Youth pheasant hunt set at Mammoth Park
Law Enforcement Officers of Westmoreland County will hold their annual Youth Pheasant Hunt at 8 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 8 at the Mammoth Park airfield area.
Space is limited to 50 hunters, so pre-registration is required. Interested parents can call Jerry Trainer at 724-837-3927 or email him at jjtrainer@outdrs.net. Registration deadline is Sept. 23.
All participants must sign a waiver, which must be accompanied with a current Hunter-Trapper Education card or a junior hunting license.
Lunch will be provided. There is no charge for the event.
Waterfowl hunt
This year young Pennsylvania hunters will be provided with two special days of waterfowl hunting, on Saturday, Sept. 17, and Saturday, Sept. 24.
The Youth Waterfowl Days will be open to those 12 to 15 year olds who hold a junior hunting license.
To participate, a youngster must be accompanied by an adult, who may assist the youth in calling, duck identification and other aspects of the hunt.
During these two special hunts, youth can harvest Canada geese, ducks, mergansers, coots and moorhens. The daily bag limit for youth participating in the Youth Waterfowl Days is the same as for the regular season daily limit in the area being hunted. The only exception is when September Canada goose daily bag limits exceed the regular season limit for the area being hunted, youth then can take the September daily limit.
Early seasons
Canada goose and dove hunters will be able to take to the fields of Penn’s Woods on Sept. 1, as part of Pennsylvania’s 2011-12 migratory bird seasons.
Dove hunters will have the opportunity to participate in a triple-split season, which will see some shifts due to the way the calendar falls.
During the first season (Sept. 1-Oct. 1), hunting will start at noon and close at sunset daily. The second and third splits will be Oct. 29-Nov. 26, and Dec. 26-Jan 4, with hunting hours a half-hour before sunrise until sunset. In all three seasons, the daily bag limit will be 15, and the possession limit will be 30.
The early statewide season for resident Canada geese will open Sept. 1, and continue through Sept. 24.
The early season retains a daily bag limit of eight Canada geese and possession limit of 16.
Walleye management
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) invites the public to review and submit comments on the agency’s draft fisheries management plan for inland walleye.
“The draft plan describes the history of walleye fish management, identifies the factors affecting the biological health of walleye, prioritizes the future needs relative to fisheries management, and discusses the proposed future plans,” said Dave Miko, chief of the Division of Fisheries Management. “Before we finalize the plan, we want to provide the public the opportunity to provide comments”
The draft fisheries management plan is available on the PFBC website at http://www.fishandboat.com/walleyeplan.htm.
The public can view the plan and also submit comments online. Comments will be accepted through Sept. 9.
Fish for free day
Monday, Sept. 5 is a fish for free day in Pennsylvania.
No license is required to wet a line on that day. It is a good time to introduce a friend or family member to the sport of fishing without the hassle of purchasing a fishing license.
All Pennsylvania fishing laws must be obeyed.
Doe license update
Antlerless deer licenses have been selling out rapidly.
The “Big Woods” counties are practically sold out.
Locally WMU 2A, which includes the western half of Fayette County, all of Greene County and a portion of Washington County, still has 39,297 licenses remaining.
WMU 2C, which includes all of Fayette County east of Route 119 and all of Somerset County, still had 6,332 licenses remaining as of last Friday.