New Year Underway for PA Mentored Youth Hunting Program

HARRISBURG, Pa., Aug. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania Game
Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe today reminded experienced hunters,
who have historically helped pass along the state's rich hunting heritage,
that the new license year means another year to begin introducing youths to
hunting through the Mentored Youth Hunting Program (MYHP).
"Pennsylvania's hunters have a remarkable opportunity to introduce those under
the age of 12 to hunting," Roe said. "Hunting is deeply woven into the
cultural fabric that is Pennsylvania, and it is important that we recruit new
hunters to carry on this tradition."
Roe noted that the logic behind the Mentored Youth Hunting Program is simple
and clear: create expanded youth hunting opportunities without compromising
safety afield.
"This program paves the way for youngsters to nurture their interest in
hunting early and allows them to take a more active role in actual hunting
while afield with mentoring adults," Roe said. "The program accommodates
hands-on use of sporting arms and can promote a better understanding and
interest in hunting and wildlife conservation that will help assure hunting's
future, as well as reinforce the principles of hunting safely through the
close supervision provided by dedicated mentors."
Under the program, a mentor is defined as a properly licensed individual at
least 21 years of age, who will serve as a guide to a youth while engaged in
hunting or related activities, such as scouting, learning firearms or hunter
safety and wildlife identification. A mentored youth is identified as an
unlicensed individual less than 12 years of age who is accompanied by a mentor
while engaged in hunting or related activities.
The regulations require that the mentor-to-mentored youth ratio be one-to-one,
and that the pair possesses only one sporting arm when hunting. While moving,
the sporting arm must be carried by the mentor. When the pair reaches a
stationary hunting location, the mentor may turn over possession of the
sporting arm to the youth and must keep the youth within arm's length at all
times.
The species identified as legal game for the 2008-09 license year are
woodchucks (groundhogs), squirrels, spring gobbler and antlered deer. At its
June meeting, the Board of Game Commissioners gave unanimous approval to add
coyote hunting to the list of species that mentored youth hunters can pursue.
For the addition to take effect, the proposal must be approved at a subsequent
meeting of the Board.
Those youths participating in the MYHP are required to follow the same antler
restrictions as a junior license holder, which is one antler of three or more
inches in length or one antler with at least two points. The program also
requires that both the mentor and the youth must abide by any fluorescent
orange regulations, and that the mentored youth must tag and report any
antlered deer or spring gobbler taken by making and attaching a tag that
contains his or her name, address, date, WMU, township, and county where it
was taken. The youth must submit a harvest report card, which is available on
page 33 of the 2008-09 Pennsylvania Digest of Hunting and Trapping
Regulations, within five days for any antlered deer or spring gobbler he or
she takes.
For more information on the program, visit the Game Commission's website
(www.pgc.state.pa.us) and click on "Mentored Youth FAQs" in "Quick Clicks" box
in the upper right corner of the homepage. Information also is included on
page 15 of the 2008-09 Pennsylvania Digest of Hunting and Trapping
Regulations, and a sample harvest tag can be found on page 33 of the Digest.
To continue hunting once a youth reaches the age of 12, they will need to and
pass a basic Hunter-Trapper Education course and purchase either a junior
hunting license or a junior combination license. For a listing of HTE
courses, visit the Game Commission's website (www.pgc.state.pa.us) and click
on the "Hunter Education" calendar in the right-hand column of the homepage.

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For Information Contact:
Jerry Feaser
717-705-6541
PGCNews@state.pa.us

SOURCE Pennsylvania Game Commission

Jerry Feaser of the PA Game Commission, +-717-705-6541, PGCNews@state.pa.us