Feb 22, 2014 3 min read

There will be a public hearing of the House Game and Fisheries Committee regarding deer management in Harrisburg March 19 at Room B-31 of the Main Capital Building that should garner plenty of interest from hunters across the state. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.

A number of bills relating to hunting will be discussed, including HB 870, HB 1146, HB 1370, HB 1724, HB 1726 and HB 576.

HB 870 is a bill that would remove public lands from participation in the Deer Management Assistance Prorgram (DMAP).

HB 1146 is one that is sure to get plenty of support from the public. It deals with removing antler restrictions for senior hunters, something that many are in support of since antler restrictions were first put in place.

HB 1370 would provide for a separate three day antlerless deer season following the two-week antlered season, essentially forcing the Pennsylvania Game Commission to go back to its former seasons.

HB 1724 would break up the current wildlife management units as they are currently structured into counties and also force the issuing of antlerless deer licenses on a county-by-county basis.

HB 1726 would direct the Game Commission to use the maximum sustained yield method of game and habitat management. This means the commission would have to figure out harvest figures and compute the largest maximum number of deer that could be taken each year to sustain the deer herd at its current numbers indefinitely.

Maximum sustained yield is a management method used mainly by fish biologists.

HR 576 is a resolution urging the Game Commission to study the possibility of opening its rifle season for deer on Saturday instead of the usual Monday starting date.

All of these issues have some merit for discussion and the public meeting should hold some interesting results.

• We have a new officer in the area who will be dealing with fishing and hunting.

Cecil’s Walt Krasneski was assigned to Washington County as a Deputy Wildlife Conservation Officer by the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Krasneski should be a familiar name to some, as he’s active in Cecil Township politics.

• With March right around the corner, the stocking trucks will start to be seen on local roadways soon.

In fact, Dutch Fork Lake will be stocked March 4 in the first local stocking of the spring, while Browns Creek and Tenmile Creek will be stocked by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission the following day.

Given all the runoff from melting snow we’ve had in the past week, area waterways should be nice and ready for trout.

• A pair of bald eagles nesting along the Monongahela River in the Hays area is now expecting young.

The nesting pair, which were successful breeding last year as well, have one egg this year.

A webcam of the nest can be viewed online at www.aviary.org.

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