Pennsylvania Game Commission

Pennsylvania hunters, STOP EVERYTHING.      We have a VERY special guest on this BONUS episode of Call of the Outdoors podcast!     Mark Drury, of Drury Outdoors, joins host Matt Morrett to share insights from 35 years in hunting media, from the conditions he looks for to consistently shoot world-class bucks to his tactics for balancing the buck-doe ratio for better rut activity.    They chat about how the Drurys got their start in the 80s, why Mark and his team harvest 100+ does annually, and his strategy for managing and hunting small parcels of land.      Listen to “Call of the Outdoors” Episode 50: Mark Drury’s Big Buck Tips & Land Management Strategy.     Watch on YouTube at https://bit.ly/3YbUltM, listen at calloftheoutdoorspgc.com, or find it on your favorite podcast listening platform like Apple Podcasts, iHeart, and Spotify.     Thanks for listening to the Call of the Outdoors Podcast and thanks for being a Pennsylvania hunter. 

  Have you ever seen an Allegheny woodrat? These are NOT the kind of rodent you might find in a home or restaurant. They live in remote areas in rocky outcrops and are found ONLY in the Appalachian Mountains!     This woodrat was live trapped last month as part of the dedicated efforts to prevent it from being federally listed.      Live trapping is occurring throughout the state as part of an ongoing effort to understand woodrat demographics and genetics. After data was collected on this woodrat, it was released in the same spot it was trapped.      Allegheny woodrats are in decline throughout their range due to the lack of diverse food sources, fragmented habitat, and habitat loss. Fragmented habitat prevents movement of Allegheny woodrats between patches of rock within the forest, decreasing genetic diversity.       The Pennsylvania Game Commission is making habitat improvements to include natural food sources, cover, and connectivity between habitats. These habitat improvements will ultimately benefit a great diversity of wildlife. 

The Game Commission is striving for healthy forests and healthy deer, and Pennsylvania hunters can use their antlerless tags to help this fall.     1. Harvest for Habitat: Deer populations that are too high can lead to habitat damage like over-browsing that reduces food available for deer, prevents forest habitat regeneration, and threatens deer and other species.     If deer have eaten most of the forage within their reach, the habitat is over-browsed and can’t continue to support the number of deer present. Unless deer numbers are reduced, the habitat will continue to degrade and support even fewer deer into the future.      2. Harvest for Herd Health: Healthy habitats with plenty of food and cover can help produce bigger, healthier deer that produce healthier fawns that are better equipped to survive brutal winter conditions.      Reducing deer abundance through harvest can also help slow the spread of diseases, including chronic wasting disease (CWD).      3. Har vest for the Hunting Future: Harvesting does isn’t just important for promoting healthy habitat and deer this year — it’s critical to the future of hunting in Pennsylvania.      The Game Commission is better able to effectively manage for a stable deer population when hunters are willing to fill their antlerless tags. Without hunter harvest, deer and deer hunting won’t see the long-term benefits of proper management.      Learn more here: https://bit.ly/48ZgDUp.    Thank you for being a Pennsylvania hunter! 

BREAKING NEWS: The Pennsylvania Game Commission busted a Chester County poaching ring, resulting in 71 charges against three residents for unlawfully killing trophy bucks. A concerned hunter first tipped off the Game Commission to suspicious activity in 2022, and after a two-year investigation, Carl Nelson III, Carroll Nelson IV, and Mark Nelson were criminally charged on September 27, 2024. The Game Commission seized dozens of mounts during the investigation, which is still ongoing. The Nelsons face significant fines, restitution, and hunting license revocation if convicted of charges involving white-tailed deer taken out of season, at night, or over the bag limit in Chester and Delaware counties. Numerous state game wardens and deputy state game wardens from the Game Commission’s Southeast Region as well as the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and Chester County detectives assisted in this lengthy investigation. Learn more about this poaching case: https://bit.ly/3TYzo48. Poachers are thieves — help us catch them! Report any suspected wildlife crimes to the agency’s Operation Game Thief program, by calling the toll-free hotline 24/7/365 at 1-888-PGC-8001 or filling out an online form at https://bit.ly/PGCOGT. Callers may remain confidential. Thank you for helping to protect Pennsylvania wildlife!

The Pennsylvania Game Commission recently hosted their annual retirement gathering in Huntingdon County, and nearly 50 were in attendance. From retirees just TWO DAYS into their new “work assignment” to ones who were in their 90s, they were all brought together for a day of fellowship.   Former agency employees ranged from headquarter staff to food and cover, land managers, deputy game wardens, commissioners, and members from the 9th through 27th classes from the Ross Leffler School of Conservation. The group was also joined by retired Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Executive Director, John Arway.  Willis Sneath, former regional director and 1976 graduate of the RLSC, was one of the organizers of the retirement gathering and said, “Attending a gathering such as this makes one realize that he or she has chosen the right profession.  The comradery exhibited by those who have spent a major portion of their life managing and protecting our wildlife resources is remarkable.”  Sneath also said, “Many of those in attendance have been retired for almost as many years as they had in service; the fact they took advantage of the opportunity to gather, if only for a day, in the wilds of Pennsylvania speaks volumes of their dedications.”  The annual retirement gathering is open to ALL retired Pennsylvania Game Commission employees.  For additional information and to be added to the retired agency mailing list, please email pgcsocialmedia@pa.gov.   

Pennsylvania’s statewide archery season opens this weekend, Saturday, October 5. GOOD LUCK to the nearly 350,000 hunters who will take to the field in hopes of filling a tag.       WE ARE ready for archery season! You’d have to fill Penn State University Beaver Stadium THREE TIMES OVER, PLUS add another 40,000 or so, to equal the same number of hunters. Of course, our hunters will be holding a “camo-out” versus donning all white.       According to the Archery Trade Association, Pennsylvania boasts MORE bowhunters than any other state and 10% of all the bowhunters in the country.       In addition to those numbers, in the 2023-24 archery seasons, hunters harvested an estimated 83,370 antlered deer and 71,480 antlerless deer for a grand total of 154,850. That's more than a third of all deer harvested throughout all deer hunting seasons!     That‘s a big change from 1951, when Pennsylvania held its first-ever archery deer season and a little more than 5,500 hunters purchased their $2 license and harvested just 33 antlered deer.       The 2024-25 statewide archery season runs from Oct. 5-Nov. 22 and INCLUDES Sunday hunting opportunity, on Nov. 19. It then returns on Dec. 26-Jan. 20, 2024.    You can learn more about the upcoming archery season at: https://bit.ly/3Xva5rm.       Thank you for being a Pennsylvania hunter!     Good luck. Have fun. Hunt safely.

Bird enthusiasts, October is the time to put your eyes to the sky for one of nature’s best spectacles!   As autumn settles in, raptor migration takes center stage! October is the prime time to see peregrine falcons, merlins, golden eagles, and northern harriers traverse the skies. You could spot Cooper’s hawks, sharp-shinned hawks, red-shouldered hawks, and red-tailed hawks, all making their way south as they pass through the state from the north.  While the peak of adult bald eagle migration was in September, juvenile bald eagles peak this month. The Kittatinny Ridge is recognized as a globally significant migration flyway and Pennsylvania's largest Important Bird Area (IBA). At least 16 species of hawks, eagles, falcons, and vultures, and more than 150 species of songbirds, travel the Kittatinny Ridge as they migrate south through Pennsylvania during autumn and north during spring. The ridge and surrounding forests provide critical resting and feeding habitat for birds during their taxing journeys.  For those eager to catch a glimpse of this dramatic fall raptor migration, here are some top spots along the Kittatinny Ridge and other raptor migration lookouts in Pennsylvania to check out: https://bit.ly/47yOgvY. Please keep in mind that while fall is a great time to get out and hike in the cool, crisp air and bird watch, it’s also Pennsylvania’s prime time for hunting seasons. We strongly encourage you to be mindful of Pennsylvania’s hunting seasons as well as the hunters. Please wear a minimum of 250 square inches of fluorescent orange while you recreate in Penn’s Woods during hunting seasons. Be safe and be seen. 

Out with the old and in with the new-to-you!     The Pennsylvania Game Commission is excited to host its first-ever Outdoor Exchange on Saturday, September 28 at Game Commission Headquarters in Harrisburg.    This yard sale style event is designed to help new hunters get afield with discounted gear while helping sportsmen clear out extra hunting clothes, packs, calls, trail cameras, bows, knives, and other outdoor recreation gear.    No firearms or ammunition sales will be permitted. ONLY outdoor recreation related items can be sold at this event.     There is still time to sign up as a vendor!  Reserve your FREE booth space by visiting https://bit.ly/3RxBC9H.      Questions? Email MentoredHunting@pa.gov.    As a bonus, there will be seminars featuring Hunters Sharing the Harvest and affordable hunting, a falconry demonstration, and food trucks on site during the event.      📅 Affordable Hunting: 10 a.m.   📅 Hunters Sharing the Harvest: 1 p.m.  📅 Raptor Place falconry demonstrations throughout the day.       We look forward to you joining us on Saturday, September 28 at this all-new event! 

In advance of Pennsylvania’s 2024-25 archery season, the Pennsylvania Game Commission reminds the public to report any suspected wildlife crimes to the agency’s Operation Game Thief program.    Report to the Operation Game Thief's toll-free hotline, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year at 1-888-PGC-8001 or fill out the online form here: http://bit.ly/3HbMYvH.    Calls to the OGT hotline are always answered with a secure recording device. While providing contact information in the event of follow-up questions is beneficial, all calls may remain confidential. Thanks in advance for helping to protect Pennsylvania wildlife.    Archery season begins in WMUs 2B, 5C, and 5D tomorrow, Saturday, September 21, and statewide on Saturday, October 5, 2024.      To all Pennsylvania archery hunters: Good luck, have fun, hunt safely. And thank you for being a Pennsylvania hunter. 

Are you ready to take aim at a new career?         The Pennsylvania Game Commission is here to help you take your best shot at a new and exciting opportunity!         We are hunting for talent to fill multiple positions across the state including habitat management, wildlife management, dispatch, and administrative positions.         Interested in becoming a state game warden? We just announced our next cadet application will be going live in January of 2025! To learn more or pre-register, email pgccareers@pa.gov.         To view current openings and apply, visit https://bit.ly/3MJAJr9.         Don’t pass up this opportunity of a lifetime!