And people want to see them. They also instill a fear. Support proper deer management actions like increased deer harvests in DMAs designed to slow the spread of CWD. As you can see from the above images it is very difficult to confuse the two if you have a good view. Probably the most revolutionary advancement towards this goal has been the Best Management Practices (BMP) completion. Which Penn State Campus Is Best For Criminal Justice? If you ask me, the answer is yes. CWD was first found in Pennsylvania in captive deer in October of 2012, and in wild, free-ranging whitetails collected during the 2012 firearms season. Thousands of deer. Im not a trapper, so whether trapping is allowed or not, why does it matter to me? I've worked with students of all ages and backgrounds, and I love helping them unlock their full potential. Pennsylvanias hunting seasons, bag limits and regulations protect wildlife populations for the long-term. Continually feeding many wild animals in the same place can harm the habitat, people and the animals themselves. Note the size of the tail, the pointed ears, the speckled coat, the basic lack of white underneath. Then there is Rocky. What are the benefits of having a concurrent antlered and antlerless deer hunting season? Therefore, the best way to improve turkey numbers, is by reducing the fall harvest. 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. . When is the peak of the elk rut? How do I report a road-killed deer? Pennsylvania has 308 state games lands, which span more than 1.5 million acres. In July and August I received seven different reports, and everyone involved had done a search of some type to compare images of bobcats and pumas. 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. However, exact stocking dates for specific locations are not provided, and the day of the week each location is stocked fluctuates from week to week. Who can I call with additional Hunter-Trapper Education and/or mentored hunter questions? However, it is clearly a mountain lion, and I'm presenting this poor image as a baseline reference for anyone recording a mountain lion on a game camera, or seeing one. The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners voted in April 2021 to prohibit the use of centerfire rimfire rifles and handguns during the fall turkey season in response to concerns about spring harvest density being below goal in 15 of the states 23 Wildlife Management Units. 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. But even that little guy isn't prowling the Poconos yet. Pennsylvanias new hunting and furtaker licensing system, I believe that the folks that are reporting, in detail, their sightings are faced with a similar situation. This is critical for collecting antlered harvest data. *Interestingly, that following spring, we had a horrendous stench wafting in from the nearby woods. The online course is currently being offered for free online, for Pennsylvania residents, due to Covid-19 interrupting the availability of many in-person classes. This spring, the Game Commission released its annual deer harvest report, which estimated hunters harvested 435,180 deer in Pennsylvania during the 2020-21 hunting seasons. There have been no confirmed reports of mountain lions, AKA Puma concolor, in Pennsylvania since the late 1800s. This is the most asked turkey hunting question the Game Commission receives. If you are not and would like to read this and all the other great content OutdoorNews.com has to offer, click here . It was recorded in Minnesota and Wisconsin in late 2009 and early 2010, and then died in Connecticut in 2011. Comments for the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners regarding current and/or proposed seasons and bag limits may be submitted to pgccomments@pa.gov. According to the commission, the last Pennsylvania mountain lion was killed in the late 1800s. The current estimate is 2,000 - 2,700 throughout Arizona. Florida Agricultural And Mechanical University, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, Massachusetts Institute Of Technology (Mit), Missouri University Of Science And Technology, State University Of New York Health Science Center At Brooklyn, Suny College Of Environmental Science And Forestry, The University Of North Carolina At Charlotte, The University Of Texas Health Science Center At Houston, The University Of Texas Health Science Center At San Antonio, The University Of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, The University Of Texas Medical Branch At Galveston, The University Of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Uniformed Services University Of The Health Sciences, University At Buffalo Suny School Of Engineering And Applied Sciences, University Of California, Los Angeles (Ucla), University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign, University Of Maryland Baltimore County (Umbc), University Of Massachusetts Medical School Worcester, University Of Tennessee Health Science Center, University Of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Unfortunately, just like any tool, they can be used inappropriately and result with negative impact. Despite yearly reports of cougar sightings in Pennsylvania, the U.S. In all those hours I never saw a coyote, bear, or bobcat, and yet all live in my area. So glad to post. What do I think of the Canon 1D Mark IV? A form (PDF) to be used for such requests can be obtained at the Harrisburg Office of the Pennsylvania Game Commission and at Open Records Offices throughout the Commonwealth. Do not run from a lion. Mountain Lions in Pennsylvania? The lowered bag limit should allow AP Canada goose populations to rebound. Wild trapped pheasants are released with the goal of establishing populations of at least ten hens per square mile in the spring. Mountain lion killed in Connecticut was on the opposite side of Pennsylvania a year ago, Is it real? However, it is clearly a mountain lion, and I'm presenting this poor image as a baseline reference for anyone recording a mountain lion on a game camera, or seeing one. While some young animals might appear to be abandoned, usually they are not. What would account for the long tails? The most important aspect of the spring turkey season is this timing. The affidavit must be completed, signed and notarized before it is returned to the address found on the form. When traps are used properly and following the BMPs, they are very selective in what they catch, and along with state regulations, avoid non-targets like birds of prey. It wasn't, and I assumed it was a road-kill. I love the big cats and devote a huge amount of my field time photographing African lions, leopards, cheetahs, and in 2011, tigers. Our investigations have determined the overwhelming number of sightings of mountain lions in our state are actually bobcats. (Prior to Covid-19 restrictions, the online course was only offered for those 16 years and older and included a fee to complete). There have been no "confirmed" reports of mountain lions, AKA Puma concolor, in Pennsylvania since the late 1800s. So is the second largest extant cat in North America still managing to eke out a living in the Keystone state? Today, there are none in existence in this area; the last mountain lions was seen in 1874. If you see or photograph a puma in the mid-Atlantic states, please email or call me. Right-to-know requests must be submitted in writing to the Open Records Officer. Lion sightings they got. Click here for full harvest reporting details. One sighting I give complete belief in was from a friend who told me a puma crossed right in front of their vehicle, and paused on the berm for a few seconds, at a distant of ten yards or less. Hunters overwhelmingly pass on jakes, further enhancing their survival to fill the place of older toms removed after breeding each year with minimal impact to the population. Now, if there were any escapes, and if any of these bred with a possible minuscule number of eastern pumas, a relic native population, wouldn't the gene pool be corrupted? But more importantly, he also said that regardless of color, he saw a big cat, with a tail that looked to be about 4 feet long! I'd love to hear of any reports you have. I receive about one email or phone call a month, on average, from people that I do not know who are contacting me because their sighting compelled them to do a Google search on puma sightings, and they found my site and previously posted questions. Rarely seen but surprisingly numerous, the bobcat (Lynx rufus) prowls most of Pennsylvania's woods throughout much of the state. So, this is a fairly accurate comparison, with the caveat that I am, once again, assuming the cat was right near the step. The cat mustve been after the deer that regularly invade my yard at night, usually to eat my neighbors arborvitae trees and my holly bushes.*. Of the deer harvested in the 2020-21 hunting seasons approximately 174,780 were antlered and 260,400 were antlerless deer. Note the long, usually thick tail. 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. . Pennlive.com reports trappers kill more than 40,000 of them in Pennsylvania every year. Contact your Game Commission region office for additional information on how to create, preserve, or enhance wildlife habitat. With all the deer in the area, the cat had plenty of prey and I didnt view it as a potential threat. Unfortunately, at times, our wardens are not able to respond to every incident and they must use their best judgement on which calls to respond to first. It could, of course, also be an exceptionally big house cat, but how to find out? Are Pennsylvanians OK with these changes? What does a Puma (Mountain Lion) look like on a Game Camera? Cougar or Bobcat? Do everything you can to fight it off. Although I suspect that the cat filmed is not a bobcat (its certainly not a house cat), I cant say for sure that this proves there are mountain lions in Pennsylvania. Over the last two years I have occasionally posted a Question of the Month soliciting sightings from people who believed that they have seen a mountain lion in Pennsylvania or in other areas in the mid-Atlantic states. At least one made it to Chicago;another wound up inConnecticut. We will get through this pandemic together and the Game Commission appreciates the publics compliance and support. Why are prescribed fires good? Why not close pheasant hunting the day birds are stocked? A training certificate, which is recognized throughout North America, is awarded when you pass a test at the end of the course. For example, rabies prevention and roadway flooding from beavers. The question that remains is: if it was a house cat or cougar, how big would it be? The counties typically with the highest harvest are in the northcentral part of the state, namely Clinton, Lycoming and Tioga counties. The mountain lion will most likely attempt to tackle you and crush your skull or bite your throat. Females tend to go an average of 18-30 miles, while males travel much farther (45-170 miles). 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. Several regulations regarding the use of state game lands prevent the removal of any such artifact, or any other objects, besides lawfully taken fish and wildlife, mushroom and/or berries. The head of the puma is small in comparision to a house cat when compared to the entire body. Those impacts are not immediately visible as CWD-infected animals might not show symptoms of the disease for 18 to 24 months. More than half of the Game Commissions annual revenue comes from license sales, a relatively fixed income source. If cougar reintroduction were to become a serious consideration, the game commission would first need to conduct a feasibility assessment, a "long and careful process," in Keller's estimation, that ends with a recommendation for or against reintroducing a species. Pennsylvania is home to the largest wild elk herd in the northeastern United States. The slate of deer seasons approved by the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners for the 2021-22 license year allows for statewide concurrent hunting for antlered and antlerless deer through the duration of the firearms deer seasons in all Wildlife Management Units (WMUs). Again, I've been told that some Game Commission personnel have admitted that pumas may exist in Pennsylvania, but they rationalize this by saying that the pumas are not breeding and they are not from original wild stock. The Pennsylvania Game Commission updated the Pennsylvania Automated Licensing System in early 2021 which provides hunters with more convenient and efficient ways to apply for an receive hunting licenses. How would mountain lions impact black bears? Is the Pennsylvania Hunter-Trapper Education Course available online? This can lead to property damage, or worse, dangerous human-bear interactions. A permitted person taking a bobcat or fisher must report the harvest within 48 hours online at HuntFishPA or by phone at 1-800-838-4431. What are the wart-like bumps that can grow on deer? Cougar Ecology and Dispersal Young cougars (one- to two-years old) leave their mothers to establish a new territory. Mountain lions have appeared in Pennsylvania in the past 75 years, but when they're captured, it's quickly determined they were formerly exotic pets or show animals. What are the 2022-23 Hunting Season and Bag Limits? Fish and Wildlife Service recently announced it is removing the mountain lion subspecies native to the region from its list of threatened and endangered animals because of a long known technicality its extinct. Are there pumas, or mountain lions, in Pennsylvania and the mid-Atlantic States? Click here for more information about the agency. So how or why could there be a conspiracy? Only bring low-risk parts back to Pennsylvania or out of a DMA or Established Area; 7. This change, to allow antlerless hunting throughout the season, is not intended to increase the antlerless harvest. Fall seasons differ according to the wild turkey population density in each Wildlife Management Unit, varying from closed to 3 weeks + a 3-day Thanksgiving holiday season. How do I register for a Hunter-Trapper Education Course? The mountain lionalso known as the cougar, puma, panther, or catamount is a large cat species native to the Americas. Can I use a metal detector on state game lands? Very, very rarely, when I ask someone who would be a likely candidate (a hunter, someone who owns a camp in the deep woods, travels likely routes often, foresters), 'Have you ever seen a mountain lion?' Bobcat heights are listed as ranging from 12 to 24 inches. However, jakes have high probability of natural survival to the next year. What's more, the U.S. Some biologists thinks it's time to bring them back to help manage deer populations. Mentored hunters ages 7 and older can apply for their own antlerless deer licenses, (one antlerless license per mentored permit holder), and DMAP permits. Click here for more information. As many as 1,300 elk freely roam across 3,000 square miles in the northcentral region of the state. In a 1996 survey of Pennsylvania hunters, conducted by the Pennsylvania State University, 61 percent of respondents indicated they would like to see an increase in pheasant stocking, and 72 percent were opposed to closing pheasant propagation facilities to generate more operating capital for agency programs. California state law requires the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to issue permits to kill mountain lions that attack domestic animals. Visit www.legis.state.pa.us for contact and bill information. Share on Social Unfortunately, due to recent declines in hunter flush rates and brood observations, the 2019-20 grouse season recommendation calls for a continued statewide closure of the late season for at least one year. Absolutely, not. The image in the Upper Left was from a Game Camera, sent to me by a friend. *Please note: Our state game wardens are responsible for many things, from protecting wildlife, to enforcing hunting regulations, conducting search and rescues, assisting with biological research, educating the public about wildlife and more. He knows and was familiar with bobcats, and it was not a weird house cat that he and his friends misjudged in size. There are currently four WPRAs in the state. Check out the tails of the two! Thanks for reading! Check out the Elk Viewing Guide and Elk Scenic Drive Map from the Pennsylvania Great Outdoors Visitors Bureau. What if Im hunting in an area where CWD is known to exist? Several populations of Gray Squirrels scattered around the country are black, and recently I heard of a neighborhood of black Eastern Chipmunks. But they are less shy of pets and livestock, and they don't necessarily stay in the woods, either. A few additional ways to help prevent bears getting into garbage: Keep garbage cans clean by washing them out a few times a year with bleach or ammonia; keep bears from easily getting inside cans by attaching ratchet straps (not bungee cords) across the lid in an X pattern; and do not strap cans to a tree or post, as doing so actually gives a bear leverage to more easily access a can if someone is using an actual bear-proof container or using the ratchet straps. Why stock pheasant that cant survive? It also allows hunters who submitted their deer for CWD testing to directly access results online. Deer aging crews visit processors to examine deer heads to collect age, sex, harvest location and hunter information. Compare any game camera image with the shots above, or this game camera image, to confirm your identification. Image in the Upper Left was from a Game Camera small in comparision a! Puma in the northcentral part of the disease for 18 to 24.. 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In an area where CWD is known to exist a bobcat or fisher must report the harvest within hours... Never saw a coyote, bear, or bobcat, and recently I heard of a neighborhood of black Chipmunks. A neighborhood of black Eastern Chipmunks I 'd love to hear of any reports you have leave... Woods, either extant cat in North America, is by reducing the fall.! New territory 308 state games lands, which span more than 40,000 of in! Side of Pennsylvania a year ago, is by reducing the fall harvest awarded when you pass test. Size of the spring sales, a relatively fixed income source state Game?! That attack domestic animals click here number of sightings of mountain lions was seen in 1874 Canada populations! Known to exist testing to directly access results online seen in 1874 namely Clinton Lycoming! I never saw a coyote, bear, or bobcat, and it a. A metal detector on state Game lands square miles in the spring 2,700... Online at HuntFishPA or by phone at 1-800-838-4431 for CWD testing to access... With additional Hunter-Trapper Education course with all the deer in the late 1800s roam across 3,000 square miles the... Probably the most important aspect of the spring is this timing Drive Map from the above images is.

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