9/12/16
by News Department on 09/12/16Changes coming for hunting...
Changes are in store for Pennsylvania hunters taking to the state's 1.5 million acres of game lands this season, including new and canceled programs offered by the state Game Commission.
During the 2015-16 season, 937,000 hunters purchased licenses or mentored permits in Pennsylvania, a slight decrease from the previous year.
Now, a tight budget has the state Game Commission monitoring its spending, as it does not receive an allocation from the state's general fund like other state agencies, but is funded through hunting and trapping licenses, a portion of the federal excise tax collected on sporting arms and ammunition, among other revenue.
Officials say the commission is considering a future increase in hunting fees and has cut back with laid off full-time workers and part-time staff, placing construction projects indefinitely on hold, freezing equipment purchases and waiting to recruit a new class of wildlife conservation officers.
For deer hunters, statewide archery season starts Oct. 1, although in some limited areas it begins two weeks earlier on Sept. 17.
The general statewide deer rifle season starts on Nov. 28 and runs through Dec. 10.
