Although the first day of summer is just 10 days away, those babes in the woods – wildlife children born this spring — are still vulnerable, primarily to motor vehicles and well-intentioned people. Whether in their backyards, high on a mountain, or on a well-traveled back road or highway, folks are quite certain to encounter young wildlife this time of year.
When you’re behind the wheel cruising along, especially in the morning or evening, beware of those clueless wild youngsters determined to play in traffic.
You may have noticed an uptick the past few weeks in roadkill raccoons, woodchucks, opossums, fox pups, and young deer. Drive cautiously and avoid adding to the roadside carnage.
Just as importantly, when encountering young wild animals on woodlot walks whether deer, birds, raccoons or something else, the best thing you can do is leave them alone. While some young animals might appear to be abandoned, usually they are not. It’s likely their mothers are watching over them from somewhere nearby.
“During this time of year, it’s common for people to see young wildlife and mistakenly assume that they are abandoned or in need of help,” said Matthe Schnupp, the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Bureau of Wildlife Management Director.
“As well-intentioned as they are in trying to help these animals, the reality is that the mother is probably nearby and waiting for you to leave so she can return. The best approach when encountering any wildlife is to simply let them be.”
Adult animals often leave their young while they forage for food, but they don’t go far and they do return. Wildlife also often relies on a natural defensive tactic called the ‘hider strategy,’ where young animals will remain motionless and ‘hide’ in surrounding cover while adults draw the attention of potential predators or other intruders away from their young.
Deer employ this strategy, and deer fawns sometimes appear abandoned when, in fact, their mothers are nearby. The Game Commission urges Pennsylvanians to resist the urge to interfere with young wildlife or remove any wild animal from its natural setting.
Such contact can be harmful to both people and wildlife. Wild animals can lose their natural fear of humans, making it difficult, even impossible, for them to ever again live normally in the wild. And anytime wildlife is handled, there’s always a risk people could contract diseases or parasites such as fleas, ticks and lice.
Wildlife that becomes habituated to humans also can pose a public-safety risk. Some years ago, a yearling, six-point buck attacked and severely injured two people. The investigation into the incident revealed that a neighboring family had illegally taken the deer into their home and fed it as a fawn, and they continued to feed the deer right up until the time of the attack.
It is illegal to take or possess wildlife from the wild. Under state law, the penalty for such a violation is a fine of up to $1,500 per animal. Under no circumstances will anyone who illegally takes wildlife into captivity be allowed to keep that animal, and under a working agreement with state health officials, any ‘high risk’ rabies vector species confiscated after human contact must be euthanized and tested; none can be returned to the wild because the risk of spreading disease is too high.
Animals infected with rabies might not show obvious symptoms, but still might be able to transmit the disease. Though any mammal might carry rabies, the rabies vector species identified in the agreement are: skunks, raccoons, foxes, bats, coyotes and groundhogs.
People can get rabies from the saliva of a rabid animal if they are bitten or scratched, or if the saliva gets into the person’s eyes, mouth or a fresh wound. Only wildlife rehabilitators, who are licensed by the Game Commission, are permitted to care for injured or orphaned wildlife for the purposes of eventual release back into the wild. For those who find wildlife that truly is in need of assistance, a listing of licensed wildlife rehabilitators can be found on the Pennsylvania Association of Wildlife Rehabilitators website, www.pawr.com.
If you are unable to identify a wildlife rehabilitator in your area, contact the Game Commission by phone at 1-833-PGC-WILD or 1-833-PGC-HUNT.
**** MIGRATORY GAME BIRD SEASONS SET. Pennsylvania’s 2025-26 migratory game bird seasons have now been set. There are two significant changes to our upcoming waterfowl seasons. The regular season daily bag limit for Canada geese in the Atlantic Population Zone has decreased from three to one, and for northern pintail, there will be a flat daily bag limit of three.
“The Atlantic Population Zone allows the Atlantic Flyway to closely manage harvest for this smaller, more delicate population of migratory Canada geese,” said Game Commission Waterfowl Biologist Amanda Hoyt. “The most recent breeding pair estimate on the AP breeding grounds in northern Quebec indicated a further decline from the previous year.”
As for pintail, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that the Atlantic Flyway accounts for just 3.3 percent of continental pintail harvest. The flat pintail bag limit will apply so long as the other three Flyways have seasons open for pintail. Other migratory game bird seasons are similar to last year’s seasons.
Annual migratory game bird seasons are selected by states from frameworks established by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Game Commission selections were made after reviewing last year’s hunter harvests, population survey data and public input.
The population survey data indirectly accounts for mortality, which would include any significant impact from the ongoing highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus outbreak. While wildlife mortality events attributed to HPAI have been reported throughout the United States since 2022, including an event this past winter involving about 5,000 snow geese in southeastern Pennsylvania, the virus does not appear to be a significant contributing factor toward the reduction of any migratory game bird population.
**** BASS SEASON SET TO OPEN. Pennsylvania’s fishing season for largemouth and smallmouth bass opens June 14. More about bass season in next week’s column.
**** Tom Tatum is the outdoors columnist for MediaNews Group. You can reach him at tatumt2@yahoo.com.
Source: Berkshire mont
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