Coyote Spotted in Vicinity of Quaker Heights

Leet Township police and state game commission officials say coyote sightings are becoming more common.

Beth Martin was surprised this week to see a coyote roaming in the vicinity of Quaker Heights. The wild animal was spotted crossing Camp Meeting Road in Leet Township in the section between Pilgrim Drive and Beaver Street around 3:50 p.m. Wednesday. “I was coming down the hill and it ran from the wooded bank on the right to the left,” said Martin, who owns a St. Bernard, and hoped to warn other residents, particularly pet owners.  Leet Township Police Chief William Wanto said it's the first coyote sighting in the area this year, but not at all unusual to hear, particularly in the vicinity of Camp Meeting Road. Wanto said he’s talked to plenty of hunters who say they've run into coyotes in the nearby woods. “Last year we had several …

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Update: Bear Departs Cranberry Buffalo Wild Wings for Burger King

The 200-pound black bear is last spotted heading towards the woods.

Why did a 200-pound black bear cross busy Route 19 in Cranberry? To get to the Burger King, of course. After spending close to two hours in a tree outside the Buffalo Wild Wings Thursday evening, Cranberry Police said the bear ambled across Route 19 and went behind the fast-food restaurant. The bear was last spotted heading towards the woods near Interstate 79, Public Safety Director Jeff Schueler said. Police were called to the Buffalo Wild Wings at about 9:30 p.m. after someone spotted the bear in the parking lot, he said. When officers arrived at the restaurant, the bear already was in the tree. Officers monitored the bear until it climbed down from the branches at about 11:20 p.m. In the meantime, residents were asked to steer clear of…

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PA Deer Season: 750,000 Hunters Expected on First Day

Hunters can share their harvest using a network set up by the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

It is considered Pennsylvania's only unofficial holiday. The Monday after Thanksgiving marks opening day of the two-week general deer season. That's when 750,000 men, women and teenagers wearing fluorescent orange are expected to invade Penn's Woods, according to Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe. “In addition to being a rich part of our state’s heritage, deer season is critical in managing Pennsylvania’s whitetails,” Roe said. “The efforts of hunters are far-reaching; they help to keep deer populations in check, and enable the agency to meet deer management goals that benefit those who reside, visit or travel through this state.” Safety Rules Hunters must wear 250 square inches of fluorescent orange material on the head, …

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PA Game Commission: Coyote Sightings in North Neighborhoods Not Unusual

The Pennsylvania Game Commission said coyotes have adapted well to suburban developments.

The death of a West View family's pet husky dog, possibly as a result of an encounter with a wild coyote earlier this week, shouldn't come as a surprise, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission. "Coyotes have been spotted in every municipality of Pennsylvania from Erie to Philadelphia," said Jerry Feaser, spokesman for the commission. "There was even one seen within the city of Pittsburgh recently." Feaser said coyotes, as do other wild animals, use the corridors created by rivers and streams to travel into populated areas. "They're scavengers," said Feaser. "They feed on food left out in the trash or on the abundant small prey population such as squirrels, rabbits, and groundhogs." While coyotes may appear frightening, they are more…

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Seen Any Wild Turkeys in the Sewickley Area Lately?

A hundred years ago, the bird had almost vanished from Pennsylvania. Then the Pennsylvania Game Commission took control.

These days, sightings of Meleagris gallopavo are practically everyday occurrences in and around the Sewickley Valley. But that certainly wouldn't have been the case for our great-grandparents. The wild turkey at one point almost suffered a fate similar to that of the passenger pigeon, the once-common North American bird that was hunted to extinction by the early 20th century. Fortunately, turkeys have made a substantial comeback, thanks in no small part to efforts by the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Here is a timetable of the wild turkey's history in Pennsylvania, adapted from A Look Back by Joe Kosack, wildlife education specialist for the agency. _____________________ Keeping up with news in the Sewickley Patch is easy—simply sign up …

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Tied Up: State Game Officers Rescue Deer from Sewickley Tree Swing

The deer puts up a struggle with the swing -- and rescuers -- after it becomes entangled in the rope.

A large buck lost its antlers but regained its freedom after entangling itself in a Sewickley resident's tree swing. Shortly after 7 a.m. Feb. 21, Sewickley police Patrolman Frank Lesniak and Captain Rich Manko responded to a home in the 1500 block of Grandview Avenue where a resident saw the deer struggling to free itself from the swing's rope. Lesniak said they arrived to find the deer and rope high up in the tree limb. Every time the officers approached, police said the animal tried to run but instead swung itself around the tree. “We were trying to rope him to the tree so we could cut the rope, but the rope we had was so thin. We would have gotten kicked by the deer,” Lesniak said. Police asked the Pennsylvania Game Commission for …

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Game Commission to Hold More Hunter-Trapper Education Courses This Fall

The commission held classes during the summer but has scheduled more for October and November.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission will hold additional hunter-trapper education courses this fall to ensure all would-be hunters have the opportunity to complete the mandatory course in time for upcoming hunting seasons. Everyone who wishes to buy a hunting or furtaker license for the first time also must complete the course, commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe said. The commission held classes during the summer but has scheduled more for October and November for various locations around the state, Roe said in a statement. “Procrastination sometimes gets the better of us, but becoming certified through a basic Hunter-Trapper Education course is mandatory for all first-time license buyers, regardless of age," Roe said. The classes are …

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State and School Officials Issue Rabies Warning

The state Game Commission removed two raccoons with rabies in Glen Osborne.

Two raccoons with rabies were found in a residential section of Glen Osborne, according to the Quaker Valley School District.  Martha Smith, district spokeswoman, said the Pennsylvania Game Commission removed the raccoons and the district was notified of the incident by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. The Department of Agriculture has recommended that parents be vigilant and warn their children that they should not approach any unfamiliar pet or wild anima, Smith said. Local police departments have been alerted, according to school officials. Officials did not say when and where the raccoons were found, and when they were discarded. According to Sewickley Police, an officer was dispatched  Sept. 22 to the 500 block of Osborne…

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Fall Archery Season Begins Statewide Today

Bow hunters may begin hunting antlered and antlerless deer across the state until Nov. 12.

Bow hunters may begin hunting antlered and antlerless deer on Saturday across the state and may do so until Nov. 12 during the first of Pennsylvania's big-game seasons for 2011-12, state Game Commission officials said. Fall archery season begins statewide on Saturday, although licensed hunters in urban wildlife management areas in Allegheny County and in eastern Pennsylvania have been able to hunt antlerless deer since Sept. 17. Bow hunters in those areas also may hunt from Nov. 14-26 and from Dec. 26-Jan. 28. The late bow-hunting season will be Dec. 26 to Jan. 16, according to the Game Commission. Bow hunters may use a long, recurve or compound bow or a crossbow. Landowners must give hunters written permission to use tree stands, tree …

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Around the Rivers

Around the Rivers: Bear in Richland Probably on Move

Here's a look at other Patch headlines this week from around our region's three rivers.

To hear the Pennsylvania Game Commission's Dan Puhala talk about black bears can be, well, reassuring. A black bear was sighted last week in Grandview Estates, a residential neighborhood in Richland Township that is replete with children and pets. Asked in a phone interview if he has received many calls recently about bears in Richland Township, wildlife conservation officer Puhala said "no." Actually, he said, he'sgotten more calls from West Deer Township to the east of Richland. If you see a bear in a residential neighborhood, Puhala advises you to "give it space."  Bear attacks are extremely rare in Pennsylvania, he continued, adding that deer are more dangerous because they are the culprit in many automobile accidents that kill people…

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