HARRISBURG, Pa., July 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania Game
Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe reminds hunters the agency will
begin accepting regular antlerless deer license applications from resident
hunters beginning Aug. 4, and nonresidents on Aug. 18. Antlerless deer
license applications must be sent to the Game Commission via 22 different
Post Office boxes and the agency, in turn, will forward them to county
treasurers for processing.
All applications for antlerless deer licenses - regular, as well as
unsold - must be submitted through the U.S. Mail (first-class only).
Express and priority mail will not be accepted.
Hunters are provided with a regular antlerless deer license application
when they purchase their general hunting license. Applications for unsold
antlerless deer licenses can be found on pages 54 and 60 of the 2008-09
Pennsylvania Digest of Hunting and Trapping Regulations, which is presented
to each license buyer, along with harvest report cards, an antlerless deer
license application and envelopes.
For convenience, a copy of the 2008-09 Digest has been posted on the
agency's website (http://www.pgc.state.pa.us), and can be viewed by clicking on
"2008-09 Digest" in center of the homepage.
Antlerless deer licenses cost $6 for residents and $26 for
nonresidents. Checks should be made payable to "County Treasurer," not the
Game Commission. Also, applicants should not designate a specific county.
With the implementation of Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) in 2003,
hunters began applying for antlerless deer licenses based on WMUs, not
specific counties. Pre-printed mailing labels for each WMU are provided to
affix to the yellow application envelope. They are bar-coded to speed the
application process. Hunters should ensure the label is affixed securely to
the envelope before mailing it. If it appears that the label is not
attached properly, the U.S. Postal Service allows applicants to place
transparent tape over the label to secure it.
To further ensure proper delivery, hunters also should write the WMU
they are applying for in the lower left-hand corner box on the envelope.
This step enables the agency to continue processing the envelope without
having to open and check the application's WMU designation and then
re-sealing the envelope for shipment to a county treasurer.
"Hunters should give serious thought to which WMU they will apply to
during the regular antlerless deer license round, because some WMUs may run
out of licenses earlier in the process than in previous years," Roe said.
"Hunters also may want to consider applying for Deer Management Assistance
Program (DMAP) antlerless deer permits, which offer them additional
opportunities to hunt on specific properties where landowners are trying to
increase deer hunting pressure."
The Game Commission has already started up its "Doe License Update"
page on its website (http://www.pgc.state.pa.us) to provide hunters with
background information and availability updates on antlerless deer
licenses. Notices for WMUs that have sold out will be posted as soon as
possible. This page can be accessed either through the "Quick Clicks" box
in the upper right-hand corner of the agency's homepage or through the new
"White-Tailed Deer" section, which also can be accessed through the
homepage. A link to the listing of participating DMAP public landowners
also is available from the "Doe License Update" and "White-Tailed Deer"
pages, as well as those private landowners who asked to be included on the
agency's website.
Roe emphasized that, as required by state law, county treasurers will
continue to issue antlerless deer licenses. Except for "over-the-counter
sales," county treasurers will receive a pre-determined number of
applications from the Game Commission based on the county's geographic
representation in the WMU.
The Game Commission will begin accepting antlerless license
applications through the mail from residents on Monday, Aug. 4; nonresident
applications will be accepted through the mail starting Monday, Aug. 18.
The Game Commission will begin accepting resident and nonresident hunter
applications through the mail for the first round of "unsold licenses" on
Monday, Aug. 25; the second round will be accepted through the mail
beginning Monday, Sept. 8.
Over-the-counter applications will not be accepted by county treasurers
until Nov. 3, except in Wildlife Management Units 2B, 5C and 5D, where
county treasurers will begin accepting over-the-counter applications on
Monday, Sept. 8. There is no limit on the number of applications a hunter
can submit during this period for WMUs 2B, 5C or 5D. However, for all other
WMUs, applying for and receiving more than one antlerless license at a time
is against the law and, if convicted, violators could be sentenced to pay a
fine.
While individuals are permitted to mail up to three antlerless deer
license applications in one envelope, the applications must be for
different individuals. Hunters may apply for only one license during the
regular antlerless deer license round. During the first round of unsold
licenses, hunters may apply for a second license. During the second round
of unsold licenses, hunters may apply for a third license. The exception to
this is when hunters are applying over the counter, or by mail beginning
Aug. 25, in WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D. If applying by mail in these units on or
after Aug. 25, applicants are still limited to three applications per
envelope.
Applications that do not include return postage will be placed in a
"dead letter" file maintained by the Game Commission's License Division in
the Harrisburg headquarters. Applicants who believe that their antlerless
license application may be in the dead letter file may contact the License
Division at 717-787-2084 during business hours, 7:45 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday
through Friday. This telephone service will be activated after Tuesday,
Sept. 4. An answering machine enables callers to leave messages so that
Game Commission staff may return their calls.
County treasurers will mail regular and first round unsold antlerless
licenses to successful applicants no later than Monday, Sept. 15. County
treasurers will mail second and subsequent rounds of unsold antlerless
licenses to successful applicants no later than Oct. 1.
Following is a listing of the antlerless deer license allocation by
Wildlife Management Unit, with last year's allocation in parenthesis: WMU
1A, 42,000 (42,000); WMU 1B, 30,000 (30,000); WMU 2A, 55,000 (60,000); WMU
2B, 68,000 (68,000); WMU 2C, 49,000 (49,000); WMU 2D, 56,000 (56,000); WMU
2E, 21,000 (21,000); WMU 2F, 28,000 (28,000); WMU 2G, 26,000 (26,000); WMU
3A, 26,000 (29,000); WMU 3B, 43,000 (43,000); WMU 3C, 27,000 (27,000); WMU
3D, 37,000 (38,000); WMU 4A, 29,000 (29,000); WMU 4B, 23,000 (23,000); WMU
4C, 35,000 (39,000); WMU 4D, 40,000 (40,000); WMU 4E, 30,000 (38,000); WMU
5A, 19,000 (22,000); WMU 5B, 51,000 (53,000); WMU 5C, 92,000 (84,000); and
WMU 5D, 22,000 (20,000).
GAME COMMISSION POSTS DMAP INFORMATION ON WEBSITE
As hunters prepare for the upcoming antlerless deer license application
period, those looking for new antlerless deer hunting opportunities are
encouraged to review the list of Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP)
properties now available on the Pennsylvania Game Commission's website
(http://www.pgc.state.pa.us). Just click on "DMAP" in the center of the homepage,
then choose "Qualified Landowners" and then select the county of interest
from the map provided, or choose "Department of Conservation and Natural
Resources Properties," which will link you to DCNR's website and their
listing of state forests enrolled in DMAP.
"DMAP is a Game Commission program designed to help landowners manage
deer numbers on their properties," said Carl G. Roe, Game Commission
executive director. "Qualified landowners participating in DMAP receive a
limited number of coupons - determined by acreage - that they will make
available to hunters, who, in turn, may redeem them for a DMAP antlerless
deer permit to hunt on the property for which they are issued. Hunters may
use them during any established deer hunting season for 2008-09."
Roe noted that, because new properties continue to be entered into the
DMAP database, the agency does not have final enrollment figures available
at this time. The deadline for landowners to apply for DMAP was July 1, and
some applications continue to be processed.
Landowners are permitted to give up to two DMAP coupons per property to
a licensed hunter, who then must use the coupon to apply for DMAP permits.
This will enable hunters to possess up to two DMAP permits for a specific
DMAP area. Landowners may not charge or accept any contribution from a
hunter for a DMAP coupon.
Eligible landowners include those owning: public lands; private lands
where no fee is charged for hunting; and hunting clubs established prior to
Jan. 1, 2000, that are owned in fee title and have provided a club charter
and list of current members to the agency.
"Hunters may obtain up to two DMAP coupons per area, and DMAP permits
do not impact a hunter's eligibility to apply for and receive antlerless
deer licenses issued for Wildlife Management Units (WMUs)," Roe said. "DMAP
permit allotments are not part of the annual general antlerless deer
license allocations for WMUs."
Resident hunters must mail DMAP coupons in a regular envelope, along
with a check for $10 made payable to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, to
the address listed on the coupon to receive their DMAP antlerless deer
permit. Nonresidents must include a check for $35 made payable to the
Pennsylvania Game Commission. The permit can be used to harvest one
antlerless deer on the specific DMAP area. Maps for the properties are to
be provided to hunters by the landowners.
Hunters may not use DMAP permits to harvest an antlered deer. Hunters
may use DMAP permits to harvest an antlerless deer anytime antlerless deer
are legal, including during the entire statewide two-week firearms deer
season (Dec. 1-13). DMAP permits also may be used in WMUs 2D, 2G, 3C and 4B
during the two-week firearms deer season (Dec. 1-13), however, WMU-specific
antlerless deer licenses may be used only during the last seven days of the
season, Dec. 6-13.
All public landowners enrolled in DMAP will be posted on the website,
as well as those private landowners who have requested to appear on the
website. Those private landowners not appearing on the website generally
have a limited number of coupons available and already have identified a
sufficient number of hunters to receive their allotted coupons.
The website provides an alphabetical listing of DMAP properties for
each county in which DMAP properties are located. Each listing will provide
the following information: landowner type (either public or private);
contact information, including name, address, telephone number and e-mail
address (when available); DMAP property number; total number of acres for
the property; total number of coupons issued for the property; and total
number of coupons that remain available for hunters.
Hunters without access to the Internet can send a stamped,
self-addressed envelope, along with a letter indicating the county or
counties of interest, to the appropriate Game Commission Region Office.
Following is a listing of each of the six Game Commission Region Offices'
addresses and the counties they serve:
Northwest Region Office, P.O. Box 31, Franklin, PA 16323. Butler,
Clarion, Crawford, Erie, Forest, Jefferson, Lawrence, Mercer, Venango and
Warren counties.
Southwest Region Office, 4820 Route 711, Bolivar, PA 15923. Allegheny,
Armstrong, Beaver, Cambria, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Somerset, Washington
and Westmoreland counties.
Northcentral Region Office, P.O. Box 5038, Jersey Shore, PA 17740.
Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Lycoming, McKean, Potter, Tioga,
and Union counties.
Southcentral Region Office, 8627 William Penn Highway, Huntingdon, PA
16652. Adams, Bedford, Blair, Cumberland, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon,
Juniata, Mifflin, Perry and Snyder counties.
Northeast Region Office, P.O. Box 220, Dallas, PA 18612. Bradford,
Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Montour, Northumberland,
Pike, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties.
Southeast Region Office, 448 Snyder Rd., Reading, PA 19605. Berks,
Bucks, Chester, Dauphin, Delaware, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Montgomery,
Northampton, Philadelphia, Schuylkill and York counties.
DIGEST ERRORS CORRECTED ON AGENCY'S WEBSITE VERSION
Each year, after the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners April
meeting, agency staff rush to get 1.3 million copies of the annual digest
of regulations printed for distribution to license buyers by mid-June.
Sometimes, an error gets through.
"This year, we have found a few corrections that were not made until
after all of the 2008-09 digests were printed," said Carl G. Roe, Game
Commission executive director. "We have made the corrections to the version
of the digest that appears on the agency's website, and encourage hunters
to consider marking these changes in the printed copies they received when
they purchased their licenses."
Perhaps the most significant change is to several boundaries of
Wildlife Management Units on pages 44 and 45. When outlining the boundaries
for WMU 5C in the digest, the map provided is correct, but the first
sentence reflects the old boundary. The first sentence in the description
needs to be replaced with this: "From Maryland/PA state line, north along
the Octoraro Creek to Rt. 372. Rt. 372 east to Rt. 10 north to Interstate
76. I-76 west to Rt. 222."
Similarly, the maps for WMUs 5B and 3D are correct, but the
descriptions reflect last year's boundaries.
The correct description for WMU 5B is: From the Maryland/PA state line,
PA Rt. 94 north to US Rt. 15 near York Springs. US Rt. 15 north to I-81
near Harrisburg. I-81 east to I-78 to PA Rt. 61 near Hamburg. Rt. 61 south
to US Rt. 222 near Reading. Rt. 222 south to I-76. I-76 east to PA Rt. 10
near Morgantown. Rt. 10 south to PA Rt. 372 near Parkesburg. Rt. 372 west
to the Octoraro Creek near Christiana and then south to the Maryland line.
The correct description for WMU 3D: From New Jersey/PA line, Portland
Toll Bridge to PA Rt. 611 at Portland. PA Rt. 611 south to PA Rt. 512 near
Mount Bethel. PA Rt. 512 west to PA Rt. 946 near Mooretown. PA Rt. 946 west
to PA Rt. 248 near Berlinsville. PA Rt. 248 north to I-476. I-476 north to
I-80 near White Haven. I-80 west to I-81 near Drums. I-81 north to US Rt. 6
near Scranton. US Rt. 6 east to PA Rt. 652 at Indian Orchard. PA Rt. 652
east to New York/PA state line.
On page 21, under the "Decoys" section, the last two sentences are to
be replaced with this: "Any decoy, including electronic decoys, used in the
trapping or hunting of furbearers is permitted."
On page 79, with the fluorescent orange graphic description for archery
deer and bear hunters (middle graphic), last year's early Muzzleloader
Season/Special Antlerless Firearm Season dates were not changed to reflect
the new season dates. The season dates for these two seasons are correct
everywhere else in the digest, but the dates were listed on the fluorescent
orange page to better define what seasons orange requirements pertain to.
All errors noted have been made to 2008-09 Digest on the agency's
website (http://www.pgc.state.pa.us).
Note to Editors: If you would like to receive Game Commission news
releases via e-mail, please send a note with your name, address, telephone
number and the name of the organization you represent to:
PGCNews@state.pa.us
Contact:
Jerry Feaser
717-705-6541
PGCNEWS@state.pa.us
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