Two drivers sentenced in crashes involving injuries

web1_audit.jpg

Luzerne County deficit rises to $16.2 million, draft audit shows

By Tom Veneskytvenesky@www.timesleader.comHARRISBURG &#8212; Hunters may have less time to report their harvest this deer season, but the Pennsylvania Game Commission is hoping it motivates more to follow the requirement.After Tuesday&#8217;s Pennsylvania Game Commission board meeting, commissioners and staff discussed a bill in the state Senate, introduced by Sen. Richard Alloway, that would reduce the amount of time hunters have to report their harvest from 10 days to 24 hours. The idea behind the legislation, according to PGC board president Dave Putnam, is the shorter time frame could mean hunters will be less likely to forget to report.Putnam, however, had doubts if the shorter time frame would make enforcing the reporting requirement any easier or even lead to a better harvest estimate.Still, the board agreed the current harvest report rates need to be increased.&#8220;The reporting rate continues to go down,&#8221; said commissioner Jay Delaney, who represents the Northeast Region. &#8220;It was 27 percent in one Wildlife Management Unit, and 10 percent in some DMAP (Deer Management Assistance Program) units. To do nothing about this is horribly wrong.&#8221;With the 24-hour time frame, hunters could send in their harvest reports via telephone, internet or directly with a licensing agent.Commissioner Brian Hoover said in other states butchers can&#8217;t process deer if they aren&#8217;t reported, and perhaps that would work in Pennsylvania.Currently, hunters who fail to report their deer harvest &#8212; which can be done by phone, online or through the mail, face a $25 fine.Agency deputy executive director Richard Palmer said it&#8217;s difficult to enforce the requirement.&#8220;They say they mailed it in. How do you prove they didn&#8217;t?&#8221; Palmer said.Alloway&#8217;s bill is currently in the Senate Game and Fisheries Committee. Whatever the outcome, the PGC board said a change is necessary to improve the reporting rate.&#8220;I have a problem with not wanting to get the reporting rate higher,&#8221; Hoover said. &#8220;Why wouldn&#8217;t we want to?&#8221;In other business:&#8226; The board gave preliminary approval to increase the replacement costs for illegally killed bald and golden eagles from $200 to $2,500.&#8226; A land acquisition of 230 acres in Centre County and an exchange of 4.29 acres in Buck Township, Luzerne County from Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company for for a right-of-way to cross State Game Lands 91 received preliminary approval. When the deals are finalized, the agency will surpass the 1.5 million mark with its game lands acreage.&#8226; A move to change the DMAP program by issuing fewer permits and establishing a maximum size of a DMAP unit at 15,000 acres was approved. Putnam said the move was an attempt to address the hot and cold spots in the state regarding deer numbers, and the motion won&#8217;t be finalized until the September meeting.Commissioner Tim Layton said the agency will be meeting with affected agencies, such as the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, to discuss the matter. They will also tour some of the properties impacted by the change.&#8226; Approval was given to add mourning doves and rabbits to the list of species under the Mentored Youth Hunting Program.&#8226; An update was given on the PGC&#8217;s efforts to reintroduce bobwhite quail back into the state. Currently, the agency is finalizing a partnership with Fort Indiantown Gap to create quail habitat on several thousand acres of the facility&#8217;s property.The PGC is also working with other states to trap and transfer wild quail to be released at Fort Indiantown Gap.&#8220;This isn&#8217;t necessarily to establish a hunting population,&#8221; deputy executive director Bryan Burhans said. &#8220;This is a historical native species and it will be nice to hear them whistle again in the state.&#8221; Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TLTomVenesky

PGC board discusses merits of 24-hour deer harvest reporting