One gift that’s
always in demand is the agency’s full-color calendar, which sells for $8.95.
The 2009 calendar provides a listing of approved season dates from Jan. 1-June
30, and tentative season dates for July1-Dec. 31, as well as a reminder about
National Hunting & Fishing Day in September.
The 2009 calendar
features a year’s worth of dramatic wildlife photos taken by current and retired
agency employees, including: Jacob Dingel, radio dispatcher in the Northwest
Region Office; Timothy C. Flanigan, retired Bedford County Wildlife Conservation
Officer; Coy D. Hill, retired Deputy Wildlife Conservation Officer from Fulton
County; Willard C. Hill, retired Game Lands Management Supervisor in the
Southcentral Region; and Joe Kosack, Wildlife Conservation Education Specialist
in Harrisburg.
Each month
features a full-color photo of a different wildlife species. This year’s
subjects are: female Northern cardinal; snow goose flight from Middle Creek
Wildlife Management Area; an American wigeon drake; tree swallows; raccoon; a
group of red foxes; an American kestrel; mourning dove; elk; gray squirrel; wild
turkey; and white-tailed deer.
New this year are
insert photos of Game Commission employees conducting various wildlife
management tasks. The calendar also provides a brief overview of the Game
Commission and a list of contact information for the agency’s Harrisburg
headquarters and six region offices.
The second year
of the Game Commission’s two collectible series – the Wild Turkey Heritage
Series and the Upland Game Bird Series – remain available for ordering. Orders
can be placed by mail or by calling 1-888-888-3459 (toll-free). A downloadable
application is available on the agency’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us) by
clicking on “Limited Collector’s Series” icon in the right-hand column of the
homepage. Delivery can be expected by Dec. 31.
The two series,
which were launched last year and will run for a total of five years,
incorporate products grown and made in Pennsylvania, as well as the designs of
an award-winning Pennsylvania wildlife artist.
The new
collectible, numbered wild turkey calls and knives are handsome additions to
these continuing series. Also, both series offer corresponding fine-art prints
and patches.
The “Wild Turkey
Heritage Series” features five collectible box-style turkey calls, made in
Pennsylvania by Top Calls in Renovo, Clinton County, and will sell for $49.95
(plus tax and shipping). Each year, the call will be made from a different
Pennsylvania-grown wood. This year, the call will be made of Pennsylvania
walnut. The first of this series was cedar, and subsequent years will be
cherry, sassafras and, for the final year, a combination of walnut, maple and
sycamore. Each call will be individually numbered, come in a green velvet bag
and feature a different wild turkey scene.
The “Upland Game
Bird Series” features five collectible mini-trapper knives made by W.R. Case
& Sons Cutlery Co., of Bradford, McKean County, and will sell for $74.95
(plus tax and shipping). The year, the series showcases the American woodcock.
The first year featured the ruffed grouse, and subsequent years will focus on
the ring-necked pheasant, bobwhite quail and mourning dove. Each knife will be
made with a different bone handle – bone stag, chestnut bone, old red bone,
amber bone and antique bone – and comes in an attractive tin featuring the
artwork of that year’s upland game bird. Like the turkey calls, each knife will
be individually numbered.
Complementing the
turkey calls and knives will be a special fine-art print and collector’s patch
designed by Gerald W. Putt, of Boiling Springs, Cumberland County. Each art
print –available either framed or unframed – and patch will represent the
original wildlife artwork used for each product line.
The patches, for
both series, will sell for $5.66 ($6 with tax). Also, both framed prints, which
are 13x18 inches, will sell for $179.95, and unframed prints are available for
$79.95.
A new call and
knife, and accompanying prints and patches, will be introduced for the next
three years in January, and the prices will not increase.
Other patches
include the 2008 “Working Together for Wildlife,” which features a mourning dove
this year, and the “We Need Wildlife” series, which currently features one patch
with a male cardinal and another with a female cardinal. The “We Need Wildlife”
series is scheduled to change to a pileated woodpecker in the near future, so
this may be your last chance to purchase the cardinal series. Patches to
commemorate the state’s 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 elk
hunts are available. Patches for the 2005 elk hunt are limited and may sell out
by the end of this year. All of these patches sell for $5.66 ($6 with tax).
To assist
first-time birders, as well as seasoned bird watchers, the Game Commission is
selling a book titled, “The Birds of Pennsylvania” written by Franklin Haas and
Roger Burrows. The cost is $17.92, plus state sales tax and shipping and
handling. This book is a complete guide to identifying Pennsylvania wild birds,
and features 295 of the bird species most likely to be found in the
Commonwealth. Each species’ account includes at least one detailed color
illustration and covers natural history, the species range here, nesting
details, preferred habitat, songs, best sites for viewing, similar species and
much more. It has a color-coded tab index that makes it easy to thumb directly
to any desired section. To order, visit “The Outdoor Shop” on the Game
Commission’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us) and click on “Books,” or call the
agency at 1-888-888-3459 (toll-free).
Know someone who
wants to see and learn more about Pennsylvania’s white-tailed deer, black bear
and elk? For the price of $5 – which includes tax – you can receive any one of
the agency’s three award-winning videos: On the Trail of Pennsylvania’s Black
Bears; Pennsylvania Whitetails, Living with Change; and Pennsylvania Elk:
Reclaiming the Alleghenies.
Other gift ideas
range from as little as $5.50 for a “Waterfowl Stamp,” which can be used as
stocking stuffers, to the “Working Together for Wildlife” or “Waterfowl Stamp”
fine-art prints, which cost up to $135. Revenues generated from the sale of
waterfowl stamps and fine-art prints are used by the Game Commission to acquire
and improve State Game Lands and preserve critical habitats, such as wetlands;
and for other wildlife research and management programs.
Another popular
holiday gift is a subscription to Pennsylvania Game News, the Game Commission’s
official monthly magazine. Anyone who enjoys the outdoors and wildlife will
appreciate 12 months of reading pleasure for just $18. It will be as close as
their mailbox. For a subscription, call 1-888-888-1019; or write: Pennsylvania
Game News, 2001 Elmerton Ave., Harrisburg, PA 17110-9797. VISA, MasterCard,
American Express and Discover are accepted.
Still haven’t
found the right gift? Choose from an assortment of wildlife books; bird and
mammal charts by the late, famed Ned Smith; Smith’s popular field journal, Gone
for the Day; fluorescent orange SPORT hats; cookbooks; waterfowl stamps; and a
wildlife viewing guide.
The agency also
offers a pair of stuffed bears for the plush toy collector. The 15-inch bear
sells for $29.95, and the eight-inch bear sells for $12.95. A combo package –
which includes the two bears and the Game Commission’s award-winning video, On
the Trail of Pennsylvania’s Black Bears, sells for $47.62. The combo package
also includes a “thank you” note from the Pennsylvania Game Commission for your
support of wildlife, a “Bird & Mammal Guide” booklet and a black bear
wildlife note and brochure.
Also, for those
interested in making a last minute tax-deductible contribution, “The Outdoor
Shop” on Game Commission’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us) offers that
opportunity.
In addition to
being available on the agency’s website, all items are available by contacting
the Pennsylvania Game Commission, Department MS, 2001 Elmerton Ave., Harrisburg,
PA 17110-9797; or by calling toll free 1-888-888-3459. Many of the items are
available for sale over-the-counter at the Harrisburg office and six region
offices. State sales tax is applied to many of the items.