Pennsylvania Game News - March 2024 - 49

JANUARY COMMISSIONERS MEETING
Proposed seasons
A proposed list of 2024-25 hunting and
trapping seasons and bag limits was preliminarily
approved by the Pennsylvania Board of Game
Commissioners at the January mee� ng.
While there weren't significant changes
to any deer seasons that were preliminarily
approved, Game Commission Deer and Elk
Sec� on Supervisor David Stainbrook told the
board that when fi nal 2023-24 deer harvest data
is available, it could prompt recommenda� ons
for a� er-Christmas extended fi rearms seasons
for antlerless deer in new Wildlife Management
Units (WMUs).
In par� cular, extended seasons could be
recommended for WMUs 2C, 2E, 4A, 4D and 5A.
Those are WMUs where both Chronic
Wasting Disease is present and antlerless
licenses remained available at the start of
the fourth round of antlerless license sales
(previously the over-the-counter round) last
year.
If extended seasons are recommended in
any of these WMUs, they would be scheduled
to run from Jan. 2 to 20, following a week of
deer hun� ng open only to fl intlock and archery
hunters there.
Other proposed changes include:
* Shortening the October muzzleloader bear
season to three days to reduce harvest rates on
female bears and thereby promote stabiliza� on
of the bear popula� on.
* Decreasing fall turkey season length in
WMUs 3D and 4C, increasing it in 11 other
WMUs, and opening a three-day fall season in
WMU 5A, which has been closed to fall hun� ng.
* Opening WMU 2D to bobcat hun� ng and
trapping, and increasing the fi sher trapping
season by one week, allowing for concurrent
fi sher and bobcat trapping seasons.
*Making all mentored hunters eligible
to par� cipate in the early October pheasant
season segment, known best as the Junior Hunt.
The Board of Commissioners is scheduled to
adopt the fi nal 2024-25 seasons and bag limits
at its April 13 mee� ng.
The public can offer comments on all
proposed seasons and bag limits, and other
ma� ers, beginning at 8:30 a.m. on the day of the
mee� ng, or by emailing pgccomments@pa.gov.
MARCH 2024
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
In other action at the January
Board of Commissioners mee� ng:
* Hun� ng furbearers with dogs
no longer will be permi� ed during
Pennsylvania's regular deer and bear
fi rearms seasons.
The board unanimously adopted
the change, which was recommended
due to increasing complaints about
coyote dogs pushing big game -
some� mes inten� onally - during deer
and bear seasons, posing problems
for all hunters in the area.
The change does not impact the
lawful nigh� me hun� ng of furbearers
during open seasons.
* Popular with waterfowl hunters
in states where they're used, " ice-eaters "
soon will be legal in Pennsylvania.
These electronic devices that disturb
water, preven� ng ice forma� on,
were adopted for hun� ng use.
* Deputy game wardens have
been empowered to fi le charges for
drug viola� ons they encounter on
Hunter Access proper� es.
Previously, depu� es only had such
authority on state game lands, but the
board unanimously adopted expanding
that to Hunter Access lands. The
change will take eff ect upon publica�
on in the Pennsylvania Bulleti n.
* A� er a public-review period and
corresponding fi nal adjustments, the
Game Commission's new black bear
and snowshoe hare management
plans were adopted.
* Considered uncommon in Pennsylvania,
the black rail now is classifi
ed as a state-threatened species.
* More than 850 acres were approved
to be added to the state game
lands system.
49
Pennsylvania Game News - March 2024

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