The Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) is again hosting a Jr Game Warden Camp at various locations in the state. 

The camp is an interesting and informative day of learning that youngsters ages 12-15 don’t learn in public schools. 

Pennsylvania wardens perform a variety of duties like collecting forensic evidence that will bring animal poachers to justice, tracking down lost hikers, stocking pheasants and live-trapping black bears for research. 

Game wardens have among the most unique, diverse and exciting careers in wildlife conservation. 

The PGC is holding one-day Junior Game Warden Camps within six regions in the state, which is a structured, fun-filled day of learning about the career of a Pennsylvania State Game Warden.

Campers will spend the day with game wardens gaining insight into the job while learning the PGCs mission of managing and protecting the state’s wildlife and habitats while promoting hunting and trapping. Campers will join wardens in light physical fitness activities, confidence-building exercises and hands-on learning stations. 

Junior Wardens will learn about wildlife forensics and methods used by wardens to catch poachers and solve wildlife-related crimes. Other activities will involve wildlife capture techniques, woodland tracking and outdoor survival. 

Registration for the camps can be completed online by going to the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s website. It’s noted that the number of students is limited at these locations: 

*Northwest Region: Saturday, June 27, 8:00 a.m. – 4 p.m., at the Butler City Hunting and Fishing Club, 200 Grant Ave., East Butler, PA 16002. Registration is limited to 40 participants. 

*Southwest Region: Thursday, July 23, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m., at the PGC Southwest Region Office, 4820 Route 711, Bolivar, PA 15923. Registration limited to 40 participants. 

*Northcentral Region: Tuesday,  June 30, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m., at Scotia Building, State Game Lands 176, Scotia Range Road, Warriors Mark, Pa, 16877. Registration is limited to 30 participants.

*Southcentral Region: Saturday, June 20, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m., at Greencastle Sportsman’s Association, 3260 Sportsman’s Road, Greencastle, PA 17225. Registration limited to 40 participants. 

*Northeast Region: Thursday, July 30, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., at Moscow Sportsman’s Club, 230 Union Mill Road, Covington Township, PA 18444. Registration limited to 45 participants. 

*Southeast Region: Friday, July 24, 8:30 a.m. – 3 p.m., at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area Visitor Center, 100 Museum Road, Stevens, PA 17578.

FORMER ALBURTIS RESIDENT WINS PRESTIGIOUS BIANCHI CUP

Doug Koenig, former Alburtis resident, Doug Koenig won his 21st Bianchi Cup, the prestigious and challenging national multi-stage handgun sport shooting event held last week at Green Valley Rifle and Pistol Club in Hallsville, Missouri. Koenig shot a perfect score of 1920x182x. 

As Captain of Ruger’s Professional Shooting Team, Koenig beat out s long list of other top professional shooters from around the country. Bianchi is recognized as the top shooting event in the country as it requires consistency, precision and speed in competitive competition. Koenig credited his win to hard work, preparation and support from Ruger as he was using Ruger’s Custom Shop SR 1911 pistol. 

While Koenig was a local resident, he had a range set up with moving targets at Topton Fish and Game Association’s range in Topton. And in an interview with him several years ago, he admitted that he puts lot of miles on his bike, ran miles and worked-out with weights to stay in shape. And after 21 wins, his regime seems to be working for him.  
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It’s that time of year when young of birds and animals are being born. It’s not uncommon to find baby rabbits in your yard or birds that may have either fallen out of the nest or have fledged but still not able to take wing. A few years back I discovered a baby opossum in my back yard. But it was deceased so either the mother abandoned it, or a fox got it. 

While these findings encourage well-meaning folks to intervene, the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) says to leave wildlife alone. Adding that while some young animals appear to be abandoned, it’s likely their mothers are nearby and watching them. 

According to the PGC, mid-late spring and early summer are popular times for humans to encounter newborn and young wildlife. Matt Schnupp, PGC Bureau of Wildlife Management said, “Whether enjoying their backyards or recreating in the woods or water, it’s common for humans to witness new generations of wildlife in their natural habitats. But the best advice is to simply let them be.” 

Adult animals often leave their young while they forage for food. Typically, Schnupp says, the adults will not venture far and will return. Wildlife also rely on a natural defensive tactic called “hider strategy, “ where young animals will remain motionless and “hide” in surrounding cover while adults draw the attention of potential predators or other intruders away from their young. Deer fawns will often employ this strategy while their mothers are nearby. So it’s best to resist the urge to interfere or attempt to remove any wild animal from its natural setting. There are instances I’ve seen on neighborhood watch posts where a resident had fox kits under their garden shed where they were obviously born. 

I also recall a story told by the former PGC bear biologist Gary Alt who said he had a resident call him to report a bear had given birth to two babies under their house deck. 

Making contact with young wildlife can be harmful to people and wildlife in that wild animals can lose their natural fear of humans, making it difficult or even impossible for them to readjust to the wild. 

There’s also the human risk of contacting diseases or parasites such as fleas, ticks and lice. 
From a legal standpoint, it’s illegal to take or possess wildlife from the wild. Under state law, the penalty for such a violation is a fine of up to $1,500 per animal. And under no circumstance can anyone who illegally take wildlife into captivity, can that animal be kept which also poses a high risk of contracting rabies. That animal can no longer be returned to the wild because of possibly spreading disease. 

The PGC warns that animals with rabies may not exhibit obvious symptoms, but still could transmit the disease. Though any mammal might carry rabies, the rabies vector species identified in the agreement are: skunks, raccoons, bats, coyotes and groundhogs. 

Humans can contact rabies from the saliva of a rabid animal if they are bitten or scratched, or if their saliva gets into the person’s eyes, mouth of a fresh wound. 

If you do find a truly injured animal or bird, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator should be contacted. A list of licensed rehabilitators can be found on the Pennsylvania Association of Wildlife Rehabilitators website at www.pawr.com. Or call the PGC at 833-PGC-WILD or 833-PGC-HUNT. 
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If you’ve heard a lot of coo cooing sounds around your home lately, it’s most likely doves as this is the time  males are attempting to attract female doves for mating and in courtship. They’ll then begin nest building and having the first of up to six broods. 

I’ve had a dove trying to build a nest in one of our hanging flower pots that are void of flowers, which is not unusual. Don’t know if it was the same dove, but one built a nest on my neighbors porch column ledge that is only about two inches wide. But the neighbor didn’t want any mess so he took it down and I haven’t seen it return to that site. 

Unlike robins and cardinals who build sturdy cylindrical nests for example, doves will often build a loose platform of thin twigs that allows the eggs to be visible from below. Doves will nest on branches, ledges, gutters, air conditioner units and flat porch railings. It seems nest quality doesn’t matter, only the breeding pace does. And a dove sitting on a utility wire, pole or home gutter from now through August is almost certainly incubating. When doves take flight, their wings whistle, which is produced by the outer primary feathers – not vocally as some folks think.  

Female doves can have up to 12 chicks per season from their six broods. Fledlging’s are fed crop milk that is not related to mammalian milk. This milk is produced by sloughing off the inner lining of doves’crop, which are cells filled with fat and protein, then its detached. The consistency, it is said, is compared to cottage cheese. It allows doves to breed in habitats where insect protein is scarce as the fledgling’s food is internally manufactured. 

This crop milk is the chick’s only food, but as the chicks grow, the parents will gradually mix in seeds. And both parents manufacture food from their own throat lining. 

Fledgling’s leave the nest before they can fly well. They’ll then spend a day or two on the ground learning how to feed themselves as doves are essentially ground feeders. But this it where fledglings are most vulnerable to predation by cats, especially feral cats, and certain species of hawks. 

While I customarily feature doves during the initial small game hunting season, doves are actually the most abundant small game species. As proof, the bag limit is 15 daily. Plus, doves have the longest hunting season as this past year it was Sept. 1- Nov. 28 and again from Dec. 10-Jan. 3. And for hunters who hunt them, doves make excellent table fare, especially when wrapped in bacon and cooked on a grille. 
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So when you hear doves coo-cooing around your residence, you’ll know what they’re up to. 

According to our saltwater reporters from On the Water Magazine, the striper migration is exploding as waves of post-spawn fish are spreading north through New Jersey. Big bass are blitzing bunker schools along the beaches, inlets and back bays, while surfcasters are finding quality fish on plugs, clams and fresh chunks. Bluefish too are beginning to mix in across southern New Jersey and despite a slow fluke start, the overall saltwater bite continues to improve by the day. 

Here’s what some New Jersey tackle shops are reporting.

*Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet, says big bass are hitting eels on planer boards and they’re in the surf as well where they’re eating clams and chunks. There’s also some short fluke being caught in Raritan Bay by Officers Row and in local rivers. 

*Joe Julian at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands reports some keeper fluke were caught in the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers, and out the Bug Light. Striped bass are here as well and hitting metal lip swimmers and Mag Darters off the beaches just south of the shop. 

*Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said fishing is as good as it gets with the rivers lit up with big bass and off the beach. SP Minnows, glide baits, Joe Biggs Swarters and bloodworms were all working. In the river, MP Bucktails, Ruthless, Tackle 9-inch Candy soft baits and paddletail shads were hooking them.

*Dave Eurell at Grump’s Tackle in Seaside Park reports striper fishing off the beach there is pretty good on clams while a few bass have been taken on lures. There are keepers along with some pretty big bass in the mix. Fluking action is back in the bay with fish up to 23 inches eating Gulp, bucktails and killies. 

*Mike Gleason at Tak Waterman in Long Branch said the surf bite is strong on bottle plugs and glide baits with most bass in the 15-18-pound range with some larger fish in the mix. Anglers are still getting baas in the local rivers and a few fluke were taken out of them since opening day. 

*Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle in Brick, said he has solid reports of stripers on the beaches from Manasquan Inlet down to Island Beach State Park. They’re hitting clams, bunker chunks and lures. He also reported good fluke fishing from the north end of the Point Pleasant Canal and Manasquan River on bucktails and Gulp jerk shads, along with killies. 

*Stanley Gola at the Reel Seat in Brielle, said there are loads of stripers in the river and hitting plugs and soft plastics. There are bass on the beach as well, and it’s strictly a clam bite. He added that fluke fishing is off to a good start in the Manasquan River on Gulp and that bluefish have shown up in the river. They’re long, but skinny. 

*Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle in Normandy Beach reported good bass action at night in the bay and out front on the beaches and eating SP Minnows and paddletails. And in the surf, they’re hitting clams. He also reported the first bluefish appeared this week. 
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These Jersey saltwater spots appear to be a good bet for really big, good eating fishing action. 

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At their recent meeting, the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners approved several significant changes in  existing hunting programs. 

The first most needed change was making the elk application procedure simpler which will consolidate any bonus points hunters have accumulated since 2003. 

Under the new process, hunters will retain bonus points they’ve collected over the years. Hunters will submit only one application per year, instead of one application for every elk season in which they want to participate, so all bonus points will be consolidated. Applicants will then select up to five options covering the elk season and hunt zone for which they’re seeking a license, and whether they want to hunt antlered or antlerless elk. If an applicant is drawn for a license, their bonus points will automatically reset to zero. 

Finally, the elk zone will be reconfigured and renamed, as reflected in a measure the Board approved, so hunters might need to familiarize themselves with these changes prior to applying. The adjusted zones, explained the Board, have more readily identifiable boundaries, better encapsulated subpopulations of elk and, on average, have an increased proportion of public land. 

FIREARMS OK’D for AG CONTROL USE

The Agricultural Deer Control Program, often referred to as Ag Tag, only allowed hunting on Ag properties during periods when other deer seasons were closed. The program was now adjusted to allow hunters with Ag Tag permits to hunt antlerless deer during all established deer seasons where they hunt. 

Previously, hunters were limited to using sporting arms approved for those seasons. For example, when archery season was open, Ag Tag hunters needed to use lawful archery gear. Now, the Board allows Ag Tag hunters to use any device authorized for hunting deer in the regular firearms deer season. Of course the landowner has the right to limit any device used on their land. This reminds me of the Bucks County landowner who allows archery  hunting only on her property as she didn’t want to hear it happening. 

The Ag Tag Deer Control Program enables landowners to enlist hunters in removing deer from their agricultural lands. Only antlerless deer may be taken with Ag Tags. 

SOUTHEAST BAITING REQUIREMENTS TO CHANGE    

In the Southeast Special Regulations Area, where it’s legal to hunt deer on private land using bait, the Board has intended to make hunters more effective in harvesting deer, while simplifying the rules. 

Previously, deer hunters in the Southeast Regulations Area, which takes in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties, as well as Tyler and Ridley Creek State Parks and other publicly owned lands, were allowed to use certain baits on private and municipal property. The bait used was limited to shelled corn or protein pellet supplements distributed through an approved feeder, with no two bait sites closer than 250 yards apart. The amended rule now eliminates the minimum distance between bait sites, and allows bait to be distributed via feeder or just placed on the ground. Now, the allowable bait includes apples and natural agricultural products intended for human or livestock consumption, excluding mineral blocks and mineral supplements. 

Additionally, hunters will have to display a tag or label including the full name and address of the landowner, or an individual authorized by the landowner to administer bait at that location, and in the immediate vicinity of the bait site. Limits on bait accumulation at any one site remain unchanged at no more than 5 gallons. 
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