Game Committee       09-13-07

 

 

 

 

PA House Action

HB 1814 Gillespie:  Amending Title 34, providing for unlawful acts concerning licenses.  Removes the requirement that hunting licenses be displayed.  This will enable the Game Commission to issue a license under the “point of sale” system that can be carried in the pocket.                                                                       Referred to Game & Fisheries Committee (09-04-07)

PGC Release #109-07, August 29,2007  (excerpts)

GAME COMMISSION WILL REACH OUT TO RESIDENTS WITH SEVEN OPEN HOUSES ON DEER MANAGEMENT

 

HARRISBURG - In an effort to explain the state's deer management program and meet interested residents closer to home, the Pennsylvania Game Commission is hitting the road in coming weeks to hold seven open houses across the state.

 

"Open houses provide a means for the agency to reach out and interact with hunters and other Pennsylvanians whose lives are influenced by deer," said Carl G. Roe, Game Commission executive director.  "They have been used by the agency in the past and have been warmly received by residents who attend them.

 

In the 2003-07 Deer Management Plan, three goals, all identified and supported by Pennsylvanians, were established to guide the program.  They were to: improve deer health, improve forest health and reduce deer-human conflicts.

 

Now, the agency is considering two additional goals, and is seeking public input on them at the upcoming open houses.  Those additional goals are to manage deer to provide recreational opportunities; and to improve the public's knowledge and understanding of deer and the deer management program.

 

The scheduled days and hours for six of the open houses are Sundays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Mondays from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. 

 

Southwest Region: Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, at the Youngwood Volunteer Hose Co. #1 Building, Youngwood, which is along U.S. Route 119 between Greensburg and New Stanton, in Westmoreland County.  Directions: The facility is at the intersection of Chestnut and Second streets in Youngwood.

 

The Game Commission recognizes that the public's comprehension of deer management and changes to the agency's deer program is essential to manage deer progressively and effectively.  While this outreach/educational effort targets all Pennsylvanians, there is considerable focus on hunting, primarily because hunters have helped the agency manage Pennsylvania's deer population for more than 100 years.

 

"Hunters have partnered with the Game Commission to manage wildlife since the agency's inception," Roe said.  "Their financial contributions help support Pennsylvania's wildlife management programs and their efforts afield have helped to keep our deer populations in check.  Hunters matter a great deal to the Game Commission and Pennsylvania."

 

                                                                                                                                                       Game Committee 09-13-07 (2)

US House Action

In an August 22 news release, U.S. Rep. Phil English (R-Pa.) announced that he had reintroduced       HR 611 which would repeal a federal mandate that has been interpreted by Pennsylvania officials to require every applicant for a recreational license, e.g. hunting and fishing, to disclose their Social Security number.  The bill was referred to the House Ways and Means Committee, and is co-sponsored by     Rep. Tim Holden.

 

 

110th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 611

To eliminate the requirement that States collect Social Security numbers from applicants for recreational licenses.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 22, 2007

Mr. ENGLISH of Pennsylvania (for himself and Mr. HOLDEN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

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A BILL

To eliminate the requirement that States collect Social Security numbers from applicants for recreational licenses.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. ELIMINATION OF REQUIREMENT THAT STATES COLLECT SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS FROM APPLICANTS FOR RECREATIONAL LICENSES.

Section 466(a)(13)(A) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 666(a)(13)(A)) is amended by striking `recreational license,'.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                 Game Committee 09-13-07 (3)         Anti's Seek Court Order to Stop Bowhunt

  USSA offers legal expertise to county         September 7, 2007 (Pennsylvania)

A lawsuit has been brought in Pennsylvania that could allow animal activists to prohibit hunting on properties that are left to the government as charitable trusts.

Three anti-hunters recently filed suit seeking to overturn a decision to permit archery hunting on a portion of the Trexler Game Preserve in Lehigh County. The county entered into a cooperative agreement with the state that will allow archery deer and turkey hunting, beginning on Sept. 29, on 471 acres of the 1,100-acre preserve.

Plaintiffs Virginia Wolfe, president of the Lehigh Valley Animal Rights Coalition; Shawn Hubler; and Carol Loomis claim hunting runs contrary to the intent of the late Gen. Harry Trexler, who deeded to property to the county in 1933. The women are not affiliated with the Harry C. Trexler Trust, but have nonetheless asked a judge to stop the hunt until a hearing is held on whether the plan violates his will.

Jane Roth, executive director of the Harry C. Trexler Trust, said the trust does not take issue with the plan.

County officials will be asking a judge to rule that the women have no right to bring suit. None of them have any connection to the Trexler trust, nor can they prove their claim that the late General Trexler, who died more than 70 years ago, would not have approved of the hunt.

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation will offer legal experts to Lehigh County on this issue.

Executive Order Takes Wind Out of Antis' Effort to Ban Hunting

Anti's Want Hunting, Fishing and Trapping Eliminated on Refuge    September 7, 2007 (National)

Anti-hunters are pressuring federal officials to ban hunting, fishing and trapping on a New England wildlife refuge; however, President Bush’s recent Executive Order trumps the demands of the anti’s.

In Defense of Animals, the Animal Protection Institute and other national anti-hunting groups are insisting that officials abandon plans to institute trapping and enhance hunting at the Lake Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge. The antis’ actions are in response to recommendations put forth this summer by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in its Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan for the refuge, which is in New Hampshire and Maine.

“The President of the United States – through a recently issued Executive Order - has directed federal agencies, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to facilitate the expansion and enhancement of hunting opportunities,” said U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance President Bud Pidgeon. “The order, coupled with the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act that the USSA helped pass in 1997, mandates the enhancement of hunting opportunities on refuges and don’t leave the anti’s with much of a leg to stand on.”

Animal rights groups have initiated similar campaigns in recent years, demanding that refuge officials change long-term use plans for refuges throughout the Midwest. They have also tried to ban outdoor traditions on refuges via the courts.

U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance and www.ussportsmen.org