Body-gripping traps measuring 10 by 12 inches, 3 1/4 -inch broadheads to be legalized.
The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners on Tuesday gave preliminary approval to measures that permit use of a widely available size of body-gripping trap, as well as longer broadheads than previously were permitted.
With the changes, the maximum size for lawfully set body-gripping traps will be 10 inches tall by 12 inches wide. At present, no body-gripping traps larger than 10 inches by 10 inches can be set.
The change adopted by the board still awaits final approval and won't take effect earlier than the start of the 2014-15 hunting season.
Game Commission staff called the change "nominal," and said it won't have a negative impact on wildlife.
If the change receives final approval, 10- by 12-inch body-gripping traps would need to have a single, offset trigger positioned in parallel not more than 1 ½ inches from either vertical section of the set trap.
Game Commission staff also recommended that expanding the length of permitted broadheads from 3 to 3¼ inches will not have a negative effect on wildlife. The change will accommodate certain handmade and commercially available products.
The change to longer broadheads also awaits final approval.
