Occasionally, though, humans fool them. In 2020, more than 6,000 migratory game birds, including more than 5,000 waterfowl, were banded in Pennsylvania. Lion sightings they got. Is it lawful to use an inline during the late flintlock season? Let me explain this. I have three observations here: 1. Many people feed wildlife to experience a closer encounter with wild animals, help animals survive in the winter or to increase the number of game animals. In books I've read critical or skeptical or down-right dismissive of the idea of pumas in the East, the argument has been advanced that the hopefull puma-dreamer/spotters arguing that the State needs to prove pumas don't exist does not mean that in the State not proving this means that pumas indeed do exist in this state. First, we can discern from the flattish face and forward-facing eyes that we are looking at a cat of some kind. It is a time to be in the woods with few other people. Is it lawful to find and retain deer and/or elk antlers on state game lands? A 100-year survey of cougar attacks in the U.S. and Canada found only 10 deaths and 48 injuries. Yet even with these precautions, there are rare instances when animals and/or their nests may get burned. At one time this fact almost resulted in this cat not being protected, since it wasn't a pure strain. The Hunting and Trapping Digest serves as a great resource when it comes to questions about hunting seasons, bag limits and regulations. Cougars, also known as mountain lions or pumas, once were native to the eastern U.S. On a recent stifling morning in Adams County, the 290-pound mountain lion with perfect bone structure is ignoring the raw chicken breast and pork chops a handler tossed into his pen. Mature trees are left standing and are typically not impacted by the fire, (unless that is the desired effect). The most popular time of year to view elk is during the rut, which typically begins in September and carries through October. The head of the puma is small in comparision to a house cat when compared to the entire body. An average adult should be able to ward off an attack by fighting back since mountain lions are rather small. California state law requires the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to issue permits to kill mountain lions that attack domestic animals. Store clean grills and smokers in a secure area that keeps bears out. While a greater number of turkeys are harvested each spring than fall, the fall harvest is what really matters. Now, forty years ago coyotes were rare or almost nonexistent in Pennsylvania, and had had that same sighting back then, when coyotes were thought not to exist within the state we would have had the 'facts' to doubt what we saw. People still report cougar sightings in Pennsylvania all the time. At headquarters, there is an executive staff and seven bureaus: Wildlife Habitat Management, Wildlife Management, Wildlife Protection, Administrative Services, Marketing and Strategic Communications, Information and Education and Automated Technology Services. Migratory game bird hunters are encouraged to report banded ducks, geese, doves and woodcock they harvest online at www.reportband.gov. The agency is primarily funded by hunting and furtaker license sales, as well as State Game Lands timber, mineral, oil/gas revenues, a federal excise tax on sporting arms and ammunition, and assets that have been procured with license dollars. Mountain lions can be found throughout Arizona, and data suggests the populations are not only stable, but growing. He said the idea of having mountain lions in Pennsylvania again - they roamed the state as late as the early 1800s - seems nice at first, but would never . In February 2021, the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission launched HuntFishPA, a new user-friendly licensing platform for hunters, anglers and boaters. Things to consider panting are mast-producing trees for food, conifer trees for cover and native plants for seed and nectar. Imagine my surprise. However, evidence of attempt to tag would be harder to prove if the tag was placed around the antler. Fish . If I scaled Mace up to the filmed cats minimum shoulder height of 18 inches, it suggests a body weight of just over 50 pounds. What does a Mountain Lion look like on a game camera? During times of the year where natural food sources are low, bears sometimes help themselves to food that is easily accessible, including bird feeders, trash cans and pet food left outside within a bears reach. Right-to-know requests must be submitted in writing to the Open Records Officer. The stride was around 21 inches, and they ambled along at a leisurely pace. The Pennsylvania Game Commission has been trying to establish a wild population of pheasants for years through its Wild Pheasant Recovery Areas (WPRAs). Yes. In Yellowstone, definite puma country (perhaps not ideal habitat, but pumas are found in every section of Yellowstone), I've spoken to guys on road crews and with rangers, each with 20 years of field or road experience in Yellowstone, and the ranger had only seen 2 (both road kills and together) and the road crew guys two or three in all their years. NEW! They, like all cats, have extremely sensitive noses and dont like having them abused. Animal welfare is important not only to the public, but to wildlife managers and trappers alike, and will continue to be a critical component of trapping in Pennsylvania. Although it's not evidence that they do not. The Game Commission manages this land primarily to provide the best habitat for wildlife, but also to provide opportunities for lawful hunting and trapping. If a cow is not bred in her first estrus cycle, she will recycle approximately every 21 days, providing additional opportunities for conception. Mountain Lion / Cougar sighting in Pennsylvania - October 2019 (Part 2) Flatsquatch Productions 1.8K subscribers Subscribe 4.7K views 3 years ago Scott describes his mountain lion /. As the latest hoaxed photo of a mountain lion supposedly killed in Pennsylvania died a slow death on Facebook yesterday, the head of an organization tracking the eastern movements of the big cats was preparing a presentation for a Pennsylvania audience tonight. Some in-person classes are being offered. As many as 1,300 elk freely roam across 3,000 square miles, mostly within Elk, Cameron, Clinton, Clearfield and Centre counties. Brown apparently still has beef with Chiefs' JuJu Smith-Schuster. WPRAs are selected based on potential pheasant habitat available. Mountain lions, also commonly known as cougars, are officially extinct in both Pennsylvania and the United States east of the Mississippi. That solution: Shoot, Shovel, and Shut Up. Is it lawful to use E-bikes on state game lands in Pennsylvania? I have not spoken with a Game Commission officer personally, so I don't know whether anyone killing a puma in Pennsylvania could do so without legal repercussions. It has been illegal to hunt and kill mountain lions in California since 1971, but hunting the cats is permitted in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado, Utah and Nevada. I'm thinking of the solution often suggested for pesky endangered species out west, namely wolves and grizzly bears. I've seen about 20 mountain lions, or pumas, in the field, but all but 2 were in Chile. According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, feline predators such as the eastern cougar, which is also known as the mountain lion, are " extirpated ," meaning they're all but wiped out in. The Pennsylvania Game Commission is an independent state agency and receives no General Fund money from the state's annual budget. Since 2004, when scientists found a dead cougar on train tracks in northern Oklahoma, they have recovered more than 100additional cougar bodies east of the Rocky Mountains. Refer to the Pennsylvania Department of Healths precautionary recommendations for outdoor recreation. Reporting leg-bands helps the Game Commission and the U.S. Who conducts burns on State Game Lands? The doe bolted for the trees with the cat still attached, and every 6 feet or so you could see a large impression in the snow, which mustve been the cats rump as it was hanging on with teeth and claws. At one time mountain lions, or more properly puma (Puma concolor), enjoyed the widest geographic range of any New World mammal, and were found throughout all of the contiguous United States. Deer aging crews visit processors to examine deer heads to collect age, sex, harvest location and hunter information. Have your animal processed in the area in which it was harvested so high-risk parts can be disposed of properly; 5. However, many of my reports were at distances that people knew, and as you look at the images of the puma there really is a big difference in color and shape between a puma and a house cat. Supplemental feeding causes deer and elk to concentrate, which facilitates the spread of diseases like CWD. Could it be a bobcat? It is also unlawful to dig on state game lands. What is the Kiboko backpack? The smell of rotting flesh was unmistakable. But even that little guy isn't prowling the Poconos yet. We work closely with wildlife biologists to ensure that while some nests may be lost throughout the year due to prescribed fire activities, the burns are restoring acres of healthy habitat that ensure significantly more nests will be successful for many years into the future. Those impacts are not immediately visible as CWD-infected animals might not show symptoms of the disease for 18 to 24 months. Its the basis of a classic fishing trick; you hold a fish a bit away from you to make it appear larger for the camera. "Although I understand why and what (proponents are) trying to say, I do not agree that this would be the case in Pennsylvania without having other major negative implications," he said in an email. Merely informing people of the possibility of mountain lions in Pennsylvania would not cause a panic, as it never does out west, but the death of a child by a mountain lion in Pennsylvania would create some measure of panic and terror in Pennsylania, and all surrounding states. Compare any game camera image with the shots above, or this game camera image, to confirm your identification. When an average sized deer is donated, approximately 200 meals can be shared with hungry Pennsylvanians. Thank you in advance for helping to protect Pennsylvania wildlife! Hunting mortality or number of turkeys harvested, especially in the fall, can affect turkey population due to the harvest of hens. The cat was far enough away that I couldn't get a size reference, and I believed the cat was further away than it actually was. It is our mission to manage and protect wildlife and their habitats while promoting hunting and trapping for current and future generations. Except for Florida, the eastern mountain lion is believed to have extricated from the east coast by 1900. It is illegal to take or possess wildlife from the wild. Pennsylvania has 308 state games lands, which span more than 1.5 million acres. Applications will follow the same schedule as seasons past, where residents, and later nonresidents, are permitted to apply for a license in the opening round, and in each of the two successive rounds for any WMU where licenses remain. So it happens, and who knows if it is existing in wild pumas in the East. Mountain Lions do remain in the western states and there is evidence that in 2011, a . Learn more about elk history in Pennsylvania. Those buying licenses from an issuing agent will be issued harvest tags at the time of purchase and will have the opportunity to have digital licenses provided through email. Pennlive.com reports trappers kill more than 40,000 of them in Pennsylvania every year. However, my friend and I discussed this, and agreed, we saw what we saw, and had it been 40 years ago or four months ago, we knew we saw a coyote. In response to COVID-19, is the Game Commission considering additional hunting opportunities or changes to existing hunting regulations? Are there Mountain Lions (Pumas, Cougars) in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic States? Trapping protects public health and safety. By requiring the tag in an ear, the antlers can be removed, but the deer head, at a minimum, and carcass remain identifiable. Which is the better camera, the Mark IV or the 7D? Click here to read more about state game lands regulations. A moose is a very rare sight in Pennsylvania. Harvest management to improve turkey numbers is with more conservative fall seasons. I'd love to hear of any reports you have. For now, the state will stick with its current deer management plan, which leans heavily on hunting. How would mountain lions impact black bears? But please note that it is unlawful to put food out around the camera to attract wildlife to the area. Please keep scrolling - ALL the Puma posts are included. Mountain lions are large, tan cats. To learn more about this action, and for an update on the status of turkey management in the Commonwealth, please review the wild turkey biologist's January 2021 report to the board. pgccomments@pa.gov. What is the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners? The interaction of these factors, such as a high fall harvest rate coupled with poor poult production due to adverse spring weather with poor habitat quality, predation and minor disease, impact populations. Why cant I purchase antlerless deer tags online? When encountering young wildlife, be it deer, birds, rabbits or other animals, the Game Commission urges Pennsylvanians to resist the urge to interfere with young wildlife or remove any wild animal from its natural setting, for the protection of humans and wildlife. The State Museum of Pennsylvania, in Harrisburg, displays a taxidermy mount of a mountain lion in glass case, with the notation, "This lion, found near Hawk Mountain in Berks County around 1871, is the last native mountain lion known to have been shot in Pennsylvania.". Why is there no post-Christmas grouse hunting season? Probably the most revolutionary advancement towards this goal has been the Best Management Practices (BMP) completion. According to Prugh, cougars also could help slow the spread of Lyme's disease by taking out diseased deer and save casual gardens and crops from overgrazing. As a volunteer hunter education instructor, youll be teaching students with an easy-to-use, standardized curriculum for which all teaching aids and materials are provided. Unless I am only dealing with a lot of delusional people with little judgment, something is out there. Who knows? After all, how many people have pumas? The other three images are from my file, selected to most closely approximate the pose of the cat from the game camera. Did they migrate south from Canada? On the other hand, there are probably thousands of game cameras covering water holes and game trails throughout Pennsylvania, and to my knowledge no one has yet recorded a puma. "Deer pose relatively less risk to them compared to larger animals. Through stringent trap testing, BMPs provide a guide to trappers for ensuring animal welfare and trap efficiency for each individual species. Hunters who support modernizing the antlerless deer license application process in Pennsylvania should contact their state Senator and/or state Representative and ask them to support Senate Bill 431. It was recorded in Minnesota and Wisconsin in late 2009 and early 2010, and then died in Connecticut in 2011. Onthese three Sundays, hunters on private land are required to carry written permission from the landowner. Some biologists thinks it's time to bring them back to help manage deer populations. Those licenses remain available and 2. But as the South Dakota mountain lion proved, in its at least unusual migration to Connecticut, anything is possible. Cougars also called mountain lions or pumas are uniquely suited to hunt and kill deer, who not only cause traffic accidents but overgraze to the point of endangering native species and eliminating habitats for smaller animals. Where can I find bear harvest data? A hunter can retain the antlers and still have the head tested for CWD if the harvest tag is properly attached to the ear. There have been no "confirmed" reports of mountain lions, AKA Puma concolor, in Pennsylvania since the late 1800s. More than half of the Game Commissions annual revenue comes from license sales, a relatively fixed income source. I'd suspect it would still be considered very rare, after all, it was thought to be extinct. If you see or photograph a puma in the mid-Atlantic states, please email or call me. If it were, it would be listed. Please enable scripts and reload this page. Supplemental feeding is not necessary to sustain wildlife populations. In Pennsylvania, I receive a few reports of black, big cats, which makes one wonder -- are there melanistic (black) pumas out there, or are those sightings always wrong. Pennsylvanias elk herd is located in the states northcentral region. Its the success of these nests that dictate the future of the turkey population. Cougars, on the other hand, typically range from 23-28 inches at the shoulder (with some odd reports listing 35 inches maximum), with a weight ranging from 75-250 pounds . Is a mountain lion bigger than a bobcat? Because the success of a seasons' offspring can be directly affected by poor weather in the spring, an abundance of hens can make it easier for a population to recover from poor hatch years. How do I submit a Right-to-Know request? I'll be anxious to learn of your report. The digest is also available for printing and viewing online. Only once has anyone later determined that they had misidentified the cat, seeing a bobcat and not a mountain lion. Do lots of hens mean fewer gobblers? PHILADELPHIA (AP) An instinct coiled way down in the human brain knows the difference between a bobcat and a mountain lion. The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners voted to allow hunting and furtaking eLicenses to be carried afield as an alternative to carrying certain paper licenses. How can I apply for a Pennsylvania elk hunting license? The footage is dark and amorphous, and very hard to make out. Is wildlife harmed by prescribed fire? Recently, on a back road in Pennsylvania, a friend and I had our first sighting of a coyote in Pennsylvania. Why is the Game Commission considering the reintroduction of American Martens? 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