News and Notes
Pointing dog chukar hunt set at Fairbank Rod and Gun Club Fairbank Rod and Gun Club will hold a pointing dog chukar hunt Sunday, Jan. 25, 2004 on the club grounds.
Two-man teams will hunt together, and each team will get six birds.
Each team will be given six shells per man.
Teams will be given 30 minutes in the field, where they will come under the watchful eyes of a judge and a timekeeper.
Entry fee for the event is $45 per team.
Breakfast and lunch will be available at he clubhouse.
To enter or obtain more information contact Rich Kovacic at 724-785-3540.
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SOUTHERN FAYETTE COUNTY BEAR HUNTERS DO WELL: In commenting on this year’s bear harvest, Southern Fayette County Wildlife Conservation Officer Steve Leiendecker said, “The numbers showed that guys are aware that there are plenty of bears in the southern end of Fayette County.
“At least half of this year’s kill came from the southern end of the county. The guys are realizing the bears are here and staying home to hunt.”
Fayette County bear hunters set a new all-time record this year with a kill of 61 bruins.
A quick count showed that about 34 were killed in the southern half of the county, with marks the first time it has ever led the harvest figures. Usually about 75 percent of the kill comes from the northern half of the county.
Bears were killed in the usual places like Wharton, Henry Clay and Stewart townships, but a 313-pounder was taken in Georges Township, which could well be the first legal bear taken in the township in modern times.
Several were killed in North Union Township.
The largest bear taken in the southern half of the county this year was killed in the Quebec Wilderness Area. The live weight was estimated at 507 pounds. A 474-pounder was harvested at Mitchell Field near Brunner Run, and two weighing 406 and 348 pounds, respectively, were killed in Wharton Township.
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HUNTING VIOLATIONS UP: Leiendecker said that hunter behavior was a problem during the recent big game seasons with a huge increase over violations compared to last year.
Among the hunter behavior problems:
1) A kid with a bow killed a dog.
2) A house was hit by a rifle bullet in McClellandtown. The bulled passed through the outside wall of the house and six interior walls.
3) Another boy shot himself in the foot. The bullet took the skin off the inside of his left big toe.
4) Two men from Connellsville got out of vehicle in a safety zone and shot at a herd of goats they thought were deer. The owner of the goats returned fire, striking their vehicle. He now faces charges for shooting at the vehicle.
“Things like this make us all look bad,” Leiendecker said.
In discussing deer season violations, Leiendecker said, “We caught a ton of people with loaded guns in their trucks and lot of people for late spotlighting at all hours of the night.
“This year we had 35 percent more violations than last year but not a lot for illegal deer kills.
“We had a lot of $100 and $200 violations, and we handed out a few $500 fines. Quite a few of the violations were for hunting over bait, which carries a $200 fine.”
Leiendecker said that one of his deputies arrested two boys on Game Land 238 who were driving around and shooting deer with a semi-automatic .22 rifle.
“They shot one buck, and the deputy saw them do it. They were shooting them just to shoot them. They had no means of removing the deer or hauling it.”
Seven or eight deer were turned in as mistake kills, and the hunters paid the $25 replacement fine.
One violator was dragging a small, untagged deer out of the woods when an officer approached him from behind. When the officer noted that the deer was too small, the offender piped up and said it was a mistake kill.
To that Leiendecker said, “Oh yeah. He was just hoping he could get back to his vehicle without being caught.
“We need to counteract these bad things with some good public relations. That’s one reason I want to see the county’s sportsmen’s clubs get organized.”
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IMPORTED TROUT: Last week the Fish and Boat Commission stocked 13,900 rainbow trout in eight lakes, including Lower Twin Lake in Westmoreland County, that were purchased from a commercial trout hatchery in North Carolina.
The PFBC is conducting the pilot program to examine the feasibility of augmenting stockings with commercial contracts.
Since the state hatchery system faces major challenges in terms of maintaining adequate water supplies, treating effluent and meeting water standards at some of its present hatchery, 100,000 brook trout will be reared at the Allegheny National Fish Hatchery near Warren to be stocked in the spring through a cooperative agreement between the PFBC and the U.S. Fish Service.
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GROUSE AND SMALL GAME CLASSIC: The Five Town Chapter of the Ruffed Grouse Society and Roscoe Sportsmen’s Association will host their annual Grouse and Small Game Classic on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2004.
The team event is divided into a two-man grouse section and a three-man rabbit section. Entry fee for the grouse hunt is $25, while entry for the rabbit hunt is $35.
Members of the winning teams will receive Charles Daly shotguns.
Free food is available at the clubhouse.
There will be raffles all day, free draft beer after the hunt and a live auction at 8 p.m.
To enter or obtain more information contact Bill Williamson at 724-939-3263.
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FIVE SPOT ARCHERY LEAGUE FORMING: Sportsman’s Refuge in Cheat Lake, W. Va., will host a five-spot archery league, beginning Jan. 5, 2004. It will also host a Techno Hunt video tournament Jan. 3-4 on the video archery system. Persons wanting more information on the league or the techno hunt can call Sportsman’s Refuge at 304-594-9126.