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PGC’s Operation Game Thief protects state wildlife

HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Operation Game Thief program protects wild birds and wild mammals by encouraging those with information related to wildlife crimes to report it as soon as possible. Wildlife crimes affect everyone and reporting illegal wildlife activity helps to protect wildlife for current and future generations. To confidentially report information, call the Operation Game Thief’s toll-free hotline — 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year — at (888) PGC-8001 or fill out an online form at http://bit.ly/PGCOGT. Follow the ...

Pennsylvania’s archery deer season right around the corner

From staff reports If something can be routine and record-breaking at the same time, Pennsylvania’s archery deer season is it. It’s routine in its consistency. Pennsylvania held its first statewide archery season in 1951; this year’s hunt is the 71st in a row since. It stretches across seven weeks, includes a Sunday and gives hunters the chance to be afield during the peak of the whitetail rut. The 2021-22 statewide archery season runs from Oct. 2 to Nov. 13, continues on Sunday, Nov. 14, then goes Nov. 15 to 19. It comes back in on Dec. 27 and goes through Jan. 17. Archers ...

Cicadas expected to be fish ‘filet mignon’ in PA

ERIE (AP) — Anglers are expecting a fisherman’s paradise toward the end of May in southeastern Pennsylvania. The Brood X cicadas are expected to emerge after a 17-year slumber and the high-protein insects are delicious food for a variety of fish. Eric Hussar of Lewisburg, a commissioner with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, is looking forward to the cicada hatch. He said you can catch trout and bass with these insects. “Any type of predatory fish will eat them,” Hussar said, recalling the last time he fished during an emergence of cicadas. “It’s like a steak ...

Reed raft stands the test of one of the West’s most epic journeys

DURANGO, Colo. (AP) — Throughout the history of the West, it’s commonly accepted that the grizzled, one-armed Civil War major and geologist John Wesley Powell was the first to journey by river into the treacherous and unknown depths of the Grand Canyon. But is it possible, or even likely, Native Americans had long preceded Powell in floating down the big ditch? This winter, renowned river runner Tom Martin challenged the notion that Powell’s expedition was indeed the first descent, deciding to build a watercraft out of traditional materials and have a friend ride it through the ...

Elk spur tourism boom in Northwest Pennsylvania

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — In rural Elk County, a mile from the $12 million Elk Country Visitor Center, a small herd of elk munched grass beside a new coffee shop called Elk Life. They were mostly females, known as cows, with a lone young bull nearby that sported two thin antlers called ...

Wyoming wildlife forensic expert reflects on career

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — For 35 years, Dee Dee Hawk was solving unusual mysteries, like whether a captured grizzly bear was guilty of attacking a human. Sometimes using only scraps of evidence, she helped put bad guys behind bars and unraveled wildlife-related whodunits when there were no witnesses. “So many times as a game warden you are on the back end of everything,” said Chad Murphy, a retired Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks regional investigator. “You’re finding what was left behind. Having the ability to utilize a lab and what (Hawk was) able to do was extremely ...