Pennsylvania Game Commission

Oh, the weather outside is frightful. Tomorrow marks the winter solstice, where the longest night and the shortest day of the year occurs. The Northern Hemisphere is tilted farthest away from the sun, bringing us into the winter season. What does this mean for Pennsylvania wildlife? Three major strategies help animals survive through cold temperatures when food is scarce: hibernation, migration, and tolerance. 💤 Hibernation helps animals survive winter by slowing down their metabolic rate, body temperature, heart rate, and breathing to conserve energy. For example, a groundhog’s body temperature drops from more than 90 degrees Fahrenheit into the low 40s; its heartbeat slows from more than 100 beats a minute to only four. It lives off body fat it accumulated during the summer and fall. ☀️Another strategy is migration, where an animal moves from one place to another to find food. For example, robins like to eat earthworms. But in winter, the ground freezes, making it impossible for them to feed on worms. They switch to eating fruits, but there is not enough fruit for all the robins, so most of them fly south to places like Florida where they can find more food. ❄️Lastly is tolerance. Tolerance is when an animal “toughs it out.” These animals have adaptations to help them survive, like growing their own winter coats. For example, elk grow winter coats, have long legs to get through the snow, have strong hooves to dig for food, and their stomach through digestion produces heat, acting as a built- in furnace. What’s your favorite part of winter? 

Naughty or nice? Pennsylvania has a wide variety of evergreen plants. Some are native, some are not, and some are invasive! Here’s which plants made the nice list, and which are relegated to the naughty list.  As a refresher, native plants occurred within this state before colonization by Europeans. Non-native plants are ones that have been brought into the state to become established in the wild. And invasive plants are non-native plants that spread quickly and cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health. ✅Nice List:  Eastern hemlock, eastern red-cedar, balsam fir, black spruce, red spruce, eastern white pine, red pine, pitch pine, winterberry, rosebay, American holly, dwarf mistletoe, oak mistletoe, leatherleaf, common juniper, mountain laurel, American yew, American cranberry, teaberry, partridgeberry, and many other native evergreens. 🚫Naughty List:  Winter creeper, English ivy, common and bigleaf periwinkle, Japanese pachysandra, and privets (semi-evergreen).  Here’s some deciduous invasives that are so bad they had to go on the naughty list: European and Japanese barberries, bush honeysuckles, common and glossy buckthorn, multiflora rose, tree-of-heaven, Japanese angelica tree, oriental bittersweet, mile-a-minute, kudzu, and so many more! Plants are important in every ecosystem around the world. They make the oxygen we breathe and are the first step in the food chain. The conservation of native plants is our responsibility.  Many retail stores sell festive plants. We strongly encourage only purchasing responsibly harvested plants and discourage buying any invasive plants that will wreak havoc on ecosystems if not properly disposed of. Help wildlife by removing invasive plants and planting beneficial native plants this spring. What’s your favorite evergreen plant? Native plants: https://bit.ly/4gOjOSw Invasive plants: https://bit.ly/4iiuRUQ

Attention Pennsylvania outdoor recreational business owners     The Pennsylvania Office of Outdoor Recreation wants to hear from you if your outdoor recreation business falls into one of these categories:      Producer: Manufacturer or retailer of clothing, gear, and food.  Provider: Outfitters, guides, rentals, restaurants, and lodging.  Professional: Content creators, writers, and consultants.     Elevate is a new initiative to strengthen Pennsylvania’s outdoor recreation industry by engaging with the businesses that drive it.    So many outdoor recreation businesses support the Game Commission’s mission to manage and protect wildlife and their habitats while promoting hunting and trapping for current and future generations, and we want to help get your voices heard.     Tell them how they can help your outdoor recreation business grow and prosper here ➡️ https://bit.ly/ElevatePA.  More about Elevate here ➡️ www.elevateoutdoorspa.com. 

Who wants to go birding and make it count for conservation? Join a Christmas Bird Count! The Christmas Bird Count is an annual event where thousands of birders and nature enthusiasts across North America come together for a fun day of spotting and counting birds.    It’s the nation’s longest-running citizen science project. Audubon and other organizations, like the Game Commission, use data collected during the count to study the long-term health of bird populations.  It’s free to participate, and anyone can join regardless of birding experience. If you’re a beginner, you’ll be paired with an experienced birder.  Here’s how it works:  🐦 All counts are done between December 14 and January 5, every year.  🦆 Each count has a circle compiler, who chooses the day of the count.  🦅 Participants need to contact the circle compiler ahead of the count to join.   🦉 On the day of the count, participants count every bird they see or hear in a 15-mile-wide circle, following a set route organized by the circle compiler.     Does this sound like fun? If so, head over to Audubon’s website to learn more and join a count: https://bit.ly/49qOdTz. If you’ve participated in a CBC before, share your highest number of different birds you spotted! Ever spot a rare bird? 

Keep your eyes peeled — it looks like an irruption year for snowy owls!       Snowy owls are a rare and irregular visitor to Pennsylvania, showing up from November to January. However, every 3-5 years, a large number of snowy owls can show up in the state. The increase in wintering snowy owls is called an irruption and is an indication of a strong breeding season in the Arctic tundra thanks to an abundance of food.          Their diet consists primarily of small mammals such as lemmings, mice, voles, rabbits, and rats, but they will opportunistically take birds and fish.         Snowy owls are most well known for their striking pure white feathers. They are the largest owls in North America and can weigh up to 5 pounds.        Where to look: Snowy owls can be found in open spaces that resemble their tundra home, like open fields, reclaimed strip mines, and shorelines of rivers and lakes. You can also check for recent sightings on eBird.        Plan: Become familiar with regulations and activities happening at the location you’re headed to. Research when and where activities like hunting are occurring.         If you spot one: Give the owl plenty of space and don’t disturb it. If it is looking at you, you are too close! Getting too close can stress the owl or cause it to leave the area, burning precious calories needed for winter survival. When owls are not disturbed, they rarely move all day. Your vehicle makes the best viewing blind to minimize disturbance. Just be safe.       There’s so much to learn about snowy owls! Check out Project SNOWstorm: https://bit.ly/3ZBJU4L.     Have you ever seen a snowy owl? Happy birding!  

“The best things in life are free” 📸 Enter our FREE Take Someone Hunting Photo Contest for a chance to WIN a cellular trail camera and a hunting backpack with an assortment of Game Commission merchandise!  Someone taught you everything you know about hunting, and we encourage you to pass that hunting heritage on to a mentored hunter. We want to see who you take hunting!  👉 Here’s how to enter the contest: Take someone hunting, a mentored hunter(s). Snap a photo during your hunt. Send the photo by email to pgc-contest@pa.gov by Sunday, December 15, 2024.   The photo must be taken of a Pennsylvania mentored hunt that includes both the mentor and mentored hunter(s) during a hunting season within the contest time frame of October 5 through December 15, 2024.       Submissions should include the first and last name of the photo owner and the county in which the photo was taken. Include the subject line: “Take Someone Hunting Photo Contest.”  Official rules: https://bit.ly/3Qeku8F.  Good luck. Have fun. Hunt safely. Take someone hunting. 

Are you door-busting for deals?  If you need an excuse to grab that extra box of ammo, tell them you’re supporting wildlife conservation! Hunters are among the largest group of conservationists, and their support manifests in many ways — including shopping! You might have heard of the Pittman-Robertson (PR) Wildlife Restoration Act. But you may not truly understand how it works and how it GREATLY benefits wildlife conservation efforts here in Pennsylvania and across the U.S.  Initially enacted in 1937, the PR Act provided funding for states to support wildlife restoration, conservation, hunter education, and safety programs. The funding for this support comes from a federal excise tax on firearms, ammunition, archery equipment, and more.   To be eligible for PR funding, states are required to have enacted laws to ensure all hunting licenses fees collected are directed solely toward the state wildlife agency. Dispersal of the funds (to the states) is based on two formulas: one for wildlife restoration and the other for hunter education and safety programs. These formulas consider a state’s acreage, hunting licenses sold, and population.   This puts Pennsylvania in the right position, with nearly a million hunters who call the Keystone state home.   Those funds are specifically earmarked for specific purposes including hunter education and safety, “R3” (recruitment, retention, and reactivation), restoration and management of wildlife, acquisition of property for the purposes of wildlife habitat or public hunting access, and so much more.    What it comes down to is TREAT YO’ SELF this holiday shopping season, because you can proudly say that you are giving back to wildlife and conservation! 

What has the 36th Class of the Ross Leffler School of Conservation been up to?    After 28 weeks of intense training and taking their oath of office at the Ross Leffler School of Conservation, state game warden cadets left the classroom and headed to the field. Cadets embarked on their 10-week field training, where they worked side-by-side with veteran wardens, getting hands-on experience in every aspect of the job, from stocking pheasants to conducting investigations and participating in educational events.   Their dedication and hard work are paying off, as they continue transitioning into the next generation of Pennsylvania state game wardens, committed to protecting those that cannot protect themselves. Learn more about a career as a Pennsylvania Game Warden here: https://bit.ly/3Mfnkru. Have questions about our process or want to speak with a recruiter? Email Tyler at PGCcareers@pa.gov.

Pennsylvania farmers feed our great state, but many struggle with crop damage due to deer overpopulation.    The Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture are joining together to connect farmers and hunters to address crop damage.    Options for farmers and landowners include: 🔶 Agricultural Deer Control Program (AgTag) — Allows landowners to enlist licensed hunters to remove antlerless deer from their property outside of regular hunting seasons.  🔶 Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) — Allows deer hunters to remove additional antlerless deer within regular hunting seasons with a specialized permit.   Farmers can rely on hunters for assistance as well as our agencies to continue to improve available programs.    For more information on landowner resources, visit https://bit.ly/48YBiZ5.  

It’s a major award!  🏆    While it may not be an “Italian” leg lamp, the GIS (geographic information systems) team at the Pennsylvania Game Commission has been earning major accolades with their work in GIS and geospatial technologies!      Earlier this year, members of the agency’s GIS Team were invited to the annual Esri User Conference and selected from a candidate base of hundreds of thousands of users to receive a Special Achievement Award for their innovations in mapping, analytics software, and leadership in the field.       Since the creation of the Game Commission’s GIS Services Division in 2020, the use of GIS and geospatial technologies has grown significantly and has proven critical to everyday programs within the agency. The GIS Services Division is committed to providing high-quality mapping not only to habitat and wildlife biologists but also to the public for hunting and other wildlife-related activities.       The winners of this award are hand-selected by Jack Dangermond, President of Esri.  Mr. Dangermond is recognized as one of the most influential people in the field of GIS technology.       However, the GIS Services Division is not done yet for 2024! Today, for #GISDay, GIS Services Division Chief James Whitacre is the keynote speaker at the Central Pennsylvania GIS Day celebration at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, and the Pennsylvania Game Commission is a featured exhibitor.      James will be speaking on “GIS in the Wild” and touching on the many different uses for GIS technology within the agency.       Thank you to our GIS Services Division for being leaders in their field and true visionaries in advanced mapping!          📸: Pennsylvania Game Commission GIS Services Division team members receiving their Esri Special Achievement Award. (L to R, Daniel Jones, Jack Dangermond, James Whitacre, and Eric Castonguay)