CLUBS

CLUBS
Supporting state parks
The Ohio Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs will host a special public meeting at Portage Summit Field and Stream Club on June 21 at 7 p.m. in support of "Friends To Save Ohio State Parks," a new organization dedicated to furthering the security and development of Ohio's state parks system.
Ohio State parks have been hit with budget cuts to the point where the park system's future is being questioned.
Portage Summit Field & amp; Stream is two miles west of the Deerfield, Ohio, traffic circle on U.S. Route 224, and one mile east of the intersection of 224 and state Route 225.
For additional information, call Bruce Knodel at (330) 872-0674.
Youth Conservation Camp
The 22nd consecutive Youth Conservation Camp sponsored by the Mercer County Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs Inc. will be June 20-26 at the Temple Grove Campground on Oniontown Road.
Campers 11-15 years old from Mercer County and other areas will be exposed to environmental and conservation issues. Presentations will be made by many professionals, including the Pennsylvania Game Commission, Fish and Boat Commission, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and The Army Corps of Engineers.
Campers will learn firearms safety and have the opportunity to shoot bows, skeet, .22-caliber rifle, muzzleloaders and handguns under the supervision of experienced instructors. Cost per camper is $100 for the week. In some cases, affiliated clubs are willing to pay part of the cost.
Applications are available at affiliated clubs or (724) 347-0159.
PENNSYLVANIA
Bobcat harvest numbers
According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, hunters and trappers harvested 140 bobcats (73 males and 67 females) during the 2003-04 bobcat seasons.
Harvest numbers by county were: Bradford, 22; Cameron, 4; Centre, 5; Clearfield, 8; Clinton, 9; Columbia, 2; Elk, 12; Forest, 4; Luzerne, 2; Lycoming, 15; McKean, 1; Monroe, 2; Pike, 1; Potter, 15; Sullivan, 15; Susquehanna, 1; Tioga, 12; Venango, 1; Wayne, 2; and Wyoming, 7.
Game Commission staff collected biological data and samples from every bobcat that was harvested, including: basic body measurements; tissue samples; stomachs; intestines; and reproductive tracts from females. A tooth also was collected from each bobcat and will be used to estimate the age composition and distribution of the harvest. This information will be provided to successful hunters and trappers once the analyses are complete.
On July 1, the Game Commission will begin accepting applications for 2004-05 bobcat permits from holders of resident furtaker, junior combination or senior lifetime combination licenses, along with a nonrefundable $5 fee. Mail-in applications are included in the 2004-05 Pennsylvania Digest of Hunting and Trapping Regulations, which will be provided to each license buyer. All mail-in applications must be postmarked by Aug. 20.
Also on July 1, the agency will accept bobcat permit applications through "The Outdoor Shop" at www.pgc.state.pa.us. Online applications will be accepted until midnight Aug. 20.
The agency will award 615 permits for the 2004-05 bobcat hunting/furtaking seasons at a public drawing in its Harrisburg headquarters Sept. 10.