The Unified Sportsmen of Pennsylvania produces a bi monthly news publication called "Pennsylvania Woods & Waters". Printed on the 15th of each month and distributed on the 1st of every other month. Copies are mailed to: USP Members, USP Member Clubs, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Pennsylvania Senate, Six Regional Offices and Harrisburg Headquarters of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, Pennsylvania Game Commissioners, Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commissioners, Six Regional Offices and Harrisburg Headquarters of the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission. PW&W includes articles on hot legislative sportsmen topics, what's new on the sporting scene, land use issues, interesting hunting and fishing stories, letters to the editor, classified adds, field notes, animal rights issues, anti issues, official USP opinions, list of USP officers, meeting times and places, membership applications, descriptions and ordering forms for USP promotional items, sporting goods and wares advertisement, guided and unguided hunting trips advertisement, any thing new and exciting in the Pennsylvania outdoor world can be found in PW&W. Get all of the "Pennsylvania Woods & Waters" news and articles. We do not publish everything online, join today and stay informed, Join Now. Below are some of the news and articles in "Pennsylvania Woods & Waters". Advertise in Pensylvania Woods & Waters Below are some of the articles from the lastest edition of Pensylvania Woods & Waters Chairman's Message Bill Miller, Chairman I’m going to attempt to follow that old cliché of killing two birds with one stone… A Chairman’s Message and a summary of the Spring 2009 USP Meetings all wrapped up into one. Read more Membership Chairman’s Message I’d like to take a paragraph and extend my sincerest appreciation to our membership. The recent mailing of our Annual Raffle Tickets was a big success. Read more Who is Pennsylvania’s Biggest Poacher? United States Department of Agriculture? Ask any person the definition of "deer poacher" and you'll receive a wide array of answers. I had asked and here is what I heard: A poacher is someone that kills deer during a closed season. Read more Send Your Picture for the W&W Photo Contest! Is that really how and where your copy of "Pennsylvania Woods & Waters" is read? Read more Down The Trail John Johnson As most of you know, I spend a large majority of my time in the woods in or around Cameron County. Though time is precious these days, I still make the effort to escape to the one place that truly makes me happy. I have traveled the world, visited 4 continents and a countless number of countries. Read more Road Hazards By Scott G Schiller, USP Member The incident that I am about to describe occurred on 12-8-07. At about 7 pm my wife, Doris and I were returning home from deer hunting. It was dark and slightly foggy driving west on Rt. 120 between Driftwood and Emporium. Read more FI$HING It’s that time of the year again for all avid anglers, and the wanna-bees, to get out the fishing gear and get ready to land some trout. The hardiest among the fishing folks have already been ice fishing, stripper fishing, waiting for the shad run, and going after early perch, etc. That’s not my game; too chilly. Read more We Want You! The USP Is Looking for County Directors Past experience has shown that the USP is most successful with personal contact rather that letter-writing, email, etc. Hence, the Regional Directors of the USP rely on eyeball-to-eyeball contact while spreading the word, recruiting, and explaining USP positions on issues. Contact with elected officials has also been most effective when done in person. Read more READ MORE Woods & Waters by JOINING today USP News The section below is outdoor news not found in our Woods and Waters publication. Cross Fork Raffle Winners Prize 1 - Tawney Jablonski   Prize 2 - William Miller   Philadelphia PA   Prize 3 - Dave Klinedinst    York PA   Prize 4 - Edward Moorhead   Hummelstown PA   Prize 5 - Ed Caudill   Prize 6 - Frank Hauss   New Albany PA   Prize 7 - Chad Horst   Prize 8 - Donald Green Jr   Newark DE   Prize 9 - Jeff Dengler   Koppel PA   Prize 10 - John Debeneditto For almost two years now the Unified Sportsmen of Pennsylvania has been engaged in a lawsuit against the Pa Game Commission. The main objective of the lawsuit is to obtain better deer management. The lawsuit is being heard in Commonwealth Court by a three-judge panel. The Unified Sportsmen’s legal defense committee and its lawyer have been working with persistence and determination to achieve what Keystone Sportsmen want the most, namely a deer management system that meets the expectations of hunting license buyers of all ages. Of course, protecting and restoring our hunting heritage is what it’s all about except the emphasis of the lawsuit is on deer management. With the support of sportsmen from far and wide, an approving membership, a capable lawyer and an Honorable Court, the lawsuit may soon earn sportsmen distinction as it prevails against what once appeared to be insurmountable odds. Knowing right from wrong and injecting honest, sincere and logical arguments based on hard data is proving advantageous toward winning the lawsuit. More hard work needs to follow as well as financial support from well-meaning people. Within the past month or so, the Pa Game Commission attempted to throw its’ weight around in a familiar, but yet legal fashion by requesting that the Court Compel the USP to provide a list of the names of all USP members, plus tell the Court how many deer there are in each Wildlife Management Unit….if the USP did not comply, then severe sanctions should be imposed by the Court on the USP….thus end of case! Not so fast was the reaction of the Honorable Court and the proposal to Compel was denied. The case will go forward in the heat of legal maneuvering and eventually reach a conclusion. The Unified Sportsmen is in this battle to win on behalf of better deer management for sportsmen/women of all ages. Our goal is to do so in an honorable manner based on reliable data and not presumptions. All sportsmen are encouraged to join this noble effort in one way or another by supporting our legal activity required to get the job done and convince the Court to grant injunctive relief to the many sportsmen and their families who have seen deer hunting slide too far down hill. To help this effort of Sportsmen helping Sportsmen please send a donation to the USP Legal Defense Fund, Unified Sportsmen of Pennsylvania, 260 Orchard View Drive, Leola, Pa. 17540. Thank you. N. Charles Bolgiano, PhD Legal Defense Committee, USP Pennsylvania Game Commission Objections Overruled June 16, 2008 The Commonwealth Court overruled the PGC's preliminary objections to the Unified Sportsmen of PA's lawsuit alleging abuse of discretion in managing the state's deer herd. The PGC is now required to prepare a legal defense of their deer management program. In their responding press release, the PGC stated they look to moving forward and resolving this issue once and for all. However, they erroneously stated that it is unfortunate that valuable license dollar revenue will be wasted defending against this lawsuit. It has been long-established that the Attorney General's office provides all legal services in lawsuits against the PGC. Furthermore, any supporting documentation of the current deer management plan should be at their fingertips as this program is ongoing. There is practically no cost to the PGC in this matter. It is only appropriate that the PGC defend their actions for the last eight years. The Unified Sportsmen of PA also looks forward to a speedy, but successful trial for sportsmen, our deer resource and all those who are effected by deer management in PA. Court Ruling: www.courts.state.pa.us/OpPosting/CWealth/out/427MD07_6-16-08.pdf Stephen Mohr President Unified Sportsmen of Pennsylvania Unified Sportsmen of PA Legal Defense Fund Financial donations in support of the lawsuit will be greatfully accepted. Please make check payable to: Unified Sportsmen of PA Legal Defense Fund C/O John Johnson 7928 Cassel Avenue Harrisburg PA 17112 Click here to print legal defense fund donation form. Team 4: Where Not To Hunt WTAE-TV 4 November 20, 2008 PITTSBURGH -- Team 4 has analyzed four years worth of citations issued by the Pennsylvania Game Commission and has found the places where game wardens are most likely to issue hunters a ticket. Plenty of hunters head to Clarion County, but those familiar with the area urge caution. More Where Not To Hunt - VIDEO USP 25TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIVE RIFLE Through a preferential arrangement from Legacy Sports International, the USP will be offering our 25th Anniversary Commemorative Rifle for sale throughout 2009. This is an exciting and very financially important fund raising initiative for USP. It is hoped that you share in the enthusiasm and decide to purchase a Commemorative USP Rifle to display your USP loyalty. Read more

USP Hunting License Increase Proposal

Dear Senators and Representatives,

Our level of concerns with the policies and direction of the PA Game Commission (PGC) have no parallel in the 100 + year old history of the PGC, yet we are willing and dedicated to defend it’s independency and help solve it’s financial difficulties. We recognize that to do this rests on the decisions that will come forth from the Pennsylvania General Assembly. We hope and pray that your final decisions will respect the needs of the one-million sportsmen of the Commonwealth in a careful and non-political process of deliberation. To contest the values of hunting shared by the sporting community for decades would be neglectful, yet to defend them would be deeply appreciated. Read Proposal

Unified Sportsmen of Pennsylvania
Expectations of a Scientific Deer Management Plan

1.) We expect a credible deer census to accurately determine how many deer actually exist in Pennsylvania.

2.) We expect to know how many deer can be killed each year based upon the biological carrying capacity for each WMU, without jeopardizing the social benefit of the deer herd for the citizens who live and hunt there.

3.) We expect to know how many deer are killed each year by implementing mandatory reporting systems.

4.) We expect pH studies of the soil to determine if desired plant species can even grow, before condemning deer for the condition of our forests.

The Game Commission and Wildlife Ownership

Before America was settled by Europeans, Indians relied on nature to provide food. What little food they learned to raise themselves was insufficient and so the abundance of nature’s wild game- fish, turkey, deer and bison comprised their main diet. Without these natural and renewable resources the Indians would not have survived. Read Article

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