HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe reminded those interested in watching the agency’s public drawings for the 2009 elk hunting licenses and the 2009-10 bobcat season permits to check-out the agency’s live webcast beginning at 10 a.m. on Sept. 11. To view the drawing, a “Watch Drawings Live” icon has been posted on the agency’s Web site for individuals to click on and watch the drawing.
In order to watch the live feed, you will need to have Flash Player installed on your computer. If you do not have Flash Player installed on your computer, please go to this link. Once Flash Player has been installed, you will be able to properly view the live feed of the drawing.
“Each year, tens of thousands of individuals apply for an elk license or bobcat permit,” Roe said. “Unfortunately, not all of them can make it to the public drawings and we are unable – due to financial limitations – to send everyone who applied a letter to let them know whether they were drawn, and we only notify those who were selected.
“By webcasting the public drawings, we hope to allow more people to view these events without having to travel to the agency’s Harrisburg headquarters.”
Beginning at 10 a.m., the agency will conduct the bobcat drawing. Once the names are drawn for the bobcat permits, including those who automatically will receive a bobcat permit because they have earned the maximum of six preference points, the elk drawing will begin immediately afterward.
Roe also noted that those who have submitted applications can check to see if they were selected, by Sept. 16, thanks to the new Pennsylvania Automated License System (PALS).
Presently, the status for all individual’s applications for elk licenses or bobcat permits is listed as “Pending.” Once the database is updated, which is expected by Sept. 16, those who were selected for an elk license will see the status changed to “Awarded,” as well as the designation of the Elk Hunt Zone and whether they were awarded an antlered or antlerless elk license. For bobcat permit recipients, they will see their permit number listed. Those not selected will see the status changed to “Unsuccessful.”
To access the information, go to the Game Commission Web site and click on the blue box in the upper right-hand corner of the homepage. Click on the “Purchase License Permit and or Application/Replace License and or Permit” option, which includes the ability to “Check on the status of any Lottery Application,” scroll down and click on the “Start Here” button at the bottom of the page. At this page, choose one of the identification options below to check your records, fill in the necessary information and click on the “Continue” button. Click on the appropriate residency status, which will display your current personal information. At the bottom of the page, choose the “Check on the status of any Lottery Application” button, and then hit “Continue.”
“While this may seem like a lot of clicking and box checking to get to the information, the system is designed to protect an individual’s personal information, while at the same time enabling that person to check on the status of his or her applications, as well as their antlerless deer license applications,” Roe said. “In the past, the only way to know for sure that you were awarded an elk license or bobcat permit was to attend the public drawings, wait for a letter in the mail or to call the Game Commission.
“This year, thanks to PALS, we will be able to update the data files for each license buyer shortly after the bobcat and elk public drawings are completed so that license buyers will be able to see for themselves if they were drawn for one of the 1,780 bobcat permits or 59 elk licenses.”