The opening day of Pennsylvania’s 2020-21 hunting seasons is almost here! Dove hunting is one
of the first signs of fall and a brand-new hunting season. It opens statewide in Pennsylvania on
Tuesday, Sept. 1. Pennsylvania Game Commission wildlife habitat crews have created some
incredible managed dove fields across the state for hunters to explore.
In advance of the dove season opener, Pennsylvania Game Commission Wildlife Research
Biologist Tom Keller spoke with Marketing Director Matt Morrett about all things related to our
state’s mourning dove program. Details about what dove like to eat, their habits throughout
the year and ways the agency is working to manage overall populations.
Tom also shares some hunting-related tips with dove hunters, including how to be safe in the
field and what to look for before and during the season – including food sources, locations, field
quality, water and more!

Early accounts claim that the last of Pennsylvania’s native elk were hunted in the 1860’s. Today, thanks to many dedicated efforts of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, as many as 1,400 elk freely roam across 3,000 square miles, mostly within several counties in our state’s northcentral region.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Northcentral Region Director Dave Mitchell joined Marketing Director Matt Morrett to explain the modern elk hunting opportunities we have in the Keystone State and much more!

Dave is a longtime, passionate hunter and has been out west to hunt elk several times. He shares some comparisons between his western elk hunts with the opportunities available here – including our bonus points system, elk hunt zones and more.

Of course, the elk hunting opportunities wouldn’t exist without extensive wildlife habitat projects within the herd. Dave provides an inside look into some of the ongoing work happening within the region, benefitting the elk, and some of the current and future goals to expand the herd in the future; more elk equals more hunting.

Successful 2019 Pennsylvania rifle elk hunters Trevor Vossler, from Chester County, and Alice Elliott, from Montour County, also joined this episode to share their exciting Pennsylvania elk hunting experiences.

A special piece of hunting history was made in Pennsylvania when the first-ever archery elk season took place in September of 2019. Pennsylvania Game Commission Elk Biologist Jeremy Banfield joined Marketing Director Matt Morrett to talk about how that exciting season came to be and explain the opportunities now available for those interested in pursuing elk in the Keystone State.

Jim Lickfeld and Luke Miller also join us on this episode, who were both fortunate enough to draw an archery bull tag in 2019 and had the opportunity to hunt in the inaugural season. On the first evening of the season, Jim was able to take the season’s first-ever archery bull, a 7×6 dark-antlered bull in Hunt Zone 10. Luke also successfully harvested a bull with his bow in Hunt Zone 13.

While the elk hunting opportunities are exclusive in Pennsylvania, it’s an important component of maintaining a healthy and sustainable herd. The deadline to apply for the 2020-21 Pennsylvania Elk Hunting Seasons – archery, general and late season – is July 31, 2020. A total of 164 tags will be allocated for the seasons, which is an increase of 20 tags from last year.

Thank you to everyone who applied for an elk license and thank you for being a Pennsylvania hunter!

The Pennsylvania Game Commission has been a national leader in wildlife management for 125 years! On June 25, 2020, the agency celebrates its 125th anniversary. In this episode, Pennsylvania Game News Editor and Game Commission Historian Joe Kosack leads listeners on a walk through the agency’s impressive natural history here in Penn’s Woods.

In the late 1800’s, wildlife was dwindling as a result of deforestation, pollution, and unregulated hunting and trapping took place in Pennsylvania. From this dark period emerged the Game Commission, created by the state Legislature to protect and conserve wildlife, which was then commonly referred to as “game.” The wildlife diversity we enjoy today is largely due to the agency’s progressive, scientifically-based wildlife management programs and support from countless Pennsylvanians, hunters, wildlife enthusiasts and outdoors organizations.

Joe is the author of “100 Years of Wildlife Conservation,” a book published in 1995, to commemorate the agency’s 100th anniversary and is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of wildlife and conservation in the Commonwealth. The book is available at http://www.pgc.pa.gov.

On June 15, 2020, Pennsylvania’s State Game Lands System turned 100 years old! To celebrate, Pennsylvania Game Commission Wildlife Habitat Management Bureau Director Pete Sussenbach shared a lot of details about our game lands system, which totals more than 1.5 MILLION acres of land today, [which is more than the entire state of Delaware]!

Pete explains how the forefathers of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, responsible for establishing the state game lands system in 1920, had the vision to create “many miniature Yellowstone Parks throughout the state,” including lots of public hunting land and suitable habitat for wildlife.

Today, we have 308 state game lands that are managed for high-quality wildlife habitat, including forage, feed, shelter and water for ALL wildlife; game and non-game species alike. Our agency uses the best science and technology available to make this possible across the state.

We remain grateful to the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s forefathers for their great vision to dedicate public land for wildlife, hunting, trapping, wildlife watching and recreation. Thank you to Pennsylvania hunting license buyers for supporting wildlife conservation in our state, including wildlife management. And thank you to the men and women who have worked to manage these special lands for the last 100 years!

Michael Waddell is a well-known name in the hunting industry who got his start by winning a turkey calling contest. From there, he went on to guide and film many hunts and eventually founded “Bone Collector,” his show on the Outdoor Channel.

He recently took a break from hunting turkeys in his home state of Georgia to talk with us for a few minutes about his passion for hunting and wildlife.

If it gobbles, quacks, bugles or grunts, chances are Michael has hunted it more than a time or two. He got his start hunting small game with his dad and from there he’s had the opportunity to hunt in plenty of other states, including Pennsylvania.

Michael and host, Matt Morrett, have been friends for a very long time; they’ve hunted together many times and even competed against one another in turkey calling contests.

He shares about what it means to be a hunter, why he’s proud to be one, and how hunting is what made him appreciate wildlife conservation. Hunters are the largest group of conservationists; we feed those in need, we fund conservation, we do a lot of good and it’s time to celebrate and share that message on a broader scale.

Michael commends the work done by state wildlife agencies to manage our wild species to ensure we’re leaving it better than we found it, so future generations of hunters and wildlife lovers can enjoy the natural resource, too.

You know Blake Shelton as a country music superstar. You know him as a host on The Voice. Here is a chance to meet a different side of Blake – a passionate hunter, a longtime conservationist and someone who loves introducing new people to the great outdoors.

In this episode, Blake shares that his late brother was the person who got him started hunting early in life, (and also interested in music). Blake shared some of the challenges he endured during his first few years hunting whitetails in Oklahoma and how those experiences helped to shape his great appreciation for wildlife conservation.

Hear about Blake’s favorite way to hunt turkeys; some of his favorite turkey hunting memories with host, Matt Morett; his thoughts on Pennsylvania’s first-ever upcoming Sunday Hunting opportunities; his involvement with wildlife conservation efforts in Oklahoma; how he’s occupying his time at home during the COVID-19 outbreak and plenty more.

As much as Blake loves to hunt, he explains how his rush nowadays comes from taking someone hunting for the first time and introducing people of all ages to the great outdoors that he knows and loves. He shares that someone doesn’t need to harvest an animal to be passionate about the outdoors.

At the Pennsylvania Game Commission, our passion is wild, from the top on down. The “Call of the Outdoors” is the agency’s podcast, and the first-ever episode features Executive Director Bryan Burhans and Marketing Director Matt Morrett. Listeners will gain an inside look into the agency, it’s leadership and the strong hunting and wildlife traditions that have existed in the Keystone State for more than 125 years.

Bryan is a proud Pennsylvania native who has spent his life hunting wild turkeys, whitetails and more in Penn’s Woods. At a young age, he developed a passion for wildlife and conservation and you can hear that excitement in some of the stories he tells. He recounts being so happy to take his Hunter-Trapper Education Course, as a kid, that he actually took it a second time!

As a wildlife biologist, Bryan has dedicated his entire professional career to wildlife conservation in both the public and private sectors. It was a lifelong dream of his to work for the Pennsylvania Game Commission. That became a reality in 2014, and in 2017, he assumed the role of executive director. Bryan shares about his personal preference for hunting on public lands, the lasting legacy those lands will provide and more.

Bryan and Matt explain what the Game Commission is all about – it’s mission, it’s people, it’s passion and it’s purpose. The year-round wildlife management that is done on Pennsylvania’s 1.6 million acres of state game lands is for the betterment of wildlife and for current and future generations of hunters and wildlife enthusiasts. They also provide insight on how the agency is funded, the challenges the agency faces when it comes to managing wildlife and habitats, as well as dispel a few common myths about the Game Commission.