HARRISBURG, PA - The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today approved the 2020-21 hunting and trapping seasons and bag limits at its quarterly meeting. This quarterly meeting made history, as it was the first time the board held its meeting virtually, due to continued concerns of the spread of COVID-19.
“Today was an exciting day as the board approved Pennsylvania’s 2020-21 hunting and trapping seasons and hunters can start making their plans for the year ahead,” said Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans. “Our upcoming hunting seasons will include our state’s first-ever Sunday hunting opportunities, another Saturday rifle deer opener and plenty more ways for hunters and trappers to get afield.”
Additionally, the board adopted several measures that will impact hunters and trappers. Action from the meeting is summarized below.
RULES FOR DUAL-CARRY OF BOWS, MUZZLELOADERS CHANGE
While carrying firearms generally is prohibited while bowhunting, archery deer hunters long have been permitted to carry muzzleloaders to hunt deer during times when the archery and muzzleloader deer seasons overlap.
A change approved today by the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners will allow properly licensed hunters to carry both a bow and muzzleloader afield when an archery deer season overlaps with a muzzleloader bear season, as well. The rule also applies to an archery bear season that overlaps with a muzzleloader deer or bear season.
The commissioners said the change intends to reduce confusion among hunters during overlapping seasons, and increase the opportunities for those afield.
“We heard from many hunters this past fall who indicated they desired to have this additional opportunity to carry both a bow and muzzleloader when certain seasons overlap, and we listened,” said Board President Charlie Fox. “This should clear up a lot of confusion and will allow for more hunting potential in the upcoming seasons.”
A muzzleloader bear season that overlaps with the October muzzleloader deer season and archery deer season was adopted as part of 2020-21 hunting seasons, so a properly licensed hunter will be able to carry a muzzleloader to hunt bears and antlerless deer, as well as a bow to hunt antlered or antlerless deer.
When the carrying of both muzzleloaders and archery equipment is permitted, hunters must possess valid licenses and tags to use both and are required to follow the fluorescent-orange requirements for the muzzleloader season.
DEER-TAGGING REQUIREMENTS ADJUSTED
Hunters with multiple deer tags no longer must tag the first deer they harvest before attempting to harvest a second.
The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today adopted a measure that makes effective statewide the tagging requirements that long have applied in the state’s Special Regulations Areas, where hunters possessing multiple tags may attempt to fill them without first tagging a harvested deer.
The commissioners said lifting the restriction benefits deer hunters with multiple tags, who no longer are forced to pass up opportunities to harvest additional deer.
Commissioner Brian Hoover, whose district is in southeastern Pennsylvania and Commissioner Dennis Fredericks, whose district is in southwestern Pennsylvania, both noted the tagging restriction has been lifted in the state’s Special Regulations Areas for years and has resulted in no apparent problems.
The proposal passed by a 6-2 vote with Commissioners Michael Mitrick and Charlie Fox voting no.
HUNTERS CAN PURCHASE MORE DMAP PERMITS PER PROPERTY
While there aren’t any limits on the total number of Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) permits a hunter may obtain, hunters long have been limited to purchasing just two DMAP permits for each individual DMAP property.
That limit has changed for hunters taking advantage of DMAP on select private properties.
The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today adopted a measure that allows hunters to purchase up to four DMAP permits per DMAP property, except on certain properties where the Game Commission opts to retain the two-permit limit, such as on state forest lands and certain large tracts of private lands.
DMAP is a program that allows public and private landowners to better achieve their individual deer-management goals. DMAP permits are valid only on the properties for which they are issued. And a hunter can harvest one antlerless deer with each DMAP permit he or she obtains.
Commissioners said the broad, two-permit limit might have unreasonably limited landowners from effectively using the program to their benefit.
“We have heard from many private forest landowners and farmers who are struggling to meet their deer management goals,” board president Charlie Fox said. “Increasing the number of DMAP permits a hunter can obtain is another option for these private landowners.”
MENTORED PROGRAMS MADE SIMPLER, MORE UNIFORM
Initially open only to youth under 12, Pennsylvania’s mentored hunting program has expanded incrementally in recent years to offer opportunities to unlicensed hunters of all ages.
Because the program is a tool to recruit new hunters, it only made sense to open it to everybody.
But phasing-in program eligibility for hunters of different ages brought about a mix of different rules that many found confusing to follow – potentially undermining the goal of hunter recruitment.
The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today adopted new standards that simplify the program and make it more uniform for hunters of all ages.
First, mentored hunters of all ages now are eligible to hunt the same species. This expands opportunities in each age class and eliminates confusion about which species different-aged hunters may hunt.
Secondly, while mentored hunters under the age of 7 will continue to be issued permits that do not contain deer or turkey harvest tags – meaning the deer and turkey tags they use will continue to be provided through transfer from their adult mentors – mentored hunters of all other ages will be issued their own tags.
And finally, mentored hunters ages 7 and older now can apply for their own antlerless deer licenses and Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) permits, as well as migratory bird licenses and pheasant permits.
With the changes, all mentored hunters may hunt the following species: rabbit, snowshoe hare, ruffed grouse, mourning doves, bobwhite quail, pheasants, crows, squirrels, porcupines, woodchucks, coyotes, deer and wild turkeys.
Safety requirements that prohibit mentored hunters under 17 from carrying a firearm while moving, limit mentors to accompanying one youngster at a time, and require the mentor and mentored hunter under 17 to possess no more than one sporting arm between them remain unchanged.
PROPOSAL TO ALLOW E-BIKES ON GAME LANDS TABLED
A final vote on a proposal to allow state game lands users to ride Class 1 and Class 2 electric bicycles in the same manner they can ride traditional bicycles has been tabled by board.
Commissioner Tim Layton said the fine detail of language within the proposal makes it too complex to consider for approval at an online meeting, and suggested it be brought back to the commissioners’ next meeting, scheduled to be held Friday, July 25 and Saturday, July 26 at the Game Commission’s Harrisburg headquarters.
The board voted unanimously to table its final vote.
The commissioners gave preliminary approval to the measure in January.
A Class 1 e-bike is defined as a two-wheeled bicycle equipped with fully operable pedals and an electric motor of 750 watts (1 horsepower) or less that provides assistance only when the rider is actively pedaling, and that ceases to provide assistance when the bicycle reaches the speed of 20 mph.
A Class 2 e-bike is defined as a bicycle equipped with fully operable pedals and a throttle-actuated 750-watt motor that ceases to provide assistance when the e-bike reaches 20 mph. The bike can operate without pedaling.
If the change is adopted, Class 1 and Class 2 e-bike riders will be able to ride anywhere on game lands while actively engaged in hunting, trapping or fishing. E-bike use not related to hunting, trapping or fishing will be permitted on any roads normally open to public travel or posted designated routes.
It would be unlawful to possess a loaded firearm while riding or sitting on a e-bike.
CUT-OFF DATE FOR DOVE FIELD MANIPULATION NIXED
The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today eliminated the Sept. 15 cut-off date for manipulating crops in managed dove fields.
The cut-off date was used originally to minimize baiting conflicts for hunters pursuing species other than doves, particularly waterfowl, which remain unlawful to hunt in areas where agricultural crops or other feed have been manipulated for dove hunting.
However, the agency has observed that the Sept. 15 cut-off can result in lost hunting opportunities when poor weather or other factors delay planting or the proper drying of crops.
Removing the Sept. 15 cut-off is intended to remedy lost hunting opportunities and wasted investments in managed dove fields.
PENNDOT-REGISTERED MOBILITY DEVICES ALLOWED
The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today adopted a measure that allows ATVs already eligible to be used on state game lands by disabled persons to be permitted if they are registered with either the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) or the state Department of Transportation (PennDOT).
Prior regulation required eligible ATVs used on game lands to be registered with DCNR. But since ATVs can’t be dual-registered, those registered with PennDOT couldn’t lawfully be used on game lands, even if they otherwise were eligible.
The change benefits those ATV users who already have registered their ATVs for use as mobility devices with PennDOT.
GUIDING PERMIT REGUALTORY CHANGES APPROVED
The Board of Game Commissioners today adopted changes to the state’s hunting-guide permit regulations. The regulatory package restructures the application requirements for commercial guiding permits, creates a noncommercial elk guiding permit, establishes new fees for these permits, creates recordkeeping and reporting requirements for commercial guides, and addresses other minor regulatory housekeeping.
Noncommercial elk guiding activity will be defined as any guiding activity by a person to aid an elk hunter for no fee or economic gain.
The changes require most elk guiding permit applicants have no documented prior record of game or wildlife violations for the past 10 years.
The fees for guiding for bobcats and coyote would be $25 for residents and $50 for nonresidents. Additionally, each bobcat- or coyote-guide applicant and sub-permittee needs a valid hunting or furtaking license and must carry it while guiding.
The fee for a resident and nonresident commercial elk guiding permit would be $500 – up from $25. The permit allows for up to four sub-permittes at no extra cost. Sub-permitees in excess of four would each pay $50.
The noncommercial elk guiding permit is free and allows for up to four sub-permitees. Sub-permitees in excess of four would each pay a $25 fee.
Additionally, commercial guides now must maintain legible, accurate and complete field records of all commercial guiding activities. The form for this information is provided by the Game Commission. These reporting forms must be submitted to the agency annually.
NEW MUZZLELOADERS VOTED DOWN
The Board of Game Commissioners today voted down proposed regulations that would have allowed muzzleloading firearms, in seasons other than the flintlock deer season, to use a breech-loaded cartridge of loose or pelletized black powder or black-powder substitute loaded from the muzzle.
The measure was voted down by a 7-1 margin, with Commissioner Brian Hoover voting to approve.
The commissioners who voted the proposal down said technological innovations aren’t always a good fit in muzzleloader hunting, which is steeped in tradition, and adopting new technology should be carefully considered.
ALL GAME-LAND USERS MIGHT NEED ORANGE ON SOME SUNDAYS
During the height of the fall hunting seasons – from Nov. 15 to Dec. 15 – nonhunters using state game lands are required to wear fluorescent orange, except on Sundays.
Now that expanded Sunday hunting has been approved, however, additional hunting will occur on three Sundays within that timeframe.
The Board of Game Commissioners today voted preliminarily to amend regulations to require hikers and other nonhunters wear at least 250 square inches of fluorescent-orange clothing on the head, chest and back combined, visible from 360 degrees, when visiting state game lands at any time during that period.
The proposal requires adoption at the July meeting.
MORE THAN 700 ACRES ADDED TO STATE GAME LANDS
The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today approved a host of land acquisitions that will add more than 700 acres to state game lands.
The largest and most-critical acquisition comes in the addition of 392 acres that will connect State Game Lands 46 and 156 in Elizabeth Township, Lancaster County. The land is being exchanged in part for a 9.36-acre Game Commission property in Brady Township, Huntingdon County, that includes Huntingdon Area School District’s vacant 27,000-square-foot Brady Henderson Elementary School, which the agency purchased in 2014, intending to renovate the school to serve as the agency’s Southcentral Region Office.
Ken and Christa Boone of Alabaster House approached the Commission and offered to participate in a land exchange to acquire the school and its grounds for the appraised value of $200,000. The Commission is providing an additional $241,679 lump-sum to be paid with other cost-sharing funds from third-party commitments for compensation of habitat and recreational losses occurring on game lands from previously approved projects.
The former school and its grounds became available for exchange after the Game Commission determined not to relocate the Southcentral Region Office.
This acquisition was made possible through the efforts of Natural Lands Trust Inc. which successfully received supplementary funding through partnership grants provided by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through the Highlands Conservation Act. Covenants, conditions, and restrictions associated with these funding sources will be required to accept the property. Access to the game lands’ addition is from Route 501.
The following land transactions also were approved:
A donation of 222 acres adjoining State Game Lands 42 in Jenner Township, Somerset County, from Marion Leonard on behalf of Leonard’s Land Preservation LLC. Access is from Roaring Run Road.
The purchase of about 81 acres adjoining State Game Lands 55 in North Centre Township, Columbia County, from Press Enterprise Inc. for a lump-sum option price of $80,000 to be paid with funds from the Game Fund. The tract provides critical access from the south into the game land’s western reaches, and therefore, the Commission can exceed its $400-per-acre limit provided under the Game and Wildlife Code. The property is subject to a reciprocal easement and maintenance agreement with G. Robbins, and easements and assignments with American Towers LLC and ATC Sequoia LLC. Access is from Mountain Road.
A donation of 6 acres adjoining State Game Lands 156 in Heidelberg Township, Lebanon County, from Patricia E. Krall. Access is through the game lands.
COMMISSIONERS DISCUSS UPCOMING ISSUES
Several commissioners today asked Game Commission staff to explore new initiatives and report back to the board at upcoming meetings.
Commissioner Kristen Schnepp-Giger asked the agency’s Bureau of Wildlife Management to study the implications of removing antler restrictions in at least some areas where Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) has been detected in free-ranging deer.
CWD was the primary focus of the board’s Monday meeting, when commissioners heard reports from experts nationwide. Schnepp-Giger asked staff to prepare a report on the biological implications of removing antler restrictions in any Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) that is associated with Disease Management Areas (DMAs), as well as the implications of removing antler restrictions only in WMUs 4A and 4B – the only two WMUs wholly encompassed within a DMA.
Bureau of Wildlife Management Director Matthew Schnupp said staff would complete the report for the board to consider alongside the agency’s new CWD Response Plan, a revised draft of which is available for public review and comment until May 7.
Commissioner Michael Mitrick asked the board to consider the possibility of the Game Commission providing funding to wildlife rehabilitators who take care for bald eagles and peregrine falcons suffering from lead toxicity. He said only a handful of rehabilitators take in lead-poisoned eagles and peregrine falcons because caring for them can be cost-prohibitive. He suggested the agency make available up to $30,000 annually to reimburse rehabilitators for expenses they incur in caring for these birds.
Commissioner Tim Layton asked the agency’s Bureau of Wildlife Protection to explore additional opportunities for mentored hunters, including hunting in bear seasons or purchasing a second spring gobbler license. Bureau of Wildlife Protection Director Jason Decoskey said staff would report back at the July meeting.
And Commissioner Dennis Fredericks asked staff to prepare language that would establish 6 mm as the minimum firearms caliber permitted for deer and bear hunting. Fredericks noted the recent popularity of smaller calibers, and the large deer and bears found throughout the Commonwealth as reasons to establishing stricter minimum calibers for these big-game species.
ELK MANAGEMENT PLAN ADOPTED
The Board of Game Commissioners today adopted a new agency Elk Management Plan to guide elk conservation through 2025.
The Elk Management Plan was introduced in January and made available for public review and comments for a 30-day period.
The plan was adopted by a unanimous vote.
JULY MEETING DATES ANNOUNCED
The next quarterly meeting of the Board of Game Commissioners is scheduled for Friday, July 24 and Saturday, July 25 at the Game Commission’s Harrisburg headquarters.
MEDIA CONTACT: Travis Lau - 717-705-6541
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