State's hunters, trappers to target bobcats and fishers
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TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Hunting is a traditional sport at its core. Families pass down favorite rifles and shotguns, camps and memories from generation to generation.
But what happens when the sport is all new?
We're about to find out. Hunters and trappers can start new traditions this month, as the state is set to hold its first-ever -- or at least first in a century -- trapping season on fishers, and its first wide-open hunting and trapping seasons on bobcats in four decades.
The fisher season will run Dec. 18-23 in four wildlife management units, all in the western half of the state: 2C, 2D, 2E and 2F. Anyone who obtains a fisher permit can take part.
The bobcat season will run Dec. 18 to Jan. 8 for hunters, Dec. 18 to Jan. 9 for trappers. Hunting and trapping are permitted in wildlife management units 2A, 2C, 2E, 2F, 2G, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4D and 4E.
The fisher season is the fulfillment of a plan hatched back in the 1990s. Then, the Pennsylvania Game Commission, with other partners such as the Wild Resource Conservation Fund, reintroduced fishers into the state with the goal of establishing self-sustaining, growing populations. That's come to pass, biologist say.
The season -- which includes mandatory reporting of any animals taken -- will allow the commission to continue monitoring those animals, said executive director Carl Roe.The state has had a bobcat season, meanwhile, for the past 10 years. But participation was limited to those chosen for a permit through a lottery. This year, anyone can get a permit, as the commission has switched to managing what it considers an expanding population through season length.
Surprisingly, both animals can be found in better numbers locally than some might suspect.Take Somerset County, for example."Fishers and bobcats have a good, stable population throughout the county, with fishers being fairly densely populated in the northern forested reaches of the county," said Travis Anderson, a wildlife conservation officer for the commission there.
"Bobcats are common throughout (wildlife management unit) 2C and fairly common throughout 2A,"said Jason Farabaugh, a conservation officer in Fayette County. "Fishers also can be found in the 2C portion of the district, with the largest numbers being along Laurel Ridge."
Fishers often travel hemlock bottoms, according to commission foresters, while bobcats can often be found around recently timbered areas.Interestingly, both animals were once thought to be able to survive only in large forested areas. And they still do well there.
Bryce Hall, a Game Commission forester in Elk County, said sighting of both species are on the increase in his area of Elk County, while bobcat numbers seem on the increase in his portions of Elk and Cameron counties, said forest Pete Selfridge.
But both species have proven more adept at living near people than previously thought, too.Fishers have been sighted in Butler County, for example. They're common in Cambria, too."Fishers and bobcats are reportedly being sighted in many areas not normally considered suitable fisher and bobcat habitat," said Stephen Leiendecker, a conservation officer in Westmoreland County. "The range continues to expand for these species to nontraditional habitats where they were once only found in large continuous tracts of mature forests.
"It will be interesting to see how they make out this year."
But what happens when the sport is all new?
We're about to find out. Hunters and trappers can start new traditions this month, as the state is set to hold its first-ever -- or at least first in a century -- trapping season on fishers, and its first wide-open hunting and trapping seasons on bobcats in four decades.
The fisher season will run Dec. 18-23 in four wildlife management units, all in the western half of the state: 2C, 2D, 2E and 2F. Anyone who obtains a fisher permit can take part.
The bobcat season will run Dec. 18 to Jan. 8 for hunters, Dec. 18 to Jan. 9 for trappers. Hunting and trapping are permitted in wildlife management units 2A, 2C, 2E, 2F, 2G, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4D and 4E.
The fisher season is the fulfillment of a plan hatched back in the 1990s. Then, the Pennsylvania Game Commission, with other partners such as the Wild Resource Conservation Fund, reintroduced fishers into the state with the goal of establishing self-sustaining, growing populations. That's come to pass, biologist say.
The season -- which includes mandatory reporting of any animals taken -- will allow the commission to continue monitoring those animals, said executive director Carl Roe.The state has had a bobcat season, meanwhile, for the past 10 years. But participation was limited to those chosen for a permit through a lottery. This year, anyone can get a permit, as the commission has switched to managing what it considers an expanding population through season length.
Surprisingly, both animals can be found in better numbers locally than some might suspect.Take Somerset County, for example."Fishers and bobcats have a good, stable population throughout the county, with fishers being fairly densely populated in the northern forested reaches of the county," said Travis Anderson, a wildlife conservation officer for the commission there.
"Bobcats are common throughout (wildlife management unit) 2C and fairly common throughout 2A,"said Jason Farabaugh, a conservation officer in Fayette County. "Fishers also can be found in the 2C portion of the district, with the largest numbers being along Laurel Ridge."
Fishers often travel hemlock bottoms, according to commission foresters, while bobcats can often be found around recently timbered areas.Interestingly, both animals were once thought to be able to survive only in large forested areas. And they still do well there.
Bryce Hall, a Game Commission forester in Elk County, said sighting of both species are on the increase in his area of Elk County, while bobcat numbers seem on the increase in his portions of Elk and Cameron counties, said forest Pete Selfridge.
But both species have proven more adept at living near people than previously thought, too.Fishers have been sighted in Butler County, for example. They're common in Cambria, too."Fishers and bobcats are reportedly being sighted in many areas not normally considered suitable fisher and bobcat habitat," said Stephen Leiendecker, a conservation officer in Westmoreland County. "The range continues to expand for these species to nontraditional habitats where they were once only found in large continuous tracts of mature forests.
"It will be interesting to see how they make out this year."
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