Fall 17 pittsburgh engineer

Pittsburgh

FALL 2017

ENGINEER Quarterly Publication of the Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania

HUNTING & FISHING

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ENGINEER

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In t his Issue...

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James R. Daley, PMP Editorial – Hunting and Fishing: Steeped in Tradition Yet Highly Influenced by Science and Technology

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Rory A. Cooper, Ph.D. Making Hunting and Fishing Accessible Thru Engineering

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Don Olmstead, P.E. The Peterson Cartridge Story

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James R. Daley, PMP Avoiding Tiny Vampires to Protect Your Health

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J.T. Fleegle Who Said Deer Aren’t Tech Savvy?

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Pit tsburgh Engineers’ Building 337 Fourth Avenue Pit tsburgh, PA 15222 P:412-261-0710•F:412-261-1606•E:eswp@eswp.com•W:eswp.com

2017 ESWP OFFICERS President H. DANIEL CESSNA, P.E., Michael Baker International 1st Vice-President ROBERT J. WARD, P.E., CANNON DESIGN 2nd Vice-President DAVID W. BORNEMAN, P.E., ALCOSAN Secretary JAMES R. McMASTER, PMP, Westinghouse Treasurer TAMMI A. HALAPIN, P.E., Collective Efforts, LLC Immediate Past President CHARLES R. TORAN, Jr., Sci-Tek Consultants, Inc.

2017 ESWP DIRECTORS MICHELLE S. ANTANTIS, P.E., Duquesne Light Co. DEBBIE BLOOM, Nalco Champion GREG E. CERMINARA, P.E., Michael Baker International DOUG CLARK, P.E., Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. ROBERT B. CZERNIEWSKI, Mascaro Construction, LLP CHRISTOPHER HILL, Point Park University JOSEPH A. HRABIK, P.E., Esq., Scotti Law Group WAYNE A. JOHNSON, P.E., R.T. Patterson Company, Inc. RONNIE D. MEDLOCK, P.E., High Steel Structures, Inc JADE MOREL, EQT Production Company JENNIFER M. NOLAN-KREMM, P.E., AECOM, Inc. DON OLMSTEAD, P.E., Venture Engineers SURESH C. RAMANATHAN, KORYAK GEORGE ROBINSON, II, Pgh Water & Sewer Authority ROBERT E. ROELL, CH2M JOHN R. SMITH, Ph.D., P.E., Corporate Environmental Solutions, LLC MARK E. TERRIL, PPG Industries AMY L. VELTRI, P.E., BCEE, NGE

Bob Schoenfeldt Don’t Try This at Home!

Pittsburgh ENGINEER magazine is mailed to approx. 4,000 direct mail readers. The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the membership or management of the ESWP. Every effort is made to ensure accuracy, but we do not guarantee that there will be no errors. Past issues of the Pittsburgh ENGINEER are available on-line at eswp.com/eswp/publications. All content within is the property of the ESWP unless otherwise noted.

PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE The ESWP produces a range of publications as a service to our members and affiliated technical societies. ESWP Publications are supported by an all-volunteer Publications Committee.

Guest Editor James R. Daley, PMP, Crawford Consulting Services, Inc. Committee Chairs Don Olmstead, P.E., Venture Engineers Zach Huth, Huth Technologies, LLC Committee Joseph DiFiore, PARSONS Tanya McCoy-Caretti, ARCADIS Paul J. Parise, P.E., LEED AP, RPA Engineering John R. Smith, Corporate Environmental Solutions, LLC Chriss Swaney, Media Consultant - Freelance Writer Editor-in-Chief David A. Teorsky, ESWP

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Engineering in Hunting & Fishing

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Guest Edit or Column

Hunting and Fishing: Steeped in tradition yet highly

James R. Daley, PMP

influenced by science and technology

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aving spent many hours at the Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania (ESWP) through leadership roles in the Society of American Military Engineers Pittsburgh Post (SAME) and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Engineering Outreach (SPEO), I’m honored to be asked to contribute to this issue of Pittsburgh Engineer magazine.

However, I was surprised to hear that with fall hunting seasons beginning, that this issue will on focus on hunting and fishing, versus the highways, bridges, and brownfields this publication routinely covers. As an employee of several Pittsburgh area A/E firms, I’d really grown accustomed to these articles.

Having served as a hunter education instructor for 38 years now, and as one of the eight members of the Pennsylvania Game Commission Board of Commissioners, I’m struck by the blend of ingrained traditions that surround hunting, These include many families that have hunted for generations, schools in rural Pennsylvania that still close for the first day of antlered deer season, and the science and technology that is playing such a major role in wildlife research, species management, and hunting. As we each think of the science, engineering, technology and math (STEM) programs in our schools and the support our firms and professional societies give to advancing STEM, rest assured

James R. Daley, PMP many of our students will continue to advance technology that will be used by hunters and wildlife managers alike.

As we delve into some of the technology surrounding game and habitat management and hunting, let’s start with GPS. Given that we all use GPS in our automotive navigation systems, stand-alone GPS units and smartphones, it’s interesting to consider the role GPS is playing. The Game Commission and Penn State University, as well as the DCNR and USGS have been cooperating on a deer forest study to better understand how deer affect forests, thus informing and improving both forest and deer management decisions. This research uses telemetry and GPS transmitters that track deer movements and the results have been eye-opening. For instance, researchers tracked a buck

that had a small home range that at some point wandered many miles away, then returned to its home range, never returning to where it had wandered except at the end of its life to die. Interesting and baffling. Prior to GPS, such deer movements were unknown. With improved battery life that

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Pittsburgh ENGINEER Fall 2017

has allowed GPS transmissions at much shorter intervals, another buck was found to take a defensive position near the top of a hillside where prevailing winds would let it detect danger (predators and hunters) coming in from the ridgetop and afford a commanding view of the valley below. It moved very little from this defensive position throughout the firearms deer season. Another deer study is directed at fawn predation, and one of the articles that follow in this edition of Pittsburgh Engineer shows how a GPS transmitter can be activated at the birth of a fawn to allow radio collaring and tracking to evaluate fawn predation by bears, coyotes, and bobcats. Lastly, hunters often purchase handheld GPS units, some with topographic mapping, to navigate the woods and return to their vehicles or camps safely, or to mark locations of stands, wildlife sightings, or other waypoints. Many sporting dogs are now tracked by GPS as well. Clearly this one technology has permeated research efforts and Pennsylvania’s forests.

Another technology the Game Commission has been using concerns web-linked cameras and the internet. For several years the Game Commission has had operational eagle cams that have had millions of views from all over the world.

This shows that even the digital age people still have an interest in wildlife and watching the nest preparation, egg laying, nest sitting, hatching and feeding of eaglets generates interest beyond belief. Those of us in Western Pennsylvania certainly heard news stories of the Hays eagles earlier this year.

Fewer viewers have seen the elk cam that has been running during the fall from web-enabled cameras on Winslow Hill near Benezette, PA. If you’ve not viewed the elk cams to see these magnificent animals and hear the bugle of the bulls during the mating season, you really need to do this, especially late afternoon and into the evening. Even if you’re busy working in the evening, you can tune into the elk cam and let it run in the background to hear the elk bugle. Don’t miss this. Much like the call of a loon, the bugle of an elk is awe inspiring.

Elk at the Keystone Elk Country Alliance Elk Center

Other cameras being used for research and law enforcement show how technology has changed how we do business. I had the good fortune of riding along at night when a forward looking infrared (FLIR) camera was being used in the elk range. This camera was linked to a laptop computer that showed the infrared emissions from warm-blooded mammals at night. It was amazing how elk and deer could be “seen” deep into the woods or laying down in fields where they would have never been detected by spotlights. The FLIR also picked up owls, flying squirrels, opossums and other wildlife. Using FLIR and ranging technologies it is even possible to determine population densities at night, even in the forest.

Trail cameras are now commonly used by hunters who quickly learn that there may be a lot of deer and some very large bucks at their camera sites at night that don’t show up during the day. The Game Commission uses these cameras in a few other ways. For instance, cameras may be deployed where dumping is a problem; they capture good information to apprehend and prosecute people who show no respect for the lands they dump on. Other trail cameras have been set up to monitor fenced exclusion zones near bat hibernacula entrances that have been gated to preclude human ingress but permit bats to travel in and out. These cameras detect people trying to scale the fence and enter these caves that contain threatened or endangered bats and send a text message to wildlife conservation officers who respond, leaving violators wondering how someone knew they were trying to scale the fence. When Williams Companies heard about how this technology was being used to keep people from disturbing bats and potentially spreading White Nose Syndrome, they donated funds for an additional camera with notification capabilities.

Unfortunately some technology can be misused and we have had to restrict its use via regulations. Some people have used unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, aka, drones) to get close up views of eagle nests, getting much closer to eagles than we permit and others have intentionally ha-

Engineering in Hunting & Fishing

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rassed wildlife, a bow at full most notably draw for long waterfowl, usperiods while ing drones. For waiting for a these reasons, perfect shot. the Game Once manufacCommission turers figured has prohibitout how to ed launching use cams and and retrieving cables to add a drones on our mechanical ad1.5 million vantage that let acres of State the pull weight Game Lands, drop off as the Representatives from Williams present the PA Game Commission with a check for the although bow neared full purchase of Bat Trial Cameras, intending to curtail the spreading of White Nose Syndrome permits can draw, archery be issued for became much necessary uses more popular. such as wildlife Of course, research studies, habitat surveys and utility Right-of-Way technology never stops, and crossbows were created by inspections. Thankfully the public has been very good at essentially laying a compound bow on its side and mounting contacting the Game Commission when wildlife is harassed it on what is essentially a gun stock. Because these crossvia the Operation Game Thief website and telephone line. bows are drawn and locked into position for a trigger release, they are very accurate and can propel shorter arrows Likely the biggest technological and material science innova- (bolts) at speeds nearing, and in some cases topping 400 tions that have changed hunting concerns advancements in feet per second (about a third of the speed of sound). In the archery equipment. The bows produced by native Americans photo below, Pennsylvania’s two millionth hunter education were long, made of pliable trees or branches with a shortstudent, Darby Kreiser of Lebanon County received a beauer piece of hide or other natural material to impart a bow. tiful plaque as well as a well-equipped crossbow furnished Likewise, arrows

by Cabela’s. were crafted from wooden shafts, The stocks on true feathers for many of our modfletching, and ern firearms are arrowheads made made of synthetic of flint. For most materials, arrows hunters, these are often made gave way to reof carbon fiber, curve bows which and the frames of significantly shortmany handguns ened the bows, are made of but still provided polymers. Locally, no mechanical Cabot Guns, advantage. With which evolved hunting bows from Penn United often in the 50 to Technologies in 70 pound draw Cabot, PA, has Darby Krieser, (center), the two-millionth PA Hunter Education student weight range, advanced the receiving a plaque and crossbow. archers really precision machinstruggled to hold ing of these guns,

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Pittsburgh ENGINEER Fall 2017

prised that he tested a dog training collar on his arm. I asked if he considered that the thick fur on a dog would be a much better insulator than a man’s bare skin. He actually said he hadn’t considered that at the time!

About the Guest Editor...

James R. “Jim” Daley currently is serving as a Program Manager for Crawford Consulting Services, a Woman-Owned Small Business construction services company. He’s spent his career working with A/E and environmental firms in the Pittsburgh area and has a long-term leadership role with the Society of American Military Engineers Pittsburgh Post and is a Director with Southwestern Pennsylvania Engineering Outreach. A graduate of Penn State University with a degree in Environmental Resource Management, he is member of the PA Game Commission (PGC) Board of Commissioners and serves as its Secretary. He’s been a very active PGC hunter education instructor for 38 years.

Porcupine damaged sign at Kittanning State Forest

due to their genesis from this noted tool and die company.

However, if exotic materials interest you, Cabot Guns actually made a pair of 1911 handguns from a meteorite. Ammunition, likewise, continues to improve with newer bullets, some non-lead frangible bullets, and even subsonic loads for less noise generation. Read about ammunition in the associated article on Peterson Cartridges.

Of course lots of metals and composites are used to manufacture modern sporting goods. Although we think of these materials for their durability, wildlife doesn’t always cooperate. Last year while walking a trail in the Kittanning State Forest, I came across a very nice interpretive sign that was a dull brown color that I assumed was made of wood. On closer inspection, it appears the DCNR was hoping to get a very long life out of this sign that was very nicely constructed with an aluminum base. Unfortunately, porcupines have a real affinity for eating aluminum. Look closely at this photo and you’ll see that the sign won’t be standing much longer.

In closing, be sure to read the humorous article by Bob Schoenfeldt on technology that should be kept out of the hands of adult children. Knowing Bob, I can’t say I’m surEngineering in Hunting & Fishing

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Making

HUNTING and FISHING

Accessible thru Engineering

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Rory A. Cooper, Ph.D.

njoying the outdoors is a large part of the culture of Western Pennsylvania. Hunting and fishing are traditions treasured by many families. However, when faced with a physical disability it can be difficult to maneuver through fields and woods. Fortunately, new technologies are emerging that can make it possible for people with disabilities to hunt and fish with friends and families. Engineering has helped to overcome the heretofore barriers of soft surfaces, uneven terrain, steep slopes, large obstacles and even water. There are four basic approaches that people are using: (1) personal tracked vehicles; (2) wheeled off-road wheelchairs; (3) articulating wheelchairs with rolling and walking capability. Alternatives to common lead-acid batteries are also being implemented.

safely ascend and descend slopes in excess of 10 degrees. It is also can climb steps and small piles of rocks or debris. The driver experiences some jostling and needs to be seat belted in, but can have a lot of fun and enjoy the outdoors. We also shoved a 2-inch diameter branch between a track and bogie wheel, and the driver was able to grind it up by driving forwards and backwards.

Personal tracked vehicles (PTV), see Figure 1, are becoming more popular for outdoor activities. Although not covered by insurance, some charitable and fraternal organizations have been donating them to people with disabilities. In addition, some outdoor parks and hunting clubs make PTV available for people to borrow while at their facilities. PTV typically use a joystick user interface, and are powered by either batteries and dc electric motors or a small gasoline powered engine. They use scrub steering. The wheels pictured off the rear of the PTV in Figure 1 are to add greater rearward stability to help prevent tipping backwards.

Figure 2. PTV pulling 100lbs of hay bales to simulate dragging a dear from the woods.

Figure 1. Personal tracked vehicle.

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Some people with disabilities require assistance to enter a PTV, but most can operate independently once seated and buckled-in. PTV have impressive climbing, obstacle negotiation, and pulling capability. In testing conducted by the Human Engineering Research Laboratories (HERL), a joint institute of the University of Pittsburgh, UPMC Health System and the US Department of Veterans Affairs, the PTV could pull a mass of nearly 100 pounds over grass, see Figure 2. This was done to determine whether a hunter could drag a deer from the woods. The PTV was capable of climbing over logs that were 4 inches in diameter, and driving through mud and water up to 4 inches deep. The PTV could

Wheeled off-road wheelchairs are also a means for people with disabilities to explore the outdoors and to hunt and fish with friends, see Figure 3. There are a variety of designs. These include: (1) multiple-wheeled personal vehicles with balloon tires; (2) four-wheel drive wheelchairs; (3) rear wheelchair drive wheelchairs with steered wheels; and (4) front or rear wheeled drive wheelchairs with caster wheels. Most outdoor wheelchairs use large wheels and casters (if used at all) to serve to overcome obstacles and negotiate soft surfaces. A long wheel -base is used to provide stability and the batteries are placed low in the frame to lower the vehicle center of mass. It is common for off-road wheelchairs to use balloon tires for traversing soft or loose surfaces. Some of these wheelchairs use scrub or skid steering, some use differential steering with casters, and others steer the front wheels like a car. Wheeled offroad wheelchairs tend to have less outdoor capability than PTV, and lower pulling power. However, they typically come with a wider range of seating options and user control interfaces to accommodate a wide range of physical abilities.

Some people can use an All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) to access the outdoors. Some ATV are available from the manufacturer with hand-controls and a running board to place one’s feet. ATV are typically gasoline powered, and have much more speed, range, and power then off-road wheelchairs. The user must have good upper body strength, and reasonably good seating balance – although the seating system can be modified to provide more support. ATV are restricted as to where that can be operated, but they are a good option for hunting and fishing for some people with disabilities. It can be difficult to people with disabilities to transfer

Pittsburgh ENGINEER Fall 2017

from their wheelchair onto an ATV. This can be simplified by using a trapeze grab bar above the vehicle in a barn or garage, and/or by using a smaller ATV in the 125 cc range.

Articulating wheelchairs with rolling and walking capability are being investigated to expand the mobility of individuals who are severely impaired and unable to safely operated the wheelchairs and vehicles Figure 3. Wheeled off-road wheelchair described above over outdoor terrain. HERL has been with steered front wheels. working to address this challenge by creating a wheeled and “walking� powered wheelchair than can be used indoors and outdoors. This device, the Mobility Enhanced Robotic Wheelchair (MEBot), uses six wheels, see Figure 5. Two are powered and four are Figure 4. All-terrain vehicles can make it passive. All the wheels possible for some people with disabilities can be lifted and lowered to hunt and fish. using pneumatic actuators to provide attitude control and terrain following, which allows the MEBot to safely negotiate uneven terrain, steep slopes, and even stairs/steps. The MEBot powered wheel can also move independently from each other horizontally on a carriage. By lifting and moving the powered wheels in coordination, the MEBot can crawl; providing it the ability to free itself from slippery surface or when stuck on a log or stone. The MEBot can accommodate user interfaces such as head arrays, chin joystick, and sip-and-puff to allow people with complex disabilities the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors.

Water presents a unique challenge for people who use wheelchairs.

Most powered Figure 5. Individual with upper and lower wheelchairs are extremity paralysis using the Mobility driven by batterEnhanced Robotic Wheelchair to negotiate an ies and electric 8-inch high curb. motors, with a few exceptions where small horse-power gasoline motors are used for solely off-road personal vehicles. This has left a pent-up demand for people who wish to drive their wheelchair into the surf or into a lake or river to fish. HERL has recently developed the PneuChair that uses pressurized air stored in

tanks similar to those used by first-responders stored at over 4,500 psi, see Figure 6. The tanks are then down-regulated to operating pressures and controlled through a pneumatic joystick to the rotary piston air motors. The rotary piston air motors deliver high torque at low speeds, which is ideal for wheelchair applications. A pneumatic control system is implemented to regulate speed, acceleration, turning, and braking.

Because people who use powered wheelchairs commonly have little upper body strength, the parking brake system engages automatically after a short dwell period of the joystick remaining in the neutral position.

Because the PneuChair has no electronic components it is completly submersible; with the only limiting factor being the ability to maintain traction and to swiftness of the current. However, testing in a wave pool has shown the performance to be impressive. Another added benefit of the PneuChair is that it only weighs 120 lbs, compared to the nearly 400 lbs of a battery operated powered wheelchair.

Figure 6. PneuChair being operated in a wave pool while submersed under water.

Engineering has provided people with disabilities the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors to hunt and fish with their friends and families. There is growing interest by engineers, outdoor recreation facilities, and people with disabilities to create technologies to increase access to outdoor ventures in a safe and inclusive manner. A few of the technologies currently available or in development have been described here, but with a little good fortune there will be even more devices available in the future.

About the Author...

Rory A. Cooper, Ph.D., is Director of the Human Engineering Research Laboratories, a collaboration betwwen the University of Pittsburgh and US Department of Veterans Affairs. Dr. Cooper was recently awarded the Samuel E. Heyman Service to America Medal in the Science and Environment category for his design of innovative wheelchairs and other assistive technology equipment that has greatly improved the mobility and quality of life for hundreds of thousands of disabled veterans and other Americans . You can learn more about this prestigious award here: https://servicetoamericamedals.org/honorees/view_profile.php?profile=470

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The Peterson Cartridge Story – How One Family is Building a Business By: Don Olmstead, P.E.

Figure 1 Manufacturing area. Work flow is clockwise form the upper right

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n Thornhill Industrial Park, Cranberry Township, a family owned business has taken a shooting hobby to the next level and beyond, developing ammunition casings used by competitive shooters, military and military forces both domestic and international. Derrek Peterson, who had the shooting hobby and knack for machining, was the initiator, and with the support of family, formed Peterson Cartridge. Their story is instructive, both with respect to how they make cartridges, and with respect to the entrepreneurial process.

minimizing waste of both excess material and off-spec product, and improved tools for facilitating changeover between calibers.

In response to an ammunition shortage in 2013, the Peterson’s investigated and found the bottleneck for ammunition production was cartridge production, and further, that cartridges were being manufactured with reliable but dated technology. They investigated, visiting load manufacturers across the country, which provided them with information on the cartridges most in demand, as well as creating visibility. Of the 150 common rifle casings, Peterson identified six with which to begin production.

The Peterson story is not just of interest to ammunition users; it is also an interesting case study in business startup.

Peterson decided to make cartridges using modern manufacturing techniques that would produce casings which could be fired with more accuracy be more accurate than those manufactured with conventional equipment. Their intention was to achieve accuracy by achieving consistency of key parameters including internal volume, hardness gradient along the case, neck tension and concentricity.

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To accomplish these goals, Peterson elected to implement Kaizen (continuous improvement) and lean manufacturing techniques by using computer technology and servo actuated presses. The benefits include

For a roughly $7 million investment, Peterson Cartridge purchased twenty machines and installed them in approximately 6,000 square feet, half of which is manufacturing space. The manufacturing cell is made up of eight stations, plus washers and ovens, as shown in Figure 1. There is also a small in-house machine shop, used for toolmaking and to modify cartridges for testing.

The Starting Point

The raw material to produce a rifle casing is a brass cup. The specific type of brass is C260, commonly referred to as cartridge brass. (It is made up of about 70% copper, 28% zinc, and the rest is impurities.) It has good cold working properties and is an ideal metal from which to draw metallic cartridges. It is ductile, strong, and flexible.

Cups are designed in different sizes and shapes depending on the caliber of casing to be made. As you would expect, the cup for a .308 Winchester is smaller than the cup used to make a 30-06. Calibers that are a derivative of the .308 Win are made using the same cup. These include .22-250, .243 and 7mm08, and they are considered to be in the same “family.” Common calibers that are a derivative of the 30-06 case include the .270 Win. and the 25-06.

Pittsburgh ENGINEER Fall 2017

THIS YEAR, AT ESWP Our Mission Advance the engineering profession and position Western Pennsylvania as a Center for Engineering Excellence and Innovation

Dining at the Engineers’ Club

Seek and prepare the nextgeneration of engineers

ESWP is located in the stately Pittsburgh Engineers Building, in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh. Our location and award-winning cuisine make it the perfect lunch club for professionals looking for both distinction and affordability.

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It can be set with different table configurations for meetings, conferences and social events, along with the full range of AV services. The room can accommodate 25-125 people.

Our Annual Awards Banquet For more than 130 years, members and friends of the Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania have gathered to celebrate engineering, and recognize the best and brightest stars in the profession. Awards presented include: • The Metcalf Award – Our Lifetime Achievement Award

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ESWP Member News

More than 75 firms are represented in the Corporate Member program of the Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania (ESWP).

Memberships are available at 3 levels: Gold, Silver and Bronze. Gold members are entitled to 14 memberships that can be exchanged by employees; Silver, 9; and Bronze, 5 — annual dues are $2400, $1700, and $1000 respectively. In addition, ESWP Corporate Member Firms may add 2 additional individuals in our Under-35 age category at no additional cost. We also feature Individual Memberships, including a Government Employees (full-time), with annual dues of only $50.00! Also, our new Dining Membership allows use of the Executive Dining Room for conducting client entertaining in a great private club setting, all for only $50 annual dues, plus regular entry fee. More information can be found at eswp.com. Please contact the ESWP Office (412-261-0710) for additional details.

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Pittsburgh ENGINEER Fall 2017

ESWP Bronze Corporate Member Firms Elevator Management Services

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• Project of the Year Awards – Presented for engineering excellence in categories of Transportation, Technology, Sustainability, & Commercial • Engineer of the Year

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Visit eswp.com Call 412-261- 0710 Email eswp@eswp.com Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania 337 Fourth Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Pittsburgh ENGINEER Fall 2017

The Manufacturing Process

Manufacturing steps include three stages of pressing, intermediate annealing steps for stress relief, and intermediate washing steps. The tube that has been formed is then pinch trimmed, in other words cut by pinching the metal between two hardened tool steel die sections. The manufacturing process is depicted in Figure 2.

After pressing and trimming to length, a primer pocket is pressed into the head of the casing, and the casing proceeds the bunter which flattens the bottom of the casing and applies the Peterson headstamp. The casing also has to be washed prior to being advanced onto the next step of the forming process. An extractor groove is machined into the head of the case, to allow removal of the cartridge after firing.

Up to three stages of tapering then occur. The finished cartridge is trimmed to length and the mouth of the cartridge is chamfered. The flash hole is drilled into the center of the primer pocket, and the neck and the mouth of the cartridge are annealed to allow press fitting of the bullet. In the final washing step, a combination of acids, detergents, and anti-tarnish compounds are used remove the oils used in pressing and to remove tarnish. The cartridges are then packaged. Figure 3 depicts the stages of cartridge production.

Caliber changeovers can be time consuming.

The number of pieces of tooling that need changed to switch from one caliber to another can be upwards of 50 pieces. These include dies, stems, cutters, punches, and material handling tooling if the casing is much larger or smaller than the last caliber. And if, for example, one of the dies in the die stack is off by one thousandth, at station three it can create havoc at station six. In addition to changing touch tooling, other changes to the settings, speeds and feeds must be implemented using the Human / Machine Interface touch screens at each station. Therefore, changeovers to a caliber in the same family using a familiar tool pack may

Figure 2: Cartridge manufacturing layout. Casings move clockwise around the “U�.

Figure 3: Stages of cartridge production

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take an hour or two, but if the tool pack is for a new caliber, getting the settings right can be challenging.

Cailber (Measured on the Vickers Scale)

Quality Control

Hardness

Lower Limit

•

If the body hardness isn’t correct, a shooter will not get as many reloads from that case as the shooter might reasonably expect.

Minimum Values - Blue Dots Readings on Sectioned Case - Red Dots

Peterson’s Quality Assurance steps include:

A

During the manufacturing process eight casings are pulled from every 600 for dimension checks.

Once each shift, casings are cut lengthways and hardness tests are performed on the head and

But how do you stop a 400 grain solid copper projectile traveling 3,000 fps?

A bullet trap filled with ground-up truck tire material does the job. See Figure 8.

Case Profile

Competition Shooting

Hardness

If the neck is too hard, it may split when the bullet is inserted.

•

During product development on a case, the Universal Receiver is used to measure the pressure during the explosion in the case, and velocity screens which measure the speed the bullet is traveling as it leaves the muzzle. See Figure 7.

Observed

If the heads are too soft, may not hold the primer.

•

•

Product Development

Upper Limit

Casings need to be dimensionally correct, in accordance with standards of the Small Arms Ammunition Manufacturing Institute (SAAMI).

Further, if proper quality control measures are not implemented, a variety of outcomes are possible, including: •

• Neck tension is measured in the mouth of the case on a machine custom made for Peterson.

Hardness vs. Position Finished Case

B

C

D

Case Profile

Competition shooters talk in terms of minute of angle (MOA), which corresponds to one sixtieth (1/60) of a degree. At 100 yards, 1 MOA = 1 inch, so if a shooter can shoot five shots at a target one hundred yards away, and all five holes in the target fit within one inch, that accuracy is described as one MOA. Competitive shooters achieve sub-

1. Hardness test results Figure Statements: 5: MOA accuracy. Peterson reports one xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

along the body, using the Vickers scale.

See Figures 4 and 5.

•

Figure 4: Technician testing a cartridge on a Vickers hardness testing machine.

shooter who accomplished a five shot group within .44 of an inch at 100 yards, using their Creedmoor casings, in other words, all five holes in the target overlapped with each other.

xxxxxxxxxxx .xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 2. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Each time a tool pack is changed to run a different caliber, a First-Article inspection is performed. This includes shooting casings from a rifle, in the on-premises rifle range, where Peterson looks for heavy bolt lift after firing, or cases sticking in the chamber, and that pressure of the explosion inside the casing at the instant of firing is within the maximum safe pressure established by SAAMI. A Universal Receiver with a pressure transmitter is used for this purpose. See Figure 6.

Peterson’s .375 CheyTac casings were used by the shooting team that won the competition called, “King of 2 Mile.” This competition is an annual event held in New Mexico. And as the name implies, the shooters need to hit targets two miles away.

What They Did Right

From the initial six products, Peterson’s website now lists 21 cartridge, in 11 calibers, with more on the radar screen. They currently

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Figure 6: Indoor firing range with velocity screens.

Figure 7: Testing new cartridges. Universal Receiver is on the left.

product about 2,500,000 cartridges per year; additional capacity would require adding a shift.

had to look for new customers, and found them overseas.

Success in other family businesses allowed the Petersons an appreciation of the level of capitalization needed, and the effort that would be necessary for promotion and for market penetration. Business development efforts focused on visiting load manufacturers, and making contacts at trade shows. Notionally, the ability to bootstrap should have allowed rapid entry into the market while demand was high, but delays on equipment delivery meant Peterson was only able to begin production about 16 months ago, in a much less buoyant market. Peterson

Other elements of the success strategy included producing cartridges suitable for proof rounds.

Before a new gun can be sold, it is tested with at least one proof round, which generates about 30% more pressure than a conventional round.

These rounds are small sales volume, but addressed a need and earned attention. Samples for prospective customers also helped. As Peterson cartridges found success in competition, reputation grew.

An abundance of care and an incremental approach to new products allowed for paced growth and hiring that complemented a corpo-

Engineering in Hunting & Fishing

Figure 8: Bullet trap

rate culture focused on quality and collaboration. Careful selection of equipment and then a willingness to take on equipment modification directly Peterson Cartridge is a good example of bootstrapping and entrepreneurship. An opportunity was seen, a differentiator was found, a plan was developed and then executed, with adequate resources. When delays prevented enabled rapid implementation and timely market entry when demand was high, Peterson adapted. All in all, a western Pennsylvania success story.

For more information on the manufacturing process, see https://www.petersoncartridge. com/our-process/drawing-brass

17

TICKED OFF

Avoiding Tiny vampires to protect your health

By James R. Daley, PMP

What has eight legs, a two-year lifecycle, is only as large as a sesame seed and can cause debilitating illness? If you guessed deer ticks, also known as black-legged ticks, you’re absolutely correct and likely have an awareness of Lyme disease.

Just as our shale plays are named for where they outcrop, Lyme disease is named for Lyme, Connecticut, where in 1975 an outbreak of rheumatoid arthritis was discovered in children.

This outbreak was eventually tied to a bacterium carried by deer ticks, and nearly all cases of Lyme disease still occur in the northeastern states.

Looking at data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the years 2004 through 2012, anywhere from 13 percent to 20 percent of all confirmed cases of Lyme disease occurred in Pennsylvania, with about 3,200-5,000 confirmed cases in each of those years. Even though these numbers raise concern themselves, the CDC estimates that only 10 percent of cases are reported to it, meaning that on average there are likely 41,000 cases of Lyme disease in Pennsylvania per year and during the nine-year time period evaluated, with a reported 37,346 cases, about 373,000 people likely contracted Lyme disease in Pennsylvania. That’s nearly the population of Pittsburgh and Scranton combined!

The risk to workers in the outdoors is so great that the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has issued a list of “at risk occupations” which should sound pretty familiar to those involved in oil and exploration and production: construction workers, forestry workers, brush clearing, land surveying, oilfield workers and utility line workers. Essentially, all personnel involved in off-road seismic testing, land acquisition, geotechnical drilling, site planning, permitting studies, land surveying, clearing and grubbing, E&S control installation, routing studies, and inspections in vegetated areas, especially along vegetated edges, are most at risk for being bitten by infected ticks and contracting Lyme disease.

It is interesting that Lyme disease still predominates eastern Pennsylvania and is much less prevalent in southwestern PA. In a five-year period beginning in 2007, some of the counties in central and western Pennsylvania had 300-730 confirmed cases of Lyme disease, but the wet gas areas of Washington and Greene counties had only 23 and 2 cases, respectively.

18

Deer ticks have complex two year lifecycle with two stages

that require a blood meal to get to the next stage. Adult deer ticks lay eggs on the ground in the spring. The eggs hatch and appear as larvae during the summer, when they feed on small mammals and oftentimes pick up the spirochete bacterium (Borrelia burgdroferi) that causes Lyme disease, thus becoming carriers for the disease. (Note: Deer ticks can carry other infections as well.) After this initial feeding, the larvae are inactive until the next spring, when they become nymphs, which seek a blood meal, also feeding on small animals (or humans). During fall and early the next spring the adults feed and mate on larger mammals, oftentimes deer but also humans, and the females lay eggs, completing the two-year lifecycle.

As you can see in Figure 1, showing deer ticks at each life stage, they are extremely small as larva, about the size of a poppy seed, and even as adults only the size of an apple or sesame seed. They do expand when they engorge themselves on a blood meal, but inspecting yourself, your pets or your clothing certainly requires a keen eye and thorough scan, including in skin Fig. 1. (source: www.cdc.gov/lyme folds and in the hair.

The number of deer ticks actually carrying the spirochete bacterium varies by location, but can be remarkably high. Retired Colonel Grey D. Berrier, garrison commander at Fort Indiantown Gap near Annville, Pennsylvania, recently wrote that during 2008 and 2009, the troop medical clinic tested hundreds of deer ticks removed from soldiers after being afield and found that 50 percent of the ticks tested positive for the bacterium.

Because of proactive tick removal after potential exposures, few soldiers actually contracted Lyme disease. In fact, studies show that the transmission rate to humans for ticks removed

Pittsburgh ENGINEER Fall 2017

within 24 hours of being bitten was 0 percent, 12 percent for removal within 48 hours, 79 percent for removal within 72 hours and 94 percent within 96 hours. Clearly, a thorough examination after being outdoors in vegetated areas and removal of any ticks found is vital to avoid contracting Lyme disease. Most sources suggest removal within the first 36 hours will virtually eliminate any chance of contracting Lyme disease.

Removal is accomplished by cleaning the tick and area around the bite with alcohol, grasping the tick with tweezers as close as possible to the skin and pulling outward, trying to ensure the barbed mouthparts come out with the tick, followed by another cleaning with alcohol. Many people believe that removed ticks should be placed in a jar to show to medical personnel should Lyme disease symptoms develop.

Early symptoms are flu-like but can advance to stiff joints and arthritic symptoms. Left untreated, debilitating joint damage and nervous system damage can occur.

There is oftentimes a red rash at the bite site that spreads outward but clears up in the middle, leading to a bullseye shaped rash many people associate with Lyme disease. Such a rash in three to 32 days certainly is a characteristic, but the National Institutes for Health says this rash only appears in 70-80 percent of all cases. Other studies have indicated that maybe only half of the people with confirmed Lyme disease recall seeing this bullseye rash.

Figure 2 shows how to properly remove deer ticks using tweezers, getting the tweezers as close to the skin as possible to be able to remove the mouthparts cleanly.

Fig. 2 — Proper Tick Removal (source: www.cdc.gov/lyme)

Given that the likelihood of exposure to deer ticks is high in outdoor occupations, and the consequences of an undetected and untreated infection can be severe, prevention is the primary defense, followed by timely detection and removal of ticks.

The simplest form of prevention is avoiding areas where ticks may reside, which means avoiding well-vegetated areas in the northeastern states. As NIOSH has determined, there are many at risk outdoor occupations that require work in areas where ticks reside. Therefore, the next line of defense is long pants, bloused into boots to avoid an opening for ticks to crawl up legs, and long-sleeved shirt tucked in at the waist. When possible, light colors are suggested to aid in detecting ticks on clothing.

Proper repellents are a key element in Lyme disease prevention. Many outdoor enthusiasts have been applying DEET

(N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide) Prevent Lyme Disease! routinely as an insect repellant, and • Wear repellent most experts recommend applying repellants with 20-30 percent DEET • Check for ticks daily content to skin. DEET has been • Shower soon after found to be very safe, likely used being outdoors in billions of applications, but there • Call your doctor if are have been a few deaths even you get a rash or with proper usage (all females) and fever a number of deaths from intentional ingestion as documented by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (see www. atsdr.cdc.gov/consultations/deet). For outdoor sports and recreation, DEET can be applied to the skin and to standard outdoor clothing. Likewise, it can be applied to the skin of at risk workers; however, DEET should never be applied to flame-resistant (FR) clothing.

The U.S. Forest Service, recognizing the need to protect firefighters from ticks and mosquitos (the latter due to concern about West Nile Virus), commissioned studies on FR clothing treated with DEET and a contact insecticide, permethrin that is applied to clothing, but never to skin. These tests, conducted

by The Missoula Technology and Development Center, found that Forest Service Research Highlights: DEET reduced • DEET mosquito repellant reduced the flame the flame resistance of NOMEX clothing worn by wildland firefighters. resis• MTDC recommends that firefighters avoid tance of applying DEET mosquito repellant to their Nomex Nomex firefighting clothing. clothing, • Firefighters can apply DEET mosquito but that repellant to their skin, following manufacturer’s recommendations. perme• Firefighters can apply permethrin, an insecticide, thrin to their Nomex clothing without destroying the did not clothing’s flame resistance. negatively impact Fig. 3 — Highlights of the U.S. Forest Service Research on flame Insect Repellent Impacts on Fire Resistance resistant (FR) clothing. A summary of this study is available at www. fs.fed.us/t-d/pubs/htmlpubs/htm05512327. Study highlights published on the Forest Service website are shown on Figure 3.

Additional information on Lyme disease and its prevention is available via a 12-page booklet available at www.cdc.gov/ lyme/resources/brochure/lymediseasebrochure.pdf and via an OSHA e-tool for logging at www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/logging/ manual/tick_disease.html.

Article reprinted with permission from the Pennsylvania Independent Oil & Gas Association, PIOGA Press, May 2014, Issue 49.

Parts of this article are intended for the oil & gas industry where FR clothing is a requirement

Engineering in Hunting & Fishing

19

WHO SAID DEER AREN’T TECH SAVVY?

By JT Fleegle, Pennsylvania Game Commission - Deer and Elk Section

Gone are the days of VHF radio collars. Global positioning satellite technology isn’t just for Google maps. Slap a GPS unit on a deer collar and it’s a whole new ballgame. GPS collars to help us track movements of a variety of wildlife from deer to bears and even turkeys.

Photo by D. Diefenbach.

For this study, the GPS collars collect about 5 locations per day until hunting season when it ramps up to one location every 20 minutes! Locations are transmitted via email and uploaded to a database.

Collared deer allow us to estimate the proportion of deer that survive from the time of capture to the hunting season. Survival estimates, harvest rates, home range, daily movements, and a few other factoids are translated from these data.

Some of these GPS collars even “talk” to radio collars on fawns.

In 2015, we added another layer to the project which focused specifically on fawn survival. Almost 15 years ago, PA conducted one of the largest fawn studies in North America. We are repeating that study. This time instead of just looking for fawns, does were going to be completely tricked out from head to toe before fawns were even born.

Why another fawn survival study you ask? A good question. Back in 2000 and 2001, about 50% of fawns born made it to the hunting season.

Fawns are a favorite snack of both coyotes and bears who were tied as top predators. Some people would like to know if that has changed, hence the current research.

In addition to traditional hand capture of fawns in the spring, adult female deer were fitted with a GPS collars and a vaginal implant transmitter (VIT). When a doe gives birth, the VIT is expelled. Then what happens? You’ve got mail – that’s right. The VIT communicates with the GPS collar which then generates an email with the coordinates of the “event.”

What happens next? We wait.

We always wait between 6-10 hours following notification to look for the fawns so the mom and baby have time to bond.

Then the search begins. Once found, fawns are ear tagged and fitted with an expandable radio collar of their very own. This collar is paired with the doe’s GPS collar. This pairing gives interesting data on proximity and the amount of time does are “in contact” with their fawns.

Photo by JT Fleegle

B

ack in 2013, researchers from Penn State, U.S. Geological Survey, Pennsylvania Game Commission, and Pennsylvania DCNR Bureau of Forestry launched a project to monitor deer populations and forest changes in Rothrock, Bald Eagle, and Susquehannock state forests. That doesn’t sound very interesting…until you add electronics.

If you thought this was cool, you should check out the Deer-Forest Blog.

See how data from this technology are used and applied to wildlife management. Visit: http://ecosystems.psu.edu/deer

Attention Students!

The Pittsburgh Engineer is the official magazine of the Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania, and is published in print, quarterly. We are seeking content for our magazine from engineering students in the Greater Pittsburgh area. Articles should be 500–1500 words, and pertinent to the theme of the issue. Articles should provide a technical overview of a topic of interest to the readership, without requiring the audience to be trained in the discipline of the author(s).

Examples of the publication may be found at https://eswp.com/about/publications/

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Contact Pittsburgh Engineer editor Dave Teorsky at (412) 261-0710 ext 15, or by e-mail at d.teorsky@eswp.com for more information.

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Pittsburgh ENGINEER Fall 2017

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Don’t try this at home!

By: Bob Schoenfeldt

When my good friend and acquaintance – Commissioner Jim Daley sent me an email asking me to write an article on science/technology/engineering as related to hunting and fishing, I remember laughing hysterically out loud. “Oh boy!”, Jim must have heard some of my horror stories as this old geezer tries to keep up with newest technology.

One of my signatures at the bottom of my emails is: “Most of my money I spent on hunting and fishing, and an occasional bottle of good quality bourbon.

The rest I just wasted.” I’ve learned over my 67 years on this – God’s Green Earth, that waterfowl hunting and fishing is just an excuse for me to act like a child. In fact my wife Denise says, “Bob – you will grow old but you will never grow up!”

After 40 plus years of wedded bliss, guess she knows me fairly well.

My first foray into technology came during my grad school days. My thesis work involved habitat evaluation of the white-tailed deer using tame deer. My two male deer (Charlie Brown and Tough Guy) had radio collars. I used a “triangulation” method to locate them. The antenna for the transmitter/receiver was cumbersome to say the least. I got whacked in the head numerous times by the antenna. By the time I figured out where the deer were, I had usually stumbled upon their location in the enclosed paddock by accident.

Throwing the antenna into the back of our Chevy Suburban was a great idea.

The deer learned the sound of the big block 427 cubic inch engine from its roar and would come to look me up when they heard it. All I had to do was “punch it and put the pedal to metal.” I had no need for the antenna or their radio collars. In fact, I taught

them to come to me by whistling!! I could open the doors for the back seat and they’d jump in and sit on the seat. This was my first experience in training animals. Think about the young guys using tiny GPS transmitters who missed out on all this fun!

I finally got a job with the Federal Government in 1977. This created the next technology I needed to learn - computers. I had to learn computer programs to keep my job. How hard is it to make a computer and save money? I’ve built four computers now, with some help from the younger generation. Motherboards, video cards, sound cards, Cat 5 cable, special cables etc. are all over our basement for spare parts. The only one very small problem is that my wife could not use the computers I built since they seem to have little issues, I’ll call them quirks and only I understood what was going on! Hum? We now buy complete computer packages at my wife’s request.

And now on to my retirement technology misgivings - a week ago, I met with some retirees from my former agency for lunch. They all whipped out their cell phones to schedule the next luncheon.

Some even talked to their phones and the date was automatically put on the cell phone calendar. Not to be “out tech-ed” by them, I whipped out my LG 5 phone (I got it about a month ago). “Bob, are you putting the date on your calendar?” – I guess they figured out something was wrong by the puzzled look on my face! I said, “I haven’t a clue what icon I am looking for!” Thankfully a dear co-worker Barb McMillen took my phone, moved the calendar icon to the “first screen” and said, “That’s your calendar icon!”

The luncheon is on December 13th – the only item in my calendar.

I made sure the date was after deer season so there were no conflicts with all of my appointments!

Just prior to my retirement, I bought a boat. I hadn’t fished for thirty (30) years. Seems my wife gave me an ultimatum seven years into our marriage and two children – “give up hunting or fishing or you give up our marriage.” I gave up fishing since she didn’t realize I could hunt about 365 days a year. It is a Bass Tracker, modified V-bow 18.5 foot Jon boat, which is a great bass fishing and duck hunting boat. I’ve spent countless hours wiring it, camouflaging it, making a camo blind for it and it even has a coffee cup holder. Of course I have two outboard motors for it – a 20 hp. and a 50 hp., both Tohatsu motors. My staff bought me a Hummingbird fish finder as a retirement gift. Boy, I had to learn about transducers and what the gizmo would and could do.

So, I am fishing on a gorgeous peaceful lake in Northern Ontario – Lake Nipissing. This lake is 72 miles long. It is a glaciated lake with an average depth of eleven (11) feet or less. My guide is a good friend and Native American (Ojibwe) – Archie Stevens. He was born on an island in the lake and is on the lake almost every day. He knows the lake like the back of his hand but isn’t really tech savvy. He says computers hate him although he has learned to text on a cell phone. He doesn’t need to be real tech savvy since he lives a simple life. His outdoor knowledge and the way of his people are phenomenal. I could listen to his wisdom, like a child listening

Engineering in Hunting & Fishing

21

to a teacher.

The fish finder tells us the water temperature, the water depth and it beeps frequently. What do those little beeps mean and what are those blips going across the screen? “Expletive Deleted” – those are fish – tons of fish are below us. Why aren’t they biting? Ka-Pow, clatter, clatter clatter as the prop goes across a rock and the stern of the boat and my motor come up out of the water. A darned rock just under the water. “Who the heck put that rock here?” And why with all this technology on board weren’t we warned of the rocks just below the surface? Lifting the motor for inspection, the skeg (lowest point on an outboard motor) was OK since we were drifting and not “running fast!”, scarred and scratched a little but the prop’s fins were slightly bent. Fortunately I carry a spare prop.

Upon arrival back in the States, I bought a rock guard and modified it to my outboard motor. My next high tech investment was the “inland lakes” program for a Garmin. This $400 investment shows underwater obstacles and areas to avoid on Lake Nipissing. I am reminded of the good times I’ve had fishing when looking at those scars! – call them “tattoos of fishing!” This is similar to a child that has had stiches, now scars and says, “Wow that was a dumb thing to do!”

What does every good waterfowler have to have after buying a boat and looking at hunting during retirement? Any duck/goose hunter worth their “salt” has a good retriever. And yes, I have one, named Gem. She’s a black lab and was trained when we bought her – she is certainly smarter than I am. She has four “puppy” ribbons from field trials. She is obedience trained (or was), she responds to the whistle (or did), and she responds to hand commands and voice commands (or did). She is the best dog I’ve owned and yes, I paid more for her than I did for my wife’s diamond (make that plural – diamonds!, aka Gems!)

To be a competent dog handler, I decided I needed to look like one. I purchased a starter gun, so she could acclimate to gunfire, a bunch of whistles on lanyards, throwing bumpers and yes, a training collar. Most people call the collar a “shock collar” for good reason, but I prefer to be politically and humanely correct.

I have a Garmin PRO 70 (notice the word PRO) which will handle three different collars. So I only have one dog and one collar – remember, look like you know what you’re doing and when you don’t, do it FAST! Gem loves to wear the collar (or did) – she gets so excited as she knows we’re going hunting and she doesn’t care if it’s pheasants, ducks or geese. She loves the water and loves to retrieve.

So can you imagine a grown old man playing imaginatively like a

22

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child? – putting on make-up (face paint and camo), hanging a lanyard around your neck full of calls and a whistle, clothed in camo and pretending to be a duck hunter? I decided I needed to test the collar like in a hunting sceanrio. I put it on my left arm. There are six settings on the control. As you increase the setting strength you go from a flashing light – to a beep or a more steady beep and then to a vibrating mode.

What the heck – flip to #6. I remember a couple of things after pushing the button. I know I fell out of the chair and my arm was shaking violently and uncontrollably. I remember yelling “Jesus Save Me!” It is amazing how quickly you find religion when you’re in pain. I also think some flatulence was involved. Gem was watching me and I am sure she thought we were going hunting, at least until I hit the button. I found her quivering and shaking under the dining room table. Dang that hurt!! I don’t use the collar on her a lot now. I’m “collar shy!”

So don’t think these incidents are just an old child’s exaggeration and embellishment – many of these I have witnesses for. At least Gem won’t tell about the collar incident. No doubt about it, technology and science has permeated hunting, fishing and boating. Maybe some of these items should have a warning like “don’t try this at home,” or “keep out of reach of adult children.”

About the Author...

Bob Schoenfeldt earned his B.S. Zoology ’72, and M.S. Animal Nutrition with a concentration in Wildlife Ecology ‘75 from the Pennsylvania State University. Bob is retired from USDA Federal Service after more than 34 years. Bob is currently the President of the Crawford County Sportsmen’s Council, Inc., Recording Secretary for the NW Division of the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen, Director and Life Member of the Black Ash Sportsman Inc. and Life Member of the NRA.

Pittsburgh ENGINEER Fall 2017

DID YOU KNOW? The PA Game Commission and the PA Fish and Boat Commission are independent agencies of the Commonwealth and are not supported by the Pennsylvania General Fund. The Game Commission is funded by hunting license sales revenue; monies from an excise tax on firearms, ammunition and archery equipment (the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Fund); revenues from timber, coal, oil and gas extracted from Game Lands, and other smaller revenue sources including fines. Like the Game Commission, the Fish and Boat Commission receives no PA General Fund tax revenue. It segregates revenues into two special funds: the Fish Fund and the Boat Fund. The Fish Fund relies on fishing licenses and fees and federal excise taxes on fishing-related items (the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act). For the Boat Fund, boat registration/titling fees, refunds of liquid fuels taxes on gas used by motorboats and federal aid are the top revenue sources.

Both agencies are facing financial hardships as the legislature last approved a hunting license fee increase in 1999 and a fishing license fee increase in 2005.

ESWP’s 134 th Annual Engineering Awards Banquet Thursday, February 15, 2018 Westin Convention Center Hotel

NOMINATIONS NOW OPEN FOR ENGINEER & PROJECT OF THE YEAR!