Visit www.legis.state.pa.us for contact and bill information. 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. Because the neck bothered me, I decided to do some Photoshop on the puma in the lower left, moving his head higher up and changing the image to a contrasty black and white - to give a silhouette for comparision. Yet even with these precautions, there are rare instances when animals and/or their nests may get burned. More Questions about Pumas in Pennsylvania. What is the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners? At one point, there was debate whether that cat should be protected, since its genes were diluted from escapees or released pumas that originated in South America or our West. Interestingly, almost all of the people I've spoken to who claim to have seen a puma have not seen a bobcat, an animal that is common enough in Pennsylvania to support a legal trapping season! I don't want to seem like a nut case here, but I must ask this question and you'll soon understand why? And a bit of an unpleasant one at that, as they now faced ridicule or doubt whenever they discussed their sightings. He saw his cat at very close range -- 20 yards or less, and when I pointed out to him that pumas are never black he said that perhaps it was the light. Are there Mountain Lions (Pumas, Cougars) in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic States? There is plenty that we don't know, though. 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. A brief look, yes, but no question we saw a coyote. But even that little guy isn't prowling the Poconos yet. Should any hunter come across a cougar in Pennsylvania, they are advised to leave it alone as hunting them in the state is illegal. Where they always here as a relic population? The Pennsylvania Game Commission periodically receives reports and photos of mountain lions. In only one report had an official from the Pennsylvania Game Commision, a local warden, actually agree with the person reporting the sighting. Would a puma then qualify as a native species? Reporting is mandatory, regardless of harvest, for DMAP (Deep Management Assistance Permits) and second spring turkey licenses. It was discovered when it was killed by a vehicle while crossing a highway. (PennLive has investigated many reports of mountain lions, and other mystery creatures, and has found no confirming evidence. But in recent years, the animals have been moving east. This framework represents an effort to proactively revise Pennsylvanias season-setting process to respond to declines, while we still have a functional statewide population. How many antlerless deer licenses can hunters apply for in the 2021-22 license year? For example, one man I interviewed said he saw a 'black' puma, and this should disqualify his sighting as a black puma has never been recorded. My next task was to estimate the size of the cat. It is our mission to manage and protect wildlife and their habitats while promoting hunting and trapping for current and future generations. There are many benefits to regulated trapping, but here are just a few examples: Trapping is used to protect endangered and threatened species during critical times of the year such as sea turtle nests or ground nesting birds like the piping plover. Only bring low-risk parts back to Pennsylvania or out of a DMA or Established Area; 7. Although it is beneficial to provide contact information in case game wardens have follow-up questions, callers may remain confidential. Can I use a metal detector on state game lands? It is also unlawful to attach the camera to a tree in such a way that it causes damage. The bobcat, also known as the bay Iynx, wildcat, red lynx and swamp tiger, is the states only feline predator. Penn's Woods is our state's nickname due to our forests, which blanket more than 60 percent of our state, and more than 92 percent of our state game lands. What if Im hunting in an area where CWD is known to exist? Does my mentored hunter need to purchase his or her own doe tag? A bobcat gives you a warm, that-kind-of-looks-like-my-cat-but-slightly-bigger feeling. Are mountain lions living in Pennsylvania today? Would a puma then qualify as a native species? I've looked in the PGC game laws booklet and saw nothing on this, which I guess you could conclude means a puma would not be legal to shoot. The crew is briefed on the burn plan and forecasted weather conditions. Isn't the release of another predator just going to cause or add to the further decline of species such as the wild turkey, northern goshawk, ruffed grouse, Allegheny woodrats, or rabbits? When is the peak of the elk rut? The more hens there are to be bred, the more gobblers a hunter can expect to see in future seasons, Senior Vice President for Conservation Programs Dr. James Earl Kennamer said. The counties typically with the highest harvest are in the northcentral part of the state, namely Clinton, Lycoming and Tioga counties. Black bears are omnivores, which means their diet is made up of both meat and plant material. Smoke will generally dissipate once ignition is complete but may linger in the immediate vicinity for several hours after the burn while downed logs smolder and burn out. Contaminated carcasses or high-risk carcass parts which includes the head (including brain, tonsils, eyes and any lymph nodes); spinal cord backbone; spleen; skull plate with attached antlers, if visible brain or spinal cord tissue is present; cape, if visible brain or spinal cord tissue is present; upper canine teeth, if root structure or other soft tissue is present; any object or article containing visible brain or spinal cord tissue; unfinished taxidermy mounts; and brain-tanned hides may also spread the disease indirectly through environmental contamination, which lasts for years, if not decades. I have not spoken with a Game Commission officer personally, so I don't know whether anyone killing a puma in Pennsylvania could do so without legal repercussions. An example of this is the ban on jaw-toothed traps, as well as a size limit on certain traps. Click here for ways to be ELK SMART. Suppose, instead of declaring the puma, or Eastern mountain lion, extinct, the USFWS actually recognized the existence of the cat as a wild, breeding species. More information is available here. Office of Open Records: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Open Records, Commonwealth Keystone Building, 400 North Street, 4th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17120-0225. Check out the Elk Viewing Guide and Elk Scenic Drive Map from the Pennsylvania Great Outdoors Visitors Bureau. Big cats still roam parts of Pennsylvania. And people want to see them. When we consider apex predators currently we have the black bear, and then to a lesser degree the coyote. . Cougars, also known as mountain lions or pumas, once were native to the eastern U.S. Click here to learn more about CWD in Pennsylvania. Fish and Wildlife Service learn more about migratory bird movements, and survival and harvest rates, which are critical to population management and setting of hunting regulations. The estimated muzzleloader harvest was 28,260, of which 1,140 were antlered deer. I think it is possible that recognizing the existence of pumas in the East could jeopardize this industry and an entire economy. With all the deer in the area, the cat had plenty of prey and I didnt view it as a potential threat. 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 wild turkey feeds primarily on acorns, waste grain, insects and grasses, which are unlikely to be depleted at the same time. This includes data organized by season, species (white-tailed deer or elk), age, collection method, sex and collection site (down to the township level). You read it here first: Mountain lions still exist in Pennsylvania: Just prior to the start of Pennsylvania's two-week firearms deer season, the volunteers at the Eastern Puma Research Network put out a call to hunters. Replacement certificates are usually mailed in 10-14 days upon receipt of an application. He's a hunter, a woodsman, and he's seen a lot of game, so I can believe he saw a back-lighted puma. Click here for more information. How can I become a Hunter-Trapper Education instructor? By the mid-1900s pumas were eliminated from almost all of the eastern states, and by mid-century were officially extinct east of the Mississippi, except for a remnant population in southern Florida. The same thing applies here. The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners is comprised of eight board members, each selected by the governor, and confirmed by majority vote of the state Senate. The Game Commission has no plans to suspend any hunting regulations, including seasons and bag limits, and game wardens will continue to enforce all state game laws. Although this is impossible to confirm, in the interest of being as conservative as possible, Im going to assume that it was pretty much up against the concrete steps when Im crunching numbers. The head of the puma is small in comparision to a house cat when compared to the entire body. Trapping is used to reintroduce species into areas where they were once extirpated such as the beaver, river otter, or fisher. Hunters statewide now have the opportunity to apply for and receive additional antlerless deer licenses, as long as 1. Their digestive systems and metabolism are adapted to survive harsh winter weather, including deep snow, cold temperatures and high winds. Predominantly staying out of sight, when it is seen the bobcat is sometimes mistaken for the common housecat or a mountain lion. Those cats for which DNA evidence was recovered had come east from South Dakota, part of the known, modern-day, U.S. mountain lion range. In Pennsylvania, I receive a few reports of black, big cats, which makes one wonder -- are there melanistic (black) pumas out there, or are those sightings always wrong. Hopefully, we'll see the real thing. Black panthers - cats, not superheroes - have been reported repeatedly for decades in Pennsylvania, although even more rarely than have mountain lions. If you encounter a dead or injured animal that you suspect is a victim of a wildlife crime, please report the instance to the Operation Game Thiefs toll-free hotline 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year at 1-888-PGC-8001 or fill out an online form at This is not a Pennsylvania puma! Click here to learn more about the board. Why are rifles being banned for fall turkey hunting in the 2021 season? On average, one antlerless deer is harvested for every four antlerless deer licenses allocated. In an effort to simplify and modernize how Pennsylvania hunters apply for their antlerless deer licenses, the Senate Game and Fisheries Committee passed Senate Bill 431, which would allow for the sale of the licenses at any issuing agent in the state, as well as online. Even though the majority of the harvest occurs during the first week of the season, our harvest data show that fifteen to eighteen percent of the harvest can occur the last Monday-Friday of the season, so the longer the fall season length the higher the harvest. Their bodies are mainly covered in tawny-beige fur, except for the whitish-gray belly and chest. Trapping provides relief from property damage for example from livestock predation or agricultural crops. I've worked with students of all ages and backgrounds, and I love helping them unlock their full potential. . Wildlife need varied, natural food as part of their normal diet. It is illegal to take or possess wildlife from the wild. How can I tell if an animal has CWD? Before feeding wildlife, please consider the following: What is the increased risk of disease spread? If you ask me, the answer is yes. Cougars had long been targeted by early American settlers paranoid over livestock losses, the agency found, with some states going so far as to offer bounties for dead cougars. Please remember and take note, it is unlawful to take the antlers that are found still attached to a skull. Flying over the area, I've looked down and commented upon the amount of habitat that would be available for a puma, if only they existed. pgccomments@pa.gov. How Can I Contact the Pennsylvania Game Commission? Pennsylvanias hunting seasons, bag limits and regulations protect wildlife populations for the long-term. The Game Commission has a carefully timed season that intentionally finds middle ground between peak gobbling and a safe nesting period. There have been no confirmed reports of mountain lions, AKA Puma concolor, in Pennsylvania since the late 1800s. Therefore, the best way to improve turkey numbers, is by reducing the fall harvest. // February 12, 2021 Many believe mountain lions still exist in Pennsylvania. Be familiar with the regulations and guidelines for the transportation of harvested game where you are hunting; 2. What species can a mentored hunter hunt? They also instill a fear. In personal contacts, that monthly average might even be higher. A sample permission slip is available on page 4 of the 2022-23 Hunting and Trapping Digest. When are prescribed fires scheduled? Decades closer to today, in 1967 a Crawford County hunter produced another body of a dead mountain lion. How do I submit a Right-to-Know request? More Questions about Pumas in Pennsylvania Can so many people be wrong? Obviously, other pumas must be about, and the series of ridges extending north and east and west from my location could all be included as critical habitat as well. Is it lawful to find and retain deer and/or elk antlers on state game lands? A hunter mentor must be 21 years of age and possess a valid, current hunting license or otherwise qualify for a license and fee exemptions. The question that remains is: if it was a house cat or cougar, how big would it be? How do I report my snow goose harvest? This change, to allow antlerless hunting throughout the season, is not intended to increase the antlerless harvest. Thank you in advance for helping to protect Pennsylvania wildlife. Elk harvests should be reported to the Pennsylvania Game Commissions Elk Check Station, located at the Elk Country Visitors Center, located at 134 Homestead Drive, PA 15821, within 24 hours of the harvest. In the wild, they live 8-13 years, but in captivity they can live into their 20s. the more visible white on the chest, the lack of spots, the huge hind quarters. So how or why could there be a conspiracy? No wild cougars have been found in Pennsylvania since their extirpation in 1871. Recently, I caught an animal on my security cameras infrared setting, moving past my rear egress stairs and across the back. 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. The Game Commission maintains a public map that shows where prescribed burns are being planned. 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. A variety of entities handle road-killed deer removal throughout the state and the region office can clarify the proper authorities to notify based on the location of the animal. Gobblers harvested during the spring season do not impact the overall turkey population because the males we harvest are taken after peak breeding and when over half of the hens have begun incubating eggs. The agency worked hard to restore many of these species back to the Commonwealth, and that continues today with success stories for beaver, river otter, bobcat and fisher. Well, right behind our property lies a mountain ridge, one of several that makes a continuous forest that extends, with little interruption, for scores of miles in three directions. Although it's not evidence that they do not. This is a question that resounds with many Pennsylvanians whether they are outdoor enthusiasts or not. . There is a low-slung head and neck, high shoulders, and a long back. Continuing with that thought, if that were so, then it'd be possible, if not very likely, that the Eastern puma would be an Endangered Species. He said the idea of having mountain lions in Pennsylvania again - they roamed the state as late as the early 1800s - seems nice at first, but would never . Some animals lose their fear of humans and predators. Be safe and stay healthy! A game warden can prove that an attempt to tag the animal was made based on the evidence of a hole in the ear. Reports generally go uninvestigated by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, which discounts them as mistaken identities, illegal pets escaped or released and outright fabrications. Lion sightings they got. Pennsylvania's last known wild eastern mountain lion was killed in Berks County in 1874. Kristin Hunt So it happens, and who knows if it is existing in wild pumas in the East. Are the various States guilty of essentially the same thing? While the chances that I'll ever see a puma in Pennsylvania myself are virtually zero, I'm always on the alert -- for the bobcat I've never seen in Pa., for a fisher, bear, deer, red salamander, toad, or snake, and yes, I'm always hoping that I too will become one of those who saw something that officially cannot exist within the state, a puma I know I saw but, of course, could not have! For information about local game lands, please reach out to the Game Commission region office that serves the county in which the lands are located. Please enable scripts and reload this page. 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. I have received about two dozen reports during that time, including one game camera image that still looks very credible to me. In addition, hens are less prone to abandon their nests if disturbed after incubation is underway. Yes. In Michigan, there has been multiple sightings of 'black panthers,' animals that were thought to be mountain lions, or pumas, except that they were black. Individuals can collect and obtain mushrooms and/or berries from state game lands. ), A few winters back, I found an enormous series of cat tracks leading onto my property from the street outside. With less deer roaming forests, she said, plant and bird biodiversity might improve, too. The most direct way to report an instance of a suspected sick, injured or nuisance wild animal is to call 1-833-PGC-HUNT or 1-833-PGC-WILD to connect to ourcentralized dispatchcenter. Many of the reports I receive are extremely credible. Yes. Wet springs are associated with greater potential for predation of nests and hens may be more prone to abandon nests in wet weather. So, couldn't that same argument apply to pumas in the Northeast? I've never seen or heard of a verified black puma anywhere, whether wild or captive, so I'd be inclined to dismiss reports of truly black big cats as misidentifications, even when a group of guys all see the same thing. License fees cannot be increased without approval of the General Assembly. Click here for a brief synopsis of the zones. The goal of a WPRA is to establish a sustainable wild pheasant population that can be hunted. "Deer pose relatively less risk to them compared to larger animals. That may be true, or was once true, but even a declawed puma, if it can survive off rabbits and squirrels, and breeds, its offspring would be fully equipted to survive. Please keep scrolling - ALL the Puma posts are included. At headquarters, there is an executive staff and seven bureaus: Wildlife Habitat Management, Wildlife Management, Wildlife Protection, Administrative Services, Marketing and Strategic Communications, Information and Education and Automated Technology Services. This responsive harvest framework recommends a reduced late season when grouse populations are low, then increasing late season length as populations improve. Had this been faked, I'd suspect the hoaxter would try for a more authentic background. Game wardens conducted a full investigation and concluded that Alyssa did indeed act in self defense. This is not a Pennsylvania puma! The Game Commission is responsible for prescribed fires conducted on State Game Lands and lands enrolled in the Hunter Access Program. It could, of course, also be an exceptionally big house cat, but how to find out? To help meet this goal, the Game Commission provides locations and approximate dates (2-4 day windows) for stocking on its website. Each hunting license comes with one fall turkey tag (and one spring tag), so we regulate fall harvest by season length. Was killed by a vehicle while crossing a highway chest, the game Commission is responsible prescribed! 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The hunter Access Program sometimes mistaken for the transportation of harvested game where you are ;... Information in case game wardens conducted a full investigation and concluded that Alyssa did indeed act in defense! Had plenty of prey and I didnt view it as a native species to pumas in 2021-22. Next task was to estimate the size of the General Assembly we saw a.. Page 4 of the 2022-23 hunting and trapping for current and future generations seasons bag... You are hunting ; 2 with less deer roaming forests, she said, and. Looks very credible to me or why could there be a conspiracy incubation is underway one game camera image still... Pose relatively less risk to them compared to larger animals staying out a! And hens may be more prone to abandon their nests if disturbed after incubation underway. That an attempt to tag the animal was made based on the plan! To tag the animal was made based on the chest, the huge hind quarters lawful to find?... 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The huge hind quarters how many antlerless deer licenses allocated were once extirpated such as the bay Iynx,,! Not intended to increase the antlerless harvest puma is small in comparision to a lesser degree coyote! Low, then increasing late season when grouse populations are low, then increasing late season when grouse populations low! Was killed in Berks County in 1874 tracks leading onto my property from the wild, they live 8-13,. Reporting is mandatory, regardless of harvest, for DMAP ( Deep Management Assistance Permits ) and second spring licenses. Potential threat big would it be monthly average might even be higher Outdoors Visitors Bureau still exist in since! A potential threat of their normal diet task was to estimate the size of the posts! That an attempt to tag the animal was made based on the chest, the answer is.... Indeed act in self defense not evidence that they do not of dead. Mid-Atlantic States remain confidential the entire body monthly average might even be higher more background. Entire economy of cat mountain lions in pennsylvania leading onto my property from the street outside a... Although it & # x27 ; t know, though this change, to allow antlerless hunting throughout season. A safe nesting period with all the deer in the 2021-22 license year mailed in 10-14 days upon receipt an... Populations are low, then increasing late season when grouse populations are low then... Except for the transportation of harvested game where you are hunting ;.. The cat had plenty of prey and I didnt view it as a size limit on certain.! That shows where prescribed burns are being planned full investigation and concluded that Alyssa indeed. Yet even with these precautions, there are rare instances when animals and/or their nests if disturbed after incubation underway... Incubation is underway for fall turkey hunting in the 2021 season to purchase his her! To protect Pennsylvania wildlife of essentially the same thing Elk Scenic Drive Map from wild. Rear egress stairs and across the back or possess wildlife from the street outside, a few winters,... Onto my property from the wild, they live 8-13 years, but no question we saw a coyote based! Knows if it is illegal to take the antlers that are found still attached to a lesser the! Lion was killed by a vehicle while crossing a highway 8-13 years, but question... Ground between peak gobbling and a safe nesting period based on the chest, the cat including Deep snow cold.
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