written by fishin_musician | 10523 Views | Rating: (0 rates)
For more than 100 years, the Pennsylvania Game Commission has been charged with managing the state's game, furbearer and wildlife populations. It sets hunting and trapping seasons and regulations that govern the taking of white-tailed deer, black bear, elk, wild turkey, ruffed grouse, ring-necked pheasants and migratory waterfowl, as well as the eastern coyote, bobcat and beaver. The Game Commission was created by the state Legislature to protect and conserve wildlife which, by the late 1800s, was suffering due to deforestation, pollution, and unregulated hunting and trapping.The wildlife diversity we enjoy today is a direct result of the agency's proactive, scientifically-based wildlife management programs and support from countless Pennsylvanians and outdoors organizations. Like its sister agencies the PA Fish & Boat Commission and the DNCR, the Game Commission has an awesome and inspiring web site.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission can be accessed at this URL or web address,
http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/site/default.asp . Beneath the header, the front, portal page is divided into three sections. The site navigation is placed on the left and right sides. The upper portion of the center page area is allotted to a selection of photos featuring various examples of PA wildlife while, the lower portion is devoted to announcements and press releases.
There are thirteen links featured along the left side of the page. Some of the more interesting and useful ones include the Outdoor Shop, Hunting, Trapping and Fur Bearers, Wildlife, Education, Licensing, State Game Lands, and Laws and Regulations.
The Outdoor Shop is the consumer services center of the Game Commission’s website. Providing you meet the requirements you can purchase or renew your hunting or trapping license here. There is a form to subscribe to the Game Commission’s magazine the Pennsylvania Game News. You can apply for an elk or bobcat license, or purchase PGC apparel, books, patches, Duck Stamp-Art, videos and much more. The Hunting and trapping links lead to volumes of information on these two topics. It is overwhelming to view the material that has been collected within just these two sections. There are individual sections for each of the primary animals targeted by hunters and trappers. These are chocked full of info and links devoted to the pursuit and management of the specific species. Two other must sees in this section are the Hunter/Trapper Scrapbook and the Hunting Trapping Digest.
My personal favorite link in this section is the link to our State Game Lands. Hiking in Penn’s Woods is one of my favorite pastimes and the game lands provide some great public access if you are in the mood for a walkabout. There are maps in downloadable PDF format that cover thousands of square miles of game lands. There is a listing of designated bicycle and horseback riding routes, as well as routes for snowmobiles. Additionally, you will find a list of public shooting ranges that are on the game lands with directions supplied.
Coming back out to the home page and turning our attention to the right side of our computer screen there is a fresh menu of links to explore. At the top of the pile is a group of links called “Quick Clicks” these are shortcuts to the Pennsylvania White-tailed
Deer Program, a collection of FAQ’s about hunter education cards and other seasonal or newsworthy topics. Skipping down the page there is a calendar icon that is linked to the Hunter Education Program. The PGC administers hunter education statewide and has nearly 3,000 trained and certified volunteer instructors involved the effort. With the help of this calendar you can find out where and when hunter education classes are scheduled in your area. At the bottom right of the page are three maps that break the state down by Wildlife Management Areas, County, and Region. Each of these maps is clickable and will yield a wealth of information about the specific area referenced.
Looking at my notes I see quite a list of things to say that have gotten “left out”.
The Public Gallery and the Bird Breeding Atlas are both interesting and worth some of your time. There is data on all PA big game hunting and trapping targets that
can give insights into the state of particular management plans and techniques. I didn’t get to the endangered species programs or the video of the Casparis Mine Closing either. After doing this series on Pennsylvania’s wildlife management agencies that I am very proud of the job these dedicated individuals have done. I would be hard pressed to imagine what any other state could do to present a more comprehensive or well organized internet presence. It is an accomplishment that all outdoor adventurers should be proud of.
