Hunting and Fishing: New Bow Hunting Law, Peregrine's Comeback, Suspect Arrested for Illegally Killing Bear, "Pot" Farmers Arrested
Sunday, August 22, 2010
The NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife has announced that the bowhunter perimeter bill has been signed
by Governor Christie and is now law. The new law changes the area for
bow hunting around an occupied building to 150 feet, and will assist in
providing a means of accessing and controlling deer populations.
The
minimum distance from an occupied building where a bowhunter may have a
nocked arrow is now reduced from 450 feet to 150 feet. Carrying a bow
with a nocked arrow within 150 feet of an occupied building or 450 feet
of any school playground is prohibited. Any portion of the school
grounds (including fields used for sports), that could be used for play
or recreation, is considered to be part of a playground.
The
owner or lessee of a building-and persons specifically authorized by the
owner or lessee in writing (written permission must be in possession
while hunting)-may hunt within 150 feet of the building. Persons
authorized to hunt within 150 feet of a building must hunt from an
elevated position to shoot down toward the ground. Shooting into a
safety zone is prohibited.
See the 2010 Hunting Issue of the NJ Fish and Wildlife Digest ( http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/dighnt10.htm
) for more information regarding safety zones. Hunters should be
completely familiar with safety zone regulations before taking to the
field.
PEREGRINE’S COMMONWEALTH COMEBACK CONTINUES
Use of more cliffs would complete this bird’s marvelous recovery
By Joe Kosack
Wildlife Conservation Education Specialist
Pennsylvania Game Commission
HARRISBURG – The peregrine falcon has firmly reestablished itself in the Commonwealth 50 years after its near extinction. But the Pennsylvania Game Commission wants more from peregrines before it will remove them from the state endangered species list.
It’s
not that the Game Commission considers the preponderance of peregrine
nests on building ledges and bridges to be inconsequential in the big
picture. Just that biologists believe lasting peregrine population
stability is directly related to reclaiming the cliffs where they’re
less susceptible to the unique mortalities associated with living on
manmade structures directly over large rivers and above cities.
Back
in 1964, as America was reaching into space with Gemini, the peregrine
falcon finally lost its grip on what remained of its fading existence in
the eastern United States. That year, extensive fieldwork throughout
the eastern United States – which once supported an estimated 350-400
nesting pairs of peregrines – failed to turn up one occupied nesting
territory. The fastest animal on Earth was gone east of the Mississippi
to the Atlantic. In 1975, North America’s population was 324 nesting
pairs, which was 80-90 percent below historical levels.
DDT
was the biggest problem peregrines and many other birds – from
bluebirds to bald eagles – faced. Its widespread use began shortly after
World War II and continued into the mid 1960s. DDE, a metabolite of the
pesticide, bioaccumulated in a bird’s body from eating contaminated
prey and induced it to lay calcium-deficient, thin-shelled eggs that
broke when sat upon. As North America’s peregrine population continued
to collapse, and Rachel Carson helped America understand how that was
happening, it became clear that DDT and other organochlorine pesticides
had to go. They were banned in the United States in 1972.
The
Peregrine Fund and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service didn’t wait
long to start a recovery. They began releasing captive-bred peregrines
into the wild in 1974 and continued for 14 years. Releases occurred
throughout the continent, including in Pennsylvania and neighboring
states. In 1980, captive-bred peregrines nested successfully for the
first time in New Jersey. Pennsylvania found its first three peregrine
nests in the late 1980s on large bridges near Philadelphia and Chester.
Since then, the species has reestablished its presence slowly in
Pennsylvania and elsewhere, and continues to push into new areas of the
state annually. The continental population of peregrines currently
numbers more than 3,000 nesting pairs. They were removed from the
federal endangered species list in 1999.
Twenty-three
of the 29 known active nests in Pennsylvania successfully fledged young
peregrines this year. The number of total active nests and 23 nests
fledging young are both records for Pennsylvania’s ongoing recovery
period. This year, 62 young falcons have fledged. A record 68 peregrines
fledged from Pennsylvania nests in 2009.
The
peregrine’s great horned owl problems and proclivity for using manmade
structures certainly seem related. Early attempts to release
captive-bred peregrine chicks from historic Pennsylvania nesting sites
were thwarted by great-horns, which killed the young peregrines. As
peregrines began to nest on the bridges near Philadelphia and Chester,
biologists took note. Many of these birds came from nest towers built to
reintroduce them, and it’s possible they looked for similar structures
when they became nesting adults. Biologists also believe peregrines are
fond of urban skylines because they rarely harbor great horned owls.
This
year, 54 young were banded in Pennsylvania, two as late as July 13. The
latecomers were from a nest in Columbia, Lancaster County; the pair
started nesting four years ago and finally succeeded this spring. A
breakdown of young banded by county is as follows: Allegheny, 13;
Philadelphia, 7; Luzerne, 5; Berks, 4; Clinton, 4; Dauphin, 4; Bucks, 3;
Delaware, 3; Lancaster, 2; Lehigh, 2; Montour, 2; Northampton, 2;
Lycoming, 1; and York, 2.
Three times
this past spring, the state Department of Transportation has helped Game
Commission employees access peregrine nests on bridges crossing major
rivers. On the Interstate 81 bridge north of Harrisburg, William Huehn, a
PennDOT crane operator, found a nest with eggs during a routine
inspection. PennDOT immediately shut down operations near the nest until
it could lower on the crane Dan Brauning, Game Commission Wildlife
Diversity Program chief, to inspect the nest site. Later the nest was
found to be abandoned; two of the three eggs were missing. The third
never hatched.
PennDOT also provided
crane assistance to Brauning at the McElhattan Bridge in Clinton County
to band four young peregrines. PennDOT also lowered Allegheny County
Wildlife Conservation Officer Beth Fife on a crane to a nest under the
Westinghouse Bridge in Pittsburgh, where she banded three youngsters,
all males.
Other partners who provided
cranes and crews to operate them this spring were the Delaware River
Joint Toll Bridge Commission on the Scudder Falls Bridge in Yardley,
Delaware County, and the PPL Corporation for the Eighth Street Bridge in
Allentown, Lehigh County.
At the Route
322 bridge over the Susquehanna River at Clark’s Ferry, Perry County
WCOs Steve Hower and Jim Brown and biologists Brauning and McMorris
combined efforts to confirm a new nest. WCO Hower and McMorris both
later verified there were three young falcons, they were too old to band
and that one had fledged.
Peregrines
aggressively defend their nest sites. In fact, it’s rare when peregrines
abandon an established nest. “Once peregrines are successful at a site,
they are very site-faithful,” McMorris said.
One
pair that puts up with a lot and continues to hold on to its nesting
claim is the pair on the 15th floor of the Rachel Carson Building in
Harrisburg. The 12-year-old female there is the oldest currently nesting
in-state. It’s a distinction she received only recently.
The
Harrisburg female has been a belligerent bird intolerant of ledge
visitors for years. Each year, her rage seems to exceed the previous
year’s steely performance at banding time. Despite the intrusions, she
stays on. There’s little doubt she’ll go down fighting before ever being
pushed away.
The state’s former falcon
matriarch – a 14-year-old female – on the Gulf Tower was deposed by a
younger female after she laid two eggs in the scrape this spring. Her
mate stayed on with the new female, and then more drama ensued on the
37th floor ledge.
The Gulf Tower nest
has been Pennsylvania’s most productive nest over the past two decades.
Since 1991, it has fledged an amazing 68 peregrines.
Peregrine falcons are undoubtedly one of the bird world’s most fascinating members. But during their heyday in the early 1900s, few Pennsylvanians knew of them. There really weren’t that many of them. To birders, they were a must-see species. But others saw them differently, as “duck hawks” and “chicken thieves.” In addition to its perception problems, the peregrine falcon really didn’t receive any type of protection from the early 1900s until they were protected – along with other birds of prey – by an amendment to the Migratory Bird Treaty with Mexico in 1972. Prior to their population’s collapse after World War II, peregrine nests were raided for eggs and young.
Today,
their reputation is more complimentary, countless Pennsylvanians are
interested in their exploits, and their future is brighter than it has
been in half a century. American painter and turn-of-the-century birder
Gerald H. Thayer saw a century ago what many people are just coming to
learn today about peregrines.
To learn more about this Pennsylvania endangered species and others, visit the Game Commission’s website at www.pgc.state.pa.us and select “Endangered Species.”
WAYNE COUNTY RESIDENT CONVICTED OF ILLEGALLY KILLING BEAR
DALLAS, Luzerne County - Raymond Carl Kresge Sr., 66, of Gouldsboro, Wayne County was found guilty of unlawfully possessing a 600-pound male black bear, according to Pennsylvania Game Commission Wildlife Conservation Officer (WCO) Jim McCarthy, who investigated the case and filed the charges on June 21. District Judge Bonnie L. Carney, of Hawley, fined Kresge $1,500 plus and costs of the conducting DNA analysis.
On
Sept. 29, a large male black bear was found unceremoniously dumped in
the State Game Land 312 parking lot on Route 507, Gouldsboro. The bear
was killed by a single gun shot to the head. It is believed to have been
killed a day or two prior to being found, and evidence and information
was obtained from the scene.
On Oct. 30,
Lehigh Township Police officers stopped Kresge on a moving violation,
for which he was charged with driving without a license. After noticing
what appeared to be bear hair on the bumper, Lehigh Township Police
notified the Game Commission Northeast Region Office. After confirming
that bear hair was on the bumper of the truck, Game Commission officers
impounded the vehicle and obtained a search warrant. Once the warrant
was secured, additional evidence was found and sent to Dr. Jane Huffman,
Northeast Wildlife DNA Lab at East Stroudsburg University, for testing.
WCO McCarthy said the DNA tests confirmed that the dead bear had been in the back of Kresge’s truck.
Facts
from the Pennsylvania Game Commission: Under a new structure of fines
and penalties that take effect on Sept. 7, those convicted of illegal
possession of a black bear would face a misdemeanor charge carrying
penalties of up to $3,000 in fines and the possibility of up to six
months in prison. The increase in fines and penalties are the result of
Gov. Rendell signing into law House Bill 1859, which was sponsored by
House Game and Fisheries Committee Chairman Edward Staback.
WASHINGTON COUNTY PAIR CONVICTED OF GROWING MARIJUANA ON SGL
BOLIVAR, Westmoreland County – Two Washington County residents recently pled guilty to charges filed by Pennsylvania Game Commission Wildlife Conservation Officer (WCO) Dan Sitler for growing marijuana on State Game Land 117 in Smith Township, Washington County.
Joshua
M. Morrissey, 35, of Cuddy, and Robert N. Hoff, 32, of Cannonsburg,
each pled guilty to one felony count under Title 35 - The Controlled
Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act, Section 780-113 (a) (30) - for
the manufacture, delivery, possession with intent to manufacture or
deliver a controlled substance, and one count of Title 34 (Game and
Wildlife Code) for the unlawful planting of marijuana on State Game
Lands. District Judge Gary Havelka, of Burgettstown, sentenced Morrissey
and Hoff to 23 months of probation and 90 days of house arrest with an
electronic monitoring device for the felony drug conviction, and $300
fine for the damage to SGL 117.
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WCO Sitler consulted the Washington County District Attorney’s office and the Washington County Drug Task Force on this case.
On
June 7, Washington County Wildlife Conservation Officer (WCO) Daniel
Sitler and Deputy WCO James Lorch, while on routine patrol on SGL 117,
encountered two individuals who were acting suspiciously during the
brief conversation.
“After this odd
exchange, we decided to try and determine what they had been doing while
visiting SGL 117,” WCO Sitler said. “We back-tracked where they had
been and soon discovered 21 marijuana plants planted in thick vegetation
along a Game Commission food plot.”
Following
this discovery, the officers used video surveillance technology to
establish the connection between the suspected individuals and the
marijuana plants.
“The Game Commission
has a long history and tradition of passing down our investigative
techniques from one generation of Wildlife Conservation Officers to the
next through our training structure,” said Scott W. Tomlinson, Game
Commission Southwest Region Law Enforcement Supervisor. “In recent
years, we’ve been able to incorporate new technologies, such as the use
of newly-developed surveillance equipment, to our list of tools used to
solve these types of crimes.
“As similar
sites have been known to be booby-trapped, this type of activity poses a
safety threat to both the public that use our State Game Lands, and
agency employees, such as Food and Cover Corps workers, who work there
on a daily basis developing food plots and wildlife habitat.”