Mount From Massive Illegally Killed Elk Finds New Home
One of the largest bulls on record in Pennsylvania on permanent display in Clearfield.
After touring the country as part of a traveling display, the mount made from a giant, illegally killed Pennsylvania bull elk has come home to Clearfield County.
Representatives from the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation at a recent ceremony in Clearfield, Pa. presented the mount of the now-famous “Historic Pennsylvania Poaching Bull” to Clearfield County District Attorney William A. Shaw Jr., who prosecuted the poachers responsible for the unlawful killing.
Because of the historic significance of the elk, Shaw made arrangements for the trophy to be on permanent display at the Clearfield County Historical Society, where it is available for public viewing.
Read more: Mount From Massive Illegally Killed Elk Finds New Home
2017 COPA Gun Raffle Results
The results are in!
The 2017 COPA Winter Gun Raffle Early Bird Winner Is....
Falecia Smallwood of York won a Remington 783 - 308 Win.
Winter Gun Raffle WINNERS By Drawing held 4/9/17 are:
Game Commission Officers Recognized By State Police
Assistance in searching property of murder suspect yielded key evidence
Two Wildlife Conservation Officers of the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s northeast region recently received Letters of Commendation from the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) for uncovering evidence during a murder investigation near Saylorsburg in October 2016.
Game Commission Northeast Region Law Enforcement Supervisor Mark Rutkowski and Monroe County Wildlife Conservation Bryan Mowrer received the recognition at a recent ceremony in held in Lehigh County.
Rutkowski and Mowrer assisted state police search a wooded area around the home of murder suspect Michael Horvath, Saylorsburg, in connection to the disappearance of Holly Ann Grim. Grim was last seen near her residence in Lower Macungie Township, Lehigh County, in November 2013.
Read more: Game Commission Officers Recognized By State Police
May 28 Marks Pa’s First Fish-For-Free Day
HARRISBURG, Pa. (May 16) – Families and friends visiting Pennsylvania’s popular outdoor spots over the Memorial Day holiday weekend can enjoy a day of free fishing, thanks to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC).
The Sunday of Memorial Day weekend - May 28 – marks the first of two free fishing days in the Commonwealth. The second is Independence Day – Tuesday, July 4.
Fish-for-Free Days allow anyone – residents and non-residents – to legally fish in Pennsylvania without a fishing license. From 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. on both days, no fishing license is needed to fish in Pennsylvania's waterways. All other fishing regulations apply.
Game Commission Officers Bish and Murray Recognized
National Wild Turkey Federation honors Jerry A. Bish, WCO Daniel Murray.
In Pennsylvania, it’s turkey season.
And the National Wild Turkey Federation Pennsylvania State Chapter recently honored two Pennsylvania Game Commission officers for their work in wildlife conservation.
Pennsylvania Game Commission Land Management Group Supervisor Jerry A. Bish, of Conneaut Lake, was named recipient of the National Wild Turkey Federation’s Joe Kurz Wildlife Manager of the Year Award for his work managing wildlife habitat.
And Wildlife Conservation Officer Daniel Murray, of Milesburg, was named the National Wild Turkey Federation’s 2016 Conservation Officer of the Year.
Each honor recognizes the officers’ service during 2016, and was presented at the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners’ recent meeting.
Read more: Game Commission Officers Bish and Murray Recognized
Additional CWD Cases Detected In Pennsylvania Wild Deer
Chronic-wasting disease sampling in 2016 turns up 25 positive cases, all in the area of DMA 2.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission tested 5,707 deer and 110 elk for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) during 2016.
Twenty-five wild deer tested positive for CWD. All of the wild CWD-positive deer were in or near Disease Management Area 2 (DMA 2), the only area of the state where CWD has been detected in the wild. These 25 deer more than doubled the number of CWD-positive deer detected in DMA 2 from 2012 to 2015.
Through 2016, 47 wild deer have tested positive for CWD in DMA 2.
Each year, the Game Commission collects CWD samples from hunter-harvested animals, road-kills, escaped captive cervids, and any cervid showing signs of CWD.
Read more: Additional CWD Cases Detected In Pennsylvania Wild Deer
Life Jackets Focus of National Safe Boating Week
HARRISBURG, Pa. (May 15) – Boating safety experts want to get something off their chest and onto yours – a life jacket. The importance of flotation devices and other watercraft safety tips are the focus of the 2017 National Safe Boating Week, May 20-26.
“During National Safe Boating Week, and throughout the entire boating season, we are reminding boaters to practice safe and responsible boating, always wear your life jacket, and be alert while on the water,” said Colonel Corey Britcher, director of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission ‘s (PFBC) Bureau of Law Enforcement. “By practicing these simple steps you can save your life as well as the lives of the people boating with you.”
Each year, on average, 700 people die in boating-related accidents nationwide. Nearly 80 percent of the victims were not wearing a life jacket.
