Fishing licenses updated
Last week, I was talking to Jon Kay, a wildlife conservation officer with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, about the upcoming 2008 fishing season. He had some interesting information for all outdoor enthusiasts.
Much of it had to do with the new license format for fishing, hunting and trapping. The old-style fishing license and, most likely, the hunting license will have a new look.
All license vendors will have a new set-up for license sales, which will be computer generated with a number assigned to each specific license holder. The interesting fact is that this number will be yours as long as you fish and hunt in Pennsylvania.
There is no change in license fees at this time, but there will be a slight charge passed on by the license vendors to cover the service.
Another new item will be the Fishing License Voucher that basically is a gift certificate for a fishing license.
Internet licenses are still available through the Outdoors Shops of the Game Commission and Fish and Boat Commission websites. These are nice because you can print a copy at the time of purchase and have it as a backup with your boat, vehicle, tackle box or camp when you forget to wear the license on your cap or vest.
The Fish and Boat Commission also has an emergency plan in place in case the electronic license system does a belly flop: an upply of paper licenses that are stored away for safe keeping.
Kay also wanted to remind anglers that trout stocking in Butler County waterways gets under way this month. The public is welcome to assist with the stocking. Those taking part are reminded to dress properly and to be physically able to carry a five-gallon bucket filled with water and trout.Kay is now recruiting members for his Butler County trout stocking crew for the 2008 trout season.Here is a listing of stocking locations, times and dates:• <B>Thorn Creek:</B> 11 a.m. Monday, meet at the Hoon Road Bridge on Route 38.• <B>Bonnie Brook-Little Connoquenessing:</B> 11 a.m. Friday, meet at the Hoon Road Bridge.• <B>North Branch of Slippery Rock Creek:</B> 11 a.m. March 19, meet at the Sheetz Store in Harrisville.• <B>Slippery Rock Creek:</B> 11 a.m. March 20, meet at Routes 19 and 108 in Harlansburg.• <B>Connoquenessing Creek: </B>10:15 a.m. March 27, meet at the Hoon Road Bridge.• <B>Buffalo-Little Buffalo: </B>10:45 a.m. March 29 at Worthington Fire Hall on Route 422.• <B>Harbor Acres Lake: </B>11 a.m. April 2 on Game Lands 95.
Here are some considerations that all anglers should keep in mind:• Respect the rights of landowners. Each year, miles of waterways are closed to the public because of slob behavior.• Do not litter, discard fish or parts of fish, make fires or camp unless permitted to do so.• Do not park in yards, fields or block private lanes with your vehicles.• Do not disturb animals, wild or domestic, plantings or private property.Kay indicated that he will deal with individuals who jeopardize the future fishing rights of good outdoors people.In other news, it looks like the Game Commission, in response to many concerned hunting groups, has changed the look of the 2008 antlerless deer season.There will be no doe harvest for the first five days of the rifle season, which starts Dec. 1, and concurrent buck and doe hunting will be held Dec. 6 through 13.
