Hunting and Fishing: Watch for Deer, NJOA, and The NRA
Friday, September 10, 2010
GAME COMMISSION ADVISES MOTORISTS TO WATCH FOR DEER
HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe today advised motorists to slow down after sundown and before sunrise to reduce their risk of having a close encounter with a white-tailed deer.
Deer collisions are an annual occurrence that will continue through Thanksgiving week and begin to slow down in mid-December. For the sake of public safety, the Game Commission is urging motorists to drive cautiously after dark for the next several months.
Some bucks are beginning to chase does. Sometimes these bucks follow closely; other times they pursue with their heads to the ground nosing a scent trail. Also, research conducted by the Game Commission and Penn State University indicates many yearling bucks will be traveling more during the fall.
Those who are enjoying the outdoors during this colorful time of year, including hunters, also play a role in moving deer during daylight hours. Hikers, mountain bikers, horseback riders and hunters can flush deer from briar thickets, windbreaks and forested areas.
Motorists also should slow down whenever farmers are harvesting cornfields because deer are often flushed from fields as farm equipment approaches them.
Drivers who hit a deer with a vehicle are not required to report the accident to the Game Commission. If the deer dies, only Pennsylvania residents may claim the carcass. To do so, they must call the Game Commission region office representing the county where the accident occurred and an agency dispatcher will collect the information needed to provide a free permit number, which the caller should write down. A driver must call within 24 hours of taking possession of the deer.
A passing Pennsylvania motorist also may claim the deer, if the person whose vehicle hit it doesn’t want it. Again, the motorist must report taking possession of the deer within 24 hours to the Game Commission.
Antlers from bucks killed in vehicle collisions must be turned over to the Game Commission.
To report a dead deer for removal from state roads, motorists can call the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation at 1-800-FIX-ROAD.
Other tips for motorists include:
* Don’t count on deer whistles or deer fences to deter deer from crossing roads in front of you. Stay alert.
* Watch for the reflection of deer eyes and for deer silhouettes on the shoulder of the road. If anything looks slightly suspicious, slow down.
* Slow down in areas known to have a large deer population; where deer-crossing signs are posted; places where deer commonly cross roads; areas where roads divide agricultural fields from forestland; and whenever in forested areas between dusk and dawn.
* Deer do unpredictable things. Sometimes they stop in the middle of the road when crossing. Sometimes they cross and quickly re-cross back from where they came. Sometimes they move toward an approaching vehicle. Assume nothing. Slow down; blow your horn to urge the deer to leave the road. Stop if the deer stays on the road; don’t try to go around it.
Facts about the Pennsylvania Game Commission: While deer-vehicle collisions are on the increase at this time, which falls in line with the deer breeding season, the other time of year when deer-vehicle collisions increase is in the spring, as does separate from other deer in order to give birth to fawns.
Join the NJOA
by Anthony Mauro
So, now that the NJOA has helped you to be able to bow hunt within a lesser perimeter (150’) and also bow hunt on Sundays (in authorized areas) we hope you’ll be out enjoying your expanded privileges and in doing so help our state to better manage our natural resources.
Now that the NJOA has helped improve the quality of our forests by supporting the Forrest Stewardship bill, we’re sure that we will all benefit from improved forest habitat and ultimately cleaner water and air.
But, as your outdoor advocate, the NJOA certainly has much more to accomplish.
We continue to work on agreements to improve our forests, we are unwavering in our commitment to have commercial gear removed from artificial reefs, we continue to try to have legislation passed that will reduce drug use and introduce our children to the great outdoors. There are number initiatives the volunteers of the NJOA are undertaking as your outdoor advocate.
But we can’t do it without your support and membership. There are 9000 bills that are written each year in NJ and only 100 or so become law. It takes effort, commitment, passion, education, timing, support and a stiff “wind-at-our-backs” to get legislation signed into law.
So, please help us to help you. Become a member of the NJOA. It’s only $25.00 annually but think of the peace of mind you receive as we protect and defend your freedoms to fish, hunt and enjoy New Jersey’s natural resources. Think of the new laws and regulations that will pass and provide you more access to the outdoors.
If you send in $30.00, your membership will include delivery of a free book about improving the environment and a glimpse into the history of the NJOA. It’s called, “Color the Green Movement Blue.”
We’ve got your back, so please back us with your support. Become a NJOA member. Receive a membership card, which will provide you with discounts at available retailers, and a NJOA decal for your car.
http://www.njoutdooralliance.org/support/njoa.html
THE NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT
If you are concerned for the safety of your gun rights in today's political climate you are not alone! Anti-gun organizations and politicians are lining up to take shots at the Second Amendment, and it is essential that we, as gun owners, take advantage of every opportunity to protect our rights. We need every NRA Member and Second Amendment supporter engaged to make a difference at the polls in November and beyond. Here are three things that you can do to help strengthen our efforts in New Jersey:
Join NRA-ILA FrontLinesT - NRA-ILA's premiere volunteer program is comprised of our most dedicated volunteers who work vigorously at the local, state, and federal levels to defend our Second Amendment rights. FrontLinesT members work with NRA-ILA, and especially with their NRA-ILA Election Volunteer Coordinator (EVC), to advance ILA's legislative and political agendas. The program itself is absolutely FREE! To find more information on becoming a FrontLinesT volunteer or to sign up today, please Click Here.
Contact your EVC and find out how to get involved today - Your Election Volunteer Coordinator (EVC) is a local NRA member who has volunteered to act as the liaison between NRA members and gun owners and various pro-gun campaigns seeking volunteer support. Your EVC also works with local Second Amendment supporters to promote NRA-ILA's legislative agenda in Congress and in New Jersey. To locate the contact information for your local EVC, Click Here.
Join your NRA State Association - Joining the Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs (ANJRPC) is a critical step in ensuring pro-gun efforts are a strong force at the State and Local levels in 2010. ANJRPC is the official NRA affiliate, and for more information and to join ANJRPC, please visit http://www.anjrpc.org/.
In addition to signing up for these activities, each of us must roll up our sleeves and follow through with action. To protect our rights, we must redouble our commitment to do whatever is necessary to preserve, protect and defend the Second Amendment.