HARRISBURG - Following the lead of recent Pennsylvania Game Commission board of commissioners, hunting opportunities for small game have been tentatively set at Tuesday's preliminary quarterly meeting of the agency to set seasons and bag limits for the 2012-13 hunting and trapping seasons.
Extending the proposed statewide hunting seasons for rabbit, squirrel and grouse and specified wildlife management units for pheasants from Monday, Dec. 10, to Monday, Dec. 24, passed by a 7-1 vote, and was done because schools and many workplaces will be closed for the Christmas vacation. Originally, the season - second of three - for the four species was scheduled to end Saturday, Dec. 22.
Commissioner Tom Boop of Sunbury cast the lone negative vote, expressing concern that working Christmas Eve Day places an extra burden on wildlife conservation officers. This was the final meeting for Boop and Southeast Region commissioner Greg Isabella of Philadelphia, whose eight-year terms expired last year, but who served an extra six months while their successors were chosen.
"This extra day is something that the hunting public wanted, and there were many complaints from hunters that they weren't going to be able to hunt small game with their kids on Christmas Eve," Northeast Region commissioner Jay Delaney of Wilkes-Barre said. "This is yet another instance when the board listens to the hunters, and when there is no negative impact on the resource, we attempt to give them want they want and increase hunting opportunities."
In another proposed change, made by newly elected board president Ralph Martone, it will be legal to hunt fall turkey with a rifle in Wildlife Management Units 1A, 2A and 1B. Previously, fall turkey could be hunted only with shotguns and archery tackle in the WMUs.
Commissioner Dave Schreffler proposed changes that would re-establish two full weeks of concurrent antlered and antlerless hunting during the statewide firearms deer season in WMUs 2C, 4B and 4D was defeated by a 6-2 vote. As a result, only antlered deer will be legal the first five days of the firearms season, beginning Monday, Nov. 25, and antlerless hunting opens Saturday, Dec. 1, for the final six days of the season.
Also failing to pass was a motion by Martone and a second by Dave Putnam, who was re-elected board secretary, to allow four days of bear hunting in all of WMUs 2G and 3B the first week of the firearms deer season, Wednesday, Nov. 28-Saturday, Dec. 1. This failed when the board deadlocked on a 4-4 vote, which means portions of the two WMUs will continue to have bear hunting the first full week of the firearms deer season.
A proposed major change effecting bear hunting will allow all properly licensed hunters to take a bear during all seasons from September through mid-December in WMUs 1A, 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D. This includes the early archer season in specific WMUs, the statewide archery season and the antlerless-only muzzleloader season, Saturday-Saturday, Oct. 13-20.
Although outgoing board president Ron Weaner and Boop were among the most vocal in confirming their opposition to crossbows being legal in all archery seasons, the board gave preliminary approval by a unanimous 8-0 vote to remove the sunshine provision on their use. This and all other agenda items tentatively approved will come up for final approval at the next quarterly meeting of the board, Monday and Tuesday, April 23-24.
In other board action commissioner Bob Schlemmer was elected vice-president, and the third and fourth quarterly meetings for the year will be held Monday and Tuesday, June 25-26, and Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 24-25.
"Moving the final quarterly meeting of the year from October, during archery season, back to September can be looked upon as my legacy," Weaner said. "Hopefully, it's something that will continue."
A complete listing of the proposed 2012-13 hunting and trapping seasons and bag limits is available on the PGC website at www.pgc.state.pa.us.