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Animal warden still has a soft spot after 35 years

DECATUR, Ill. (AP) — The job of an animal control warden isn’t often glorified. According to the job description, the officers’ duties include investigating animal humane violations, animal bite incidents and removing and disposing of dead animals. They may also have to impound, and eventually euthanize, stray animals, all while resisting the urge to take them home. After 35 years, Paulette Smith has learned how to handle herself around Fluffy, Fido and their families. “It is stressful,” she said. “But I love to take care of the animals. And I love the people I work ...

Fall hunting season looking up for turkey hunters

From staff reports HARRISBURG — Two consecutive light fall wild turkey harvests and a substantial statewide turkey population of 212,000 birds should provide plenty of action in the fall turkey hunting season, which opened Saturday in most Wildlife Management Units. Turkey season openers and season lengths vary by Wildlife Management Unit (WMU), and fall-turkey hunting is closed in some WMUs. Locally, turkey season runs until Nov. 16, and again Nov. 28-29. The Game Commission has eliminated the requirement for fall turkey hunters to wear fluorescent orange material. It also ...

If passed, Sunday hunting can’t happen until next year

HARRISBURG — Passing the state House of Representatives Oct. 29 by a 144-54 vote, legislation that would provide expanded Sunday hunting opportunities in Pennsylvania appears likely to become law soon. But the Pennsylvania Game Commission wants hunters to know Senate Bill 147 has not been passed in final form yet, and even if it passes the state Senate a second time and is signed into law, it will not take effect until 90 days after passage. That means the bill, which would permit hunting on three Sundays — one within the archery deer season, one within the firearms deer season, ...

Hunt with care: Rare virus found to be in Pennsylvania

From staff reports HARRISBURG — Chronic Wasting Disease isn’t the only malady impacting hunters and wildlife in Penn’s Woods this year. A rare mosquito-transmitted virus has been documented in Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania Game Commission is encouraging hunters and others who spend time outdoors to take precautions against mosquito bites and report to the agency any dead or strange-acting wild animals they believe to have been infected. Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) was documented in wildlife and livestock in Pennsylvania in October. It was found in two wild turkeys ...

Deer on the move on state roadways

HARRISBURG — With deer becoming increasingly active, and daylight-saving time soon to put more vehicles on the road during the hours when deer move most, the Pennsylvania Game Commission is advising motorists to slow down and stay alert. Deer become more active in autumn with the lead-up to their fall breeding season, commonly referred to as the “rut.” Around this time, many yearling bucks disperse from the areas in which they were born and travel, sometimes several dozen miles, to find new ranges. Meanwhile, adult bucks more often are cruising their home ranges in search of ...

Elk hunting grows in popularity in Pa.

Elk once roamed freely all over the state of Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, the growing settlement of the area and subsequent exploitation by of the elk by these early settlers the herds could not survive. It’s estimated that by 1867 there were no more elk to be found in Pennsylvania. Unregulated hunting and habitat loss were the biggest factors of their demise. In 1913 the Pennsylvania Game Commission began reintroducing elk into Pennsylvania. The elk herd we witness today came from 177 elk that were trapped and transferred to northern areas of Pennsylvania. This reintroduction of ...