Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2014 - 17

As Waterways Conservation
Officers (WCOs), we learn to adapt
to our surroundings and blend in to
monitor our districts without being in
plain sight.
One day while patroling Conneaut
Lake, Crawford County, I was watching
the Beach Club area from my marked
patrol vehicle in the park. I noticed
three individuals fidgeting with a Jet
Ski® on shore, trying to get the vessel to
run correctly. One of the males looked
up and down the lake, apparently
scanning the water for something. After
about five minutes, the man jumped
onto the Jet Ski® without wearing a
life jacket, launched out onto the lake
approximately 200 feet from shore and
started doing figure eights with the Jet
Ski®. The man drove the Jet Ski® for
about two minutes, then headed back to
the shore and jumped off the Jet Ski®.
I exited my vehicle and walked
down to their location. When the man
noticed me, he immediately started
to laugh and said, "I never thought to
look for you on land. I was scanning
the lake to make sure your boat wasn't
on the water." He was more than willing
to take the ticket for not wearing a life
jacket while operating a Jet Ski® and
even joked that next time he would
have to "take a better look." I laughed
and said, "Why not just put on your
life jacket?"-WCO Chad E. Doyle,
Southcentral Crawford and Eastern
Mercer counties.

Equine assistance

During the period of stocking our
waterways, we are often dependent
on volunteers to help carry buckets of
fish. Sometimes, there is an abundant
amount of help, and other times, there
is next to no help. One day, I found
myself with very little help stocking,
and by the time I got to Mahoning
Creek, Schuylkill County, it was just the
PFBC website: www.fishandboat.com

photo-WCO Richard D. Daniels Jr.

Take a better look

Emma and Breaker

stocking truck driver, one volunteer
and myself. As we were starting to
unload fish, a young lady came by on
horseback, so I took the opportunity to
ask if she would mind stocking some
fish for us. She agreed to take some
fish, so I looked for a place that she
could tie off her horse. When I turned
around, she had ridden her horse
alongside the stocking truck to receive
a bucket, then took the bucket down to
the stream on horseback. She thanked
us for letting her help, and rode off
down the road, leaving the three of
us in amazement. So, thanks again to
Emma and to her horse, Breaker.
-WCO Richard D. Daniels Jr., Eastern
Schuylkill County.

Loon stocking

One would not expect strange looks
while working on opening day of
trout season. WCO Erik P. Shellgren
and I had received a report from
campers at Kellettville Campground
along Tionesta Creek, Forest
County, of an injured loon lying in
a shallow puddle in the parking lot.
A call to local Pennsylvania Game
Commission Wildlife Conservation
Officers found them busy in other
parts of the county. After approaching
the loon several times, we realized

she wasn't injured but trying to fly. I
remembered that loons can only take
off from water, not on land. After a
couple of stabs from her sharp beak,
grabbing the loon proved out of the
question. WCO Shellgren broke out a
piece of equipment every WCO should
have-a large plastic bin. The bin was
placed over the loon. Then, we slide
the lid under her and turned over the
bin with the loon inside. We carried
the bin down to Tionesta Creek, which
was full of opening day anglers. As we
poured the large loon into Tionesta
Creek among the anglers, I realized that
I would probably field some phone calls
in the office on Monday as to why the
Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission
was stocking loons.-Captain Robert R.
Nestor, Northwest Region.

Caught in the cookie jar

During trout season, I'm always
reminding anglers that the limit is 5
trout per day. One angler who helps me
with trout stockings decided that he
would try beating the system. His plan
was to help stock fish at a few locations,
stay after the stocking truck would leave,
fish a little and then catch up with the
stocking truck when it would reach
his area of the stream near his house.
This individual fished at two different
locations, catching 5 trout at the one hole
and 4 at another hole, then met me back
at his residence. When he approached
me about helping put fish in again, I
politely asked him to see his fishing
license. He looked a little confused.
Then, I asked him if he remembered
getting caught taking extra cookies out
of the cookie jar when he was told by
his mom to only take one. "Yes," he said,
with a confused look on his face. I told
him he got caught with his hand in the
cookie jar again and reminded him that
the limit was 5 and not 9. A citation was
issued.-WCO Richard D. Morder, Perry
and Juniata counties.

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * November/December 2014

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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2014

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