Matt Burns shot this trophy buck during archery season after it followed a doe out of a thicket in Meadville on what Burns called a picture-perfect morning Nov. 6.
James Wolfgang, owner of Wolfgang Products LLC in Saegertown, shot a buck of a lifetime in Crawford County during archery season. The heavy 9-point had a 21-inch inside spread and 23-inch outside spread. Wolfgang estimates it will score in the 140s-150s range on the Boone & Crockett scale.
See more trophy deer and upload photos of your own fish and game here.
Northwestern Pennsylvania emerged relatively unscathed from Sandy’s appearance earlier this week, although creeks aren’t necessarily fishable after all of the rain we’ve received since Monday.
What Sandy did leave behind is a bonanza for birders. Birders’ reports to ebird show seabirds and shorebirds that were caught up in Sandy’s heavy winds were dropped like Dorothy and Toto on area waterways.
Surf scoter, black scoter, semipalmated plover, red-necked phalarope and red phalarope were spotted at Woodcock Creek Lake, Crawford County. And a Pomarine jaeger was identified at Clark Island, in Pymatuning State Park. Black scoter and long-tailed duck sightings also were reported at Presque Isle State Park.
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, which runs ebird, suggests being on the lookout for uncommon pelagics and passerines all weekend throughout the Great Lakes and Northeast.
Evening grosbeaks also are being seen routinely in Erie, Crawford and Warren counties.
Let us know if you see any uncommon birds in your travels.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission has canceled a planned late-season flintlock/late archery deer hunt at the Pymatuning Wildlife Management Area because of an outbreak of a deadly viral disease in the deer herd in that area.
Epizootic hemorrhagic disease was ruled as the cause of death for a dozen deer in the region in September. EHD is transmitted by the bites of midges and usually kills infected animals within five days to 10 days. The commission said the untreatable disease is not infectious to humans, but infected venison may not be suitable for consumption.
“Recent frost in the area may hopefully end this year’s outbreak of EHD,” Northwest Region director Keith Harbaugh said. “However, in evaluating the situation in this area, we estimate that 75 percent to 85 percent of the deer herd found on the wildlife management area has succumbed to EHD.
“It would appear that Pymatuning Wildlife Management Area, and portions of the surrounding State Game Land 214 are the epicenter, as we have multiple reports of dead deer from Meadville Junction to just east of Conneaut Lake to Adamsville to Espyville.”
Harbaugh said the commission does expect to have a special hunt in 2013.
The Antlers & Anglers Sportsman’s Showcase is scheduled for Oct. 6-7 at the Crawford County Fairgrounds.
The event is put on by Armstrong Cable with sponsorship by Outdoor Channel, which will send Neal Rohrbach as its representative. Rohrbach is host of the TV shows “Outdoor Channel Outfitters” and “Ultimate Outdoors.”
Rohrbach will meet fans throughout the event and will give Q&A sessions Oct. 6 from 12:45-1:15 p.m. and 3:45-4:15 p.m. and Oct. 7 from 12:45-1:15 p.m.
Proceeds benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania, which assists in hunger-relief initiatives. Admission is free with the donation of a non-perishable food item.
The showcase opens at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 6 and again at 11:15 a.m. Oct. 7. Check out the other vendors and presenters and the event schedule.
Erie National Wildlife Refuge is accepting bids for trapping on its two units in Crawford County.
There are nine units available on the Sugar Lake Division in Guys Mills and seven units on the Seneca Division near Cambridge Springs.
Bids are due by Oct. 3 at 1 p.m. at the refuge headquarters, 11296 Wood Duck Lane, Guys Mills. Public bid opening will take place at that time.
Inspection of the bid units is allowed during daylight hours today through Oct. 3.
To submit a bid, complete an application for trapping form online or from the refuge headquarters.
Tamarack Lake in Crawford County has been closed to all public use and is being drawn down by an additional 5 feet as a safety precaution.
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission lowered the lake level by 4 feet in November because of seepage concerns in Dam A, nearest Meadville. New concerns unearthed July 31 have caused the latest drawdown.
“Failure of the dam is not imminent, but worsening conditions could change rapidly, particularly during a high pool elevation from a large storm event,” said Jack Rokavec, the commission’s chief of engineering. “In an effort to prevent the dam’s failure and protect life and property, we will lower the lake by an additional 5 feet, bringing it down to a total of 10 feet.”
The commission said its engineers started lowering the water level in the 556-acre reservoir Tuesday night. The lake will be lowered by approximately 6 inches to 12 inches per day. The additional drawdown could take a few weeks to accomplish.
Fishing, boating and walking on the lake beds is now prohibited. The commission said signs will be posted at the property and security fencing will be placed around the flood-control dams at each end of the reservoir.
Commission personnel are attempting to salvage fish and relocate them. The commission expects many of the fish in the lake to die, however.
“We will collect as many fish as we can through netting and electrofishing, but it is impossible to capture all of them,” said Dave Miko, chief of the commission’s Division of Fisheries Management. “Fish die during any drawdown and salvage effort because many hide around structures where we simply can’t reach them, and others become buried in the mud when they are slow to exit the lake with the remaining water.
“This salvage effort will be particularly challenging given the timing of the emergency drawdown,” Miko said. “The warm water temperatures will only worsen with the expected weather conditions and the loss of fish is anticipated to be greater than is typical. Anglers and the general public should expect to see this.”
The PFBC hired engineering firm Tetra-Tech in July to perform geotechnical investigations, install monitoring wells, recommend seepage/boil control measures and develop conceptual improvements at the north and south dams. Their final report is expected to be completed by November.
“Since (November) the seepage has worsened into what are termed boils,” Rokavec said. “In addition, on July 31, while geotechnical engineers were performing borings on the crest of the dam, the drill encountered an approximate 2-foot vertical void within the embankment adjacent to the outlet conduit. These conditions have confirmed previous suspicions that seepage paths and voids have developed along the outlet conduit and are eroding the dam’s embankment and foundation materials, which is a very serious situation.”
Tamarack Lake was drained in 1999 so that safety modifications could be made to the outlet structures on dams at each end of the lake. The modifications were completed in the summer of 1999 and the reservoir was fully refilled by the spring of 2000, then restocked with fish.
Friends of Tamarack Lake is keeping up with the work at the site.
Crawford County Youth Field Day is scheduled for June 23 at Pymatuning Sportsmen’s Club, 3642 W. Erie St., Linesville. The multievent outing is for children ages 6 to 18. All participants will receive a T-shirt, plus food and prizes. Last year’s event drew a record 256 children.
Event stations include wildlife conservation, .22 rifle/firearms safety, turkey, orienteering, air rifle, archery, canoeing, shotgun/trap, muzzleloaders, fishing and more.
Registration is required. Call coordinator Russ Suriano at (724) 927-6149.
Two American bald eagles were released into the wild Wednesday in Crawford County after rehabilitation from injuries at the Tamarack Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission oversaw release of the female eagles at the Pymatuning Wildlife Management Area, State Game Lands 214. Pymatuning was selected as the release site because of its abundant eagle habitat.
A 20-year-old mature eagle, first banded in 1992 near Vernon, Ohio, was captured April 16, 2011, near Union City by Erie County Wildlife Conservation Offcer Larry Smith. The eagle showed wing injures, missing tail feathers, emaciation and dehydration. It had suffered pellet wounds from a gunshot. Recurring infections required a long healing period at Tamarack.
Smith also picked up the immature eagle July 17, 2011, near Six Mile Creek east of Erie. The bird is believed to have suffered from West Nile Virus, which caused its feathers to become deformed during development, prohibiting flight. Rehab workers waited and watched as the eagle’s feathers were naturally restored during molting.
“Tamarack is an excellent facility that we have worked with on numerous occasions, and they have proven themselves to be especially skilled when dealing with raptors including bald eagles,” said Keith Harbaugh, Game Commission Northwest Region director. “Sue DeArment and her team at Tamarack are to be commended for their caring and compassionate work rehabilitating these eagles. We would not be here today to return these birds back to the wild if it were not for their investment of time, skill, energy, and money.”
The Game Commission said the mature female eagle was not returned to the Union City area, where she was an established breeder, because her mate successfully paired up with another eagle during her rehabilitation.
