Apr 29, 2022 3 min read

There was a lot of news this week as the Washington County Sportsmen’s and Conservation League had its monthly meeting.

First, congratulations go to Dennis Fredericks, my friend from the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Mr. Fredericks was elected Secretary of the board. The Pennsylvania Game Commission does so many things and this month they have been active.

The antlerless deer allowed will remain the same for this year. That was and will be 39,000 in 2A and 49,000 in 2B. There will be some changes in the doe season and those will be in the book given with your license. Another change will be in Fall Turkey hunting. You can use a shotgun shell but no single projectile shotgun, single projectile muzzleloader and no rifles. They are issuing 178 Elk licenses this season.

More than 1,000 acres were added to the State Game Lands. Close to home, 192 acres are in Greene and Whitely Townships, in Greene County, adjacent to State Game Lands 223.

This report was full of interesting information and can be found at length on the Pennsylvania Game Commission website. My thanks to Chet for keeping me informed.

• I hear the Crappie are hitting at Cross Creek. I know a Pennsylvania myth about these tasty fish. The Crappie in Cross Creek can be white or black and I know they are two separate species. The two species of Crappie are Black Crappie that are very dark and blotchy, and a bigger fish, the White Crappie, which have distinct dark bars running up and down their bodies. In the spawning breeding season, the male White Crappie change colors, darkening and is often are mistaken for Black Crappie, which can be very confusing, thus causing the myth. They are not magical and are in fact two species. Whichever one you catch, it’s still Crappie.
• Another good myth is that the Pennsylvania Game Commission goes out and stocks snakes to keep down the turkeys. I guess because black snakes eat turkey eggs. I’ve had several people tell me this. It is a myth.

First, snakes do not even fall in the department of the Game Commission – they are the Fish Commission’s department. Second, they do not need to do this. The numbers of turkeys are not high enough for this. Third, it is silly.

Pennsylvania Myth No. 3 is that mule deer live in Pennsylvania. This myth comes from an old tale about how mule deer were stocked in 1932. This was when a white tail deer stocking occurred. There were no stocked mule deer in Pennsylvania. I have never heard of an escaped zoo or pen mule deer either, so I would say myth.

• I have been stomping around in Washington and Greene counties in about every place you can imagine. Sometimes I just like to go to a new spot and look around, and never have I seen any evidence of any Big Foot either. Just thought I would mention him, too.
• The funny thing about all these myths is that it is always someone’s Uncle or Aunt who saw it. True story: Though I once had someone bring me a set of mule deer antlers to be measured at the Mall Show and did not know that is what they were. They tried to say they were white tail antlers. This was long ago. Wait, maybe it was a myth.