Why It Matters: On Tuesday, October 22nd, the Pennsylvania State Senate voted 47-3 to send House Bill 1409 (HB 1409) to Governor Josh Shapiro’s desk. HB 1409 (sponsored by Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus Member and Chair of the House Fish & Game Committee, Rep. Anita Astorino Kulik) extends the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission’s (PFBC) Board…
Why It Matters: On Tuesday, October 1st, the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) and the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission (PFBC), along with the Chairs of the House and Senate Game & Fish Committees (Sen. Greg Rothman; Co-Chair for the Pennsylvania Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus and Caucus member, Rep. Anita Astorino Kulik. n addition to the bill…
Why It Matters: The number one reason that lapsed hunters give when asked why they no longer hunt, is the lack of access. Currently, in Pennsylvania, there are only three (3) Sundays in which you may hunt game and there are very limited species that can be targeted. Senate Bill 67 (SB 67), sponsored by…
Why It Matters: College can be an incredibly challenging time financially for many students, which presents a real barrier for them purchasing a hunting, trapping, or fishing license while in school. If young adults cease their participation in hunting and angling for 4 years while other interests are blossoming, there is real potential for them…
Why It Matters: Sunday hunting bans are one of the last remaining examples of the puritanical and antiquated laws that were initially designed to encourage church attendance. At the time when blue law restrictions were first put in place, other activities that were illegal on a Sunday included opening a store for business, drinking alcoholic…
Many sportsmen and women depend on federal lands managed by agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for access to activities like hunting, fishing and recreational shooting. As these agencies develop strategies to manage federal lands, it is critical for those who support these activities…
In recent years, Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) use has increased rapidly across the country.The unmitigated consequences of such growth not only threatens the environmental health of the lands used in OHV recreation but also threatens to eliminate future OHV opportunities. Some states have taken steps to provide adequate funding for sustainable OHV management and to…
Lack of access is one of the biggest issues facing sportsmen and women today and is reported as the number one reason (over which state agencies have control) that lapsed hunters and anglers cite when asked why they no longer hunt or fish. In an attempt to address this issue, land access programs have been…
Sunday hunting bans are one of the last remaining examples of the puritanical blue laws that were initially designed to encourage church attendance. At the time when these restrictions were first put in place, other activities that were illegal on a Sunday included opening a store for business, drinking alcoholic beverages, and tilling your fields….
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a progressive, fatal, degenerative neurological disease occurring in farmed and free-ranging deer, elk, caribou, and moose. The disease was first recognized in 1967 as a clinical ‘wasting’ syndrome of unknown cause in captive mule deer in Colorado. CWD belongs to the family of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs)….
Properly managed wildlife habitat is essential for supporting sustainable and healthy wildlife populations. Well-managed lands containvarious successional stages that provide a diversity of habitats capable of supporting a diversity of wildlife. On federal lands, however, young forests and other early seral habitats are often underrepresented. The most efficient method to improve wildlife habitat is through…
The first residential hunting licenses were introduced in 1895 and were considered widely successful in creating funds for the newly established state fish and wildlife agencies. Despite having jurisdiction over the fish and wildlife within the state, the overwhelming majority of state game agencies have little control over setting the price of licenses, permits, and…