Pennsylvania Game News - February 2009 - 32

area just south of the borough. As I drove over the I-80 overpass, Deputy Chuck Deitz passed me heading back into the borough. “118E to 118,” Chuck called as I passed him. “Go ahead,” I answered, surprised anybody new I was in the area. “Dan, this is Chuck Deitz, there’s a bear running around in the borough near the McDonald’s.” “10-4, I’ll turn around,” I responded. Chuck previously heard the Clarion Police talking on their local frequencies about the bear and he quickly headed that direction, by coincidence he passed me on his way. When I arrived, Chuck and I met with fellow police officers. Eventually the 300-pound bear found refuge from the hot summer sun in a patch of pine trees on the Clarion University Campus. Shortly thereafter, Deputy Brian Miller from the northern Clarion District arrived. He told me he was in the area and heard there was a bear running around, so he stopped to help out. I posted him near the bear with my shotgun as a precaution. I had plenty of help from the local police and deputy WCOs, but all of my tranquilizing equipment was at my office in Forest County. Several calls thankfully tracked down WCOs Richard Cramer (now a LMO) and Roger Hartless to assist with the necessary equipment. Rich and I approached the bear and I managed to dart it, though inefficiently. As I reloaded, the bear ran down a small hill and Roger calmly used his jab pole to administer a dose of tranquilizer. The bear ran several hundred yards before piling up in the woods on the north side of campus. As I approached the animal, another Clarion County deputy, Bill Hepler, showed up to help. Bill is a paramedic with Clarion Hospital and quickly gathered a stretcher and help from fellow paramedics. The bear had a broken leg and the medics concluded it was an old break. We processed the bear and carried it by stretcher to an awaiting culvert trap. Rich Cramer hauled and released it in Forest County. Needless to say, that first day was an exciting one. With the help of three deputies, I was able to coordinate, tranquilize and remove a large bear from Clarion Borough. Without the help of Chuck, Brian and Bill, the situation may not have gone so smoothly. Even though I had very little experience working with those deputies, I had confidence in every one of them. Chuck has been a deputy since 1988 (the year I graduated high school), and although Brian and Bill were rookies, I had confidence in the training they had received from their WCOs Rod Bimber and Al Scott (now retired). These two incidents are clear indicators of how valuable deputies are to every district in the commonwealth. Deputy Wildlife Conservation Officers are the local representatives of the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Individuals selected for these positions serve in a volunteer capacity and perform their duties under the supervision of a District WCO. Deputies are recruited locally on an as needed basis. Applicants must be in good physical condition, have a good knowledge of hunting, trapping and other outdoor activities, and be able to maintain a good working relationship with fellow officers and the public. Deputies should be prepared to function in all phases of Commission activities, including law enforcement, hunter education and other educational exhibits/ programs, wildlife management and land management. For more information about the qualifications needed and becoming a deputy, write 2001 Elmerton Ave., Harrisburg, PA 17110-9797; or call 717-787-4250; or visit the PGC website at www.pgc.state.pa.us, select “Employment,” and “Deputy Wildlife Conservation Officer.” 32 GAME NEWS

http://www.pgc.state.pa.us

Pennsylvania Game News - February 2009

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