Pennsylvania Game Commission

Are you a college student ready to turn your summer into a valuable learning experience, while helping wildlife AND getting paid? The Pennsylvania Game Commission is offering several PAID internship positions for the summer 2025 field season. Opportunities range from wildlife habitat management and wildlife biology to forestry and outreach and education. Depending on the internship type, you will gain hands-on experience with: 🌳 Tree, shrub, and plant identification. 🚜 Equipment operation. 🌱 Herbicide application. 🦌 Wildlife capture and marking techniques. 🗣 Public interaction. 📚 Creation of educational materials. 🔥 Interns may also participate in prescribed fire. Additionally, your internship will allow you to network with wildlife professionals, boost your skills and enhance your resume, and create unforgettable memories! If you’re a college student with a passion for wildlife and an eagerness to make a difference, we would love to work with you! Now’s the time to apply. The application DEADLINES range from February 5-16, 2025. Learn more and how to apply here ➡️ http://bit.ly/3Hek2Tu.

Have you spotted all seven of Pennsylvania’s woodpeckers? Woodpeckers are a sight to see and hear! As they use their sharp beaks to drill into trees, they add sound to a quiet winter forest. Their skulls are thick and flexible to absorb the shock. Special feathers protect their nostrils from woodchips, and a membrane shields their eyes from debris. Their long, sticky, barbed tongues help them grab insects deep in the wood. Most woodpeckers have zygodactyl feet and stiff, pointed tail feathers to help grip trees. Here are some fun facts and ID tips to make your woodpecker watching more interesting! Pileated Woodpecker: The largest woodpecker in the state. Males and females look alike, but males have a red stripe (mustache) on the cheek. They make large rectangular D-shaped holes in trees in search of ants. Northern Flicker: The only woodpecker without the classic black and white coloring. Often found on the ground feeding on ants. Downy Woodpecker: Our most common and smallest woodpecker. Males and females look alike, but males have a red patch on the back of their heads. Their outer tail feathers are barred with black. Hairy Woodpecker: It looks identical to the downy but larger (about the size of a robin), including a longer bill. Its outer tail feathers are solid white. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker: Their white wing stripes are good field markers. Males have a red throat patch. Sapsuckers drill parallel rows of holes in live trees and return later to drink sap and catch small insects attracted to the sap. It’s the only woodpecker that’s completely migratory. Red-headed Woodpecker: Adults have a red head, black back, and big white wing patches. Juveniles have a brown head. It is highly omnivorous, with about two-thirds of its diet consisting of plants. They cache food for winter. Red-bellied Woodpecker: Males have a red cap and nape; females lack a red cap. Their back is barred. Woodpeckers play an important role in nature by feeding on insects in dead or dying trees, preventing these pests from spreading to nearby healthy trees. Their holes also provide nesting and den sites for birds and other wildlife. The Pennsylvania Game Commission manages state game land woodlots and forests to favor woodpeckers and other wildlife — leaving select dead or dying trees (wolf trees) to provide food and nesting cavities.

An Evening of Celebrating Wild Turkey Conservation in Pennsylvania The Pennsylvania Game Commission recently attended the Pennsylvania National Wild Turkey Federation’s (NWTF) Rendezvous and 50th anniversary celebration at Hershey Lodge, marking the federation’s 5 decades of dedicated turkey conservation in the state. Event highlights included the partnership between the Game Commission and Pennsylvania NWTF, celebrating work being done across the state to conserve wild turkeys and their habitats and the preservation of our hunting heritage. A special congratulations to two Game Commission employees who were honored with a prestigious award from the Pennsylvania NWTF for their dedication to protecting and conserving wild turkeys: Joe Kurz Wildlife Manager of the Year: Brian Williamson (NE Region – Assistant Regional Forester) Wildlife Officer of the Year: Dan Puhala (SW Region – LMGS) Updates on the state’s largest-ever research project on wild turkey reproduction and harvest data were also presented at the rendezvous. It was a great night to celebrate Pennsylvania’s wild turkey conservation and network with other conservationists. Let us know if you attended the event!

“Balancing Wildlife and Agriculture,” Town Hall Meeting Held at Pennsylvania Farm Show The Pennsylvania Game Commission, in a joint effort with AGRICULTURE, PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, and Hunters Sharing the Harvest, addressed concerns of increased deer and other wildlife pressure on agricultural crops across the state during a town hall meeting held today at the Pennsylvania Farm Show. This meeting was part of a continuing conversation between these stakeholders, some of which arose during last year’s legislative push to remove the broad prohibition on Sunday hunting to allow the Game Commission to regulate Sunday hunting completely. Farmers in many cases depend on hunters to manage deer on their properties and limit crop losses, in turn providing hunters with opportunities to hunt and fill tags. It’s a mutually beneficial solution. Learn more and watch today’s discussion here: https://bit.ly/4fVAcyW.

On this Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, we thank all members of law enforcement for their selfless work and commitment to protect and serve our communities. The Game Commission also extends its sincerest gratitude to state game wardens for protecting the Commonwealth’s wildlife and their habitats while serving all Pennsylvanians, often at great personal sacrifice. Thank you for keeping our communities safer. Your service and commitment are greatly appreciated.

Black bear hibernation is fascinating! Bears don’t eat, drink, defecate, or urinate during hibernation! They partially meet their protein and water needs by recycling urea. Hibernation in bears more closely resembles resting than the deep torpor characteristic of other species. During hibernation, their temperature can drop more than 12 degrees F, their heart rate decreases from an average of 55 beats per minute to 8-12 beats per minute, and their metabolic rate may drop upwards of 75 percent. They may appear lethargic, but black bears are easily aroused and capable of fleeing or defending their den. On warm late-winter days, they might emerge and wander nearby. That’s not all. Female black bears give BIRTH in their winter den in January! It may surprise you to learn that one of the most common dens is a “ground nest.” They also den in trees, rock cavities, and excavated holes in the ground. Litter sizes range from one to five, with three being the most frequent in Pennsylvania. Bears emerge from hibernation in early March, beginning with adult males. Females with cubs leave last. Typically, all bears have emerged from hibernation by the end of April. What fact surprised you the most? Learn more about Pennsylvania black bears here: https://bit.ly/3ClQdN3 and how to live responsibly with bears at bearwise.org.

Help us with Pennsylvania’s largest-ever research project on wild turkeys by reporting turkey flock sightings! As we work to understand key factors impacting turkey populations, reporting the turkey flocks you see will help significantly. The Pennsylvania Game Commission is entering its fourth and final year of the state’s largest-ever research project on wild turkey reproduction and harvest data. This collaborative study involves several states, creating a large comprehensive regional study to evaluate key factors impacting turkey populations. The study examines weather patterns, disease, hen and nest predation, habitat, and movement patterns. In four Pennsylvania Wildlife Management Units, hens are trapped and marked with radio transmitters, then released on site to gather location and movement data. Field crews track these birds throughout the year to monitor movement across the landscape, survival, and nesting. Pennsylvania has already collected over 3 million GPS locations and 61.5 million activity records from 405 e hens equipped with radio transmitters as part of the study. You can report your turkey flock sightings here: https://bit.ly/3Bb2ZBs.

Agency News Update: The Pennsylvania Game Commission’s website migrated to pa.gov, joining all other Commonwealth agencies on a single unified platform. This change comes as part of an executive order signed by Governor Josh Shapiro, aimed at improving accessibility, streamlining services, and providing a more user-friendly experience across all state agencies. On the new site, you’ll find the same trusted resources, tools, and updates you rely on, now integrated into a modern platform designed to serve you better. Start exploring the site now at pa.gov/pgc Please let the Governor’s office know what you think of the new site. Here’s how: 🔸Go to the bottom of the page where it asks, “Was this page helpful?” and select yes or no. 🔸After your selection, provide your feedback. If you have any immediate wildlife or hunting-related questions or concerns, give us a call at 1-833- PGC-WILD.

Piling up corn for deer might seem helpful during harsh winters, but feeding wildlife is actually dangerous to animals and humans.     Check out all-new Episode 53: Keep Wildlife Wild: The Dangers of Supplemental Feeding: https://bit.ly/41X7BG8   Deputy Executive Director Dave Gustafson and Wildlife Veterinarian Dr. Andrew Di Salvo join host Matt Morrett to explain how supplemental feeding negatively impacts wildlife, why food plots and birdfeeders are different, and how Pennsylvanians can create complex habitat in their own backyards.    Watch on YouTube, listen on our Call of the Outdoors website, or find it on your favorite podcast listening platform like Apple Podcasts, iHeart, and Spotify.   Thanks for listening to the Call of the Outdoors Podcast, and thanks for being a Pennsylvania hunter. 

Did you ever wonder how birds keep warm and avoid frostbite? They keep their exposed legs and feet warm in a few ways. Some birds have feathered or “rough” legs. The feathers help insulate and protect their legs from harsh weather, and their specialized scales help minimize heat loss. Feathers provide great insulation, and when a bird “fluffs” its feathers, it provides additional insulation by creating air pockets and trapping body heat. Birds can get their feet off a cold surface by pulling one foot at a time into those feathers to help keep their feet warm. They can also cover both legs when they are on their perch. Birds maintain warmth through a countercurrent heat exchange system. The blood vessels going into the legs are right next to the blood vessels leaving the legs. The warm blood from the body flows next to the cooler blood leaving the feet; that cooler blood is warmed up before re-entering the body. Most birds have very little muscle in their feet and legs, making them less susceptible to frostbite. Birds with fleshy legs and feet, like mourning doves, are more vulnerable to frostbite. They may lose one or more toes to frostbite. You can help birds through the winter by providing roosting boxes for shelter or planting native trees and shrubs this spring that provide natural food and cover: https://bit.ly/3BxP20F