Apr 12, 2014 3 min read

The Pennsylvania Game Commission board of commissioners gave final approval to its 2014-15 seasons and bag limits and its antlerless doe license allocations for the upcoming year.

In Wildlife Management Unit 2-A, which includes all of Greene County and most of Washington County, the antlerless allocations were trimmed by 3,000. Last year, there were 49,000 licenses available in WMU 2-A. This year, that number is 46,000.

There also will be a decrease in licenses available in WMU 2-B, which includes the northeast corner of Washington County, from 62,000 in 2013 to 60,000 this season.

Overall, the board approved a statewide allocation of 779,500 antlerless licenses, a decrease of 59,500 licenses from last season. The biggest decrease came in WMU 5-C, which had 8,000 licenses trimmed from its allocation. WMU 5-C is located in the southeast corner of the state.

The board also approved the allocation of 108 elk licenses (27 antlerlered, 81 antlerless) for the 2014 hunt. The drawing for those licenses moved up one month this year. It will now be held Aug. 16 or 17 at the Elk County Visitor Center near Winslow Hill in Elk County.

The firearm portion of deer season will remain split in WMU 2-A, with a five-day antlered season running Dec. 1-5, followed by a seven-day concurrent buck and doe season Dec. 6-13.

The three-up rule on one side for buck hunters, not including the brow tine, will continue to be in effect for adult and senior license holders in WMUs 2-A and 2-B.

The complete listing of the 2014-15 hunting seasons and bag limits appear on this page.

• The board issued a statement regarding the $220,000 settlement agreement that was proposed to be paid to former executive director Carl Roe.

At the urging of Gov. Tom Corbett’s office and several members of the state Legislature, the commission pulled the offer.

“Last year, the board began discussions with Carl Roe regarding whether he should continue as the executive director of the PGC,” said commissioner Brian Hoover, the board secretary. “While we all respect Mr. Roe and appreciate the work he did for the PGC, we questioned whether he was the right individual to lead this agency forward.

“At Mr. Roe’s request, the board entered into an agreement with him whereby he would receive a payment in exchange for not filing any potential claims he could have regarding the termination of his employment.

“The board also took into account a variety of other factors and acted in what it believed to be the best interest of the PGC.

“We directed the PGC chief counsel to treat the agreement as any other contract and submit it to the Attorney General’s office and the Governor’s Office of Chief Counsel for review. It was during this process that the Governor’s office notified us that they would not process the agreement for payment. We have since notified the Governor’s office and Mr. Roe that the PGC will take no further steps toward finalizing the agreement.

“We regret the attention that this matter has received has distracted from the public appreciation of the unmatched work done by the PGC for the betterment of the state’s wildlife population and its sportsmen and women. And it is to that mission we stand committed.”

Outdoors editor F. Dale Lolley can be reached at dlolley@observer-reporter.com.