4, the Board gave preliminary approval to proposed 2006-07 seasons
and bag limits."
Roe noted that the public may offer comments on these proposals between
now and the next Board meeting, April 17-18, at which time the Board will
consider final adoption of seasons and bag limits for 2006-07 and set
antlerless deer license allocations., and open with public comments . Isabella was appointed to the Board in 2003. They do, however, use federal dollars to help us learn more about
and better manage wildlife. Spotlighting is still allowed
during the early archery , muzzleloader and special firearms antlerless seasons
statewide. Without a hunting
license fee increase, we expect to continue producing at the 100,000-bird
level for 2006-07. At the reduced level, the agency will realize a savings of
nearly $1. Pheasants will be stocked for three consecutive weeks in each
region starting Oct. We ask that all hunters abide by this
new regulation. Male and female pheasants are legal game in these WMUs. All other
WMUs are closed during these dates .
According to data collected by the National Shooting Sports Foundation,
sportsmen are among the most prominent and influential of all demographic
groups.

gunsmithing conservationists

The Game Commission, for decades, has prohibited
spotlighting anytime from 11 p."
During the regular fall season, pheasants will be stocked on State Game
Lands and select state parks and federal lands. "As a
result, we only received information for five club-sponsored mentored youth
pheasant hunts to post on our website . Our western counties have the most
turkeys, but suburban areas around Philadelphia have turkeys too.

waterfowl weatherby

Schleiden, Centre Hall, Centre County; H. The program's
philosophy is that it's cheaper - and far more effective and responsible - to
invest now to protect or restore wildlife populations than waiting until
populations reach critically low levels and need expensive "emergency room
care " through the Endangered Species Act. Despite its name, fishers really aren't fish predators. Except for the
three species identified as prohibited, all highway-killed furbearers
picked up by licensed furtakers outside of hunting and/or trapping
seasons for that species must be reported to the Game Commission within
24 hours after the individual takes possession of the furbearer.
Carl F."
A regional breakdown for the youth and regular season stocking is as
follows: Northwest Region, 6, 570 males and 15,080 females; Southwest Region,
20,470 males and 7,600 females; Northcentral Region, 3,540 males and 8,880
females; Southcentral Region, 8,060 males and 7,920 females; Northeast Region,
6,870 males and 6,360 females; and Southeast Region 20 ,420 males and 660
females.
This year, the late season is scheduled for Dec. 17.

gamekeepers nwtf

m.
"Each year, when land management personnel are releasing pheasants from
the stocking trucks, employees and trucks are shot at by unsuspecting hunters
in the field," Ross said.us) and click on
"Hunting + Trapping," and choose "2005 Pheasant Stockings by County."
The release is a demonstration of efforts made by wildlife professionals
and concerned sportsmen across North America on behalf of wild turkey
restoration and wildlife conservation.

This category lists clubs, organizations, associations that relate to all aspects of the hunting sports.

waterfowler assn

On Oct. Commissioner Thomas E. Matthew R.

21-23, 2007. 4,
for Wildlife Management Units 1A, 1B, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4B
and 4D. The youth pheasant hunt,
including the mentoring component, has been very successful.
"People get involved in hunting and other outdoor activities for a number
of reasons, but it's almost certain that once a person spends time in the
woods or on the water, they begin to care about their natural resources and
will likely become dedicated conservationists," said Rob Keck, NWTF CEO and a
Pennsylvania native.

nugent gunsmithing

On April 18, the Board will begin
voting on the meeting agenda at 8:30 a.

GAME COMMISSIONERS APPROVE IMPORTANT FISHER PROJECT
The Board of Game Commissioners approved a project that will estimate
Pennsylvania's fisher population size and distribution. Young fishers disperse from their family unit in late summer. Male and
female pheasants are legal game in all other WMUs.
Pennsylvania's early wild turkey restoration efforts began in 1915, and a
full-scale program was not established until 1956.

gunsmithing waterfowl

As large chunks of
Pennsylvania were clear -cut in the latter 1800s, fishers became more
concentrated and the elusive animal became easy to find . Fishers, which weigh eight to 15 pounds,
depending upon age and sex, are active all winter and have young in March and
April. Mohr asked that staff draft regulations for the
April meeting to allow the use of crossbows in all seasons, except for
archery deer seasons;

- Gave preliminary approval to a regulatory change that clarifies
electronic devices, including "e-collars," radio-telemetry dog tracking
systems and "beeper collars" may be used to locate dogs while training
or hunting. "Reducing the pheasant propagation program
saved the agency nearly $650,000 over the two fiscal years. A listing of stocking locations for the youth
hunt can be found on pages 26-28 of the 2005-06 Pennsylvania Digest of Hunting
and Trapping Regulations, which is provided to each license buyer. Regional allocations are based on the amount of suitable pheasant
habitat open to public hunting and pheasant hunting pressure.
For details on the pheasant seasons, please see pages 25-28 of the 2005-
2006 Pennsylvania Digest of Hunting + Trapping Regulations .
"Given the cutbacks, we were unable to provide the 2,000 birds for
mentored youth pheasant hunts as we did in the past," Ross said.
WASHINGTON: The Washington County Sportsmen and Conservation League.5 million
turkey hunters. It supports scientific wildlife management
on public, private and corporate lands as well as wild turkey hunting as a
traditional North American sport.

longbeards nwtf

Both days are open to the public. Palone, of Waynesburg, Greene County, was re-
elected vice-president. Fish and
Wildlife Service and by matching funds provided by Indiana University of
Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania 's share of this funding
package was nearly $2 million. "Since their inception, State Wildlife
Grants have helped the Game Commission accomplish much for a variety of
species, and especially now because our revenues cannot adequately fund the
vast needs of Pennsylvania's wildlife.
The fisher 's decline was hastened by its dependency on large tracts of
unbroken forest to accommodate its nomad -like lifestyle.

RECREATIONAL SPOTLIGHTING RESTRICTIONS ADOPTED
The Board of Game Commissioners today adopted regulatory language that
extends the ban on recreational spotlighting during the regular firearms deer
seasons and will include the late firearms deer seasons in Wildlife Management
Units 2B, 5C and 5D. The permit
will be denied if the taking of a specific species would be detrimental
to the population of that species as a whole, as determined by
available biological data;

- Gave final approval to a measure to permit hunters to use crossbows for
turkey seasons.Stocking more than 12 percent higher than planned; 18,000 birds for youth hunt
restored

HARRISBURG, Pa.
"Based on agency's budget cuts in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 fiscal years, we
reduced our pheasant propagation program by 50 percent ," said Vern Ross, Game
Commission executive director.state.

Pennsylvania Game Commission: Wild Turkeys to Take Flight Near Philadelphia

outdoorsman waterfowlers

The recovery effort followed
about eight decades of fisher-less forests in Penn's Woods. The result was
catastrophic to the species. The change
will permit crossbows to be legal to use as early as the 2006 spring
gobbler season.
"On behalf of the Game Commission, I would like to extend my sincere
thanks and praise to the members of these clubs for sponsoring a mentored
youth pheasant hunt, and for all that they do to preserve and pass along our
state's rich and proud hunting heritage to a new generation," Ross said. With the help of NWTF
volunteers, the PGC has trapped and transferred more than 2,500 turkeys
throughout the state.
The NWTF is a nonprofit organization with more than 500,000 members in
50 states and 16 foreign countries.

misunderstanding bowhunters

Boop, who was appointed to
the Board in 2003, previously served as Secretary in 2005. Fish and Wildlife Service distributed $69
million in SWG funding to states.
"SWG projects do not cause a net reduction in the agency's general or
"game" fund.
Larkin and Dr. The furbearers,
one of the largest members of the weasel family, disappeared in the state in
the late 1800s and early 1900s as a result of deforestation and unregulated
trapping. They'll eat
fish if they happen upon a dead or discarded one. But they prefer squirrels,
rabbits, porcupines and carrion .

Pennsylvania Game Commission: Fall Pheasant Stocking Plans Announced

8-14.
Also, as part of the license fee increase approved in 1998, the General
Assembly created a junior combination license that packages regular license
privileges with archery, flintlock and furtaking opportunities for $9,
compared to the regular junior license price of $6.

outdoorsman weatherby

HARRISBURG, Pa.
Commissioner Gregory J.
"Managing the state's wild birds and mammals is an ever-increasing
responsibility that is supported by limited funding, which restricts the Game
Commission's ability to provide sufficient funding to all species," noted
agency Executive Director Carl Roe.

BOARD TAKES ACTION ON OTHER ITEMS
In other action today, the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners also:

- Gave final approval to allow hunters and trappers to apply over-the-
counter at agency offices for elk licenses, special wild turkey
licenses, bobcat permits, and Deer Management Assistance Program
harvest permits;

- Gave final approval to a measure to eliminate language that prohibits
DMAP permit holders from being declared ineligible if they fail to
submit a report card during the previous license year;

- Gave final approval to a measure to permit licensed furtakers to take
possession of furbearers killed on Pennsylvania 's highways throughout
the year, except for river otters, bobcats and fishers." As
part of the program, clubs are required to erect appropriate facilities,
purchase feed and cover other expenses, and then they can receive pheasant
chicks to raise and release for hunting and dog training purposes.state. "With the help of conservation-minded hunters, today
there are nearly 7 million wild turkeys throughout North America.org.

gamekeepers bowhunters

Game Commissioners are nominated by the Governor and confirmed by the
state Senate to serve an eight-year term. The change makes
spotlighting unlawful during any rifle/shotgun season in WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D
that occurs after the traditional two-week antlered/antlerless season. The
regulation was established to reduce the waste of a valuable resource;

- Gave final approval to a measure to clarify the six-person hunting
party limit for small game hunters doesn't apply to waterfowl or dove
hunters when hunting from a blind or other stationary position;

- Gave final approval to action to expand the falconry examination period
from the month of May to a period from Jan.
Opening day of the general pheasant hunting season is Oct. "To prevent this, the agency approved a regulation
to prohibit hunters from discharging a firearm within 150 yards of a Game
Commission vehicle releasing pheasants.pgc.
For a complete listing of pheasant stockings planned for each county,
visit the Game Commission's website (http://www. Congress at the requests of hunters in 1937, this excise tax
established a dedicated revenue stream to aid states in wildlife restoration.us), click on "Wildlife " then
choose "Wild Turkeys.

outdoorsman easement

Other Commissioners are: John J. Riley, Pocono Township, Monroe County;
Russell E.
SWG is America's - as well as Pennsylvania's - best hope for aggressively
stemming the decline of threatened and endangered species." Given their natural uncommonness
and penchant for inhabiting the more rugged areas of the state, that wasn't
too surprising.
"We are striving to live within our current revenues," Ross said."
A study commissioned by the NWTF in 2003 found that 78 percent of turkey
hunters considered conservation projects, such as protecting or enhancing
wildlife habitat, to be very important.

bowhunting varmints

They receive no salary, but are
reimbursed for expenses to attend Game Commission quarterly meetings and other
functions. An advisory group , comprised of Game Commission and Pennsylvania
Fish and Boat Commission staff, review and rank SWG projects, and then secure
Board of Commissioners approvals for selected projects. Dzialak of Indiana University of Pennsylvania will
be spearheading this project. on the day before the opening of the regular
antlered/antlerless deer season to the day after the season closes. "Now,
more than ever , we need sportsmen's clubs to help us in many aspects,
including raising pheasants.
BERKS: The Pheasants Forever Local Chapter #576. That's why
our hunting heritage is important, not only to hunters, but to all Americans. A long-standing example of hunters'
contributions to wildlife management is the Pittman-Robertson Act.

easement waterfowlers

Isabella, of Philadelphia, Philadelphia County,
was elected secretary. The work will be
funded through the State Wildlife Grants program (SWG) of the U. Jeffery L.

"Despite the overall reductions, this year our game farm staff had an
excellent production season with virtually no weather-related problems.
CLEARFIELD: Pennsylvania Wildlife Habitat Unlimited. In fact, restoration efforts have been so successful
that wild turkeys from Pennsylvania have been transferred to other states to
help with restoration efforts.
"While the agency 's turkey management efforts date back to the infancy of
the Game Commission, NWTF has been a major presence in the state since the
1970s," said Vern Ross, Pennsylvania Game Commission executive director .S. Since 1985, the NWTF and its cooperators
have spent more than $202 million upholding hunting traditions and conserving
more than 9 million acres of wildlife habitat.

weatherby outdoorsman

It was considered that moving preliminary consideration of
seasons and bag limits to late October would improve customer service and
reduce deadline pressures - when seasons proposed in January are adopted in
April - to get Board actions finalized through governmental processes and
published.
"License buyers have asked for - and we attempted to provide - more
advance notice of season dates to help them select their vacation days," said
Carl Roe, Game Commission executive director. "However, since deer harvest
data will not be available until mid-March and bear and wild turkey harvest
results were just made available, the Board and staff concluded more time was
needed before taking final action on the 2006-07 seasons and bag limits.

BOARD ELECTS BOOP PRESIDENT
The Board of Game Commissioners today elected new officers during its
annual reorganization for 2006. 9. The Game Commission is still waiting to learn
how much funding Pennsylvania will receive this year. The
exam , which includes questions about basic biology, care and handling
of raptors, literature and regulations, is provided at each of the
agency's six regional offices;

- Gave final approval to a measure to allow property owners to obtain a
depredation permit to take threatened or endangered birds that are
causing economic loss or to protect their property , but only if the
taking is intended to reinforce and support ongoing non-lethal control
methods as part of an integrated damage management program."
Ross announced that the increased success rate in production has enabled
the agency to provide additional birds for the small game season, as well as
restore the stocking allocation to 18,000 birds -- up from the initial 15,000
birds -- for the fourth annual Youth Pheasant Hunt, which is scheduled for
Oct. 22, and closes
on Nov. Game Commission regional
offices have an updated publication titled A Guide To Pheasant Releases And
More, which identifies State Game Lands, and those state parks and federal
lands with suitable habitat that receive pheasant stockings.
PIKE: The Promised Land Sportsman Association .
"In the early years, the NWTF's Pennsylvania State Chapter helped us keep
the restoration program moving when dollars got tight -- now we have more than
320,000 wild turkeys in Pennsylvania . For more
information about the NWTF, call (800) THE-NWTF or go to http://www.
For more information on Pennsylvania wild turkeys, visit the Game
Commission's website (http://www.nwtf.

sportswomen nkc

S. State distribution of grant monies is
determined using a formula that appropriates funds based on a state's land
area and population. 1 to June 30 annually to
provide apprentice falconers more opportunities to take the test.
Ross reminded hunters that each year, beginning in January, hunting clubs
are able to assist the agency in raising pheasants, especially during the
agency's lean-fiscal times , by enrolling in the "Pheasant Chick Program. Riegner, chief of the agency's Propagation Division, said that
region staff will begin the stocking season Oct. 12-23 and Dec."

About the NWTF: In 1973, when the National Wild Turkey Federation was
founded, there were an estimated 1.

misunderstanding flocks

Boop, of Sunbury,
Northumberland County, was elected Board President. Until a
successor is qualified, Commissioner Stephen L. No state receives more than five percent or less than one
percent of the available funds . In addition, the project will help Game Commission staff in developing
reliable field methods to monitor statewide population trends.
Since additional firearms hunting seasons have been established in the
state's urban/suburban WMUs, the regulations had to be amended to prohibit
spotlighting during these extended or late firearms seasons. 6, when the agency will
release 18,000 birds (8,780 males and 9,220 females) for the youth pheasant
hunt scheduled for Oct 8-14.pa.

PHILADELPHIA , Wild turkeys will spread their wings
and fly at a Thanksgiving release near Philadelphia, at the Pennsylvania Game
Land 196, Thursday, Nov.
The event, hosted by the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) and the
National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), celebrates the comeback of the wild
turkey . Since the late 1980s, state, federal
and provincial wildlife agencies, the NWTF and many volunteers have donated
135,000 wild turkey transfer boxes and helped move 186,000 birds across North
America . Passed by
the U. Thanks to the work of wildlife agencies and the NWTF's many
volunteers and partners, today there are nearly seven million wild turkeys and
nearly three million turkey hunters .net.

waterfowling bowhunters

m.
Commissioner Roxane S. Schreffler, Everett, Bedford County. Dr. Overall, 190 fishers were released in Pennsylvania as part of a
reintroduction partnered by the Pennsylvania Game Commission , Frostburg State
University and Pennsylvania State University. The
remainder of the state will be unaffected. Currently, crossbows may be used to hunt bear, elk,
during any statewide firearms deer season and during any established
deer season in Wildlife Management Units 2B, 5C and 5D. 26. The publication
also is posted on the Game Commission's website (http://www. 26-Feb. Also , there will be no late-season hen
stockings this year.
"However, we know that a number of clubs have purchased birds from private
breeders and again plan to host hunts this year.

bowhunters waterfowler

, Awaiting further harvest data and
information about deer, bear and turkey seasons from 2005 , the Pennsylvania
Board of Game Commissioners, at the recommendation of agency staff, voted to
postpone giving final approval to proposed 2006-07 seasons and bag limits
until its meeting on April 17-18 .m. Mohr, of Bainbridge, Lancaster
County, is serving an extension of up to six months of his eight -year term
that expired Dec."
The fisher project will identify the geographic distribution of fishers in
the Commonwealth, as well as population densities and a minimum population
size . Game Commission biologist Matt Lovallo will
serve as an agency collaborator on the project. Under the new business portion of the meeting, Game
Commissioner Stephen L. This
has resulted in a more than 12 percent increase above the 100,000-bird
production quota for stocking this fall . 19, prior to the opening day."
Working with the Pennsylvania State Chapter of Pheasants Forever , the Game
Commission's Youth Pheasant Hunt Committee prepared a "Mentored Youth Pheasant
Hunt Planning Guide" to enable groups to develop and sponsor a mentored youth
pheasant hunt program.
Under the youth pheasant hunt, which runs concurrently with the youth
squirrel hunt from Oct.

Also, as with all junior hunters, those 12 and 13 years old must be
accompanied by a parent, guardian or other family member 18 years or older,
and those 14 and 15 years old must be accompanied by a person 18 years or
older. Onlookers will witness a slice of wild turkey
restoration as the birds are released from transport boxes into suitable wild
turkey habitat.

varmints bowhunters

Pennsylvania Game Commission: Final Adoption of Seasons and Bag Limits Postponed to April; Board Elects Boop President; Game Commissioners Approve Important F

On April 17, the meeting will begin at
8:30 a. Appointed to the Board in 2000 , Palone was first
elected vice-president in 2004, and re-elected in 2005. Daniel Hill III, Erie,
Erie County; and David W. Most Pennsylvanians didn't notice the loss of
the state's "black cats ," or "tree foxes. They may not be used, directly or indirectly, for locating
game;

- Gave preliminary approval to allow hunters to use atlatls to harvest
deer; and

- Announced the next scheduled meeting of the Board will be held April
17-18, in the auditorium of the agency's Harrisburg headquarters, 2001
Elmerton Ave. 1-
3; and Jan., The Pennsylvania Game Commission
has slated 112,430 ring-necked pheasants for release on public lands
throughout the Commonwealth for the upcoming small game hunting seasons, an
increase from the original 100,000 birds planned due to cost-cutting efforts
put in place beginning in the 2004-05 fiscal year. Only male pheasants are legal game in Wildlife
Management Units (WMUs) 2A, 2B, 2C, 4C, 4E, 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D.pa.

Other recent Game Commission initiatives to promote youth hunting
opportunities include: a youth spring gobbler season established in 2004; a
youth squirrel hunt created in 1996 and expanded in 2004; a waterfowl hunt
initiated in 1996 and expanded in 2005; special antlerless deer harvesting
opportunities opened in 1998, and expanded in 2000; and youth field days
implemented in the early 1990s.nwtf.pa.3 million wild turkeys and 1.

nkc bowhunters

In fiscal year 2005, the U.
Pennsylvania's fisher reintroduction got started back in 1994, when 22
fishers were released on the Sproul State Forest in Centre and Clinton
counties.1 million over the three fiscal years."
Ross also noted that, because of limited financial resources and staff
shortages, the annual public tours of the agency's game farms have been
cancelled for this year and the foreseeable future. Preseason releases will
consist of 50 percent of the fall allocation, and the two in-season releases
will be 25 percent each.us), and can
be viewed by clicking on "Hunting + Trapping," then choosing "PGC's Pheasant
Program.pgc.
"Indeed, all Pennsylvanians should be thankful that the NWTF has remained
committed for decades to help support the Game Commission's wild turkey
management program, turkey hunting safety, habitat improvement and land
acquisitions that have strengthened the wild turkey's presence in the
Commonwealth.

flocks rapides

S.
Fishers are about the size of a gray fox , have a dark brown coat, and are
as comfortable scampering in a forest's canopy as they are roaming the forest
floor.
In the early 1900s, due to unregulated commercial and subsistence hunting
and massive loss of habitat, the wild turkey almost disappeared from Penn's
Woods.

rapides longbeards

"
While the agency was able to restore the youth pheasant hunt allocation to
18,000, clubs hosting mentored youth pheasant hunts had to purchase birds on
their own this year.
For more information about the Philadelphia wild turkey release or the
NWTF, call Brian Dowler or Jonathan Harling at (803) 637-3106.pgc.
For more information on the National Wild Turkey Federation, call
(803) 637 -3106, check out our web site at http://www.

bowhunters outdoorsman

She also was elected
to serve as board secretary in 2003. Other meetings set by the Board, all of which will be
held in the agency's headquarters in Harrisburg, are: June 5-6; Oct.
Last year, the agency enacted a regulation aimed at improving safety for
agency employees and vehicles involved in pheasant stocking. 8-14, participants are not required to purchase a
junior hunting license, but they must have passed a Hunter-Trapper Education
course.
Following is a county listing of the clubs that have requested that their
mentored youth pheasant hunt be posted on the agency's website:

BEDFORD/FULTON: The Bedford/Fulton Chapter of Pheasants Forever. The wild turkey's range in Pennsylvania was limited to small, remnant
flocks in remote areas of the Ridge and Valley Province of south-central
Pennsylvania. Sportsmen pour $70 billion annually into the economy and support more
jobs nationwide than the number of people employed by Wal-Mart, the country's
largest corporation.state.org or e-mail
questions to nwtf@nwtf .