If it is a cougar/mountain lion, its probably a young one thats wandering around, looking for food. To be fair, I've also spoken with people who, at first, thought they'd seen a puma only to find, to their embarassment, that they were looking at a house cat! Thank you for your interest in Pennsylvania wildlife. In personal contacts, that monthly average might even be higher. The Pennsylvania Game Commission is your state wildlife agency and we want to help clarify and simplify some timely and commonly asked hunting- and wildlife-related questions. This change is necessary to reduce harvest rates to a level that will allow for growth of this migratory Canada goose population. Larger and more aggressive animals often exclude younger and weaker animals which causes aggressive behavior resulting in injuries and even death for particularly vulnerable individuals. No big game harvest tags will be issued to mentored hunters who are under 7 years old at the time of application. Smoke will be visible during the burn and might be seen for many miles. ? Crews are highly trained and qualified to light fires in a way that allows wildlife to escape, often with crew members walking through units before and during burns to ensure the area is clear of wildlife. Other crew members are assigned to monitor the weather and smoke conditions throughout the day to ensure the fire stays within its prescription and is achieving the desired ecological effects. One might argue that the eastern puma is extinct, but that does not mean that there are not pumas (mountain lions, cougars) in the east. With that, Pennsylvanias seasons and management strategies must account for high harvest potential and possible disturbance of hens given the number of hunters. Turkeys aren't like deer, which can overpopulate a given area and strip it of available food. You read it here first: Mountain lions still exist in Pennsylvania: Just prior to the start of Pennsylvania's two-week firearms deer season, the volunteers at the Eastern Puma Research Network put out a call to hunters. The Pennsylvania Game Commissions Operation Game Thief program serves to protect wild birds and wild mammals and encourages those who have information related to wildlife crimes to report details as soon as possible. I had three cameras positioned, so had a cat visited, I'd have had it. I love the big cats and devote a huge amount of my field time photographing African lions, leopards, cheetahs, and in 2011, tigers. The wild turkey feeds primarily on acorns, waste grain, insects and grasses, which are unlikely to be depleted at the same time. The decision to burn can be made as late as the morning of the burn. . Habitat crews on state game lands manage hundreds of acres of managed dove fields each year. Are the Latest Fast CF Cards worth the Expense? Weather, especially during spring nesting season can affect turkey populations. The 'look' is from my Remember, this one was photographed in Arizona in good puma country, although this was the first one I've recorded there. The mountain lionalso known as the cougar, puma, panther, or catamountis a large cat species native to the Americas. Still, our research shows females (both juvenile and adult) comprise a larger portion of the fall harvest than males. I'd love to hear of any reports you have. The most common areas to see mountain lions in Arizona are in places of rocky and mountainous terrain. Visit www.bearwise.org for more ways to prevent human-bear conflicts. Are there Mountain Lions (Pumas, Cougars) in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic States? The sightings were great bear views, but too fast or fleeting to allow me to grab a camera. These birds are a tangible product for hunting license buyers. 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. Pennsylvania Hunter-Trapper Education courses take place across the state throughout the year. Fire improves wildlife habitat and hunting opportunities by increasing soft mast production in shrubs like blueberry, huckleberry and blackberry. Yes. Mentored hunters ages 7 and older can apply for their own antlerless deer licenses, (one antlerless license per mentored permit holder), and DMAP permits. Theories include the Nittany Lion, Mountain Lion, Puma, Cougar, Bobcat and even an actual black eastern Panther . If I go by the huge tracks I found three years ago, Im convinced that there are. The estimated muzzleloader harvest was 28,260, of which 1,140 were antlered deer. Prescribed fires can be conducted throughout the year, depending on the ecological objectives. This is a game regulation that has been around for many years and predates most people currently working for the Game Commission. We do not currently know the effects of disease turkey populations. What happens on the day of the burn? The agency is focused on putting wildlife first, improving wildlife habitat, following sound business practices, serving the Pennsylvania public and improving support for hunting and trapping. A dark brown puma, backlighted by a strong sun, could appear all black, or very dark, and he accepted that. Store clean grills and smokers in a secure area that keeps bears out. I regularly ask hunters and outdoors people if they've ever seen a mountain lion, or know of anyone that has. While mountain lion attacks are rare, they do happen. A variety of entities handle road-killed deer removal throughout the state and the region office can clarify the proper authorities to notify based on the location of the animal. Additional Except there's one big problem, at least for East Coasters: cougars don't really live here. Hunters will continue to mail antlerless-license applications to county treasurers, as required by law. You be the judge. The Pennsylvania Game Commission is headquartered at 2001 Elmerton Avenue in Harrisburg, in Dauphin County. If Sundays were added to the legal waterfowl seasons, Pennsylvania waterfowl hunters would actually lose hunting opportunities. The digest is also available for printing and viewing online. The Pennsylvania Game Commission is seeking knowledgeable and experienced individuals to pass on the tradition and teach both basic and advanced hunter education training programs. A prescribed fire, or prescribed burn, is an organized, coordinated effort that works to apply fire at the right place, at the right time, and at the right intensity to improve the health and resilience of forests, grasslands and shrublands. The Game Commissions CWD Response Plan was adopted by the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners in July 2020 and was developed in collaboration with Pennsylvania stakeholders, CWD experts from state and federal wildlife agencies and non-government organizations from across the country. According toa 2016 study,a single cougar can kill up to 259 deer over the course of its lifetime, single-handedly preventing eight crashes and nearly $40,000 in damages. Albinos are often very light sensitive, and they certainly are conspicuous, and most do not live very long. Please keep scrolling - ALL the Puma posts are included. Females tend to go an average of 18-30 miles, while males travel much farther (45-170 miles). However, if it doesn't exist, and if someone saw one, wouldn't there be a worry that it was a dangerous escapee? The post-Christmas grouse season, (hereafter late season), is well-loved by many grouse hunters. How is the Pennsylvania Game Commission organized? As many as 1,300 elk freely roam across 3,000 square miles in the northcentral region of the state. The PGC has no plans to reintroduce mountain lions or any other big predator into the state, Hardisky said. The population is monitored for three additional years after the last release to determine population status and success. Trapping protects public health and safety. The Game Commission has a carefully timed season that intentionally finds middle ground between peak gobbling and a safe nesting period. But, again, for purposes of being conservative, were going to assume it was right by the step when it was filmed. A map of these managed dove fields is available online. Pennsylvania's last known wild eastern mountain lion was killed in Berks County in 1874. A Mountain Lion Cover Up This animal is much bigger. One man sent me a game camera photo that was blurry but looked like a mountain lion, or puma, as I like to call them. It is lawful for individuals to find and retain deer and elk antlers on public land, so long as they were shed through natural causes. A few could, perhaps, be mistaken idenity. There are geese everywhere, why does the Atlantic Population (AP) Zone have a one bird daily limit for the 2021-22 season? I've worked with students of all ages and backgrounds, and I love helping them unlock their full potential. Bowhunter Education course records dating back to 2000 and Cable Restraint/Furtaker Education records dating back to 2005 are also maintained. Wild pheasants are released in WPRAs for three years, depending on availability of birds and trapping success in western states. Immediately after the burn, the ground will be black until regrowth occurs, which typically takes place within a few days, in some cases several weeks, depending on the time of year. Trappers assist biologists by providing important biological samples that inform managers on the health of the population. No. American Marten Reintroduction Feasibility Assessment, Marten Reintroduction Feasibility Assessment, Click here to learn more about our agency and its history, Click here for more information about the agency, Click here for more about regulations related to the Right-to-Know law, Click here for step-by-step instructions about how to purchase a Pennsylvania hunting license, lick here for more information about HuntFishPA, Game Commission office that serves your county, contact your state representative and state senator, Click here for full harvest reporting details, lick here for full harvest reporting details, Pennsylvania Game Commission Region Office, Pennsylvania Game Commissions Operation Game Thief program, Pennsylvania Game Commission region office, Pennsylvanias online Hunter-Trapper Education course, report it to the Game Commission region office, Learn more about elk history in Pennsylvania, Click here for a brief synopsis of the zones, Check out the Elk Viewing Guide and Elk Scenic Drive Map from the Pennsylvania Great Outdoors Visitors Bureau, Click here to read the Pennsylvania Game Code, Click here to learn more about deer warts, please review the wild turkey biologist's January 2021 report to the board, Click here to read more about state game lands regulations, The Game Commission maintains a public map that shows where prescribed burns are being planned, Click here to learn more about CWD in Pennsylvania, https://pgcdatacollection.pa.gov/CWDResultsLookup, Refer to the Pennsylvania Department of Healths precautionary recommendations for outdoor recreation, Special Requests to Use State Game Lands Information, Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP). 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