Elk Escape from Captive Cervid Facility in Pennsylvania Near West Virginia Border

South Charleston, W.Va. – The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) has confirmed with officials from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) that at least two elk, including one adult bull and one cow, have escaped from a captive cervid facility (deer and elk farms) in Greene County, Pa. Greene County shares a common border with Marshall, Wetzel and Monongalia counties in West Virginia. The elk escaped from a captive cervid facility located approximately three miles from the West Virginia-Pennsylvania border.

The PDA regulates captive cervid facilities in Pennsylvania. A representative of the agency was unaware if the recent escaped elk were tagged. The WVDNR regulates captive cervid facilities in West Virginia. In West Virginia, all captive cervids in breeding facilities must be ear-tagged, and there are currently no reported elk escapes from any facility in West Virginia.

A bull elk has been seen recently in Wetzel County, W.Va., according to WVDNR officials. There have been no reports of cow elk sightings in either Wetzel County, W.Va., or Greene County, Pa. No free-ranging wild elk live within 150 miles of Wetzel County. The elk sighted in Wetzel County is likely the escaped animal from the captive facility in Pennsylvania.

Contact between escaped captive deer or elk and free-ranging white-tailed deer increases the risk of disease transmission from the captive animals to the native herd, according WVDNR biologists. The movement and/or escape of captive deer and elk increases this risk of contact and are one of the many possible modes of transmission for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) from captive cervids to free-ranging white-tailed deer.

The State of Missouri recently documented CWD in a captive cervid facility. Texas Parks and Wildlife had to euthanize a large captive deer herd after illegal importation of white-tailed deer from a captive facility in Arkansas.

“Monitoring and protecting West Virginia’s deer herd from CWD and other diseases is crucial to West Virginia’s economy and its natural resources,” said WVDNR Director Frank Jezioro. “Deer hunting provides tremendous recreational opportunities for hunters and wildlife viewers, has a large economic impact on its rural communities, and brings in many out-of-state hunters each season to West Virginia.”

WVDNR advises residents in Marshall, Wetzel and Monongalia counties to contact the Farmington District Office at 304-825-6787 if they see an elk in these counties. Hunters are reminded that it is illegal to harvest any free-ranging elk in West Virginia.

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RGS Accepting Reservations for its Pennsylvania Upland Bird Hunt

Coraopolis, PA – The Ruffed Grouse Society (RGS) has scheduled its annual Upland Bird Hunt (UBH) within the Pennsylvania Wilds Region of Pennsylvania for November 3-5, 2011.

The UBH adventure includes a reception party on Thursday, Nov. 3; two days of hunting on Nov. 4-5; two breakfast buffets; field lunches; admission to “Meet the Artist” featuring a number of recognized wildlife artist and carvers; a buffet dinner on Friday Nov. 4, and one ticket to the Grand Banquet on Saturday, Nov. 5. (Area RGS members are welcome to attend the evening events).

According to RGS Regional Director Lisa Rossi, reservations are $325 per hunter and $150 for a “youth hunter” or non-hunting guest. With limited availability, the base of operation will be the Red Fern Inn, Kersey, PA, which is central to thousands of acres of public hunting land, including the Allegheny National Forest, several State Game Lands and State Forest lands.  A Pennsylvaniaresident or non-resident hunting license is required.

Lodging accommodations will be available at several hotels in the St. Mary’s area. For more information and/or reservations contact Mary Hosmer at 814-512-2101, or by e-mail at: wlhab@windstream.net .

Established in 1961, the Ruffed Grouse Society (RGS) is the one international wildlife conservation organization dedicated to promoting conditions suitable for ruffed grouse, American woodcock and related wildlife to sustain our sport hunting tradition and outdoor heritage.

Information on RGS, its mission, management projects and membership can be found on the web at:www.ruffedgrousesociety.org.

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Ruffed Grouse Society Commends PA Game Commission for Opening More Land to Hunting

Coraopolis, PA – The Ruffed Grouse Society (RGS) applauds the Pennsylvania Game Commission for opening an additional 10,400 acres in Centre and Clearfield counties to hunters and trappers.

“With thousands of acres being lost annually through development and private landowner posting, it’s important that more access be made available to sportsmen and sportswomen; not only here in Pennsylvania, but in every state across this great nation of ours,” said Mike Zagata, RGS President and CEO, noting that is was hunters that laid the cornerstone for today’s conservation movement.

“In may sound paradoxical, but in order for grouse, woodcock, deer, duck, turkey or the thousands of songbirds and other non-hunted species to survive, it is imperative that the outdoor traditions we inherited from our forefathers continue, and the only way that can happen is by making more land available and maintaining it so that all wildlife will prosper,” Zagata said.

Established in 1961, the Ruffed Grouse Society is the one international wildlife conservation organization dedicated to promoting conditions suitable for ruffed grouse, American woodcock and related wildlife to sustain our sport hunting tradition and outdoor heritage.

Information on RGS, its mission, management projects and membership can be found on the web at: www.ruffedgrousesociety.org.

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Pennsylvania Elk Hunting License Drawing Rescheduled For Sept. 14

Harrisburg, PA – Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe announced Monday that the agency has rescheduled its public drawing to award 56 elk licenses for the 2011 elk hunt for 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 14, in the agency’s Harrisburg headquarters, 2001 Elmerton Ave., just off the Progress Avenue exit of Interstate 81. The rescheduling was the result of state office closings last week forced by flooding in the Harrisburg region.

Roe said the public drawing will be webcast beginning at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 14. To view the drawing, a “Live Elk Drawing” icon will be posted on the agency’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us) for individuals to click on and watch the drawing. In order to watch the live feed, you will need to have Flash Player installed on your computer. If you do not have Flash Player installed on your computer, please go to this link: http://www.adobe.com/software/flash/about/. Once Flash Player has been installed, you can watch the drawing.

Roe said the same flooding that devastated property and adversely affected the lives of tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians also impacted Game Commission properties and resources, including two Game Farms in Lycoming County, which caused the loss of thousands of ring-necked pheasants. The agency also has cancelled the public tours of the two Lycoming County game farms – the Loyalsock and Northcentral game farms – originally scheduled for Sept. 25.

“We are beginning the assessment process, but it appears that 30,000 to 40,000 pheasants that had been raised and were ready for release for this fall’s hunting have perished or escaped,” said Bob Boyd, Game Commission Bureau of Wildlife Management assistant director, who oversees operations of the agency’s four Game Farms. “We are doing all that we can to recapture escaped birds still in the area, but losses may total up to 40 percent of the total pheasant production planned for this year and has compelled us to re-evaluate fall pheasant stocking plans. The disruption will delay the announcement of how many pheasants will be stocked in each county. Not only were birds lost, but both farms received major damage to holding fields and buildings, which may jeopardize plans to double production levels next year.

“It is too late in the production season to raise more pheasants or to purchase pheasants from private propagators to replace these losses.”

Boyd noted that the other two tours scheduled for the Western Game Farm in Crawford County and the Southwest Game Farm in Armstrong County will continue on Sunday, Oct. 2, as planned and announced. (For more information on the two tours that will continue as planned, please refer to News Release #094-11, which was issued on Sept. 1.)

In Bradford County, the public tour scheduled for State Game Lands 12 and 36 also was cancelled due to flood damage to the tour route.

“Roadways on SGLs 12 and 36 in Bradford County are impassable and several bridges are literally gone,” said Pete Sussenbach, Game Commission Northeast Region Land Management supervisor. “While assessments continue, we expect the damage to be in the millions.”

In the Southeast Region, the public tour scheduled for State Game Land 211 in Dauphin and Lebanon counties has been cancelled due to flooding that has impacted numerous areas of the old railroad grade used as part of this popular tour route.

“At this point, we are unable to access some areas of SGL 211, particularly the Rausch Gap area, to make a full assessment of impacts,” said Bruce Metz, Game Commission Southeast Region Land Management supervisor. “We know a lot of people enjoy this annual tour, but we, unfortunately, must cancel this year as several areas are washed out, and we are unable to make the necessary repairs at this time.”

Metz also noted that routes normally opened two weeks prior to the archery seasons for those disabled hunters with a permit to use a vehicle as a blind on SGL 110 in Berks County and SGL 210 in northern Dauphin County, are not open yet.

“Again, due to wash outs and extremely wet conditions, we are unable to open these routes at this time,” Metz said. “We hope to be able to repair these routes in the near future, and plan to issue a news release when they are opened for disabled hunters who have a permit to use a vehicle as a blind.”

Roe noted that more information will be released on the flood damages to Game Commission assets, properties and resources as assessments are finalized and compiled.

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A Warning To Outdoor Users About Echinococcus, From Worms

by

Tom Remington

This is a warning to outdoor users about a potentially deadly biological event that could result from one’s curiosity to poke at and kick through scat from wolves, coyotes and foxes. Of course not everyone knowingly does this but many hunters, trappers and simply the curious, want to know what these animals have been eating. Read more

Picture This!

With all the great stories, equipment, adventures and people out there I thought it would be great to get some pictures.  If you have any pictures from a hunt, your gear or best of all you geared up that would be great.  If you send in pictures I will post on our site as well as putting some of the best pictures on all our sites.  Things I am looking for, but not limited to.

Read more

Skinny Moose Media Will Live-Stream Maine Moose Lottery

Mark your calendars! June 18th, 2009 will be the annual drawing for the Maine Moose Lottery. This year 3,015 permits will be drawn and as is usually the case thousands of applicants keep their fingers crossed in hopes of being one of the lucky ones.

This year’s event will be held at the University of Maine at Fort Kent and as last year, Skinny Moose Media, in conjunction with U.S. Hunting Today and Maine Hunting Today, will live-stream the video and audio of the event.

Tom Remington, Vice President of Skinny Moose Media, LLC, author of the Black Bear Blog and Managing Editor of U.S. Hunting Today and Maine Hunting Today, will be on hand at the show to conduct interviews and do the filming of the event. He will have his long time friend and Chief Photographer for Skinny Moose Media, Milt Inman with him to assist and grab tons of candid shots throughout the day and evening. Read more

PA Deer Harvest Up 4%. Why? Open Discussion

Participate in an open discussion about whether the harvest numbers of deer in Pennsylvania reflect the attitude that there are no deer left in the state and that the new management techniques aren’t working.

Click this link.

Bear Hunting Seasons In Tennessee And Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania yesterday opened its annual 3-day bear hunting season and Tennessee is in the middle of their season that is a considerably more extended season than that of Pennsylvania. Both states believe they have an abundance of bears and if the weather holds favorable, record harvests could be reported.

To date, Tennessee has reported 246 bear taken with 17 days left in the season. The later part of the season into December allows dogs for bear hunting. Officials predict as many as 400 bears could be harvested if the weather doesn’t get too cold too quickly. That would be a record. Read more

Wildlife Counting. How Important Is It?

In management of wildlife, shouldn’t it be considered imperative to have accurate and reliable population counts? After all, many a lawsuit that involves millions of dollars and just as many people have been decided on data that includes herd counts, especially Endangered Species Act lawsuits.

“I’ve been in the woods for over a month now and I can tell you there are at least 100 does for every buck!” This is a comment I received one day when attempting to communicate with fellow hunters about buck to doe ratios and the management plans Maine has in monitoring and manipulating the whitetail deer populations. Read more

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