Still not letting me, oh well its easy to find!!!

Germain,anytime is good for me.I'm out there somewhere almost every weekend.In my opinion the habitat is terrible from the top of rockton mountain all the way past shaggers Inn rd.That area is definately suffereing from low recruitment.

We're getting somewhere now if you agree the gamelands are managed better than other areas.These are the only places where the PGC has any control over how they're managed.I'm just curious why the PGC gets so much grief if they're doing a better jon managing their lands than anyone else.

PGC can't win no matter what, everyone's holding a gun to their head!!!

I'll use Sgl 93 as an example of where I commend them for fairly good habitat for game, especially grouse and turkey in that area. I just wish the grouse cycle wasn't lower right now!!!

"PGC can't win no matter what, everyone's holding a gun to their head!!!"

If you'd go onto the PGC web site and look up the "Grouse Report" you might just wonder if the agency isn't holding a gun to our heads.
The report states using the practices developed from the study Pennsylvania could have grouse numbers that would rival some nort central states like Mich., Wis., and upstate NY.

So why aren't these KNOWN, PROVEN practices being put into effect on some Northern Tier Game Lands?????

Apparently the agency is more interested in having 40 lucky lottery winners hunting lawn elk then hav 40,000 grouse hunters tramping the game lands.

Iwould say funding.They rotate cuts for grouse every ten years on the game lands in Clearfield county.They also do a fair amount of habitat improvement in Elk county and next door in Jeffereson county.This is another reason the hunters are biting their noses off to spite their faces by asking thheir legislatures to hand cuff the PGC by not giving them a fee increase.It takes money to do these projects and the food and cover crews are running old outdated equiptment with skeleton crews.I think they do a great job,given what they have to work with.Our game lands around here have some of the best habitat around.Go look at some of the habitat on land owned by certain timber companies.There's nothing but junk growing after they go in and high grade the timber.I belong to a lease that's owned by a timber company.We have 3100 acres of beech birch and striped maple,hardly ideal habitat.I'm lucky to see 10 deer over the course of a year on this property and at one time it was loaded.Doe are not allowed to be shot on this property so you can't blame it onan over harvest.I don't even set foot on this property during deer season.I head to the game lands.

I say P**s on the elk..... Reading about grouse, I don't think there is too much you can do because they are so wild, I see grouse wise habitat is there on the game lands for em, but they're numbers are down due to alot of other things. They can't be raised and stocked, I know that.


SHOOT MORE PREDATORS!!!!

I'm no grouse expert butI believe the wet cold springs the last couple of years had alot to do with their decline.Idid flush more grouse this past year thanI have in a while though.

We're off the topic here but good point, be interesting to see in a year or two after this dry spring!!!

I hear you clearly when you speak of lack of manpower, equipment in poor condition or not enough equipment, but when the last license increase was made in the late 90's there was a stipulation that $3 dollars from each license was to go toward "HABITAT IMPROVEMENT." That brought the total that was mandated for Habitat Improvement to $6.25.

Did anyone see a near doubling of Habitat Projects?

Was work on Game Lands doubled?

Right now there is a profound effort to increase the elk range. The area has nearly tripled! Much land and habitat improvement is being done for elk. Special food plots are being constructed. The folks at Elmenton Avenue will tell you that a lot of the financing for the elk project is coming from the Rocky MtElk foundation. That's great. I want someone to tell me how much ofour license money is being expended for this project.
Another question I have is who benefits mostfrom the elk project, Forty Elk Hunters, or TOURISTS??? Remember,tourists don't buy hunting licenses.

The Grouse Report calls for secsessional cuts in small parcels. That could be labor intensive at the outset, but once achived there would be a maintenence program to keep order. This Grouse Study has been ongoing for 31 years. The PGC wants to continue the study for another 15 years. Don't you think that a proven program that increases grouse numbers (DOUBLES EXISTING FIGURES) should be initiated and studied in at least a couple of other Game Lands? I think so.

You can make all the excuses you want for the PGC, but the truth is the agency has sacrificed grouse hunting for many thousands of small game hunters for a mere 40 (lawn) elk hunters andRendell's tourism project.

I'm not yet ready to totally bash the game commision YET,This stupid elk thing is strait from the anti's at the DCNR and so on, I'm assuming, and I probably will be wrong but if the GC can get an increase and maybe once again be a strong force, then they can tell Rendell's anti's to Pi** off!!!!