Pennsylvania Game News - January 2010 - 20

Protect and enhance our hunting and trapping heritage. The Bureau of Wildlife Protection continues to work toward our mission of protecting Pennsylvania’s wildlife through law enforcement, 2008-09 seeking effective legislation and developing regulations. To improve and streamline the Game & Wildlife Code, several amendments were made this year. The legislation authorized the unrestricted sale of mounted specimens by a commonwealth licensed auctioneer, authorized reduced safety zone limitations for falconry permit holders, further authorized vouchers for licenses and permits, authorized the Commission to auction off one elk license each year, and authorized a transaction fee to be assessed to license purchases. The legislation enacted by the General Assembly that created sliding penalties could have resulted in increased penalties, if the District Judges were inclined to assess penalties on the high end of the sliding scales. However, in most cases, the opposite happened, actually lowering the fines assessed compared to when they were statutorily defined with no sliding penalty discretion provided. In rare instances, some Magisterial District Judges and Court of Common Pleas Judges have assessed maximum penalties on the sliding scale for aggravated circumstances, but as a general rule, the sliding penalty legislation has reduced total penalties. While there is minimal fiscal impact from this, and enforcement is geared toward protecting wildlife and not viewed as a revenue source, the sliding penalties have had generally adverse effects on increasing penalties for serious violations. An extensive amount of staff effort was spent with the House Game and Fisheries Committee on House Bill 1859. This legislation would provide a comprehensive update to the Game and Wildlife Code and provide for increased penalties by treating the theft of wildlife the same as the theft of any other property. The legislation would be the first comprehensive increase in penalties since 1987 and would create the first felony offense ever in the Game and Wildlife Code. House Bill 1859 passed the House and is now in the Senate Game and Fisheries Committee awaiting action. The Bureau also worked with Representative Mark Gergley to reintroduce legislation that would authorize the PGC’s participation in the Interstate Wildlife Violators Compact. A third attempt to achieve this legislation is still pending. Pennsylvania is now one of only eight states that is not a member of this compact. This is a travesty, if for no other reason than the fact that many states are anxious for Pennsylvania to join the compact, due to the number of Pennsylvania hunters that travel to other states to hunt. We will continue to pusrue this legislation, as part of the strategic objective to update penalties in the Game and Wildlife Code. Other regulation revisions include tagging requirements in special regulation areas, expansion of DMAP seasons, expansion of authorized applicants relating to deer control permits, and defining geographic locations of wild pheasant recovery areas. The Mentored Youth Program was expanded to include coyotes as an eligible species to be harvested. Updates were made to wildlife rehabilitation standards and nuisance wildlife control standards. Amendments were made to accommodate the new Point Of Sale or PALS licensing system. Hunting opportunities were expanded with the inclusion of crossbows during many big game seasons, allowing the use of magnifying telescopic sights on bows and crossbows during deer and bear archery seasons, authorizing 20 GAME NEWS

Pennsylvania Game News - January 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Game News - January 2010