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PGC releases annual report for hunting
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans today testiand Fisheries Committee and presented the agency’s annual report.
agency’s annual legislative reportOpens In A New Window, please visit www. pgc.pa.gov and click on the the homepage.lows:
“Good morning Chairwoman Kulik, Chairman Fisheries Committee. I am pleased to share with you what the Pennsylvania Game Commission has accomplished over the past year.
Our mission requires managing the Common-cies, across 46,000 squareers and nonhunters. That’s a huge challenge. But it’s
signed to districts across those wardens are memTracking Team and are specially trained in conducting search-and-rescue operations in remote loca-
terrains. The Tracking times last year and assisted the State Police in search-
Chester County Prison last summer.ment, it seems appropriate to start with white-tailed deer, as no other species generates as much interest and passion. Given the hunters, and the potential and agricultural industries, we take seriously the
Game Wardens. During wardens issued 5,567 warnprosecutions. The successcharges.
Conservation and were as-
visited more than 400 processors and examined -
ed deer. This work allows us to monitor the age and understand their popula-
our deer management decisions.
in particular, more than years old or older, thanks mainly to antler point restrictions, which a recent survey showed are suphunters.
There are many challenges that our deer popu-
invest so many resources in studying our deer harvest, which recently has averaged around 400,000
chronic wasting disease, or CWD, which continues to
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show up in more harvested deer each year. Together
Pennsylvania Cooperative Unit at Penn State, and the at Penn Vet, we’re conductFulton counties, to explore how CWD impacts deertality. the species that we manage.
Last year we wrapped Sproul State Forest looking season recommendations.
Launching this year is anect that will take place involves putting GPS coltheir survival in relation
human presence. Likewise, we’re conducting research on wild turkey populations. Working again with Penn State and Penn Vet, we’re putting GPS transmitters on tur-
to monitor their survivalitats, weather conditions, disease, predation, and more. Our counterparts in Maryland, Ohio and New Jersey recently joined the
study as well, which will give us a regional perspective on turkey populations. We are also continuingulations. Lately, we haveicant achievements and the pathogen which causes the disease. Based on
treatment program at a site that resulted in a twothirds reduction in disease prevalence. Last spring,
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dozen new colonies that led to over 1,000 reproductive adult females now being monitored and protected.
We’re also studying the genetic diversity of grouse to learn more about how fragmented habitat impacts their survival rates.
And we’re banding songbirds at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area as part of a continent-wide effort to identify threats to the survival of various species.
These are just a few of our ongoing projects studying the health and viability of Pennsylvania’s wildlife. We’re also working hard to create and preserve the habitat that wildlife needs to survive.
on almost 9,000 acres last improved habitat on nearly 25,000 additional acres. Some of those timber harvests involved a contractor paying us for the lumber. But for others, we removed the trees solely for the purpose of improving the habitat for wildlife. We added more than 3,500 acres to the State Game Lands system, and made infrastructure improvements on existing game lands, creating, and improving 55 miles of roadways, and constructing 28 bridges.
We expanded the number of public shooting ranges that are available. We built six new ranges and added two archery ranges last year, with another coming online soon
Multiple existing shooting ranges are scheduled for upgrades as well.
29,000 new hunters through a combination of online and in-person Hunter-Trapper Education classes; over 50 of the classes being held
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in public schools, thanks to the legislation authored by Chairman Maloney, which mandates that school districts shall make their facilities available for hunter-education classes.
We didn’t stop there either. It can take time and resources to create a hunter, so we offered “Learn to Hunt” programs on pheasant, squirrel, spring turkey, archery deer and
help recruit hunters. These programs initially consist of a live webinar, and the videos are then made available on our YouTube page where they have reached thousands of new and potential hunters.
We’ve also made a point of going into communities where hunting is not as prevalent as other parts of the state. The 12-county Southeast Region, for example, is home to more than half of Pennsylvania’s total population. But for those who live there, it’s not always easy to
mentor to teach you how to be successful. In conjunction with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, we offered mentored hunts in Philadelphia at the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge and Ben-
ency. We manage all wildlife for all Pennsylvanians and strive to provide them with ways to connect with wildlife and the work done by our employees.
We released podcasts and videos, and expanded our presence on Facebook, Instagram, and X. And we talked face-to-face with Pennsylvanians at events like the Farm Show and Great American Outdoor Show.
real-world experience in everything from wildlife and habitat management to biology and education.
We offered driving tours on multiple game lands, giving people the chance to see some of our properties and interact with staff.
jamin Rush State Park, as part of our efforts to introduce hunting to new participants and new communities. In so doing, we are also demonstrating to public landowners that it is possible to use hunting as the mechanism for managing deer populations, even in heavily populated areas.
We set records with Pennsylvania’s National Archery in the Schools Program, which saw over 300 schools and more than 100,000 students participating. In addition to serving as the training ground for the next generation of hunters and recreational shooters, this program helps students develop focus, discipline, and patience – skills needed to be successful at both the range and in the classroom.
And speaking of the National Archery in the Schools Program, we will be holding this year’s state tournament on Friday, March 22, in Lancaster
the packet you received today that has the details on this event. We would love for you to attend if your schedule permits. There will be over 1,000 students from across the state competing for individual and team awards on that day.
But hunters and trappers are not our only constitu-
Nearly 2 million viewers enjoyed our livestreams showcasing a bear den, elk, snow geese, and bald eagles’ nests. Through our Junior Game Warden Camps, we introduced hundreds of young Pennsylvanians to what it takes to be a State Game Warden,
Each month we distributed copies of Pennsylvania Game News to approximately 4,000 libraries and 70,000 individuals, including anyone who took a Hunter-Trapper Education class in the past year.
We participated in the statewide Envirothon and held a National Hunting and Fishing Day event in conjunction with Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area’s 50th anniversary.
while internship opportunities gave older students
All told, there is a lot to be proud of when it comes
to Pennsylvania’s wildlife and hunting heritage. We remain second in the country for hunting licenses sold, behind only Texas. A recent study analyzing hunting license sales found that the nationwide trend is for sales to decrease by over 3% per year. But Pennsylvania is an outlier, with sales remaining steady consistently rank in the top variety of deer hunting categories, including antlered buck and antlerless deer harvest. We are recognized as a top turkey hunting state, with more hunters and more birds than just about anywhere. We have abundant small game hunting opportunities, thanks in part to the over 225,000 pheasants we raise and stock across the state. We continue to produce some of the heaviest black bears and some of the biggest elk. And we monitor, research, manage, and create habitat for all species in between, from barn owls to woodrats.
That concludes my prepared remarks. Thank you for the opportunity to discuss the work performed by the dedicated individuals who make up the Game Commission. I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have.”
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Bobwhite quail returns to Pa.
HARRISBURG — A wildlife species native to Pennsylvania but long missing is back home again.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission today released 50 bobwhite quail on the grounds of Letterkenny Army Depot in Franklin County. That brings to 76 the number of bobwhites planted on site in recent weeks, with one more release to go.
The birds – which should increase their numbers exponentially over the course of the spring breeding seasondation the Game Commission began laying more than a decade ago.
“This is an exciting time, the next chapter in a story of wildlife restoration,” said Game Commission Executive Director Bryan
take any species that’s disappeared and bring it back again.
“But Pennsylvania has a proud history of doing just that. White-tailed deer, elk, bald eagles, peregrine falcons, all were gone of nearly so from our borders and now are thriving across Pennsylvania. With today’s release, maybe, just maybe, bobwhites are on the same path.”
Bobwhites are by nature a boom-and-bust-type of species, incredibly productive breeders, but with short lifespans and prone to dramatic population swings. In good habitat, though, they can survive all that long-term.
They certainly did in Pennsylvania, for a long time. The Keystone State had quail in all 67 counties in the mid-1800s, and they remained abundant in many of those places into the mid20th century.
But land use changes not
necessarily friendly to quail changed everything.
Bobwhites, as well as other grassland birds, require
habitat that provides food, nesting cover and shelter.
Pennsylvania once had lots of it in the form of small family farms. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), the Keystone State had 202,250 farms in 1920, covering 61% of the state’s total land mass.
Many of those disappeared over the ensuing decades, though. NASS’s latest, just-released U.S. Census of Agriculture says Pennsylvania had just 49,053 farms in 2022, covering less than 25% of the state.
Not surprisingly, quail disappeared as those farms did. The Game Commission -
tirpated – gone from within our state borders – after conducting extensive surveys in 2013 and 2014. But it’s likely they were lost even earlier, in the late 1990s or early 2000s, said Andrew Ward, the Game Commission’s quail biologist.
In the years since, the Game Commission has been working to bring them back.tential restoration site and creating as much bobwhite quail habitat there as possible.
Enter Letterkenny. Starting in 2017, the Game Commission and Letterkenny began mowing, seeding, disking, burning, herbiciding and otherwise managing about 2,700 acres of the U.S. Army installation focused on the repair and modernization of air and missile defense systems.
Boating
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Branch of French Creek, Erie County Carnegie Science Center; Boating Facility Feasibility Study, Three Rivers Heritage Trail, Allegheny County
Susquehanna River Watershed South Middleton Township; Design and Construction of Canoe/Kayak Access, Yellow Breeches Creek, Cumberland County
Statewide:
Pennsylvania Lake Management Society; Mobile Boat Cleaning Station
While the PFBC accepted grant applications from anywhere in the Commonwealth, special consideration was given to projects that will provide public boating access in the Delaware River watershed thanks to the availability of additional funding through the Delaware Watershed Conservation
Fund.
The Fund, created in 2018, is funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to achieve the goals of the Delaware River Basin Conservation Act. The Act guides and supports federal, state, regional, and local partners to collaboratively identify, prioritize, and implement habitat restoration and conservation activities within the watershed.
Additional Boating Facility Grants, which include more than $100,000 in funding from the PFBC, will be announced later in 2024, pending required approval from the PFBC Board of Commissioners.
The PFBC reminds boaters that the annual cold weather life jacket requirement remains in effect. Anyone aboard a boat less than 16 feet, including all kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards, is required to wear a life jacket from November 1 through April 30.
Photo by Pa. Game Commission
A Bobwhite quail looks into the wilderness.
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Todd Black, Deputy to the Commander at Letterkenny, said today’s quail release wouldn’t have been possible without those countless hours spent developing the Bobwhite Quail Focus Area –the only of its kind in Pennsylvania.
“The release of northern bobwhite quail into their new home highlights how Letterkenny takes proactive measures and works with our partners in the Game Commission to adapt operations and steward Army lands,” Black said. “Our investment in species habitat not only ensures mission but contributes to our overall readiness as an organization.”
Letterkenny and the Game Commission put all that work up for review,
around the state and country were brought to Letterkenny at multiple times in recent habitat potential and then grade the work being done to improve it. In 2023, 65 such pros from the National Bobwhite and Grasslands Initiative’s technical committee declared the site ready for birds.
“We now have warm-season, bunch and clump grasses to provide nesting cover,” Ward said. “We have forbs and legumes to provide brood habitat as well as food. And we have shrubby, woody cover that offers protection from the elements as well as from predators.”
Quail were the last missing piece. The Game Commission has secured them from three sites: 11 so far from Fort Barfoot, an Army National Guard installation in Virginia; 15 from Fort Kentucky; and 50 from Tall Timbers, a Florida-based land trust.
Another trapping effort is
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Barfoot, with the birds subsequently released at Letterkenny.
Combined, those quail are enough, in cases captured from source sites as close to Pennsylvania as could be arranged, to make a successful restoration possible, Ward added.
Possible, but not guaranteed. The bobwhites released this spring still need some attention and help. The plan is to provide it.
“We’re not just dropping these birds and walking away,” Ward said. “We will continue to support, monitor and study them.”
For starters, the Game Commission, Letterkenny and other conservation
partners will continue to remake and sustain suitable habitat as outlined in a quail management plan that runs through 2030.
Beyond that, two graduate students from the University of Delaware will be on site this summer to see how well the quail – and other grassland species in decline over the long haul for the same reasons – are faring.
Every quail released at Letterkenny this year was given a leg band. A subset
collars. One graduate student will, using small electronic devices located in a grid pattern across Letterkenny, track them to track survival, habitat use, nesting success, movement and more.
Trout schedule unveiled
HARRISBURG – Beginning today, anglers looking forward to Pennsylvania’s popular spring trout season have another tool
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) is pleased to make its 2024 adult trout stocking schedule available using the FishBoatPA mobile app and website (Fishandboat. com).
“Even though the calendar says it’s still winter, spring will be here before we know it,” said Brian Niewinski, Director of the PFBC’s Bureau of Hatcheries. “For many people,
meeting locations for volunteers, and the species of trout that are planned to be stocked at each location.
In 2024, Pennsylvania’s statewide Opening Day of Trout Season will be held on Saturday, April 6. A single, statewide Mentored Youth Trout Day will take place on Saturday, March 30.
stocking schedule has been posted, anglers can start preparing by purchasingting their gear ready, and trips.”
of Trout Season in Pennsylvania and the weeks that follow is a tradition that they look forward to all year long. Now that the
The trout stocking schedule is searchable by county, lists the waterways in alphabetical order, and indicates stocking dates,
To prepare for the start of the season, stocking operations are set to begin the week of February 19. Anglers should note that on lakes and streams designated as Stocked Trout Waters from February 19 to 8 a.m. on the opening day of trout season, with the Youth Trout Fishing Day, unless waters are included
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A Rainbow trout is placed in the water during a beautiful Pa. day.
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in the Stocked Trout Waters Open to Year-Round Fishing program.
3.2 Million Trout
In 2024, the PFBC will stock approximately 3.2 million adult trout in 697 streams and 129 lakes open to public angling. These -
tent with the number of trout stocked over the past decade, include approximately 2.4 million Rainbow Trout; 702,000 Brown Trout; and 132,000 Brook Trout. As with past practice, the average size of the trout produced for stocking is 11 inches in length with an average weight of .58 pounds.
In 2024, anglers will have an excellent chance to catch large, trophy-sized trout. This year, the PFBC will stock approximately
2 ½ year-old and 3 ½ yearold hatchery-raised Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout,
and Brook Trout measuring 14-20 inches. Roughly
be stocked into streams and lakes during the preseason prior to opening day of trout season, and 30% will be stocked during in-season replenishment stockings.
In 2024, the PFBC will stock approximately 14,000 golden Rainbow Trout. In addition to being stocked during the preseason period before opening day,
featuring vibrant golden-orange pigmentation and weighing an average of 1.5 pounds will be stocked during in-season replenishment stockings. Approximately 75% of golden Rainbow Trout will be stocked during the preseason, and approximately 25% will be stocked in-season.
In addition to trout -
eries, PFBC cooperative nurseries operated by sportsmen’s clubs and other groups across the state will add another one million trout to waters open to
public angling throughout the year.
Once again included in this year’s stocking lists are the Keystone Select Stocked Trout Waters, a program where sections of 24 streams across the state are stocked with large trout measuring 14-20 inches and managed under Delayed
Only or Miscellaneous Special regulations. Under the program, approximately 10,000 large trout will be distributed among the streams. The trout will be stocked at a rate of 175 to 225 per mile of stream, which is comparable to the numbers of similarly sized wild trout waters.
Volunteers
The PFBC will be welcoming volunteers to help distribute approximately 3.2 million hatchery-raised adult trout to hundreds of waterways statewide throughout the 2024 season. The PFBC is proud to partner with conservation groups, schools, and walk-up volunteers to help
spread out the trout in local waterways. Volunteers are asked to keep the safety of PFBC staff and other volunteers in mind and obey stocking vehicles.
Licenses and Permits
To participate in troutglers ages 16 and older are required to possess both a permit. Anglers and boaters can start preparing for opening day of trout season right now by purchasing their 2024 Pennlaunch permits, and boat registration renewals on the PFBC website, the FishBoatPA mobile app, or by visiting one of approximately 700 retail license issuing agents. By purchasing licenses and permits online, customers can save time and avoid long lines in stores when waiting to purchase a license closer to the start of trout season. Anglers may store an image of their license digitally on their phones as proof of possession.
Photo by PFBC
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Officers honored with Lifesaving Awards
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is pleased to announce that several Wa-cers (WCO) have received prestigious Lifesaving Awards.
Philadelphia
WCOs Erin Czech and Abigail Luteri were honored for their roles in a boating incident response on July 4, 2023, while patrolling the Delaware River in Philadelphia. At approximatelyworks display on the Camden (NJ) waterfront, Czech, Luteri, and Pennsylvania Game Commission Deputy State Game Warden (DSGW) Darren Holmes observed aden side of the river and noticed a personal watercraft (jet ski) moving towards activated their emergency lights, the occupants of the personal watercraft and two other nearby anchored that there were two men and a woman distressed in the water who were be-
been swept approximately 200 yards from their boats.
to rescue the swimmers, and all three were transported safely back to their boats unharmed. The emergency began when the woman entered the water voluntarily to swim, wearing a life jacket, but had underestimated the strength of the currents in the river. The two men jumped into the water for an attempted rescue when they also became distressed. It should be noted that, at the time of the rescue, WCO Luteri had only been on the job as a WCO for eight days following her graduation from the PFBC training academy.
ware River in Bucks County. Upon arriving on the scene, Blair discovered four individuals aboard a 23-foot boat in distress, which was half-submerged and sinking rapidly after striking a large channel marker. Several of the victims aboard the boat had sustained serious injuries and were bleeding, and one victim was in and out of consciousness. Blair assisted in providing life jackets to the distressed boaters, helped them onto the PFBC patrol boat, and transported them to a nearby marina where EMS was waiting to provide medical assistance.
ing carried away by strong currents. Upon seeing the
was not wearing a life jacket and was struggling to swim, WCO Luteri was able to throw a rescue rope and
assist DSGW Holmes to pull the man to safety aboard the patrol boat. WCO Czech then maneuvered the patrol boat back towards the other man and woman, who were wearing life jackets, but had
Bucks County WCO Michael Blair was honored for his role in a boating incident response on August 26, 2023, at Tullytown Cove on the Dela-
WCOs Blair, Czech, and Luteri were presented with Lifesaving Awards during the PFBC’s quarterly Commission meeting on January 22, 2024.
New Pa. game wardens join assigned districts
HARRISBURG — Their training now complete, Pennsylvania’s newest State Game Wardens are working in their newly assigned districts.
The 35th Class of the Pennsylvania Game Com-
School of Conservation graduated Feb. 3, adding 12
Graduate Kolten Boyer received the class award for academics, with a score of 96.03%.
Graduate Trevor Faust was honored with the marksmanship award, achievingciency in a series of coursand shotgun. Faust also was winner for maintaining the
Members of the 35th Class, their hometowns and their assigned districts are: Justin J. Beltowski, of Dysart (Somerset County); Kolton R. Boyer, of New Castle (Allegheny County); Tyler R. Castronova, of Rochester, N.Y. (Allegheny County); Patrick R. DeRojas, of Dallas (Luzerne County); Trevor A. Faust, of Bethlehem (Lehigh County); Benjamin P. Fromm, of Denver, (Lycoming County); Blake H. McNew, of Bangor (Delaware County); Alexander R. Purdy, of Downingtown (Westmoreland County); Joshua K. Ross, of Lock Haven (Centre County); Benjamin M. Sawina, of Newark, Del. (Berks County); Samuel D.T. Terwilliger, of Lucinda (Venango County); and Nelson E. Yocum Jr., of Honey Brook (Chester County).
highest standard of physical program.
Graduate Nelson Yocum Jr. captured the EVOC driving award for exhibiting safe and exceptional police driving skills during the training program.
Graduate Justin Beltowski earned the academy torch award for maintaining the highest professional standard of conduct, values, ideals, and demonstrated abilities as judged by his fellow classmates.
Graduate Tyler Castronova received a Life Saving Award for rendering aid in an emergency while trainWarden Stephen Wingenbach.
Graduation of new game wardens follows 44 weeks of
intensive training, includ-ing.
Training School Director Kyle Jury praised graduates for their dedication and demonstrated commitment to our natural resources.
“These 12 new graduates now embark on their careers as state game wardens by serving in geographical districts across the Commonwealth,” Jury said. By pursuing this career path,
part of the agency’s continued and dedicated effort to wildlife conservation. Having these individuals join the ranks of game wardens will strengthen the agency’s efforts to safeguard the hunting heritage the Game Commission was founded on so that it can be passed on to
future generations.”
president of the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners, proposed the establishment of a training school for game protectors, as game wardens then were called. When the training school opened its doors in 1932, in Brockway, Jeffersoning school in the world and served as a model for other states.
From 1932 until 1935, theservation offered in-service training for game protectors. The school became a permanent facility until 1986, when it was moved to the agency’s Harrisburg headquarters.
Photo courtesy of PFBC