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Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Schifano 50th Wedding Anniversary

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Schuyler Avenue students of them month for January shine

<p>Several years ago the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission launched a study to see where trout went after they were stocked.</p><p>The Pennsylvania Game Commission is doing something similar, except their study involves pheasants.</p><p>The agency is finalizing a one-year study to assess harvest rates of ring-necked pheasants raised on game farms, then released to provide hunting opportunities in Pennsylvania.</p><p>Game Commission wildlife biometrician Josh Johnson said about 5,500 of the 215,266 pheasants stocked last fall were banded before release on public lands. Some of the bands carried a $100 reward if reported, and banded birds were released in all 22 Wildlife Management Units.</p><p>It&#8217;s crucial for the success of this study that hunters report leg band information from harvested birds, or even from those found dead from other causes, by March 31, by calling the toll-free number on the band.</p><p>Johnson said he&#8217;s pleased with the reporting response so far, as more than 2,000 bands have been reported.</p><p>Game Commission spokesman Travis Lau said the study could redefine the way the agency stocks pheasants, namely how many will go where.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re trying to gather information as far as what the pheasants do when they hit the ground,&#8221; Lau said. &#8220;We want to determine how far pheasants go and, more importantly, how long they stay in an area where they were released if the habitat is good.&#8221;</p><p>To do that, the PGC needs hunters and anyone else finding a pheasant with a band to report it.</p><p>&#8220;We thank all the dedicated hunters who have taken the time to report their pheasant bands. Reporting bands provides important information that will be used to assess future stocking strategies, and it shows support for the pheasant stocking program,&#8221; Johnson said.</p><p>A similar study on pheasant harvest rates was conducted in the fall of 1998. That study found about 50 percent of pheasants stocked by the Game Commission were harvested.</p><p>Since then, however, many changes to pheasant-stocking strategies have been implemented. These changes aim for higher harvest rates, but harvest rates have not been evaluated since the changes took place.</p><p>The agency spends approximately $5 million to raise roughly 200,000 pheasants each year. There has been a push for the PGC board to request lawmakers to create a pheasant stamp to help pay for the program.</p><p>So far that hasn&#8217;t happened. But in the meantime, the PGC wants to see how many of the birds they raise actually end up where they want them: harvested by hunters.</p><p>&#8220;It could influence the number of birds stocked at any area,&#8221; Lau said of the study. &#8220;If it appears justified to put more birds elsewhere, it could result in a shift in the stocking program.&#8221;</p><p>Lau said the data from reported bands will be analyzed right away and any recommendations would be made to the board in the near future.</p><p>&#8220;We want to look at anything we can do to improve the chances of a stocked pheasant being taken by a hunter,&#8221; he said.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">The Pennsylvania Game Commission is asking hunters to report any banded pheasants they harvested during the 2015-16 hunting season. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_Pheasant.jpg</photo0><caption0>The Pennsylvania Game Commission is asking hunters to report any banded pheasants they harvested during the 2015-16 hunting season. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>A PGC study aims to determine how many pheasants are being taken by hunters and where they go after being released</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Venesky</p><p>tvenesky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TLTomVenesky</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Where do pheasants go?