PGC gives preliminary approval for 2020-21 hunting/trapping seasons

February 1, 2020

The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners gave preliminary approval on Jan. 25 to hunting and trapping seasons and bag limits for the 2020-21 license year. Modifications proposed for the 2020-21 seasons include: expanding Sunday hunting opportunities on three days – Sunday, Nov. 15, for archery deer hunting, Sunday, Nov. 22, for bear hunting during the bear firearms season, and Sunday, Nov. 29, for deer hunting during the firearms deer season; allowing concurrent hunting of antlered and antlerless deer statewide for the duration of the 14-day firearms deer season; shifting the ...

Rules for dual-carry of bows, muzzleloaders could change

February 1, 2020

While carrying firearms generally is prohibited while bowhunting, archery deer hunters long have been permitted to carry muzzleloaders to hunt deer during times when the archery and muzzleloader deer seasons overlap. A new proposal would allow archery deer hunters to carry muzzleloaders afield when an archery deer season overlaps with a muzzleloader bear season, as well. Pennsylvania in 2019 implemented an October muzzleloader bear season, which overlapped with both the archery deer season and the October muzzleloader season for antlerless deer. Presently, there are only two ...

Branching out

January 30, 2020

The City of Warren is looking for residents who may want a street tree planted at their home this spring. “Typically, we’ve been planting roughly 50 trees in the spring and 50 trees in the fall on city street right of ways,” Joe Reinke, DPW superintendent and city arborist, said. ...

PFBC removes visible license requirement

January 30, 2020

The Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission has removed regulations that required anglers to constantly display their license on an outer garment. The Commission met on Wednesday and made the change. “Under the amendment to Section 63.2 (PA Title 58), the outer garment display requirement will be replaced with a general possession requirement,” according to a statement from the Commission, “which would require only that an angler carry the license on their person while fishing and present the license to a PFBC law enforcement officer upon request.” “With this change, ...

Nature’s keeper

January 28, 2020

It didn’t take long for the Allegheny National Forest to receive a top award for forest management. Two years after the U.S. Forest Service awarded the first Richard Fitzgerald Award for Excellence in Forest Management to namesake Richard Fitzgerald, Andrea Hille of the ANF has received ...

License sales up after Saturday deer opener

January 25, 2020

When the Pennsylvania Game Commission last year opted to move the opening day of the firearms deer season to Saturday, the decision was based in part on the conclusion it would enable more hunters to participate, and it was the best thing to do for the future of Pennsylvania hunting. Today, about six weeks after that Saturday-opening season closed, Game Commission staff presented the Board of Game Commissioners with findings that indicate the change hit those marks. While final 2019-20 hunting-license sales figures won’t be available until the license year ends June 30, license ...