Beginning June 19, the Pennsylvania Game Commission will be banding a sample of resident Canada geese throughout the Commonwealth as part of our management program for this species. The information on goose population dynamics and movements obtained from subsequent recoveries of banded geese is vital for the evaluation of hunting seasons and maintenance of Canada goose hunting opportunities. Last year, thanks to the efforts of our agency employees and volunteers, 3,000 Canada geese were successfully captured and banded across Pennsylvania. We anticipate a similar effort in 2014.

We will use multiple, separate banding crews working simultaneously for most of the banding period; one in western counties, one in the southcentral, and one in eastern counties.

Note that the following goose banding schedule is tentative and is subject to change based upon goose behavior and logistics. For the latest information, please contact your respective Game Commission Region Office: Northwest (814-432-3187); Southwest (724-238-9523); Northcentral (570-398-4744); Southcentral (814-643-1831); Northeast (570-675-1143); and Southeast (610-926-3136).


Northwest Region:
Monday, June 23: Meet at 7:30 a.m. Moraine State Park Office, 225 Pleasant Valley Road
Portersville, PA 16051. Band at sites in southern Butler and Armstrong counties.

Friday, June 27: Meet 7:30 a.m. at Pymatuning Wildlife Management Area Food and Cover headquarters, Swamp Road, Linesville, Pa. (41.612843,-80.423312), off Route 285, about 8 miles west of Conneaut Lake, Crawford County. Band at sites in Crawford and Mercer counties.

Monday, June 30: Meet at 8 a.m. at State Game Lands 95 Food & Cover Headquarters in Butler County near Annandale. Band at sites in northern Butler, Venango and Clarion counties.

Southwest Region:
Tuesday, June 24: Meet at 7:30 a.m. at Holiday Inn Express, 13 Hilltop Plaza, Kittanning, Pa. Band at sites in Armstrong and Indiana counties.

Wednesday, June 25: Meet at 7:30 a.m. Somerset Days Inn 220 Waterworks Road
Somerset, PA 15501. Band at sites in Somerset County.

Tuesday, July 1: Meet at 8 a.m. at PA Fish & Boat Commission launch at state Route 68 bridge in East Brady, Armstrong County. Band at sites on the Allegheny River, north to Emlenton.

Southcentral Region:
Thursday, June 19: Meet at 8 a.m. at State Game Lands 169 headquarters building, 5 miles west of Newville, for banding at locations in Cumberland and Adams counties.

Thursday, June 26: Meet in Hopewell, northeast Bedford County, at 8 a.m. at the intersection of Route 26 and Polecat Hollow Road (40.1399,-78.2752). Band at sites in northern Bedford County and southern Blair County.

Northeast Region:
Monday, June 30: Meet at 9 a.m.at the Park and Ride off the Mount Cobb exit of Interstate 84 (41.408746,-75.503991). Band at several sites in Wayne, Lackawanna and Susquehanna counties.

Tuesday, July 1: Meet at 8 a.m. at Promised Land State Park on Route 390 in Pike County. From Interstate 84, follow Route 390 south to the Promised Land State Park parking lot on the left side of the road (41.319188,-75.208819). The banding crew will visit various sites throughout Pike and Wayne counties.

Wednesday, July 2: Meet at 8:30 a.m. at the Ricketts Glen State Park parking lot off Route 118 in Luzerne County (41.300435,-76.271735). Heading west on Route 118, the parking lot will be on the right side, before the intersection of routes 118 and 487. The banding crew will visit various sites throughout Luzerne and Lackawanna counties.

Southeast Region:
Monday, June 23: Banding at the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area. Meet at 8 a.m. at the shop on Sunnyside Road, just off Hopeland Road, south of Klinefeltersville, Lebanon County. After Middle Creek, we will be banding at other locations in Lebanon and Dauphin counties.

Tuesday, June 24: Banding at several locations in and around Montgomery County Park in Green Lane, Montgomery County. Meet at 8:30 a.m. at the park headquarters on Snyder Road.

Wednesday, June 25: Banding at several location in Lehigh and Northampton counties. Meet at 8:30 at the Comfort Inn on the corner of state Route 100 and Tilghman Road in Fogelsville.