Pennsylvania Game News - January 2011 - 41

Don’t Try This at Home
PERRY — A homeowner had an unexpected visitor one night when an opossum came through the pet access opening. Not knowing what to do, the man tried to pick it up to put it back outside, but when the animal bit him he got a gun and shot it right there inside the house. The good news was that the possum tested negative for rabies. — WCO STEVE HOWER, ICKESBURG

Makes a Difference
Two years ago we started work on a scrub oak and pitch pine barrens at SGL 38 in Monroe County. We followed up the work with a prescribed burn in September 2009. This summer, biologist Doug Gross conducted a golden winged warbler survey and, sure enough, he detected the warblers within 100 yards of our barrens work. Barrens are a valuable ecosystem we are losing without the inclusion of fire. Barrens are a dependable producer of valuable mast and berry crops, and are home to many plant and wildlife species. — LMO MICHAEL BEAHM, ALLENTOWN

Vivid Imagination
BRADFORD — At a field day at Litchfield Elementary, I was explaining about fishers, which have become prevalent in this area, when I asked the fourth grade students how the fisher got its name. Without hesitation, a young man, Lucas, explained that the fisher sticks the tip of its tail in the water, and when an unsuspecting fish bites the tail, the fisher yanks it out of the water. Lucas was quite convincing, and his teachers, classmates and this WCO all had a good laugh. — WCO JOSEPH WENZEL, ATHENS

Mischievous
SOMERSET — Chris Yoder from Somerset told me he was hunting during archery season when two bears walked up to the treestand he was hunting in and began shaking it. After they finally moved off he thought all was well, until he walked out and found that the same two bears had chewed the seat on his ATV. — WCO TRAVIS ANDERSON, JEROME

Hard to Figure Out
BUTLER — While on field training assignment with me, WCO Cadet Brian Singer and I investigated a report about a baited area near a treestand. On the first day of archery season we found an individual in it and hunting over the baited area. While talking to the man, he told us he had just gotten his hunting license back from being on revocation from a previous hunting over bait violation. — WCO RANDY W. PILARCIK, PROSPECT

Back to Wildlife ID Class
TRAINING SCHOOL — On my first day of field training with WCO Larry Hergenroeder I broke the ice by convincing him I saw a fisher roadkill on the road and we should go back and check it out. He turned the truck around, and after a three mile ride back, my “fisher” turned out to be a raccoon. I had to thank him, though, because instead of busting my chops he uttered the words “Field Note.” — CADET MATTHEW L. CHIPEGO, HARRISBURG
JANUARY 2011

Need a Turnaround
LUZERNE — Within the first three days of field assignment with Cadet Rhonda Bimber I managed to misplace a flashlight and have a GPS unit completely fail. I hope things get better or it is going to be a long month and an interesting training review. — WCO DAVE ALLEN, MOUNTAIN TOP
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Pennsylvania Game News - January 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Game News - January 2011