Pennsylvania Game News - January 2012 - 42

Township,	Elk	County. The	 heaviest	 antlerless	 elk	 was	 taken	 by	 Garry	 L.	 Foreman	 of	 Hershey,	 Dauphin	 County,	 who harvested	 a	 601-pound	 (estimated live weight)	 elk	 on	 Nov.	 5,	 in	 Jay	 Township,	Elk	County.	 Those hunters	 rounding	 out	 the top	 five heaviest	 (all	 estimated	 live weights)	 antlerless	 elk	 harvested	 were:	 Daniel	 W.	 Saulter	 of	 Coudersport,	 Potter	 County,	 who	 took	 a	 594-pound	 antlerless	 elk	 on Nov.	3,	in	Jay	Township,	Elk	County;	 Gregory	 Collins	 of	 Clearfield,	 Clearfield	 County,	 who	 took a	 579-pound	 antlerless	 elk	 on	 Nov.	 2,	 in	 Goshen	 Township,	 Clearfield	 County;	 David	 Grata	 of	 Johnstown,	 Cambria	 County,	 who	 took	 a 546-pound	 antlerless	 elk	 on	 Nov.	 1,	 in	 Goshen	 Township,	 Clearfield	 County;	 and	 Joshua	 Brubaker	 of Edinboro,	 Erie	 County,	 who	 took	 a 517-pound	antlerless	elk	on	Oct.	31,	 in	Benezette	Township,	Elk	County. Agency	 biologists	 extracted

samples	 needed	 for	 chronic	 wasting	 disease	 testing.	 Results	 are	 expected	 in	early	2012.	 Michael	McGinnis,	of	Lyndhurst,	 Virginia,	 who	 was	 the	 successful	 bidder	for	the	Elk	Conservation	Tag,	 harvested	 a	 7x9	 on	 Oct.	 19,	 in	 Jay Township,	 Elk	 County.	 McGinnis purchased	the	Conservation	Elk	Tag during	the	Safari	Club	International’s	 national	 conference	 in	 early	 2011,	 and was	 able	 to	 hunt	 from	 Sept.	 1-Nov.	5.	 Under	 the	 state	 law	 that	 created	 the	 Elk	 Conservation	 Tag,	 of	 the	 $29,000	 that	 McGinnis	 bid	 for	 the tag,	 $23,200	 will	 go	 to	 the	 Game	 Commission’s	 Game	 Fund	 and $5,800	 will	 be	 retained	 by	 Safari	 Club International. For	 more	 information	 on	 elk in	 Pennsylvania,	 visit	 the	 Game Commission’s	 website,	 put	 your	 cursor	 over	 “HUNT/TRAP”	 in	 the menu	 bar	 in	 the	 banner,	 choose	 “Hunting,”	 and	 then	 click	 on	 “Elk”	 in	the	listing	under	“Big	Game.”

A new bird in the state: sandhill crane
SANDHILL	 CRANES	 have	 long	 been	birds	of	the	Midwest	and	Canada,	 but	 about	 20	 years	 ago	 they	 began	 showing	 up	 farther	 east,	 including	 Pennsylvania,	and	they	seem	to	have	 since	 become	 established	 here.	 In 1993,	 a	 pair	 performing	 courtship	 behavior	 was	 observed	 in	 Lawrence	 County,”	 said	 Dan	 Brauning,	 Game	 Commission	Wildlife	Diversity	Division	chief. “The	next	time	they	were	 seen,	 a	 few	 months	 later,	 a	 juvenile	 crane	was	with	them. “Over	 the	 past	 10	 years,	 sandhill	 cranes	have	been	observed	summering	 in	the	northwest	–	Butler	to	Crawford	 counties	 –	 and	 in	 Bradford	 and	 Sul42

livan	counties,”	Brauning	explained.	 “At times,	young	were	seen,	but	the	 state’s	 first	 confirmed	 nest	 was	 not	 found	 until	 2009.	 Then,	 last	 spring,	 Land	Management	Group	Supervisor	 Jerry	Bish	and	Northwest	Region	Land Management	Supervisor	Jim	Donatelli	 discovered	a	nest	in	the	Pymatuning	 region	with	two,	2-day-old	chicks. “Sandhill	 cranes,	 until	 recently,	 weren’t	part	of	the	state’s	breeding	bird	 community,”	explained	Brauning.	“In fact,	given	the	bird’s	troubled	past,	it’s	 sort	 of	 amazing	 they’re	 anywhere	 in	 North America.”	 Sandhill	cranes	have	inhabited	this continent for	10	million	years,	longer
GAME	NEWS
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Game News - January 2012
