CMYK PAGE 12C
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2011
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THE TIMES LEADER
www.timesleader.com
OUTDOORS Two of the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s game farms in Lycoming County lost most of their pheasant population that was being bred for hunting season.
Fall archery period opens hunting slate Small game seasons for all hunters begin on Oct. 15 with squirrel and grouse. By TOM VENESKY tvenesky@timesleader.com
PENNSYLVANIA GAME COMMISSION PHOTO
A male pheasant is shown inside a field enclosure at the Loyalsock Game Farm before the facility was damaged by floodwaters earlier this month.
Flood causes shortage BY THE NUMBERS
By TOM VENESKY tvenesky@timesleader.com
the Loyalsock Game Farm that PGC crews will When floodwaters raged through two of the probably be recapturing them for months. At the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s game farms in Northcentral Game Farm near Williamsport, the Lycoming County earlier this month, they almost situation is even worse. swept away the upcoming pheasant hunting sea“We had 19,000 there, and we lost most of them. son. Approximately 40,000 pheasants from the Loyal- All of them got out,” Boyd said, adding that only sock and Northcentral game farms either escaped 1,000 had been caught as of Wednesday but an unknown number had drowned. or perished in the high water. Considering the “The odors around the farms still persist,” he agency planned on releasing 100,000 pheasants said. this hunting season, the loss is significant. The recapture figures increase Still, there is one thing that daily because PGC staff is emthe flood waters didn’t sweep While the September flooding ploying a number of techniques away. had a major impact to the to get the birds back. Boyd said Hope. PGC’s pheasant program, Boyd numbers of escaped pheasants are As PGC personnel worked said it won’t affect won’t affect coming back to the pens and to around the clock to recapture pheasants and rebuild pens, the the junior pheasant hunts to be collect them, holes are cut in the agency is optimistic that it can held at select locations state- fences with a funnel opening, allowing the birds to enter. The accomplish the increased profunnel prevents the birds from duction goal of 200,000 birds for wide on Oct. 8. The 1,800 pheasants allocated for those leaving the pen, he said. next fall. “It’s working. We had pens that “I can assure you our goal is hunts will still be provided by were roosters only, and now there still the same – go back to full the PGC, Boyd said. are hens in there, too,” Boyd said. production next fall,” said Bob Live traps are also placed Boyd, assistant director of the throughout the area surrounding each farm and a Bureau of Wildlife Management. “We’ll still mainfew pheasants are being caught that way as well. tain a breeding flock to produce 200,000 distribuSince the floodwaters damaged the middle of the tion next fall.” pens, PGC personnel are utilizing a third recapture It’s a welcome prognosis after the floodwaters technique by driving escaped pheasants into the raged through pheasant pens at both facilities, corners of the pens and catching them that way. sweeping away fences, netting, posts and birds. Despite the efforts, Boyd said the work can’t go There are reports of dead pheasants being found on indefinitely. five miles downstream from the farms, and initial “The longer it goes, the more the pheasants estimates indicated that up to 40,000 birds from disperse,” he said. “And they get smarter.” the agency’s total production of 105,000 were And PGC staff is also tasked with the job of gone. repairing and rebuilding the numerous structures Boyd said he is still compiling a damage estidamaged by the flood. mate and report to submit to the PGC board. He “The debris and pressure of the water separated said the floodwaters at both farms swept through a lot of the fencing at the seams. Some pens are the middle of several field pens – large enclosures completely gone,” Boyd said. “There’s a lot of over agricultural fields where pheasants intended to be released this fall are kept. As a result, fences cleanup work to do as well.” Half of the pens at the Loyalsock facility escaped were ripped open and while some pheasants did flood damage, while Boyd said all of the enclosed drown more escaped. fields at the Northcentral farm were affected. Boyd said there are so many pheasants out at
OUTDOORS NOTES NESCOPECK STATE PARK will hold the following events in October (for more information or to register, call 4032006): Saturday, Oct. 1 – Kayaking: Level Three at Brady’s Lake Sunday, Oct. 2 – Edible Wild Mushrooms Friday, Oct. 21 – Night Hike at Lake Frances
Saturday, Oct. 22 – Junior Bird Club: Hawk Mountain THE RUMBLE ON THE RIVER bass tourney scheduled for Saturday at Nesbitt Park was postponed. Refunds will be sent to those who pre-registered. The event will likely be held next June in conjunction with Riverfest.
44,000 – Total number of pheasants at the Loyalsock Game Farm. More than half escaped or perished. 19,000 – Total number of pheasants at the Northcentral game farm. Most escaped or died. 40,000 – Initial estimate of the number of pheasants at the Loyalsock and Northcentral game farms that escaped or perished. 10,000 – Estimated number of pheasants captured at both farms as of Wednesday. 300 to 400 – Number of pheasants that PGC personnel were capturing at both farms daily last week. 30,000 – Estimated loss of pheasants after last week’s recapture efforts (which are still ongoing).
GETTING BACK ON TRACK One avenue the PGC will pursue to get its pheasant production back on track for the 2013 hunting season is rearing more chicks. Boyd said the agency will see how many eggs it can obtain and he plans on having all their incubators full next spring.
“At that farm, the water went through every square inch,” he said. On a positive note, once the pheasants are released this hunting season, the pens won’t be needed again until late June, when next year’s birds come out of the brooder houses. Also, Boyd said the hatchery and brooder facilities at the farms weren’t damaged, which means the PGC can resume production next spring. “That’s the good news about the flood,” he said. Still, with a potential loss of 40 percent of the total pheasant production, the agency will be forced to alter this year’s pheasant allocations. Boyd said the new allocation figures for the state will be released in the near future, but needless to say it will be lower. “The timing of this event – a month before the stocking starts, I’ve never seen anything like this before,” he said. “Hunters have experienced half production since 2005. Now, we’re going to have to take a step back even further.” Albeit temporarily. “This isn’t insurmountable,” Boyd added. “Next year we’ll return the program to what it was before.”
It’s been a trying year for people and wildlife. A wet spring and summer made it difficult on turkey and ruffed grouse poults that hatched into the cool, damp conditions. The seemingly constant rains of the summer were frustrating to area farmers trying to get crops planted in a timely manner and make hay later in the season. And most recently, the flooding that occurred earlier this month devastated many and disrupted all of our lives. It will be good to get back to a sense of normalcy, and hunting season is one way to do just that. Things will begin to get back to normal next Saturday, Oct. 1 when archery season opens. Hunters might find conditions a little difficult early in the season as the above normal rainfall has kept vegetation thick and lush. But the impact is only temporary as archery season is one of the few hunting seasons that is better at the end than in the beginning. The season runs until Nov. 12, giving archery hunters plenty of time in the woods after the leaves start falling and the rut swings into full gear. Soon after the start of archery season, several youth seasons open up for pheasant, rabbit , rabbit and squirrel. The early seasons all open on Oct. 8 and continue until Oct. 15 for junior hunters only. The regular small game season for all licensed hunters kicks off with squirrel and grouse on Oct. 15 followed by pheasant and rabbit on Oct. 22. All of the fall small game seasons continue to Nov. 26.
UPCOMING HUNTING SEASONS
Archery deer – Oct. 1 to Nov. 12 Squirrels and grouse – Oct. 15 to Nov. 26 Rabbit and pheasant – Oct. 22 to Nov. 26 Fall turkey – WMU’s 2C, 2D, 2E, 4A, 4B and 4D – Oct. 29 to Nov. 12 and Nov. 24-26; WMU’s 2F, 2G, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4C and 4E – Oct. 29 to Nov. 18 and Nov. 24-26 Archery bear – Nov. 14-18
SPECIAL SEASONS
Squirrels (junior hunters) – Oct. 8-14 Rabbit and pheasant (junior hunters) – Oct. 8-15 Antlerless deer (junior and senior license holders, disabled permit holders and active duty military) – Oct. 20-22 Antlerless deer, muzzleloader – Oct. 15-22
TROUT STOCKING
If you’re not ready for hunting season but still want to do some trout fishing, there are plenty of opportunities coming up this fall. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission will be stocking selected lakes and streams statewide in October. Here’s the local trout stocking list: Luzerne County Harveys Creek – Oct. 12 Harveys Lake – Oct. 4 Lake Irena – Oct. 3 Lake Took-A-While – Oct. 12 Lily Lake – Oct. 6 Moon Lake – Oct. 6 Nescopeck Creek – Oct. 6 Sylvan Lake – Oct. 6 Carbon County Mud Run – Oct. 6 Pohopoco Creek – Oct. 6 Columbia County Briar Creek Lake – Oct. 3 Lackawanna County Lackawanna Lake – Oct. 3 Lehigh River – Oct. 7 Merli-Sarnoski Park Lake – Oct. 3 Roaring Brook – Oct. 3 Tunkhannock Creek, South Branch – Oct. 4 Wyoming County Bowman’s Creek – Oct. 4 Tunkhannock Creek, South Branch – Oct. 4
Brown bullhead catfish ends up a record catch The Times Leader staff
A brown bullhead catfish caught in Carbon County’s Beltzville Lake has been certified as a Pennsylvania state record for that species by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC). Ian Radler of Palmerton, Carbon County, caught the fish on the evening of Aug. 22. Radler was fishing for catfish near the Trachsville Bridge using cut bait. More information and pictures
can be found at: http://fishandboat.com/strecord.htm. His catch exceeds the previous record by 6 ounces. That fish was caught in 1983 by Eddie Lasorda while fishing at Marsh Creek Lake in Chester County. The Fish and Boat Commission certifies state records based on total body weight. Potential record fish must exceed the established mark by at least 2
ounces, as weighed on a certified scale. To be considered for state record certification, a fish must be caught using legal means, in season, from Pennsylvania waters open to the public, and without charge or fee. Fish taken from farm ponds, fee-fishSUBMITTED PHOTO ing lakes, ponds or streams or in waters restricted to This brown bullhead catfish, caught by Ian Radler of use by club members or Palmerton, has been certified as a state-record catch. their guests do not qualify. Staff from the PFBC must The PFBC is the only en- cial state record fish in the examine the fish. tity that can certify an offi- Commonwealth.