Posted on 11/23/2020 8:27:02 AM PST by SJackson
Bucking the long-run trend of declining hunting license and permit sales statewide, hunters purchased 7 % more for all hunting licenses and permits from last year. Sales of specialty licenses and permits are surging with permits for snow geese up 863%, river otters climbing 73%, and shooting range permits soaring 93%.
“The pandemic left people with time they didn’t typically have,” said Patrick Snickles, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Game Commission. “And people have been looking for things to do where they aren’t around other people, so they have been hunting, fishing and kayaking.”
They are also looking for shooting ranges to use, he said.
Those using the ranges aren’t necessarily hunters, Snickles noted, as access to shooting ranges on state game lands is included in the general hunting license, which costs $20.90, while a hunting range permit costs $31.90, Snickles said.
Shooting range visitors for the only state game lands in Allegheny County, in Marshall and Franklin townships, have roughly doubled, said Zeb Campbell, game warden for Allegheny County. He used to change the shooting background for the range every two weeks, and now with more people target practicing, he is changing the background every two to three days.
There were also double-digit increases when compared to last year’s sales in hunting permits for snow geese, otters, elk and spring turkeys.
General hunting, which includes antlered buck tags and fall turkey tag is up 5%.
In Southwestern Pennsylvania, where there isn’t an abundance of snow geese or river otters, the most profound boost in hunting license sales was for the spring turkey license, which are up 20% statewide, Snickles said.
“One of our most senior field officers has never checked more turkey hunters,” he noted.
Campbell said, “Turkeys, they are everywhere; the population is doing well.” He added, “My ongoing joke is every time I checking the woods, there’s turkey.”
While there’s been in increases in purchases of permits for fishers and bobcats, both largely nocturnal, their numbers are not large in the Allegheny County area, Campbell said.
Bobcats live in Allegheny County but only in the less populated areas. This is the first year hunters can trap bobcats. Fishers cannot be taken in Allegheny County, he said.
In the rest of the region, most of bobcats and fishers are found in Fayette, Somerset, Cambria, Indiana, Armstrong and some parts of Westmoreland County, Snickles said.
Much of the river otter trapping occurs in the northern half of the state, particularly in the northeast. Otters live along the Allegheny River, Tionesta Creek, Crooked Creek and other waterways.
Good news, particularly shooting range permits soaring 93%. Maybe those new gunowners are learning skills, or developing interest in their new possessions. Of course it's only one state. Anecdotally from Wisconsin, archery license sales are up by 8.3% and deer-gun licenses are up. Sales ended Friday, so they'll have a final gun sales count before the Presidential votes are counted.
What, please, is a “shooting range permit”?
I believe it’s for entry to ranges on state land, like a park pass. I had the same first reaction and had to look it up.
What's the deal with 'Rat permits?
Domestic Terrorist Hunting Licenses are up as well.
Hunting wild turkey for the first time? Hope you like to run marathons. And be sure to get a cardio check first.
For first time hunters I would recommend cheap and abundant wild hog. An ordinary hunter should be able to bag and dress enough in a weekend to feed a family for a year, with both fresh frozen and processed meat, like bacon and sausage.
There’s now something like that in effect for using the ranges on Georgia’s Wildlife Management Area lands. It’s somewhat new, probably in the last 10 years.
Will be up to their eyeballs in Turkey
What are they gonna dp? Throw sticks and stones at them?
NO AMMO! lol
Beau can get one buck and up to four doe this season. They’re all salivating over the ‘elusive 14-pointer’ one of the kids that hunts here SWEARS he saw during bow season.
So far, just one young buck harvested - but it was the kid’s first deer, so that’s exciting and keeps the interest up!
Turkey, definition: a stupid, foolish, or inept person.
- Merriam-Webster
I’d rather this thanksgiving that instead of ‘Rats eating turkey, they eat Crow instead.
I was going to ask the same question.
Liberals/Leftist say: Guns are for hunting
Conservatives say: I hunt as a form of training — just case the season changes
In PA, if you have a hunting license, you can use the state ranges. If you don’t have a hunting license you can buy a less expensive license which gives you access to the PA Game Commission ranges that are hosted on the public hunting lands.
Sadly, PA’s Game Commission is about as mismanaged as they come.
In Wisconsin archery license sales are up by 8.3% and deer gun hunting licenses are up by 6%.
More game wardens, higher costs
“river otters climbing 73%”
Is ‘river otter climbing’ really a thing? Many takers?
They do look soft, but I bet they would claw and bite like the dickens.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.