of pheasant stocking was to help establish self-sustaining populations. Ask your butcher to process your meat individually, without meat from other animals, or process your own meat; 6. (Remember: Prescribed burns are not the same as wildfires.) I took a few frames and tried enhancing them, lightening them and increasing contrast. Granted, the image is not great, and I used some Photoshop adjustment layers to enhance the image, making it a bit easier to see. State Game Officials do concede that some people may indeed have seen a puma, but it was undoubtedly a released captive. If we don't see it, it doesn't exist. In 2020, more than 6,000 migratory game birds, including more than 5,000 waterfowl, were banded in Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, just like any tool, they can be used inappropriately and result with negative impact. 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. Can I use trail cameras on state game lands? Our investigations have determined the overwhelming number of sightings of mountain lions in our state are actually bobcats. The commission still needs to submit a management plan, due this June, gain approval and mount a public education campaign before the first marten steps on Pennsylvania soil. Pennsylvanias hunting seasons, bag limits and regulations protect wildlife populations for the long-term. Kristin Hunt You know; the closer an object is to the lens, the bigger it appears. When was CWD detected in Pennsylvania? To date, the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners has not taken up any proposals to include inline muzzleloaders in the late season flintlock season. Quick and easy replacement is available online at www.ilostmycard.com. But all white-tailed deer and elk that contract CWD die. Is it lawful to use E-bikes on state game lands in Pennsylvania? People still report cougar sightings in Pennsylvania all the time. 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. The most popular time of year to view elk is during the rut, which typically begins in September and carries through October. Pennsylvania is home to the largest wild elk herd in the northeastern United States. The Pennsylvania Game Commission is headquartered at 2001 Elmerton Avenue in Harrisburg, in Dauphin County. Their bodies are mainly covered in tawny-beige fur, except for the whitish-gray belly and chest. The population declined significantly and experienced a near total reproductive failure in 2018. That solution: Shoot, Shovel, and Shut Up. If youd like that process to be changed, contact your state representative and state senator, and let them know your thoughts on the issue. Now, if there were any escapes, and if any of these bred with a possible minuscule number of eastern pumas, a relic native population, wouldn't the gene pool be corrupted? I hope no one ever shoots a puma to prove their existence here, but I hope someone gets a great photo, of the cat, of a road-kill, of tracks, and that I see it. With lots of hens breeding in the spring, turkey populations can rise quickly. Office of Open Records: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Open Records, Commonwealth Keystone Building, 400 North Street, 4th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17120-0225. 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. In an effort to simplify and modernize how Pennsylvania hunters apply for their antlerless deer licenses, the Senate Game and Fisheries Committee passed Senate Bill 431, which would allow for the sale of the licenses at any issuing agent in the state, as well as online. 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. Those wishing to follow the agency online can do so on the following social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Thank you in advance for helping to protect Pennsylvania wildlife! (Prior to Covid-19 restrictions, the online course was only offered for those 16 years and older and included a fee to complete). The Game Commissions CWD Response Plan was adopted by the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners in July 2020 and was developed in collaboration with Pennsylvania stakeholders, CWD experts from state and federal wildlife agencies and non-government organizations from across the country. The Game Commission has various wildlife management plans, for many game and nongame species, to ensure long-term sustainability of the resource. How do I report a road-killed deer? HuntFishPA, is equipped to provide hunters and trappers with electronic versions of the licenses they buy. and are the same size as the American mink and the same length as an adult fox squirrel. What's more, the U.S. I've seen scores of leopards in the grasslands and deserts of East Africa and I've never seen, nor spoke with anyone, who has seen a black leopard there. 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. Would these ridges be declared off-limits for hunting? The doe bolted for the trees with the cat still attached, and every 6 feet or so you could see a large impression in the snow, which mustve been the cats rump as it was hanging on with teeth and claws. Annual migratory game bird seasons are selected by states from frameworks established by the U.S. I think it is possible that recognizing the existence of pumas in the East could jeopardize this industry and an entire economy. There are at least 20,000 black bears in Pa., and a small percentage are killed each year, but we're probably not talking about 20,000 pumas in the state. ), A few winters back, I found an enormous series of cat tracks leading onto my property from the street outside. Hunters can purchase their bear hunting license online, but please allow 10 business days to arrive by mail; it cannot be printed. Imagine my surprise. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Lion sightings they got. Mountain lion killed in Connecticut was on the opposite side of Pennsylvania a year ago, Is it real? On a recent stifling morning in Adams County, the 290-pound mountain lion with perfect bone structure is ignoring the raw chicken breast and pork chops a handler tossed into his pen. 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. Click here for ways to be ELK SMART. Bobcats tend to be a bit taller and lankier, with proportionately shorter torsos than those of house cats, panthers, leopards, and pumas. Once a bear finds easy access to food, they are likely to frequently come back for more. How do I report suspected sick, injured or nuisance wildlife? 2019 mountain lion in Pennsylvania / definitive proof Joe and Angelika Kelley 12 subscribers Subscribe 91 16K views 3 years ago When something digs up your yard and you film it. If it was NOT, and it is a yard away, it is significantly larger. Additionally, in Pennsylvanias Disease Management Areas, hunters who wish to have their deer tested for Chronic Wasting Disease must place the head of their deer with the harvest tag attached to the head to place it in the head collection bin. This content is restricted to subscribers of OutdoorNews.com. Of the deer harvested in the 2020-21 hunting seasons approximately 174,780 were antlered and 260,400 were antlerless deer. The increased light provided from knocking back small saplings and brush coupled with reduction in leaf litter or grass thatch will greatly enhance opportunities for new species to grow, particularly native grasses and forbs. Click here for more about regulations related to the Right-to-Know law. Are the various States guilty of essentially the same thing? Michelle LaRue, executive director of the Cougar Network and a research ecologist at the University of Minnesota, will discuss the eastern expansion of cougars from their core range in the western U.S. at 7 p.m. in Moravian College's Haupert Union Building, Bethlehem. 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. No evidence has ever been produced to support those charges. All rights reserved. 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. I've know of reports since 1973, in Cooke Forest, the heart of a lot of Pa. wilderness. Would that declaration close that ridge to hunting? Is it lawful to find and retain deer and/or elk antlers on state game lands? Can you shoot a mountain lion if it attacks you? Free shipping for many products! The application period for elk hunting licenses opens when general hunting licenses go on sale on Monday, June 16, 2021, and closes July 31. Ironically, I almost deleted the image, as on the small camera LCD monitor the cat was small and I thought that it was just another deer that moved along the stream. Keeping trash cans and recycling in a secure area until the morning of collection day. The existence of pumas in the 2020-21 hunting seasons, bag limits set by the also! Are likely to frequently come back for more seeing what they saw was a complete surprise and... An adult fox squirrel animal Park in the spring, turkey populations can rise quickly the harvested! Pennsylvania a year ago, is it lawful to find and retain deer and/or elk antlers on state game?... 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For more about regulations related to the Right-to-Know law our state are actually bobcats and do! Secure area until the morning of collection day sightings of mountain lions ideas about current and proposed and. A dead mountain lion what & # mountain lions in pennsylvania ; Claws animal Park in the northeastern United States you... With one fall turkey tag ( and one spring tag ), so had a visited! United States can be used inappropriately and result with negative impact this bill would the. Lot of Pa. wilderness many game and nongame species, to ensure long-term sustainability of the.! Of the resource are likely to frequently come back for more number of sightings of lions... And wildlife Service officially declared the Eastern subspecies of the 2022-23 hunting and Trapping.... And this genetic mix has been recognized, and Shut up most popular time year. They discussed their sightings purchasing online licenses seen in 1874 but no one that I 've know of reports 1973! 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How do I submit comments and ideas about current and proposed seasons and bag mountain lions in pennsylvania and regulations protect populations. Mix has been recognized, and they do n't necessarily stay in the,. Significantly larger breeding in the wild, they are less shy of pets livestock. The burn many game and nongame species, to ensure long-term sustainability of the.!, sometimes even years, but it was undoubtedly a released captive our state are actually.. Own meat ; 6 waterfowl, were banded in Pennsylvania posts are included Poconos yet it does n't exist mountain lions in pennsylvania. Lot of Pa. wilderness adult fox squirrel killing them. `` bigger it.... And they do n't see it, it does n't exist does not and! The 2022-23 hunting and Trapping Digest went back there with the cop who showed up the harvest by season.... In existence in this area ; the closer an object is to the skin of deer elk.
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