mountain lions in pennsylvania

We have nearly 200,000 spring turkey hunters and high adult gobbler harvest rates; considerably more than many other states. Please enable scripts and reload this page. Mountain lions weigh 90-160 pounds, while bobcats weigh 20-30 pounds. Are there pumas, or mountain lions, in Pennsylvania and the mid-Atlantic States? Last year, the board allowed concurrent seasons in select WMUs, mainly in areas where Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) had been detected in free-ranging deer. Hunters with bears to be checked after check stations close should contact the appropriate region office. Visit www.legis.state.pa.us for contact and bill information. In fact, the woods literally abut my backyard. 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. Today, there are none in existence in this area; the last mountain lions was seen in 1874. *It is illegal to feed elk and bear and deer with Chronic Wasting Disease Management Areas. It is our mission to manage and protect wildlife and their habitats while promoting hunting and trapping for current and future generations. Consider that the endangered Florida puma has mixed genes. Penn State's Nittany Lion hide sampled for DNA sequencing, Mountain lion reports in Pennsylvania popular, but often a hoax. Of course, the writer's comments were hearsay, but it does make sense. 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. It also reduces confusion about which WMUs are open to antlerless hunting. This accomplished, my next move was to do a transparency overlay, in an effort to line up both images perfectly. He knows and was familiar with bobcats, and it was not a weird house cat that he and his friends misjudged in size. In personal contacts, that monthly average might even be higher. When I did, I discovered the intruder was a large cat. After that period, they must obtain a license to hunt. There are at least 20,000 black bears in Pa., and a small percentage are killed each year, but we're probably not talking about 20,000 pumas in the state. As many as 1,300 elk freely roam across 3,000 square miles, mostly within Elk, Cameron, Clinton, Clearfield and Centre counties. Express concerns about CWD to your political representatives. Crews will then continue burning into the wind and downslope, sending fire into the previously burned or blackened area. The cat appears to be directly behind the railing as it moves past. Some biologists thinks it's time to bring them back to help manage deer populations. With a decline in turkey population, why not eliminate the second Spring Gobbler tag? How are waterfowl seasons set? redo these pages to match the new web site But that's not But in recent years, the animals have been moving east. More information is available here. Contact your Game Commission region office for additional information on how to create, preserve, or enhance wildlife habitat. How, Who, and Why? Maybe someday, one of those fake cougar sightings will turn out to be true. Crews are highly trained and qualified to light fires in a way that allows wildlife to escape, often with crew members walking through units before and during burns to ensure the area is clear of wildlife. What factors are causing turkey populations to decline? 2023 WWB Holdings, LLC. I've know of reports since 1973, in Cooke Forest, the heart of a lot of Pa. wilderness. The digest is also available for printing and viewing online. That said there have been numerous sightings of them over the years. Have all of those who have seen a puma really seen a bobcat? Is it illegal to feed elk? 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. Click here for full harvest reporting details. What happens on the day of the burn? Currently, trapping is only allowed for species with abundant populations and for species whos populations were reintroduced and are still growing like bobcat, fisher, and river otter only one animal per license year may be harvested and only in areas where populations are high enough to support harvest. My friend was a former hunter and fisherman, and spent a lot of time in the woods, as did I, but neither of us had ever seen a coyote. 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? Wildlife crimes affect everyone. The elk rut is triggered by photoperiod (day length) and generally begins around the middle of September and carries through early- to mid-October. (PennLive has investigated many reports of mountain lions, and other mystery creatures, and has found no confirming evidence. Photos submitted as mountain lions are typically feral housecats. It is best to call the region office directly because the region dispatcher might have additional questions for the caller about an exact location, the time the animal was witnessed or other something else. Once hunted to extinction, Pennsylvanias resurgent elk herd now numbers 1,400. Unfortunately, just like any tool, they can be used inappropriately and result with negative impact. 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. Only when I reviewed the images on my laptop did I discover that I had a mountain lion! Frankly, I was afraid to call it in, as I feared someone would come and shoot the animal. Through rigorous scientific process, biologists manage and track population trends and harvest very closely each year to inform management decisions while game wardens work tirelessly to enforce the laws and regulations on trapping. A 100-year survey of cougar attacks in the U.S. and Canada found only 10 deaths and 48 injuries. Mace weighs a bit over 15 lbs and stands 12 at the shoulder. Immediately after the burn, the ground will be black until regrowth occurs, which typically takes place within a few days, in some cases several weeks, depending on the time of year. The Game Commission primarily burns to benefit wildlife and maintain the long-term health of their habitats. California state law requires the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to issue permits to kill mountain lions that attack domestic animals. The Pennsylvania Game Commission is your state wildlife agency and we want to help clarify and simplify some timely and commonly asked hunting- and wildlife-related questions. The Hunting and Trapping Digest serves as a great resource when it comes to questions about hunting seasons, bag limits and regulations. How do I submit comments and ideas about current and proposed seasons and bag limits set by the Board of Game Commissioners? Several states have shortened or closed their grouse season after grouse populations crashed. The Game Commission, working hand-in-hand with trappers and other federal and state agencies, is continuously striving to educate trappers and improve not only trap design, but methods of use in order to ensure humaneness and minimize non-target contact. The maximum weight for a large male is listed at 40 pounds. How do I report my bobcat or fisher harvest(s)? They are there to help us. My next step was to gauge the shoulder height of the cat. Call the region office that serves the county where the animal is located, directly. Regularly cleaning and removing grease, fat, and food particles from outside grills. A Mountain Lion Cover Up Wishful thinking? Perhaps my Fed Ex driver was simply recalling a rural legend, but he said it was an employee that he knew, and it was a story he heard first-hand. What Is Good About Penn State University? Figure skating program in Kensington aims to make the sport accessible for local athletes, Philadelphia Zoo's new exhibit includes life-sized dinosaurs and lots of bugs, Ex-football player from Bucks County among new 'Survivor' competitors, Six Flags to enhance Hurricane Harbor with more water slides, tree house for young kids. These color morphs are most common in rain forests and jungles. Thousands of deer. The northeastern U.S. population is thought to have disappeared in the 1930s. During times of the year where natural food sources are low, bears sometimes help themselves to food that is easily accessible, including bird feeders, trash cans and pet food left outside within a bears reach. Yes. They cover large areas of the state; in fact, many counties only have one game warden assigned. The Pennsylvania Game Commission is an independent state agency and receives no General Fund money from the state's annual budget. In Pennsylvania, one of the most important things that trapping provides is data and information used to help assess and make decisions on management of this suite of species. With industrial expansion into the heart of Pennsylvania in the 1700s, mountain lion sightings and attacks became more common as habitat destruction pit settlers against native predators.. 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. Initially, the purpose of pheasant stocking was to help establish self-sustaining populations. The increased light provided from knocking back small saplings and brush coupled with reduction in leaf litter or grass thatch will greatly enhance opportunities for new species to grow, particularly native grasses and forbs. On that note, I was speaking with a Fed Ex driver recently who told me that one of his colleagues had seen what he swore was a dead mountain lion on the side of a road. With that, Pennsylvanias seasons and management strategies must account for high harvest potential and possible disturbance of hens given the number of hunters. Cougars, also known as mountain lions or pumas, once were native to the eastern U.S. Some animals lose their fear of humans and predators. 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. 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. Unless I am only dealing with a lot of delusional people with little judgment, something is out there. Future season-setting will be guided by a consistent and transparent process based on grouse abundance, summer sightings and disease risk. 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. According to the commission, the last Pennsylvania mountain lion was killed in the late 1800s. 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. 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. There are currently four WPRAs in the state. Occasionally, they may become ulcerated resulting in secondary bacterial infections, which would make the deer unfit for consumption. Certainly it is a romantic notion, but I've always held out the hope that pumas still roamed the east. Volunteers help with brood surveys and flushing surveys. Wildlife need habitat, not handouts. 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 . buy hey, maybe some got out? Yet, again, were assuming that our mystery cat is right up against the steps. Are the Latest Fast CF Cards worth the Expense? Can You Shoot A Mountain Lion In Pennsylvania? I regularly ask hunters and outdoors people if they've ever seen a mountain lion, or know of anyone that has. Which Penn State Campus Is Best For Criminal Justice? This is a game regulation that has been around for many years and predates most people currently working for the Game Commission. All of the above are Mountain Lions, or Pumas, or Cougars. Although no tail is visible, in terms of proportions, it appears more like a mountain lion than it does a bobcat, which tend to have shorter, more compact bodies and comparatively longer legs. So glad to post. Deer populations are managed through the allocation of antlerless licenses. Pennsylvania is home to the largest wild elk herd in the northeastern United States. The 'look' is from my I had three cameras positioned, so had a cat visited, I'd have had it. Its impossible to say. Bear licenses can also be purchased at an issuing agent where they can walk out the door with the license that same day. To learn more about this action, and for an update on the status of turkey management in the Commonwealth, please review the wild turkey biologist's January 2021 report to the board. Individuals can collect and obtain mushrooms and/or berries from state game lands. Current harvest success of inline muzzleloaders is approximately 17 percent, compared to a harvest success rate of 10 percent by flintlock hunters. How do I purchase a license or report a harvest in HuntFishPA? Wild pheasants are released in WPRAs for three years, depending on availability of birds and trapping success in western states. It seems unlikely, considering captives have never shown this trait, but people are reporting big black cats. Can trapping greatly reduce wildlife populations, even causing them to become threatened or extinct? Click here for information, including regulations, maps, public shooting ranges, seasonal road schedules, access for hunters with disabilities, designated routes for horses and bicycles and more. The interaction of these factors, such as a high fall harvest rate coupled with poor poult production due to adverse spring weather with poor habitat quality, predation and minor disease, impact populations. But they're probably bobcats. A dark brown puma, backlighted by a strong sun, could appear all black, or very dark, and he accepted that. My toes were literally against it. Would a puma then qualify as a native species? As wild animals are fed, they become used to the presence of people. Luckily, the camera is static, and there are plenty of objects in the frame that can be used to compare scale and positioning. Disease Management Areas are found in all or parts of Adams, Armstrong, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Cambria, Centre, Clarion, Clearfield, Cumberland, Fulton, Franklin, Huntingdon, Indiana, Jefferson, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Perry, Somerset, Snyder, Union and Westmoreland counties. Cougar Ecology and Dispersal Young cougars (one- to two-years old) leave their mothers to establish a new territory. Mountain lions are also great jumpers and swimmers. Second spring gobbler tag 've ever seen a mountain lion spring gobbler tag become used to the largest wild herd. Of 10 percent by flintlock hunters and outdoors people if they 've ever seen mountain!, bag limits and regulations agent where they can walk out the with... How to create, preserve, or know of anyone that has been around for many and. A romantic notion, but often a hoax ask hunters and high adult gobbler rates... Adult gobbler harvest rates ; considerably more than many other states hunted to extinction, resurgent. 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