Pennsylvania Deer Population:   An estimated 2023 whitetail deer population of 1.45 million, down slightly as a result of drought in some areas.  The state reports an estimated population of about 1.5 million whitetail deer in 2017 with press reports that the population was at this level into 2023. Drought in 2023 has reduced populations in some areas.  The population is up a bit from 1.4 million in 2015, and about 1.3 million in 2014.  A decline in the 2018 buck harvest indicates a population decline for that year.  In 2013 about 1.5 million deer and 1.2 million in 2010.  A pre-hunt population estimate of 1.523 million deer in 20002021-22 Deer Population ReportElk Cam


Pennsylvania Deer News

Neighbors work together to free deer from plastic jug stuck on its head March 13, 2024 Pennsylvania, Yahoo

... state game wardens came to the woods near his home four times ... Lisa and Matt Mertz became the deer’s saviors...  I’m not sure if it would’ve survived another day ...

     Deer with plastic stuck on its head wandering around North Hills March 11, 2024 Pennsylvania, KDKA-AM Radio Pittsburgh on MSN

... the doe has been wandering around the area for over two weeks... the Game Warden nearly caught it on Sunday but came up short... it’s definitely not getting food ...


Unusual miniature white tail deer seen running with other ‘misfit’ deer in Pennsylvania March 5, 2024 Pennsylvania, Erie Times-News on MSN

... a small deer that has a unique genetic condition ... It has shorter legs than other deer... one that was wounded ... “She has a bad hobble ...There’s a three-legged one there, they’re all just hanging out, they’re misfits,” ... 


Pennsylvania man accused of using drone to recover dead deer found guilty February 23, 2024, fox431

... "It would appear that from the top down the PGC doesn’t have a uniform position on the difference between 'hunting' and 'recovery' of game animals," ... 


Unraveling the Mystery: How Deer Poop Holds the Key to Tackling Chronic Wasting Disease February 21, 2024 Pennsylvania, Vet Candy

... By collecting and analyzing samples from both CWD-positive and -negative deer, scientists have uncovered a crucial link between gut bacteria and the presence of the disease. Anna Kashina, a professor of biochemistry at Penn Vet, underscores the significance of this discovery: "For the first time, we have a noninvasive tool for detecting CWD and gaining insights into its biology."  The study, published in Microbiology Spectrum ...


Duo fined $7k total for illegally shooting deer from car: Pa. Game Commission January 22, 2024 Pennsylvania, Penn Live

... The pair shot the deer from a vehicle, with the headlights on, the commission said. The pair then attempted to take the animal to a taxidermist the next day with last year’s tag on it...


PA says no to drone deer recovery! January 19, 2024 Pennsylvania, Sullivan County Democrat

... Travis Lau, communications director for the Pennsylvania Game Commission, said, “The Commission considers drones to be electronic devices, which are prohibited for hunting. Even if the deer being searched for by a drone is dead ... the act of searching for it we consider to be in the act of hunting.” ...


If this bill takes off, hunters could use drones to recover game in Pennsylvania January 16, 2024 Pennsylvania, WESA

... Coleman’s bill would amend Title 34 of the state Consolidated Statutes, which governs hunting rules. More specifically it would amend the 2018 decision to allow dogs in the use of recovery to also allow drones and other electronic devices...


Chester County man faces three months in jail for using a drone to recover a hunter’s deer January 16, 2024 Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Inquirer

... the game commissions issued four citations against Downingtown resident Joshua Wingenroth during an undercover operation ... charged with two counts of unlawful devices and methods and one count each of disturbance of game and wildlife ...


Should Pa. hunters be allowed to track wounded deer with drones? January 10, 2024 Pennsylvania, Penn Live

...  The dog is allowed under Pennsylvania Game Commission law; the drone is not... state Sen. Jarrett Coleman sees little difference between the two methods for recovery of game and has decided to pursue amending the law to make drone use permissible...


Drone Operator Charged for Recovering Deer, a Legal Gray Area January 1, 2023 Pennsylvania  AllOutdoor.com

... A Pennsylvania drone operator running a small business recovering lost deer for hunters was charged by the state’s Game Commission with multiple citation ... including two counts of unlawful devices and methods, one count of disturbance of game and wildlife, and another for recreational spotlighting. The charges total up to $2,500 in fines and potentially include 90 days in jail...


Pa.'s 2023 bear season the lowest in 15 years; here's how many bears hunters harvested December 31, 2023 Pennsylvania, Lancaster Online

... Prior to the start of the 2023 season, the Game Commission estimated there were about 15,000 bears in Pennsylvania... hunters tagged 2,914 bears ..,


Pa. to receive grant funding for development of wildlife corridors December 7, 2023 Pennsylvania Capital-Star

... Pennsylvania will receive $840,000 as part of the Federal Highway Administration’s Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program to develop a strategic plan for wildlife crossings, or corridors, across the Commonwealth’s roadways...


PGC Advocates Deer Slaughter December 7, 2023 Pennsylvania, Morrisons Cove Herald

... Northcentral Pennsylvania’s public lands host only a remnant deer herd compared to that which existed prior to 2002 when the present deer management plan was instituted. Around here, portions of state game lands are destitute of deer. Posted properties are the salvation of Pennsylvania’s deer herd..,


Pittsburgh archers have culled more than five dozen deer in Frick and Riverview parks November 27, 2023 Pennsylvania, 90.5 WESA

... hunters had taken 64 deer as of mid-November.  Those were the early results of pilot program to manage the deer population. The city rushed to launch the hunt with the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Sept. 30 — a timeframe short enough that hunting even began before the city finished posting signs to alert residents...


Rifle Deer Season Starts Tomorrow November 24, 2023 Pennsylvania, PGC News

... The National Deer Association regularly ranks Pennsylvania the top state in the country for hunter density, with around 14.4 hunters per square mile reported in 2021. Only three other states hit double digits in that department, those being New York, Wisconsin and New Jersey.


Healthy balance is back in Pa. deer woods November 23, 2023 Pennsylvania, The Bradford Era

...Twenty-three years ago under the guidance of wildlife biologist Gary Alt, the Pennsylvania Game Commission encouraged and enabled hunters to harvest more antlerless deer to allow forests to recover some of its natural deer habitat. It worked. Deer numbers were down from 2005 to 2012 with lower levels of deer than most people or hunters saw in the past 70 to 80 years in this area..,


Deer Season Awaits Pennsylvania Hunters November 20, 2023 PGC News

... Last season, in 2022-23, hunters harvested an estimated 422,960 white-tailed deer: an estimated 164,190 bucks and 258,770 antlerless deer. The buck harvest in particular – considered a good indicator of the overall deer population trend – was 2% higher than the most-recent three-year average, so right in line with recent trends..,


Deer with decorations wrapped around its antlers spotted in Pittsburgh-area November 14, 2023 Pennsylvania, CBS News

... The Game Commission said if the animal can still eat and doesn't get stuck in something, it's fine ... According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, there are about 1.5 million white-tailed deer in the state these days...


Can you feed deer in Pennsylvania? November 12, 2023 WHTM Harrisburg 

... The White-tailed Deer is the Pennsylvania state animal and around 1.5 million of them live in Pennsylvania... According to Pennsylvania Code § 137.33, “It is unlawful  ... feeding bear or elk ... The Pennsylvania Game Commission also asks residents to not feed deer (or any wildlife) due to the fact that it risks the spread of disease..,


Regulated deer hunt taking over Presque Isle in December  November 6, 2023 Pennsylvania, YourErie.com

... Up to 85 hunters will be allowed to hunt using shotguns that are not semi-automatic and are loaded with slug ammunition, black-powder muzzleloaders or archery equipment for both antlered and antlerless deer...


Penn State study tracks deer habits, habitats November 2, 2023 Pennsylvania, The Daily Item

... It is a pretty good rule of thumb that the home range of a buck is probably one square mile, or 640 acres, and for a doe, it is a quarter of a square mile... based on 19 years of survival data. It reports that in one study area, “in 2 years, only about 20% of collared bucks are still alive,” but in another area, 42% are still alive after three years.” ...


Deer in love and end of daylight saving time collide to increase risk on roads October 25, 2023 Pennsylvania, Penn Live

... Daylight saving time ends on Nov. 5. That will result in an increase of traffic between dusk and dawn (in the dark), which also are the peak hours for deer activity.  “While the peak of the whitetail rut is still a few weeks off, deer already are spending more time on the move and are bound to be crossing roads more often,”...


General Elk Season Opens Oct. 30  October 23, 2023 Pennsylvania Game Commission

... This year, over 57,000 people applied for the chance to hunt Pennsylvania elk... This year, 72 of the 144 Pennsylvania elk licenses are for the general season. Of those, 30 hunters will be hunting antlered elk, or bulls, and 42 will be hunting antlerless elk, or cows...


Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site begin deer-removal program October 18, 2023 Pennsylvania, WPMT

... Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site announced this week it will conduct lethal removal of white-tailed deer ...


Drought effects on whitetail deer during bowhunting season October 1, 2023 Pennsylvania Fox43

...  recent drought issues have left some hunters concerned about the season's game.  Experts like Travis Lau, Communications Manager with the Pennsylvania Game Commission, remarked on how some areas in the state are showing lower populations than normal ..,


PA Senate passes bill that would rob Pennsylvania hunters of $150 million September 30, 2023 AOL

...  One amendment calls for the transfer of $150 million from the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Game Fund to the Clean Streams Fund... The amended bill passed the Senate by a vote of 29-18 on Aug. 30...


Some say special hunt in Berks aimed at controlling deer population is dangerous September 29, 2023 Pennsylvania, WFMZ-TV

... The Berks County Antietam Lake Park Deer Management Program is well into its third year... A petition's been started to stop the hunt over concerns that someone could get hurt or killed..,


Protest ends deer hunt behind homes in Lower Makefield. Here's where the hunt will go on September 25, 2023 Pennsylvania, YAHOO!News

... Representatives of 43 families who live in the Yardley Run community near a township-owned tract of land didn't want a bow and arrow deer hunt behind their back yards...While the minutes of the May meeting note that the hunters have $1 million in insurance, a physician who attended the Wednesday meeting said he didn't think that was not enough to cover an accident in which someone was struck by an arrow..,


Hemorrhagic Disease Outbreak in Crawford County September 25, 2023 Pennsylvania Game Commission News

     The Pennsylvania Game Commission has announced that 30 to 40 deer found dead in the vicinity of State Game Lands 214 in North Shenango and Sadsbury townships, Crawford County, the week of Sept. 8, succumbed to hemorrhagic disease..,


Deer Farmers Hoping to Breed Chronic Wasting Disease Out of Herds September 19, 2023 Pennsylvania, Lancaster Farming

... Seabury’s genomic evaluation test ... gives farmers a genomically estimated breeding value, which can predict disease susceptibility with an 89% accuracy ... Since the test was released about two years ago, almost 49,000 deer have been tested, with over 16,000 being labeled as less susceptible...


Archers hunting in local parks to cull deer population; some residents concerned September 16, 2023 Pennsylvania, YAHOO!News

... Deer were roaming around Simmons Park on Saturday. Two archer hunters were looking for them nearby.  In the same location, some parkgoers were not aware the hunt was happening because there were no signs posted...


CWD, A look at Pennsylvania's upcoming deer seasons and what hunters need to know September 13, 2023 Yahoo

... Pennsylvania first detected CWD in 2012 at a captive deer facility in Adams County. The Game Commission has tested more than 131,000 wild, free-ranging whitetails for CWD since 1998, along with more than 1,900 elk.  CWD has been found in more than 1,400 deer, 243 of those taken by hunters last season. It has not been detected in Pennsylvania’s elk herd..,


Humane Society urges Pittsburgh not to use bowhunters to kill deer in Riverview and Frick parks September 5, 2023 Pennsylvania, WTAE-TV

... The Human Society wrote:  "... there are important elements to consider before lethal actions are taken... Those elements include an assessment of existing population dynamics and an assessment of the impacts that deer may be causing, followed by an evaluation of what specific mitigation actions can be applied to each type of situation, including browsing impact and community plant concerns." ... Montano said fencing to control deer in city parks was not a feasible solution. "..We just don't have the city resources to be able to do that," ...


What is The Deer Population in Pennsylvania? September 5, 2023 PhillyBite Magazine

... The Pennsylvania Game Commission is estimated to have around 1.5 million deer or 30 per square mile..,


Opinions mixed on allowing limited hunting in some Pittsburgh parks to control deer population August 30, 2023 Pennsylvania, TribLIVE.com

... The city has attempted to fence off portions of parks that have been “significantly, negatively impacted ecologically by deer overpopulation,” but efforts to protect those areas with fencing have been “largely unsuccessful” as deer have found ways around the barriers...

   Pittsburgh introduces plan to cull deer population with controlled bow hunt in 2 parks August 29, 2023 CBS News

... "A lot of people have asked, 'Why can't you use sort of a chemical birth control, some other options for that?' But the reality is that the population of the deer itself has gotten to where those mitigation measures are less effective, are not as effective until we're able to lower those numbers," said Maria Montaño, communications director of the mayor's office...


What happens to a PA forest after a timber sale? This area offers an example August 27, 2023 Pennsylvania, Yahoo

... It is true that the Game Commission rakes in a lot of money each year through timber sales. If they did not care about wildlife, the agency could make much more...  What looked barren in May was a jungle of life by late summer. Seedlings and stump sprouts were shooting up everywhere ... A deer paradise already existed in much of the cut areas! ...


Elk Cam Back for Another Season August 22, 2023 Pennsylvania Game Commission

... The Game Commission again has installed a camera on State Game Lands 311 in Elk County, in a field that typically is a hub of elk activity, as the bugling season heats up. Video and sound from the camera are being livestreamed at www.pgc.pa.gov, and viewers can expect not only to see elk, but turkeys, deer, possibly a bear, and other wildlife as well...


Round 4 of antlerless deer license sales starts Monday in Pennsylvania. How many remain? August 22, 2023 Pennsylvania, Erie Times-News

... The agency plans to issue a total of 1.095 million antlerless deer licenses, up from the 948,000 issued for 2022-23..,


Pennsylvania's New Hunting Opportunity: DMAP Opens Doors to More Harvesting on State Game Lands August 14, 2023 MyChesCo

... State Game Lands 100 in Centre and Clearfield counties as an example of what’s going on. It was hit hard by spongy moths between 2006 and 2009, so the Game Commission did salvage harvests, treated the area with herbicides twice and conducted prescribed fires on about 2,000 acres... So this season, the Game Commission is turning to DMAP on game lands ...


Chronic wasting disease quarantine zone reduced in Lancaster County July 29, 2023 Pennsylvania, LancasterOnline

... Disease Management Area 4 was created in 2018 after two captive deer on a farm in West Cocalico Township were found to have chronic wasting disease...  expanded a year later, when four captive deer on a farm in Upper Leacock Township were found to have chronic wasting disease...


Study dishes up surprises about deer behavior, forest impacts July 25, 2023 Pennsylvania, Wildlife & Habitat

Bay Journal

...  the study is showing that what happens in a forest and the best ways to ensure its future growth is much more complex and involves a dance of wildlife, plants and soil.  In some cases, deer may be overly blamed for problems in the understory...  the absence of a native plant does not always indicate overbrowsing by deer...


Bill Would Let Pennsylvania Game Commission Set License Fees July 9, 2023 Pennsylvania, Lancaster Farming

... “The ability to raise license fees would allow the agency to address costs as they again begin to outpace revenues, which at some point will happen.”  ... would allow the House and Senate Game and Fisheries committees to review any license changes ...


New electronic doe licenses start rocky but finish with massive increase July 3, 2023 Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

... first-day sales for the 2023-24 vs. 2022-23 hunting seasons.

• 164,666 Day 1 antlerless license sales (37,793 in 2022)

• 166,704 Day 1 general license sales (30,522 in 2022)

Statewide in 2022-23, 948,000 antlerless deer licenses were allocated and 258,770 does were harvested...


PA Game Commission online licensing purchase crashes on opening day June 26, 2023 WYOU

... The new online system, with the ability to purchase antlerless deer licenses, was reported to have crashed as many Pennsylvania hunters flocked to the site...


Why more wildlife corridors could be coming to Pa. June 21, 2023 Pennsylvania, fox43.com

..."We're actually pretty behind some of the western states like Colorado, New Mexico and Idaho," Wein said. "They've been thinking about helping their big game cross their roadways for a really long time."  The Federal Highway Administration has $300 million for states to add wildlife crossings to roadways ...


Wildlife officers free deer of plastic feeder stuck around neck in O'Hara June 8, 2023 Pennsylvania, TribLIVE.com

... A whitetail deer, seen for weeks by Fox Chapel area residents sporting a large, white, plastic feeder around its neck, was freed Thursday morning, thanks to the persistent efforts of Pennsylvania Game Commission officials...


Game Commission Updates Public on CWD Surveillance June 2, 2023 Pennsylvania, PGC News

... Since July 1, 2022, the Game Commission collected nearly 11,000 CWD samples from deer. Hunter-harvested samples made up the bulk of those, with more than 7,000.

To date, a total of more than 400 wild deer tested positive for CWD, 243 of them harvested by hunters. Both numbers are up from the year before when 261 deer overall, 174 of them harvested by hunters, tested positive.  The public can view the results of this ongoing surveillance effort on the CWD Surveillance Dashboard available at https://pgcdatacollection.pa.gov/CWDResultsLookup...


Six persons charged with out-of-season slaughter of dozens of deer in Franklin County May 26, 2023 Penn Live

... the total case count possibly involved more than 100 deer, most of which were left to rot at the location of kill.  “It’s not unusual to have this ‘thrill-kill’,” said Lt. Richard Danley, law enforcement supervisor for the Game Commission ... “It is unusual to have this many...


Dogs trained to sniff out chronic wasting disease in Pennsylvania May 22, 2023 abc27

... “ ...we’re training these dogs to detect chronic wasting disease in deer feces. We’re in the kind of research phase,” said Brenna Babiy, a Conservation K9 Supervisor/Handler...


Pennsylvania's Estimated Deer Kill May 18, 2023 Morrisons Cove Herald

... the “claimed harvest of 422,960 whitetails is so far beyond the realm of scientific possibility that it’s not even worthy of a debate with the agency.” ,,, this harvest figure would require a population of more than two million deer... this means “there would have to be 48-59 deer per square mile on every square mile of agricultural and forest lands or 38-47 deer per square mile of land area in the state, including the city streets of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia…"


Upper Makefield Police Relocate Fawn From Busy Township Roadway May 16, 2023 Pennsylvania, Patch

... "The traffic was zooming past this baby only inches away from her adorable face ... We were able to move the deer to a safer place, near where she was left, where she bedded down again, and where Mom will be able to find her upon her return."


Afield: New elk research in PA shows lower calf survival rate than previously thought May 14, 2023 Pennsylvania, AOL

... “We had spontaneous abortions, five calves dead at birth — one of those appeared to be accidental trauma, and in two additional cases, the cow died while giving birth. These types of calf deaths are relatively undocumented in free ranging elk.”.. Quite different from the results of the previous study, only 63% of the calves survived through their first year, and predation was the leading cause of mortality ..,


Deer farmer grows rare piebalds on his Pennsylvania property May 11, 2023 USA Today

... four deer, including three piebald deer at their home... a rare genetic abnormality that includes patches of white fur on different parts of their bodies... It’s not a profitable position. You have to be really big, have big herds, be able to sell the semen or be able to sell the deer. ...


Pennsylvania deer hunters will have 147,000 more antlerless deer licenses, 34 fewer elk April 18, 2023 YAHOO!News

... The agency plans to issue 1,095,000 antlerless deer licenses across the state for the 2023-24 hunting seasons, which is up from the 948,000 licenses issued for 2022-23. The antlerless deer and elk allocations are based on scientific data and tailored to meet population objectives within each WMU and elk hunt zone..,


Commissions provide 2022 reports April 14, 2023 Pennsylvania, The Sentinel

... Pennsylvania is home to about 1,400 elk. Almost 200 hunters each year get a chance to pursue elk that for decades were absent from the state...


Changes coming to Pennsylvania deer licenses April 13, 2023 abc27

... The proposed purchasing process would allow hunters to buy antlerless licenses for 2023-24 online at huntfish.pa.gov or in-store at any hunting license issuing agency...


Pennsylvania Game Commission Releases Deer Harvest Estimates March 30 2023 PGC News

...  Game Commission Deer and Elk Section Supervisor David Stainbrook said that’s noteworthy because the buck harvest is considered a good indicator of the overall deer population trend. If the buck harvest is climbing, the deer population likely is, too. If it’s dropping, the population probably mirrors that. If it’s stable, the population likely is as well, though, if hunter numbers are declining, a stable antlered harvest trend may actually indicate an increasing population trend.

     “The long-term buck harvest trend indicates Pennsylvania’s deer population is in a pretty good place right now,” Stainbrook said. “We see generally stable population trends in most of the state, near goal levels, and we are seeing more older bucks available for harvest.  “For five years running, about one of every four Pennsylvania hunters has tagged a buck ... reported results ...


Deer harvest in 2022-23 season up 12% from previous year, Game Commission says March 30, 2023 Pennsylvania, Penn Live

... Hunters harvested an estimated 422,960 white-tailed deer - 164,190 buck and 258,770 antlerless.  In 2021-22 the harvest was estimated at 376,810 deer...  [see the report, PDF]


Pennsylvania deer hunting numbers down in 2021-22; larger deer reported March 28, 2023 ABC27

... According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s annual report, the estimated total of white-tailed deer harvested during the 2021-22 season was 376,810. That estimate was down from the more than 435,000 harvested in 2020-21 and more than 389,000 harvested the season prior...


Lancaster County man's trophy buck YouTube video leads to charges, fines for illegal hunting March 27, 2023 Pennsylvania, Lancaster Online

... A Gordonville man has pleaded guilty to illegally killing a large buck over bait in Chester County last fall.  And you can watch the whole hunt for the deer on YouTube...


About 600 wild deer to get GPS collars in southcentral Pennsylvania February 15, 2023 Erie Times-News

...  part of a research project involving Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) ...  “It will give us insight into the effects of CWD on Pennsylvania’s deer population.” ...


Projects Explore CWD in Pennsylvania February 7, 2023 Pennsylvania Game Commission

... . Several research initiatives launching this year aim to increase understanding of CWD and develop tools to confront it.  The first project will look at the impact of CWD on deer in Bedford and Fulton counties, which have produced about 90% of known CWD-positive deer since the disease’s discovery in Pennsylvania in 2012...


Deer browsing is just one of many factors shaping North American forests January 31, 2023 Pennsylvania, Phys.org

... estimated deer density of about 18–31 deer per square mile ... "In this study, deer had no discernible influence on height growth or survival of either sugar maple or ash seedlings," he said. "The truth is that seedlings in Northern hardwood forests respond to a complex of environmental factors in addition to deer herbivory, such as light availability, soil quality and competition from understory vegetation like blackberry." [ Marc McDill, Penn State associate professor of forest management,  recently published in Forest Ecology and Management]


Pennsylvania Game Commission Begins Testing Deer in Bucks County for Dangerous Chemicals January 24, 2023 BUCKSCO.Today

...  testing the local deer population for PFSAs and PFSOs ... Also known as “forever chemicals” ...


Doe tags, antlerless deer licenses in Pennsylvania go on sale in June January 22, 2023 GoErie.com

... For more than four decades, county treasurers offices were the only place hunters could purchase a doe tag... Starting in June, hunters can purchase antlerless deer licenses at all locations that sell licenses, including county treasurers, sport shops and online...


Growths on deer spotted in North Huntingdon are likely papillomavirus, Game Commission says January 13, 2023 Pennsylvania, TribLIVE.com

...  deer covered in fibromas... growths on the skin caused by viruses ... not contagious between deer or to humans. Fibromas can become dangerous if they grow too close to a deer’s eyes or mouth. If the animal can’t see and becomes too disoriented, it could unknowingly wander onto a road...


Afield: Pennsylvania’s bear population is down, fewer harvested this season December 24, 2022  Centre Daily Times

... Pennsylvania’s black bear population peaked about four years ago, estimated at over 20,000 bears, and stayed that way until 2020, when it began dropping. This year, the Pennsylvania Game Commission projected fewer than 16,000 bears in the state..,


Pennsylvania ranks sixth in the nation for most animal collisions December 13, 2022 Fox43.com

... According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), there were more than 5,700 deer-related crashes in 2021, up from almost 5,600 in 2020...


Pennsylvania's deer season shift a tradeoff in boosting licenses and preserving tradition December 12, 2022 The Center Square

...  While general hunting licenses have dropped from 644,000 in 2011 to 550,000 in 2021 and have trended downward, resident antlerless deer licenses have gone up to 897,000 in 2021 from 843,000 in 2011, and increased overall since 2015... The addition of a weekend start to deer hunting season has given hunters more opportunities ...


Venison butchers dwindling in region December 11, 2022 Pennsylvania, Altoona Mirror

... Venison processing is a central part of deer harvesting, and area butchers are looking for new ways to keep the business afloat while the hunting tradition dwindles...


Community outraged over albino deer killed in Fayette County December 7, 2022 Pennsylvania, CBS News

... a Perryopolis man is facing state game violations after he allegedly killed the deer out of season... A community in Fayette County is mourning a beloved animal ...


Pennsylvania Poacher Found with Remains of 37 Bucks on His Property November 29, 2022 Field & Stream

... Frantz is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a 2000 burglary conviction and already had a history of game violations ... Pennsylvania is home to approximately 1.5 million deer...


PHOTOS: Several deer rescued from frozen lake in Cambria County November 28, 2022 Pennsylvania, WTAJ Altoona

... First responders successfully saved the lives of three deer that were trapped in the icy water of Duman Lake in Barr Township ...


Pennsylvania's firearms deer season underway November 27, 2022 YAHOO!News

... David Stainbrook, Deer and Elk Management Section Supervisor for the Game Commission, said one way to measure trends is to look at the buck harvest per square mile. That's a good general barometer of deer population abundance... Buck harvests over the decade averaged 3.2 per square mile, right in keeping with last year's take...


Rifle season for deer begins Saturday in Pennsylvania  November 26, 2022 The Sentinel

... hard mast, specifically acorns, that are favored by deer is very sporadic this year. He said multiple regions of the state report poor acorn crops this fall, which could be blamed on consecutive years of heavy, spongy moth defoliation coupled with drought.

.. Pennsylvania’s firearms deer season draws more than 600,000 hunters ...


Pitt study recommends lead-content advisories on venison donated to food banks November 26, 2022 Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

... A University of Pittsburgh report on lead fragmentation in hunted deer, published in September in the American Journal of Public Health, was billed as the first study specifically focused on the presence of lead particles in venison donated by hunters to organizations that provide food to low income families... There is no safe level of lead in the human body...


Deer firearms season begins Saturday November 25, 2022 Pennsylvania, Yahoo

... "The acorn crop is kind of sparse," ... foresters blame several consecutive years of heavy spongy moth defoliation as well as drought-like conditions this year for the lack of acorn production, regardless of elevation...


Deer Rescue Interrupts Annual Lower Southampton Turkey Bowl: Video November 25, 2022 Pennsylvania, Patch

... a deer stuck in a fence. Members left the game and R6 responded to assist the officer with getting the uninjured doe free. WATCH THE RESCUE...


Pennsylvania's Firearms Deer Season to Kick Off Saturday November 22, 2022 Pennsylvania Pressroom - PA.GOV

... “Pennsylvania’s firearms deer season draws more than 600,000 hunters to Penn’s Woods every year and it’s not hard to see why,” said Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans. “A productive deer herd that, thanks to antler point restrictions, includes a high proportion of adult bucks, spread out across the Commonwealth ..."


Antlerless deer licenses face a major makeover November 17, 2022 Pennsylvania, Bradford Era

...  Senate Bill 431, which would allow hunters to buy antlerless licenses through the HuntFishPA automated licensing service, was signed into law last week. When it takes effect in the 2023-24 license year, antlerless licenses will be available for purchase online or in person at any license issuing agent...


Wildlife expert Gary Alt paid a price for healthier Pa. deer herd, but he says it was worth it October 31, 2022 Pennsylvania, Bradford Era

... The change Alt and his team would push for was a better overall balance in deer numbers for the habitat that was there to sustain them. What that meant was harvesting more antlerless deer than ever before — almost a blasphemy to many in the hunting culture of Pennsylvania ...


Pennsylvania elk hunting season starts next week October 28, 2022  ABC27

... Pennsylvania’s annual elk-license drawing which included more than 56,000 people this year...  This year 101 of the 178 Pennsylvania elk licenses are valid for the general season...


Bill to sell antlerless deer licenses online passes October 27, 2022 Pennsylvania, WNEP

... A bill allowing hunters to apply for doe licenses online passed the Pennsylvania House on Wednesday.  Currently, antlerless licenses are only sold through mail-in applications...


Pa Senate approves easier access to antlerless deer hunting license October 27, 2022 Pennsylvania, WTAJ Altoona

... The state House of Representatives approved Senator Dan Laughlin’s legislation which removes county treasures as the sole provider of antlerless tags. This change will then include all sellers authorized by the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) through the Pennsylvania Automated Licensing System, including online sales, to provide antlerless tags...


White Township wisely halted deer management issue for the current hunting season October 21, 2022 Pennsylvania, Indianagazette.com

... Residents raised a number of concerns regarding the bow hunting plan, from its lack of public input (false) and unclear objectives and goals (somewhat true) to unresolved property and safety considerations (true)...


20 years of antler restrictions have changed deer harvest October 20, 2022 Pennsylvania, Centre County Gazette

... From 1985 through 2001, an average of only 19% of the bucks harvested were two-and-a-half years old or older... During the first year of the stricter antler regulations, that percentage of older bucks in the harvest jumped to 32%, 44% the following year and then 50% in 2004... Another significant jump occurred in 2018, when the percentage of older bucks in the harvest hit 64%, and the percentage has stayed in the 60s through last season...


Hunters reminded of CWD regulations October 20, 2022 Pennsylvania, Courier Express

... Pennsylvania first detected CWD in 2012 at a captive deer facility in Adams County. The Game Commission has since tested more than 118,000 wild, free-ranging whitetails and more than 1,700 elk for CWD.  To date, CWD has been found in about 1,000 deer. It has not been detected in Pennsylvania’s elk herd..,


Park service plans deer management through March October 16, 2022, Pennsylvania, Gettysburg Times

...  lethal removal of white-tailed deer ... In June of 2017 the Pennsylvania Game Commission designated a new Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Management Area which includes a portion of Gettysburg National Military Park ...


Deer management season under way in Franklin Park, McCandless and Ross October 15, 2022 Pennsylvania, TribLIVE.com

... “We always have a waiting list of hunters. The real problem is having enough landowners open up their property to access for hunting,” ... The company has been conducting hunts in McCandless since 2021, in Ross Township since 2020 and Franklin Park since 2019 ...


It's peak time of year for deer collisions October 14, 2022 Pennsylvania, Indiana Gazette

... In 2020, there were more than 5,581 deer related crashes in Pennsylvania, according to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Moreover, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there are about 1 million car accidents with deer each year ...


Deer Urine Ban Fails, Pennsylvania Game Commission Board Split on Issue October 6, 2022 Pennsylvania, Lancaster Farming

... Debate over the use of deer attractants and the risk of spreading chronic wasting disease continues to linger with the Pennsylvania Game Commission, but the board isn’t ready to implement a statewide ban on the products... The board voted 4-4 on the proposal... 


Crews rescue deer that had fallen into large construction hole September 25, 2022 Pennylvania, 

WTAE-TV

... Rescue crews estimated the deer fell 40 feet...  it's broken off an antler ... The process included sedating the deer, before strapping it up and loading it onto a deer rack...


Statewide Ban on Urine-based Deer Attractant Fails to Advance September 24, 2022 Pennylvania, PGC News

     The proposed statewide ban on the use and field possession of urine-based deer attractants and other cervid excretions failed to gain majority support from the Board of Commissioners, meaning it will advance no further toward adoption at this time.  The Board of Commissioners was split 4-4 on whether to move the proposal toward final adoption...


Whitehall, Some Whitehall residents fighting against deer management program  September 16, 2022 Pennsylvania, CBS News

... Kenezevich and neighbors have been selling and delivering signs to other concerned residents. About 50 have been sold so far. She hopes to gain enough support to convince the borough to consider other methods such as contraceptives, but leaders say this is the least effective and economic option...


Dead deer at Middle Creek suspected victims of hemorrhagic disease September 8, 2022 Pennsylvania, Penn Live

... At least four dead deer have been found, leading to the cancellation of this year’s archery hunt ... EHD and bluetongue are both transmitted through bites from tiny insects called biting midges...


Movement of white‐tailed deer in contrasting landscapes influences management of chronic wasting disease The Journal of Wildlife Management, 2022

...  We observed 21% of female and 58% of male yearlings disperse from their apparent natal home range in Minnesota, while in Pennsylvania 4% of female and 68% of male yearlings dispersed. We also documented 20% of females and 6% of males migrated between seasonal home ranges in Minnesota, while in Pennsylvania no females and 5% of males migrated. The average distance deer dispersed or migrated in Minnesota was 20 km and 11 km, respectively, while in Pennsylvania male deer dispersed only about 4 km. Both sexes in Minnesota tended to disperse in a consistent, westerly direction ...


Alleghany National Forest extends wildlife feeding restriction due to Chronic Waste Disease August 30, 2022 Pennsylvania, WTAJ

... The order prohibits feeding wildlife or laying or placing any food, fruit, hay, grain, chemical, salt, or other minerals in the Forest... On May 26, 2021, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture confirmed that a captive white-tailed deer on a Warren County hunting preserve tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)...


Elk cam back for another season August 25, 2022 Pennsylvania, PGC News

... The Game Commission again has installed a camera on State Game Lands 311 in Elk County, in a field that typically is a hub of elk activity as the bugling season heats up. Video and sound from the camera are being livestreamed at www.pgc.pa.gov, and viewers can expect not only to see elk, but turkeys, deer and other wildlife, as well...


New CWD-positive leads to DMA 2 expansion August 22, 2022  Pennsylvania, PGC News

... The deer, an adult female, was found in Upper Mifflin Township in Cumberland County. As a result, DMA 2 is expanding east into more of Cumberland, Adams and York counties..,


Pa. reported an increase in deer-related wrecks last year August 22, 2022 Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Inquirer

... The state Department of Transportation reported 5,726 such crashes in 2021, compared to 5,586 in 2020 ... Allegheny County saw the most crashes last year with 321. ...


National Park Service hires sharpshooters to reduce deer herds; animal activists upset  August 18, 2022 Pennsylvania, Lancaster Online

... The hard truth, many wildlife officials and game managers say, is that humans have only themselves to blame for needing these unpopular lethal control methods. That’s because residential areas, farms and fields are vastly better habitat for deer than wilderness.  “Deer are attracted to suburbs for the same reason as people,” notes the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s A Guide to Community ...


Deadline approaches for antlerless deer and elk licenses in PA. July 28, 2022 Pennsylvania,  GoErie.com

... The Pennsylvania Game Commission has 178 elk licenses ... The state has about 1,400 wild elk ... In 2021, about 53,000 sportsmen paid for about 99,000 applications at $11.97 each for the 187 tags...


“Deer & Tater Tots” : Union Township entrepreneur going viral with pet deer  July 5, 2022, Pennsylvania, WFMZ-TV

... "I posted a couple videos they went viral. I kept doing it, they kept going viral and now I'm sitting at 1.8 million followers,” ... Pip says his pet deer and the viral TikTok videos help to promote his food truck ...


Pennsylvania's annual doe-tag lottery starts July 11 July 3, 2022 Lancaster Online

... There are 948,000 antlerless licenses up for grabs this year – up from the 925,000 allocated last year... Hunters last year shot an estimated 231,490 antlerless deer. There were 925,000 antlerless licenses issued, but there also were tens of thousands of Deer Management Assistance Permits sold ...


Southcentral Pennsylvania area continues as No. 1 chronic wasting disease area June 6, 2022 Pennsylvania, PennLive.com

... most of the deer that tested positive for CWD in the 2021-22 hunting season came from DMA 2 in southcentral Pennsylvania.  That area, where CWD is considered to be established within the deer population, has produced nearly 90 percent of Pennsylvania’s CWD-positives since the disease first was detected in the state in 2012...


PA Game Commission Updates Public on CWD Surveillance June 3, 2022 Pennsylvania, PGC News

... Since July 1, 2021, the Game Commission has collected more than 11,000 CWD samples from deer. Hunters across five Disease Management Areas (DMAs) submitted more than 5,000 of those samples. More than 2,900 samples were collected from processors as part of the Game Commission’s statewide surveillance efforts.  Of the number sampled, CWD was detected in a total of 253 deer ...


Containing CWD poses unique challenges May 21, 2022 Pennsylvania, The Courier 

...  There’s also a voluntary herd certification program. Most of the state’s 723 captive shooting facilities participate, but a total of 35 herds have been found CWD-positive, and the numbers are climbing... Eighteen of those areas still house live deer ..,


Group Seeks Transfer of Deer Farm Oversight Away from Ag Department May 12, 2022 Pennsylvania, Lancaster Farming

... “The Game Commission has the biological and law enforcement staff necessary for captive deer shooting facility oversight, and full authority over these facilities would help protect the state’s wild deer resource and the $1.6 billion that hunting contributes to Pennsylvania’s economy annually,” ... Kip Adams, NDA’s chief conservation officer ...


Video Below:  PA Deer Farmers Association- Education on Regulatory overview through the Department of Ag.  May 4, 2022 Pennsylvania.

Should the Game Commission regulate captive deer shoots? April 29, 2022 Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

... The National Deer Association is urging the Pennsylvania legislature to strip the Department of Agriculture of its oversight of the state’s captive deer shooting facilities and transfer control to the Game Commission... new CWD management area was created when the fatal deer disease was detected at a fenced deer farm ...


CWD Has Been Detected in 35 Captive Shooting Facilities in Pennsylvania, But More Than Half Still Have Deer. What Gives?  April 29, 2022 Outdoor Life

...“Of the seven disease management areas we have in the state, five of those have been started because of CWD being found in a captive facility,” ... The state of Pennsylvania has 723 captive shooting facilities. Of those facilities, 10 in the voluntary program and 25 in the mandatory program are now CWD-positive. Of those 35 captive facilities with instances of CWD, 18 still have deer on them..,


Monroe butcher shop charged with buying and selling game April 23, 2022 Pennsylvania, Times News

... An undercover agent made several purchases of meat products from the business, which tested positive for whitetail deer.  Many of these products were mixed, ground and blended with other meats and spices to form a final sale product...


Deer Appear to be in the Clear for Forever Chemicals April 23, 2022 Pennsylvania, Lancaster Farming

... The Pennsylvania Game Commission sampled 27 deer from Tyler State Park in the southeastern part of the state...  no forever chemicals were detected beyond the reporting limit...


Lower Merion reports over 150 deer taken out in latest round of deer culling April 22, 2022 Pennsylvania, Main Line

... Since the program began in 2009, 1,565 deer have been removed from the township after a total of 82 days of culling...


Highlights from Today's Pennsylvania Commissioners' Meeting April 21, 2022 The Sentinel

...The board voted to allocate 948,000 antlerless deer licenses statewide, which is up from the 925,000 licenses allocated for 2021-21... The board also voted to issue 178 elk licenses (60 antlered, 118 antlerless) across three 2022-23 seasons...


Deer farmers work to breed deer less susceptible to CWD (Chronic Wasting Disease) April 20, 2022 Pennsylvania, Erie Times-News

... With the aid of CWD genomic susceptibility testing ... deer farms across Pennsylvania and the country are working at breakneck speeds to sample their herds, remove the high susceptibility animals and keep and breed the low susceptibility animals ...


Newly Detected CWD-Positives Lead to New DMA Expansions April 11, 2022 Pennsylvania, PGC News 

... CWD recently was detected at a captive facility in Lycoming County. The newly established DMA includes portions of Lycoming, Northumberland, Montour, Columbia and Sullivan counties, and will be about 460 square miles in size. This DMA represents the fifth DMA to be created due to a captive facility...


Deer farms bristle at claims that they spread CWD April 1, 2022 Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

... In March, Kip Adams, the Pennsylvania-based chief conservation officer for the nonprofit National Deer Alliance, told the Governor’s Advisory Council on Hunting, Fishing and Conservation that transporting captive white-tailed deer among the farms is one of the root causes for the spread of CWD among wild herds...


Game Commission Releases Deer Harvest Estimates March 24, 2022 Pennsylvania, PGC News

... Hunters harvested an estimated 376,810 white-tailed deer. The statewide buck harvest was estimated at 145,320 and the antlerless harvest at 231,490.  That take, overall, is down about 13 percent compared to 2020-21, when hunters recorded the largest deer harvest in 16 years, harvesting an estimated 435,180 deer. It is, however, similar to the estimated statewide deer harvests during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons..,


Pennsylvania Deer Keep Jumping to Death From Bridge in 'disturbing' Scenes March 23,  Newsweek

... Pennsylvania has a population of about 1.5 million white-tailed deer... A total of 25 deer have jumped from the U.S. 219 bypass in Johnsonburg ..,


Game warden frees trapped deer by shooting antler off in PA March 22, 2022 Pennsylvania, Charlotte Observer

...  game warden Ryan Zawada arrived to find a buck stuck in a net by an antler ... given the fear and stress it was already under, Zawada worried the chemical option might induce a heart attack...


Raining deer? Residents want action as deer keep falling to their deaths in Pennsylvania March 17, 2022 KGAN

..."As you can see in the background, there's a deer that have jumped off this bypass,” explained resident Bill Boylan, referring to the US-219 bypass that runs through the town. “Recently, since we lived on the other side of the bypass, we've had 25 deer jump to their death in a populated area...


Pa. Game Commission in Somerset files charges in 'thrill killing' of over a dozen deer March 11, 2022 Pennsylania, YAHOO!News

... An investigation found that the three had killed 19 deer in Addison, Lower Turkeyfoot and Somerset townships, including one incident where a deer was dragged behind a vehicle in late 2020 ...


Game Commission Delivers Annual Report to Legislature February 23, 2022 Pennsylvania,  PGC News

... The resurgence of our elk population is a conservation success story that has also created some amazing hunting opportunities. Today, the Commonwealth is home to approximately 1,400 elk...

read the annual report ..,


Red Tag deer program starts soon in PA, regulations may soon change January 27, 2022 Pennsylvania, Erie Times-New

... most of the hunting is done in February... allows hunters to help farmers address their crop damage ...  If approved, hunters would be allowed to have four permits and be able to keep all the deer they harvested. Current regulations involve just one deer per person...


Pennsylvania testing deer in Bucks County for PFAS January 18, 2022 Philadelphia Tribune

...  looking for evidence of what are known as PFAS, a group of manufacturing chemicals typically found in nonstick cookware, firefighting foam, and fast-food wrappers ...  may issue a “do not eat” advisory for deer in Tyler State Park ...


Rare 'piebald' deer known for unusual markings find home with Pennsylvania family as pets January 6, 2022 YAHOO!News

... a family in northeastern Pennsylvania discovered deer can be great pets, too...a young deer was made available about 11 years ago through a petting zoo ... receiving the proper permitting through Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture ...


Peters Township, Approvals granted for deer sharpshooting program in Peters Township December 29, 2021 Pennsylvania,  Observer-Reporter

... “The township has engaged in an archery program to cull deer since 2008, and that program, alone, has not effectively controlled the deer population. To me, the logical next step is the sharpshooter program,” ... Archery kills generally have numbered between 50 and 60 annually ...


Rain puts damper on firearms finale December 14, 2021 Pennsylvania,  indianagazette.com

... Much of my experience this fall indicated an unhealthy buck-to-doe ratio, which is detrimental to the herd’s health. With so many doe, some are not bred during the initial rut and come into estrus a second time. These late-bred doe then have fawns later in the spring when conditions are less-than-ideal and the fawns will be inferior...


Pennsylvania hunting calendar changes have increased license sales November 29, 2021 Pennsylvania News Today

... Hunting license sales in Pennsylvania have been declining each year since 2014, but have increased from 855,486 in the 2018-19 season to 887,221 in 2020-21 ... For hunters over the age of 49, 48% said the addition of Sunday was very important or important, and 12% said it was rather important...


Abundant whitetails, increased flexibility this season  November 23, 2021 Pennsylvania, Williamsport Sun-Gazette

...  deer populations remain stable across most of the state’s 23 Wildlife Management Units (WMUs)... The number of antlerless tags available this season was reduced in many WMUs compared to last to account for the additional days of antlerless hunting..,


Thompson Introduces Bill to Aid With Chronic Wasting Costs October 29, 2021 Pennsylvania, Lancaster Farming

... The Chronic Wasting Disease Research and Management Act would authorize $35 million annually for USDA to work with state wildlife and agriculture departments to manage chronic wasting.  Another $35 million would be allotted for research on the disease ...


Newly Detected CWD-Positive Leads to DMA3 Expansion and a New DMA October 22, 2021 Pennsylvania, Game Commission News

      A CWD-positive deer recently detected in Jefferson County has led to new regulations to reduce the risk of the disease spreading... Detection of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in a road-killed deer on the northern boundary of DMA3 prompted these changes. The adult male was collected as part of ongoing CWD surveillance efforts..,



Newly Detected CWD-Positive Leads to DMA3 Expansion and a New DMA October 22, 2021 Pennsylvania, Game Commission News

      A CWD-positive deer recently detected in Jefferson County has led to new regulations to reduce the risk of the disease spreading... Detection of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in a road-killed deer on the northern boundary of DMA3 prompted these changes. The adult male was collected as part of ongoing CWD surveillance efforts..,


Deer management program to run at Gettysburg National Military Park, Eisenhower National Historic Site October 5, 2021 Pennsylvania, WGAL Lancaster-Harrisburg

... Hunting is not allowed inside the two parks; only qualified federal employees will take part. United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services will be doing the work ... 


 Deer season set to open; archers first into the woods Oct. 2 September 25, 2021 Pennsylvania, Yahoo News

... Although just 1.3% of deer tested last year by the PGC were positive for CWD, hunters are warned to not take their chances in what they have labeled the Established Area (EA) in the core of DMA 2. One of seven hunter-harvested deer there tested positive...


Pennsylvania Game Commission warns public about chronic wasting disease September 22, 2021  YourErie.com

... Since 2012, chronic wasting disease has been detected in 730 white-tailed deer in Pennsylvania... There are four disease management areas across the state. The newest was created this year and covers 212 square miles within Warren County ..,


Pennsylvania creates 35 secret sanctuaries to protect rare plants  September 20, 2021 The Chesapeake Bay Journal

... Plants such as glade spurge, white monkshood and mountain pimpernel have wire cages placed over them to keep deer from munching them ... To guard against poaching, the agency isn’t revealing the locations ...


Peters Township considering adding sharpshooting to deer culling effort September 17, 2021 Pennsylvania, Post-Gazette

... “The archery program has been pretty steady from the inception as to its impact on the deer population,” ... the archers in the program have dwindled from about 50 at the start to about 30 and said some of the archers only kill one or two deer per season...


Reading to consider thinning white-tailed deer population September 13, 2021 WFMZ-TV

... the U.S. Department of Agriculture will be conducting a controlled, nonpublic hunt for the deer in the mountain areas around Antietam Lake Park...


 Doe licenses remain in several parts of the state; hunters can hold six tags August 31, 2021  GoErie.com

... The Pennsylvania Game Commission made a total of 925,000 antlerless deer licenses available, which is slightly down from 932,000 in 2020...


Deer Disfigured by Facial Warts, Shown in Viral Video, Could Be Put Down August 27, 2021 Pennsylvania, Newsweek

...  as the deer turns to face her, revealing its features almost completely obscured by the fleshy lumps. It's eyes are no longer visible amid the growths, while its nose and mouth have also been engulfed by warts... The disease is typically referred to as deer warts ...


Lyme disease, vehicle crashes bring deer management program back to West Hills August 23, 2021 Pennsylvania, The Tribune-Democrat

... There’s no study of how many deer may be in the West Hills, but the program presumes overpopulation... For lethal control to be effective, however, 40% of antlerless deer in the area would have to be killed, Norman said. ...


Forget binoculars, Pa. Game Commission’s ‘Elk Cam’ goes live August 12, 2021 Pennsylvania, abc27.com

... The camera itself is located on State Game Lands 311 in Elk County... 


Pa. Game Commission receives record number of elk applications August 5, 2021 Pennsylvania, GoErie.com

... The wild elk population is estimated at 1,400 to 1,500 animals in northcentral Pennsylvania... “Elk license applications are up by more than 25% this year – 99,448 compared to 79,412,” ..,


Two men sentenced after video shows a deer being tortured in Bradford County July 30, 2021 Pennsylvania, WETM - MyTwinTiers.com

... hit a deer while driving his employer’s truck ... a video showed one of them cutting off the leg of a live deer ...


Highlights from Today's Commisioner's Meeting July 24, 2021 Pennsylvania, Governor Tom Wolf

...  a host of changes that will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Agricultural Deer Control Program ... An individual hunter no longer would be limited to obtaining one permit ... “The Agricultural Deer Control Program is designed to allow farmers to manage the deer populations on their property,” ...


Ban on feeding animals proposed in Allegheny National Forest July 19, 2021 Pennsylvania, Erie Times-News

...  a captive white-tailed deer on a Warren County hunting preserve tested positive for CWD... Agencies believe the feeding of deer can amplify the transmission of diseases like CWD... [see proposal, public comment until August 13]


Changes proposed to Game Commission's red tag deer program  July 19, 2021 Pennsylvania, Erie Times-News

... The red tag program allows antlerless deer to be harvested during late winter and summer... Remove public access requirement and signage requirements... limit to four permits per person ...


When the fawns feel the constant danger, they seem almost relaxed July 15, 2021 Pennsylvania, Florida News Times

... “Less than half of the white-tailed deer fawns live to see their first birthday, and many are killed by predators such as coyotes. Asiatic black bear And Bobcat. The fawn instinctively “knows that they are in constant danger.” ... In areas with many predators and people, the fawn seems to be relaxing instead of hypervigilance, ... “They burn out like constant stress,”  ...


What Hunters Should Know about 2020-21 Antlerless Licenses July 6, 2021 Pennsylvania, PGC News

... The total number of antlerless licenses has been reduced from 932,000 to 925,000 for 2021-22, meaning licenses could sell out at a faster pace this year. But where licenses remain, hunters in many cases can apply for more of them than they did in years past.  Hunters now can hold up to six unfilled antlerless licenses at a time, and can apply for additional licenses as they harvest deer and report them...


Pa. Game Commission Increases Transaction Fees, Raising Cost of Antlerless Deer License July 2, 2021 Pennsylvania, Erie News Now

... The Pennsylvania Game Commission has increased transaction fees, raising the cost of an antlerless deer license, Erie County announced Friday.  t's now $6.97 for Pennsylvania residents, and $26.97 for a non-resident...


Mt. Lebanon ready to renew deer hunting program June 25, 2021 Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

... Mt. Lebanon’s deer management program has been in existence since 2015-16 and since then, a total of 598 deer have been removed ... has spent $279,000 on the deer management program ...


Chronic wasting disease takes hold in Bay states' deer June 21, 2021 Pennsylvania, The Chesapeake Bay Journal

... Pennsylvania ...has been particularly aggressive in thinning out deer populations to stop the spread in four affected areas in the state since CWD was first found there in 2012.  Yet, during hunting seasons last fall, the incidence of reported CWD rose in one disease management area to 14% of all deer shot, up from 8% the previous year..,


CWD has been detected in Warren County May 26, 2021 Pennsylvania, Erie Times-News

... a confirmed positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in a white-tailed deer on a Warren County hunting preserve. Remaining deer were euthanized and all tested negative for the disease...

 

More deer hunting opportunities will lower spread of CWD in Pennsylvania May 6, 2021 Pennsylvania, Erie Times-News 

... What has proved successful is reducing the deer herd through increased hunting opportunities and banning feeding and baiting deer and using attractants that lead to deer congregating together...


Deer disease meetings set to begin Wednesday May 3, 2021 Pennsylvania, pennlive.com

... CWD first was detected in Pennsylvania in 2012, and nearly 700 CWD-positive deer have been documented in the state since.  Chronic wasting disease rate in hunters’ deer climbs to 14 percent in Pennsylvania’s hardest hit area ..,


PA 2020 buck kill and license sales; 2021 elk license breakdown; deer hunting firearms changes April 26, 2021 Pennsylvania, Lancaster Online

...  deer harvest of 435,180 was up 12 percent over the 2019-20 kill ...the license categories that spurred the increase was a jump in the sale of resident adult licenses, which climbed from 558,916 in 2019 to 572,680 this past year..,


Killing white deer rejected in DNR Spring Hearings April 19, 2021 Pennsylvania, WQOW

... in the DNR Spring Hearings ... participants voted against allowing hunters to harvest white deer, which have dark eyes, hooves, and noses...


Rare species of deer born at Keystone Safari April 19, 2021 Pennsylvania, WFMJ

... Grove City, PA is home to two of the newest Pere David's Deer in the world, which add to a growing population of this species that was once extinct in the wild for over 100 years...


Pennsylvania Deer Management Update Spring 2021 April 15, 2021 DEC Video

...  deer populations are stable in most of our management units ... green in the map below indicates rising population, red indicates declining ..,

Chronic wasting disease rate in hunters’ deer climbs to 14 percent in Pennsylvania’s hardest hit area  April 13, 2021 MSN

... The part of CWD Management Area 2 known as the Established Area – Bedford, Blair and Fulton counties – that exhibited that increase has produced nearly 90 percent of Pennsylvania’s CWD positives since the disease was first detected there in 2012..,


Highlights from Today's Commissioners Meeting April 10, 2021 Pennsylvania, Governor Tom Wolf

... In adopting a statewide concurrent season, the board noted allowing antlerless deer hunting throughout the season is not intended to increase the antlerless harvest. Deer populations are managed through the allocation of antlerless licenses. On average, one antlerless deer is harvested for every four antlerless deer licenses allocated...


Pennsylvania might expand disease management area for deer; 212 positives found April 8, 2021 Erie Times-News 

... Bedford County had 111 of the state’s total of 212 detections of CWD during the 2020-21 hunting seasons. That’s more than half of all the positive tests discovered in the state. Last year, Bedford had 97 deer test positive for the disease..,


CWD-positive deer found on Beltrami County farm April 7, 2021 Pennsylvania, Bring Me The News

... The investigation stemmed from a Houston County farm where CWD was detected in October 2020... Through contact tracing, the board learned the farm owner in Beltrami County had purchased 11 animals from that same Winona County farm...


Pennsylvania sets new deer hunting record April 4, 2021 Fox News

... As is the case with many other states, the ongoing pandemic seemingly contributed to higher than average interest in hunting over the past few months, which resulted in the state setting a new record..,


Game Commission releases deer harvest report April 2, 2021 Pennsylvania, Observer-Reporter

... In the 2020-21 deer seasons, the Game Commission set the antlerless allocations at levels to reduce the deer population in Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) where chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been documented, as part of its ongoing effort to limit the spread of the disease, and the antlerless harvest increased in these WMUs as intended ..,


Pennsylvania Hunters Take More than 435K Deer in 2020-21 Season April 2, 2021 PGC Report

... Pennsylvania hunters took an estimated 435,180 deer in the 2020-21 hunting season ... topped the previous license year’s harvest of 389,431 by about 12 percent   ...  all-time deer harvest of 517,529 was set in 2002..,


Pennsylvania considers making doe licenses available online in addition to mail-in system April 1, 2021 Erie Times-News

... For more than four decades, hunters have been mailing envelopes to apply for antlerless (doe) licenses through county treasurers... County treasurers receive $1 for each license they process...


Young white-tailed deer that disperse survive the same as those that stay home March 8, 2021 Pennsylvania, Phys.org

...  radio-collared hundreds of Pennsylvania deer over the last 20 years,  ... about three of every four young, male white-tailed deer disperse, with yearling female dispersal rates much lower...  survival rates of dispersers—males 49.9%, females 64.0%—did not differ appreciably from those of nondispersers—males 51.6%, females 70.7%. ...


Elk, Pa.’s largest wild animal, have become a tourism boom in the northwest part of the state March 5, 2021 Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Inquirer

... “I know, it’s hard to imagine, but cars were backed up for miles,” said Janice Stiffler, the new owner of the Benezett Store, Campground and Restaurant. “It was crazy nuts. But a good crazy.” ...


Chronic Wasting Disease:  Pennsylvania Annual Report  March 3, 2021, PGC Report

... We still anticipate some additional samples through the collection of road-killed deer and clinical suspects. Of the samples collected so far this year, 196 were positive for CWD. In comparison, a total of 15,822 samples were collected last year, of which 206 were positive for CWD. Working with Wildlife Futures, we launched a CWD visualization tool to allow hunters and the public to view results from our testing efforts based on location. We are confident that by working with hunters and our conservation partners on implementing these strategies we can limit the spread of this disease, and in so doing, ensure thriving deer and elk populations for future generations..,


 Adjusting antlerless allocations will maintain target goal during concurrent deer seasons February 25, 2021, Pensylvania, Wilkes-Barre Citizens Voice

... “A change to a concurrent season is not intended to increase the antlerless harvest ...” Stainbrook said at the January BOC meeting. “If the proposal for concurrent seasons is approved... the antlerless license allocation will be reduced accordingly to reflect the additional five days of hunting opportunities...


How might a new PA doe-tag system work, and would it be better? February 14, 2021 Pennsylvania, LancasterOnline

... The Luzerne County lawmaker’s House Bill 207 would remove language in the current state law that says county treasurers are the only ones authorized to distribute those licenses.  Under HB 207, only the Pennsylvania Game Commission or its licensing agents would be allowed to sell doe tags through the Pennsylvania Automated Licensing System (PALS)...


A look at the National Deer Association’s 2021 Deer Report  February 13, 2021 Pennsylvania, Lock Haven

...The new Deer Report covers data from the 2019-20 hunting season, the most recent season with complete harvest data available from all major deer states. After 12 years of preparing this report, the NDA has expanded the scope beyond whitetails to include mule and black-tailed deer as well as whitetail subspecies like Coues and Key deer [download the report from the National Deer Association] ...

Game Commission releases Chronic Wasting Disease data for most recent deer season February 1, 2021 Pennsylvania, NorthcentralPa.com

... Most of the deer that tested positive for CWD in the 2020-21 hunting seasons continue to be from DMA 2, located in southcentral Pennsylvania... This area has produced nearly 90 percent of Pennsylvania’s CWD positives since it was first detected here in 2012...

Statewide Concurrent Firearms Deer Seasons up for Approval January 21, 2021 Pennsylvania, PGC News

... The board retained the antler restrictions that have been in place for adult and senior license holders since the 2011-12 seasons... A change to a concurrent season is not intended to increase the antlerless harvest, as the antlerless allocation is the primary tool for managing deer populations. If the proposal for concurrent seasons is approved by the board at the April meeting, the antlerless license allocation will be reduced accordingly to reflect the additional five days of hunting opportunities. The antlerless allocation is based on the estimated number of tags required for hunters to harvest the number of deer necessary to meet the population objectives within a WMU...


Commissioners to Discuss 2021-22 Seasons, Changes to Regulations January 19, 2021 PGC News

... a proposal to remove the limitation on the number of antlerless deer licenses for which hunters can apply, provided a hunter holds no more than four antlerless licenses at a time and licenses still are available for sale within the Wildlife Management Unit; proposed regulations to allow eLicenses to be carried afield as an alternative to paper licenses; a change to allow landowners an additional two months to apply for enrollment in the Deer Management Assistance Program; a proposal to expand the Game Commission’s response to address all wildlife diseases through executive order; and amendments to elk license regulations to better delineate the elk management area and elk hunt zones..,


A look back at 2020 January 16, 2021 Pennsylvania, Carlisle Sentinel

... A black bear population that reached 20,000 produced a state-record kill in 2019 of 4,653 ..,


Game Commission: 5 Juveniles Facing Charges For Deer-Killing 'Crime Spree' Across Northwestern Pennsylvania January 14, 2021 Pennsylvania, CBS Pittsburgh

... the juveniles killed or attempted to kill 14 deer over the course of several months ... charges include 143 citations with fines in the case that could reach a minimum of $48,800 to a maximum of $82,000 ...


Game Commission: 5 Juveniles Facing Charges For Deer-Killing 'Crime Spree' Across Northwestern Pennsylvania January 14, 2021 Pennsylvania, CBS Pittsburgh

... the juveniles killed or attempted to kill 14 deer over the course of several months ... charges include 143 citations with fines in the case that could reach a minimum of $48,800 to a maximum of $82,000 ...


Big hunting changes proposed for PA include more Sunday hunting, unlimited doe tags  January 13, 2021 Pennsylvania, Lancaster Online

... Currently, an individual hunter can hold no more than three antlerless licenses ... The new proposal calls for hunters to be allowed to buy an unlimited number of tags statewide through a season, but each hunter can be in possession of no more than four tags at one time...


Levels of stress hormone in saliva of newborn deer fawns may predict mortality January 11, 2021 Pennsylvania, ScienceBlog

... Penn State researchers suggesting predation is not the only thing in the wild killing fawns... “We think the hormone offers a way to evaluate factors in the environment that affect fawns, such as disease, but are difficult to evaluate when just looking at a carcass that has been picked over by predators,” ...


Columnist speaks on antler restrictions December 17, 2020 Pennsylvania, The Wellsboro Gazette

... back in the day when we were taking 70% of the antlered bucks from the population ... within just a few short years after antler restrictions were implemented, we began to see the results ...


Combatting Chronic Wasting Disease in Pennsylvania, December 2020, Pennsylvania Chronic Wasting Disease Task Force

... Pennsylvania has the second largest captive cervid industry in the country with over 750 facilities including breeding operations, hunting preserves, urine collection facilities and hobby farms... as of October 2020, 24 deer farms have reported CWD positive cases. Of these, 15 no longer have live deer, and three have culled high-risk animals..,


Animal of legend December 8, 2020 Pennsylvania, Williamsport Sun-Gazette

 ... in Pennsylvania. It was estimated that 200 deer were killed in 1907, 95,051 in 1931, 186,575 in 1940, and 389,431 in 2019..,


Winter deer management approved in Mt. Lebanon December 1, 2020 Pennsylvania, The Almanac

... Suburban Wildlife Management Solutions Inc. will remove up to 50 deer ... at a cost not to exceed $37,000 ... sharpshooting ...


Philadelphia will close large city parks at night for annual deer kill November 27, 2020 Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Inquirer

... U.S. Department of Agriculture sharpshooters who kill hundreds of deer each winter... they have every year since 1999 ... The city’s goal is to limit deer there to about 8 to 10 per square mile. Across Pennsylvania, there are about 30 deer per square mile, which state and federal wildlife managers consider sustainable ... 


Plenty of deer and Sunday hunting await sportsmen in Pa.'s firearms season November 24, 2020 Pennsylvania, lehighvalleylive.com

... Overall, the PGC reports deer herds as stable to increasing in all of its WMUs..,


Another exciting Pennsylvania Deer Season approaches November 20, 2020 Pennsylvania, Lock Haven

... Deer hunters continue to experience antlered-buck-harvest-success levels comparable to historic highs in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In recent years, about 22 percent of all hunters have harvested an antlered deer, and we look for this trend to continue.  The 2019-20 antlerless deer harvest was 226,191 ..,


State agencies push for wildlife corridors to help species survive November 15, 2020 Pennsylvania, LancasterOnline

... State Rep. Mary Jo Daley, who is dismayed by the number of deer she sees struck by cars in her Montgomery County neighborhood, has introduced a bipartisan resolution calling for the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to study and issue a report on how to better connect existing corridors in the state...


Banned for generations, Sunday big game hunting begins tomorrow in Pa. November 14, 2020 Pennsylvania, NorthcentralPa.com

... Big game hunting on Sundays has been illegal in Pennsylvania since the 19th century ... Last year's passage of Senate Bill 147 expanded big game hunting ...


CWD control efforts could include deer removal November 14, 2020 Pennslvania, Altoona Mirror

...  Chronic Wasting Disease is spreading throughout Pennsylvania’s deer ... With nearly 100,000 deer tested throughout the commonwealth, the game commission has only identified 453 cases of CWD in the white tail deer population and none in the elk population ... 


Penn State researcher defends deer antler point harvest restrictions October 29, 2020 Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

... For more than 80 years, young Pennsylvania bucks have been protected by an antler point restriction ... In Pennsylvania researchers state that since antler restrictions were imposed, antlers are bigger and bucks are growing older on average... The idea that breeding by young males is suppressed in populations with a large proportion of older bucks is not true...


EHD, Commission reports deer deaths due to disease October 21, 2020 Pennsylvania, Meadville Tribune

... Testing of deer found dead in and around state game lands east of Hartstown has confirmed that the deaths resulted from epizootic hemorrhagic disease ... The first hard frost should end the outbreak ... A previous outbreak of the disease in the same area occurred in 2012...


Controversial Deer Hunt Returns to Philly This Weekend October 20, 2020 Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Mag

...Heinz Wildlife Refuge deputy manager Mariana Bergerson explains ...the 1,000 acre refuge contains about 74 deer per square mile, while studies have concluded that somewhere between 20 and 38 deer per square mile would be ideal for maintaining a healthy ecosystem...


  Lower Merion Police Rescue Deer Stuck In Fence October 13, 2020 Pennsylvania, Patch

...  they broke out bolt cutters to snap away one of the metal fence posts.  And with one clip of the cutters the deer was free...


Fall Hunting Seasons Again Filled with Many Changes October 4, 2020 Pennsylvania, State College News

... Pennsylvania’s black bear population has been growing, and last year, stood at well over 20,000 ... the Pennsylvania Game Commission announced that the zig-zagging northern boundary of Disease Management Area 2 has been expanded north to include parts of Centre County in three areas..,

Pa.'s 1st Sunday archery hunt highlights big changes for upcoming deer season September 29, 2020 Pennsylvania, lehighvalleylive.com

...  the Lehigh Valley ... Northampton County Game Warden Brad Kreider says the deer population in Northampton County has increased in recent years, especially since the antlerless deer allocations in WMU 5C were reduced..,


Gettysburg National Military Park announces plans to cull deer population September 29, 2020 Pennsylvania, FOX43.com

... it will conduct lethal removal of white-tailed deer ... Because hunting is not permitted inside the two parks, only qualified federal employees will take part ...

Fall and winter food for wildlife could be sparse in some parts of Pennsylvania September 9, 2020 Penn Live

... white oak and chestnut oak, will be very limited this year in many areas, particularly south of Interstate 80, due to the extremely late freeze event in May ... red, black and scarlet oaks, seem to be below average to average ..,


Montoursville's new resident, an albino deer, has a unique history September 6, 2020 Pennsylvania, NorthCentralPA.com

... Native American tribes believed white deer were sacred and viewed them as spiritual symbols. A Chickasaw legend, “Ghost of the White Deer,” describes the creature as magical. The Seneca, Roanoke, Algonquin, Nanticoke, and Pocomoke tribes all relate sightings of the Great White Deer... In 2012, the killing of an albino stag sparked uproar in Leland, WI...


CWD Cooperating in the Fight Against Chronic Wasting Disease September 3, 2020 Pennsylvania, PGC News

... The Department of Agriculture’s new rules – put into place in late August – create a CWD Core Captive Management Zone in Bedford, Blair and Fulton counties. They intend to control CWD in that portion of the state where it is most prevalent, while also allowing deer farms to stay in business.  A complete look at the regulations can be found in a Department of Agriculture press release ... 


Pennsylvania revises Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) quarantine requirements for deer farms September 3, 2020 poandpo.com

... "A key component of the order is providing incentive for deer farms to implement management techniques, such as herd density and age management, genetic selection and other rapidly evolving scientific advancements that make their operations and their herds less susceptible to CWD.” ...


Elk Cam Goes Live September 2, 2020 Pennsylvania, PGC News

... The livestream, which is provided by HDOnTap and made possible with the help of the North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission, is the latest in a string of real-time wildlife-watching opportunities offered by the Game Commission...


Chronic Wasting Disease quarantine requirements for deer farms revised in Bedford, Blair, Fulton Counties August 28, 2020 Pennsylvania, WeAreCentralPA

... Farms will not be permitted to move high risks parts out of the zone... Deer farms in this zone can continue to import deer into the zone... Herd Certified farms will continue to be permitted to sell deer out of state, with a permit ...


A conservation success story, Pennsylvania elk are now threatened by wasting disease August 22, 2020 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

... Pennsylvania’s native elk herd occupied densely forested mountains until clear-cut foresting and over-hunting drove them to regional extinction in the 1860s... Chronic wasting disease, which is killing deer and elk across much of the United States, is nearing the elk’s Pennsylvania range..,


 Working to slow the spread of CWD August 20, 2020 Pennsylvania, Bradford Era

... While CWD has been detected in certain areas of PA, those considered hot spot areas will be identified as Enhanced Surveillance Units. Hunters will have increased opportunities to harvest deer in those Enhanced Surveillance Units. That doesn’t equate to eliminating deer herds. The response plan calls for reducing deer numbers in ESUs by only one additional deer per square mile...


Hunters asked to shoot more deer in CWD areas August 13, 20020 Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

... A new disease management plan favors a tactic used in other CWD-ravaged states, in which deer populations are reduced in areas where the disease is expected to spread...


Biologist details Pa. CWD response plan August 1, 2020 Pennsylvania, Sharonherald

... Korman described “established areas” as those where CWD single cases will be maintained at or below 5% ... “This 5% threshold was chosen because states like Wisconsin, West Virginia and Colorado have data that show once this threshold is crossed, these prevalence increase drastically, making management of the disease even more difficult,” ...


PA Game Commission shoots down proposal to set minimum caliber for deer, bear July 28, 2020 Pennsylvania, LancasterOnline

... all commissioners attending the virtual voting session opposed a measure to set the caliber limit at .24 — a caliber that would exclude now-popular, smaller rounds... may not be effective in taking down larger deer and bear resulting in lost and injured animals ...


New chronic wasting disease response plan approved by Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners July 27, 2020 Pennsylvania, Penn Live

... Targeted removal of deer by professional sharpshooters will be used in much smaller areas than originally planned. Bans on feeding deer and using urine-based deer attractants will cover on disease management units rather than the entire state as originally planned...


Game Commission Unveils New CWD Response Plan July 25, 2020 Pennsylvania, Game Commission News

... Acting at its quarterly meeting today, the agency’s Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted a new Chronic Wasting Disease Response Plan. It focuses on prevention, surveillance and management of CWD, an always-fatal neurological disease caused by misfolded proteins – called prions – that affect white-tailed deer, elk and other cervid species..,


Mt. Lebanon commissioners consider renewing deer management archery program July 24, 2020 Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

... Mt. Lebanon has conducted, with the help of contractors and professional hunters, archery hunts and deer sharpshooting to cull the deer, as well as nonlethal methods, including teaching residents about best gardening practices and banning deer feeding...


More than half of Lancaster County now in special CWD area: What that means to hunters July 6, 2020 Pennsylvania, LancasterOnline

...Following the discovery last year of the always-fatal CWD in four of 33 captive deer on a farm in Upper Leacock Township, the Game Commission recently expanded CWD Disease Management Area 4 to cover more than half of Lancaster County...


Evaluating the impacts of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) browsing on vegetation in fenced and unfenced timber harvests  HA Parker, JT Larkin, D Heggenstaller, J Duchamp… - Forest Ecology and …, 2020

... We evaluated the short-term (<10 years) impact of white-tailed deer browsing on woody structure and composition in northcentral Pennsylvania... Our results from large, operational-scale timber harvests combined with those from previous small-scale studies stress the potential value of deer exclusion fencing to achieve successful forest regeneration...


Deer researchers battle the cause and effect of chronic wasting disease July 2, 2020 Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

... In the plan’s most controversial proposal, sharpshooters would be hired to thin deer populations in areas with unsatisfactory hunter harvest rates. “Targeted removal” would use paid shooters to exterminate random deer in some infected areas...


Pennsylvania CWD Areas Expand June 26, 2020 Pennsylvania, PA.gov

...  tested 15,686 free-ranging deer and 161 free-ranging elk in 2019. The vast majority of those were hunter-harvested animals.  Of the total, 204 white-tailed deer tested positive for chronic wasting disease... With 2019’s new cases, there now have been 453 CWD-positive free-ranging deer found in Pennsylvania since the disease’s emergence in the state in 2012..,


PA Game Commission explains CWD deer-feeding ban proposal; petition opposes it June 7, 2020 Pennsylvania, LancasterOnline

... The plan lays out a host of rules and tactics that will be deployed when CWD is detected. Some are radical, like allowing deer hunting any time of year within three miles of the site of a confirmed case ... added to the plan in April calls for statewide bans on feeding deer ... there are no studies that have proven such bans reduce the prevalence of CWD...


Season of the fawn in Pennsylvania: What lies ahead for all those little deer? June 1, 2020 pennlive.com

... 57 percent of fawns born in the forests of northcentral Pennsylvania to 72 percent of those born in the agricultural areas of central Pennsylvania will make it through summer... most won’t survive more than 2 or 3 years. That’s the average age of deer in the wild in Pennsylvania...


Pa. teen in viral deer torture video pleads guilty to animal cruelty, avoids prison term  May 11, 2020 Pennsylvania, Penn Live

... A Pennsylvania teen will avoid prison over a viral video that shows him and another juvenile beating and torturing a wounded deer...


Lifting antler restrictions in CWD spots among ideas proposed by PA game commissioners May 5, 2020 Pennsylvania, Penn Live

... .Schnepp-Giger asked staff to prepare a report on the biological implications of removing antler restrictions in any wildlife management unit that is associated with chronic wasting disease management areas ... Starting in 2011, the four-point area changed to three points to an antler ...


Game Commission Plan to Combat CWD Could Mean Lost Business for State's Deer Farms May 1, 2020 Pennsylvania, Lancaster Farming

...  a statewide ban on the use or field possession of deer attractants, including natural urine and synthetics; increased hunting opportunities within CWD areas and the removal of deer antler-point restrictions within CWD areas... The industry supplies the natural deer urine that is used by hunters ...


Rabid deer found near Cambria County park, DOH says May 1, 2020 Pennsylvania, WHP Harrisburg

... the deer was found near Crichton McCormick Park in Portage April 25...


PA Game Commission floats revised Chronic Wasting Disease Response Plan April 23, 2020 Pennsylvania, pennlive.com

... Statewide bans on feeding deer and using attractants to draw in deer are part of the latest draft ... The commission also proposes to collaborate with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture to strengthen their oversight of captive cervid operations ...


Pa. Game Commission boosts doe hunting licenses for 2020-21 seasons April 8, 2020 Pennsylvania, pennlive.com

... antlerless deer licenses to be sold for the 2020-21 hunting seasons were increased to 932,000 ...  from 903,000 licenses this license year ..,


Pennsylvania Game Commission to curb spread of CWD April 7, 2020 The Tribune-Democrat

... The disease is mainly prevalent in a large swath of south-central Pennsylvania. that stretches from Sunbury, Carlisle and Gettysburg, west to Patton, Armagh and Ligonier... our plan now, is that we would want to jump on that with targeted removal rather than waiting for hunting season to roll around...


Pa. Game Commission's new deer hunting rules promote 'bloodthirsty greed' (opinion) March 28, 2020 Pennsylvania, York Daily Record/Sunday News

... The Board of Commissioners have proposed ... ability to continue shooting at deer before retrieving and tagging the first one ...  Along comes a herd of deer… since you can legally shoot six of them, he starts blasting. Suppose he drops a buck and a doe, and several of them run away leaving blood trails. Which one does he go after? ...


  Rare piebald deer poached, left lying in Pennsylvania field March 27, 2020 Penn Live

... A piebald deer has patches of white on its body ... about 2 percent of deer are piebald... One woman described the deer as “our baby we have watched in our backyard for two years.” ...


Pennsylvania Game Commision Releases 2019 Deer Harvest Report March 19, 2020 PGC News

... Pennsylvania hunters posted their highest overall deer harvest in 15 years when they took 389,431 deer during the state’s 2019-20 hunting seasons, which closed in January, the Pennsylvania Game Commission reported today.  The 2019-20 deer harvest topped the previous year’s harvest of 374,690 by about 4 percent. The last time the total deer harvest exceeded this season’s total was in 2004-05, when 409,320 whitetails were taken.  The statewide buck harvest saw a generous bump of 10 percent, coming in at 163,240..,


PA CWD plan wins support of deer management group March 12, 2020 Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

...Written to replace current CWD protocols, the draft plan aims to slow the disease’s spread by aggressively reducing deer populations in infected areas, creating buffer zones that are relatively CWD-free...


Can dogs detect chronic wasting disease in deer? March 5, 2020 Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

...  Secretary Russell Redding suggested that the natural scent-detection capabilities of some dogs could speed the search for CWD infection and help to contain the disease... funded projects include separate studies of dog detection of CWD in deer feces and live animals at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine...


Game Commission nears release of controversial chronic wasting disease strategy March 4, 2020 Pennsylvania, The Meadville Tribune

... its proposed plan for controlling the spread of chronic wasting disease would likely include the use of snipers to cull herds of deer in areas where the disease had been discovered... wildlife officials recognize that culling herds is controversial but said it has been an effective method of controlling the spread of chronic wasting disease in other states ...


Disease-sniffing dogs among chronic wasting disease research funded by Pennsylvania February 25, 2020 pennlive.com

... Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania will explore that potential for working dogs to detect chronic wasting disease in deer feces ... The department oversees Pennsylvania’s deer farming industry ... the department also offers genetic screening to help deer farmers determine how likely their deer are to contract the disease...


Why do some bucks keep their velvet?February 19, 2020 Pennsylvania, Penn Live

... A birth defect known as cryptorchidism leads to lower than normal production of testosterone, the failure of one or both testicles to descend from the abdominal cavity into the scrotum ...


CWD Response Plan, The Game Commission will be accepting public comments through February 29, 2020 on the proposed plan. 


Number of deer with chronic wasting disease harvested in Pennsylvania hits all-time high February 13, 2020 Lancaster Online

... A total of 123 deer tested positive for the disease in the 2018-19 season. Last season’s number currently stands at 180... 5,000 of the 16,000 samples collected remain to be tested ...


Draft plan asks, Is Pennsylvania's elk herd facing a genetic timebomb?  February 7, 2020 Pennsylvania, Bradford Era

... "Poor genetic diversity has been linked to harmful effects in wildlife populations, including declines in survival and population and increased susceptibility to disease,” elk biologist Jeremy Banfield wrote in the draft plan. He also noted that “Pennsylvania’s elk population has some of the lowest genetic diversity in North America.” ...


Mt. Lebanon, Sharpshooting for deer underway in Mt. Lebanon February 6, 2020 Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 

... A special permit approved by the Pennsylvania Game Commission permits the firearm phase of the deer reduction program ... management firm White Buffalo was contracted to cull up to 55 whitletails... from 2015-19, 195 deer were removed by archers and 271 were taken through sharpshooting ...


CWD, Taking on wildlife disease February 3, 2020 Pennsylvania, Penn: Office of University Communications

... “I would venture to say that, in the next 20 to 30 years, the new model for management will be ensuring the resiliency of wildlife populations through wildlife health issues,” ... The first target  ... That’s chronic wasting disease ...


Hunting is declining, creating a crisis for conservation February 3, 2020 Pennsylvania, Savannah Morning News

... Even as more people are engaging in outdoor activities, hunting license sales have fallen from a peak of about 17 million in the early ’80s to 15 million last year ... in Pennsylvania - where the game commission gets more than 50% of its revenue from licenses, permits and taxes - the agency had to cancel construction projects ...


Neither hunters nor businesses support changes in the deer season  January 29, 2020 Pennsylvania, Penn Live

... The Saturday opener was unfolding like a bad dream for many hunters, and ended up a nightmare for rural businesses. Putting Thanksgiving to bed and just having enough time to get ready for a pre-daylight Saturday hunt, eliminated long standing traditions and hunt preparation, but also took the hunter patronage out of countless Pennsylvania stores that weekend, almost completely!...


Comments Accepted on Draft Elk Management Plan January 29, 2020 Pennsylvania, PGC News

...The Pennsylvania Game Commission has released a draft of its new Elk Management Plan, a document that, when adopted, will guide the agency’s elk management program through 2025.   The plan is in draft form and available to view at www.pgc.pa.gov... Comments about the plan will be accepted from the public through Feb. 21, 2020 ...


Pa. Game Commission aims to ramp up attack on chronic wasting disease in 2020 January 29, 2020 Pennsylvania, pennlive.com

... Under the plan, after initial detection of CWD in new areas, hunters will be given the first opportunity to harvest more deer there and collect more CWD samples for testing. The management objective in those new areas will be to eliminate the disease before it becomes established in the deer population or in the environment...


Hunting license sales are up, triggered by change in deer season January 26, 2020 Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 

... license sales from July through December 2019 had increased 0.4% to 849,575 ...  data shows license sales have trended downward for more than 30 years, dropping by an average of 3% annually  ... “It seems reasonable to conclude the Saturday opener had an influence on this turnaround,” ...


Deer-Abuse Charges Filed January 10, 2020 Pennsylvania, PGC News

     The Pennsylvania Game Commission today filed charges against two Brookville, Pa. teenagers who recorded social-media videos of themselves holding down and repeatedly kicking an immobile white-tailed deer...  Each faces two felony counts of aggravated animal cruelty and two felony counts of conspiracy to commit aggravated animal cruelty ... The Nov. 30 incident for which Smith and his accomplice were charged has been seen by thousands of people worldwide who viewed the videos..,


 Firefighters Rescue Deer That Fell Through Ice On Lake In Scranton  January 9, 2020 CBS Boston

... Rescuers punched their way through the ice for more than 45 minutes trying to herd the deer to shore... It took off into the nearby woods...


Game Commission Searches for Dogs who Aleggedly Chased Down and Killed Deer December 27, 2019 Pennsylvania, WNEP

... A neighbor says they saw the dogs running after the deer, chasing it onto Shickshinny Lake where the deer was killed...


Pennsylvania rules for tagging deer under discussion December 24, 2019 TribLIVE.com

... the rule is different everywhere else across the state... Some in the commission want to change that and allow hunters with the proper tags to kill deer when and where they find them... “My only thought is, if you cripple that first deer, you really ought to focus on that before you try killing the second one,” Fox said...


Game commission: Reducing deer population not likely to stem spread of Lyme disease December 18, 2019 Pennsylvania, TribLIVE

... According to the state’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Pennsylvania’s white-tailed deer population has grown from about 10 deer per square mile in the 1700s to an estimated 30 deer per square mile... “There have been studies in New England where they’ve reduced the deer population and not found a change in Lyme transmission or its occurrence in small mammals,” ...


Valley Forge rejects deer birth control, so hunting continues December 5, 2019 Pennsylvania, Valliant News

... The park spends between $97,000 and $173,000 of its $6 million annual budget on culling, the park service reported in 2015. Park officials estimated reproductive control would cost slightly more — $108,000 to $195,000 annually... Stephanie Boyles Griffin, a scientist who opposes the culling, accused officials of setting the bar too high “so that no fertility control agent will ever be acceptable for use” at Valley Forge...


Game Commission cautions ‘proper legal steps’ needed in investigation of deer abuse video December 5, 2019 Pennsylvania, Penn Live

... “This matter is still the subject of an active investigation being conducted by our state game wardens in cooperation with county law enforcement officials...

More than 400k people sign petition to bring 'maximum' criminal charges against deer abusers December 4, 2019 Pennsylvania, pennlive.com

... A petition to bring criminal charges against the two teens involved in the abuse of a white-tailed deer has garnered more than 430,000 signatures online...

     Co-author of new federal animal cruelty and torture act says deer ‘viciously tortured’ in viral video December 3, 2019 Pennsylvania, Penn Live

... the viral video of a wounded deer being abused Saturday in Jefferson County shows that “two individuals viciously tortured an innocent animal,” said U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pennsylvania ...


Chronic wasting disease, climate change will affect deer hunting, and that's not good news for the environment December 1, 2019 Pennsylvania, LancasterOnline

... the right balance of deer tends to actually increase the carrying capacity (the maximum number the environment can support without detrimental effects) of the landscape. The study found that in West Virginia, where deer levels were found to be lower than the carrying capacity of the landscape, a mix of deer, ground fire and canopy gaps increased diversity compared to enclosures where deer were excluded entirely from reaching the forest..,


Video showing abuse of deer under investigation of Pennsylvania Game Commission December 1, 2019 Penn Live

... a pair of boys, reportedly from Brookville in Jefferson County, beating and torturing a white-tailed buck after the deer was shot but not immediately killed ...


CWD clouds opening of firearms deer season November 30, 2019 Pennsylvania, Lewistown Sentinel

... CWD and the not-conclusively settled question about whether it poses any dangers to humans, even if only to humans with certain health issues, will infringe on the unbridled enjoyment, enthusiasm and challenge that this first day of hunting ...


Sunday Hunting Bill Signed Into Law November 27, 2019 Pennsylvania, PGC News

... The law will take effect Feb. 25, 2020 ... Gov. Tom Wolf today signed into law Senate Bill 147, which permits additional hunting on three Sundays per calendar year – one within the archery deer season, one within the firearms deer season and one selected by the Pennsylvania Game Commission... Sen. Jim Brewster ... sees the new law as an important tool in helping to recruit new hunters and keep them active..,


History will be made Saturday in Pennsylvania when the firearms deer season opens November 25, 2019 Lancaster Online

... Members of the Game Commission's board of directors asked hunters to let them know if they favored moving the traditional gun season opener from Monday to Saturday. Those commissioners acknowledged that most of the hunters they heard from opposed the move... 


New research into 400 years of change in Pennsylvania's forests November 21, 2019 PennLive.com

... That Penn State study suggests that while deer browsing has impacted tree regeneration in the understory, it has not had much of an impact on forest canopies, and in fact likely has slowed the forest densification process slightly.  “Forests in the region are becoming increasingly dense, and that is a major ecological problem,” said Marc Abrams, professor of forest ecology and physiology. “...


Pennsylvania Prepares for Another Exciting Deer Season November 19, 2019 PGC News

... In the 2018-19 hunting seasons the overall deer harvest was 374,690 – 226,940 antlerless deer and 147,750 bucks. But despite the decreased buck harvest in 2018-19 seasons, there were more 2½-year-old and older bucks – 64 percent. Over the previous four years, the percentage of 2½-year-old and older bucks in the annual deer harvest was: 2017, 57 percent; 2016, 56; 2015, 59; and 2014, 57.  “Despite the increased harvest in 2½-year-old and older bucks, the buck-age structure in Pennsylvania is not old,” Rosenberry noted. “However, it is older than before antler-point restrictions were started in 2002..,


Hunters Harvest 89 Elk in 2019 General Season November 12, 2019 Pennsylvania, PGC News

... Ninety-eight hunters took part in Pennsylvania’s 2019 one-week general elk hunt ... To participate in the elk hunt, hunters must submit an application, then must be selected through a random drawing and purchase a license. The drawing annually attracts more than 40,000 applicants...


Misinformation widespread about chronic wasting disease in deer management November 12, 2019 Pennsylvania, Penn Live on MSN.com

... CWD was first discovered in Pennsylvania in 2012, on a captive deer farm in Adams County... Although mandatory sampling is an option under a new Chronic Wasting Disease Response Plan proposed by the commission, testing is not currently required.  However, warnings about eating venison from deer with CWD have grown more dire as more instances of the disease have been discovered ...


Spread of CWD remains unclear November 3, 2019 Pennsylvania, Altoona Mirror

... “Most scavengers eat meat and a glob of meat would not contain many infected prions. But yes, eyeballs, we know crows, preferentially eat those and those are high in infected prions... In general, we are looking at a prevalence rate, or infection rate, of CWD in deer populations in Blair, Bedford and Fulton counties of approximately 4.5%,” Vreeland said.


Rare virus found in a deer in Luzerne County November 3, 2019 Pennsylvania, CitizensVoice

... the deer — a doe — stood with its head down and didn’t respond when humans approached ... infected with Eastern equine encephalitis... EEE has also been found in captive pheasants in Monroe County, horses in Carbon County and two wild turkeys in Erie County... the first instance of EEE in wildlife in the area ...


Pennsylvania’s Sunday hunting bill clears last big hurdle October 31, 2019 TribLIVE.com

... it looks as if expanded Sunday hunting is coming to Pennsylvania in 2020.  On Wednesday, members of the House of Representatives approved Senate Bill 147 by a vote of 144-54...


  Doe with Arrow in Head Spotted in Gated Community October 28, 2019 Pennsylvania, wnep.com

... Hunting is not allowed in the residential part of A Pocono Country Place, but right next door, there are state gamelands where people do hunt. The police chief tells Newswatch 16, it is possible that's where the deer was shot...


Newsly Detected CWD-Positive Deer Will Expand DMA 4 in 2020 October 23, 2019 Pennsylvania, PGC News

... A captive-raised deer that recently tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) will result in a southward expansion of Disease Management Area 4 (DMA 4) in 2020... will place most of Lancaster County within DMA 4...


Hunters Advised to Take Precautions Against EEE Virus October 22, 2019 Pennsylvania, PGC News

...Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) has been documented in wildlife and livestock in Pennsylvania in recent weeks. It’s been found in two wild turkeys in Erie County, a wild deer in Luzerne County, captive pheasants in Monroe County and horses in Carbon County...


CWD, Pa. Game Commission raises alarm on deadly deer disease October 20, 2019 Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on MSN.com

... Chronic wasting disease ... entered southcentral Pennsylvania in 2012. This summer, due to a positive test on a roadkill, a disease management area established to contain the disease was expanded into the state’s southwest corner,..  has been confirmed at several fenced facilities in Pennsylvania.... since 2012 with 250 confirmed cases among wild deer..,


Swarthmore, Deer management continues at Crum Woods October 9, 2019 Pennsylvania,The Delaware County Daily Times

... A deer cull will continue at Swarthmore College for the 10th year ... Sharpshooters who are professionally licensed with the Pennsylvania Game Commission will conduct the cull at pre-approved sites in the woods...


Cars vs. deer: Pennsylvania ranks No. 1, again, in projected crashes with animals, insurer says October 4, 2019 PennLive.com

... West Virginia tops the list of states where animal collisions are most likely ... according to State Farm’s annual ranking [graph below] ... Pennsylvania is No. 1, however, for the total number of projected crashes involving deer, at 174,025 ...


Game Commission's controlled burns help habitats September 29, 2019 Pennsylvania, Citizens Voice

... The fire, which was intentionally set by the PGC, served as a tool to improve wildlife habitat and, Gildea hopes, change the composition of the forest for decades to come.  “Our goal is to develop the next generation of an oak forest ...  Deer were also a common sight as they browsed the shoots of maple and birch that sprouted from burned trunks...


Deer population report finds healthier whitetails in PA September 26, 2019 Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

... In a 20-year experiment that began to show results a decade ago, the Pennsylvania Game Commission intentionally reduced deer density in the state and brought the sex ratio closer to a natural balance... “Pennsylvania is one of only five states in the U.S. to harvest more than 300,000 whitetails annually,” ...


Farm Bureau opposes Sunday hunting in Pennsylvania September 16, 2019 Farm Progress

... One of the key stumbling blocks preventing Farm Bureau from taking a neutral position on Senate Bill 147 is that the bill fails to include language requiring hunters to obtain written permission to hunt on private land...


Snipers may be used to control spread of CWD in deer September 13, 2019 Pennsylvania, Meadville Tribune

... The Game Commission released its draft plan for dealing with chronic wasting disease on Thursday. The public will have until Feb. 29 to comment on the plan ...


Longer hunting seasons? This is one way the Pa. Game Commission wants to stop deer from dying of CWD September 13, 2019 Pennsylvania, Lancaster Online

... There were 250 free-ranging deer that tested positive with CWD in 2018 in Pennsylvania. Almost all of these cases -- 246 deer -- were in the largest of the four disease management areas. DMA-2 spans about a dozen counties in south-central Pennsylvania and includes Fulton, Bedford and Blair counties. Lancaster County had one case of CWD in a captive-deer facility..,


Input Sought on CWD Response Plan September 12, 2019 Pennsylvania, PGC News

     The Pennsylvania Game Commission today released a draft of its new Chronic Wasting Disease Response Plan, a document that, when adopted, will guide the agency’s management of CWD, which always is fatal to the deer and elk it infects.  The plan is in draft form and available to view at www.pgc.pa.gov.

     Public comments on the plan will be accepted through Feb. 29, 2020 and will be considered in the adoption of a final plan, to be implemented for the 2020-21 hunting seasons...


Chronic wasting disease has drastic effects September 9, 2019 Pennsylvania, Sharonherald

... Illinois and Wisconsin are used as the benchmarks in CWD deer management. Both had CWD first discovered in the same year (2002). The following year, both implemented programs that increased hunter harvest and supplemented that harvest with “targeted removals.” ... [in Wisconsin]  Funding was cut and the deer management program was all but disbanded ... As the herd ballooned in numbers, the CWD prevalence level increased dramatically.” ...


Pennsylvania elk cam launches a new season of live-streaming from the elk range September 5, 2019 Penn Live

... In 1913, Pennsylvania's first shipment of 50 Yellowstone elk arrived by train for reintroduction into the state in Clinton and Clearfield counties. An additional 22 elk were bought from a Monroe County farm.  In 1915 the commission bought 95 more from Yellowstone ... Throughout the 1980s, the entire elk herd in Pennsylvania was just 120-150 animals..,


Deer browsing is not stopping densification of Eastern forests September 3, 2019 Pennsylvania, Mirage News

... a new study led by a Penn State researcher suggests that while deer browsing has impacted tree regeneration in the understory, it has not had much of an impact on forest canopies – and in fact likely has slowed the forest densification process slightly.  “Forests in the region are becoming increasingly dense, and that is a major ecological problem,” ...


Game Commission wants ban on feeding deer, but request faces opposition August 19, 2019 Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

... The request was prompted by agency biologists who are battling the spread of a fatal deer malady — chronic wasting disease... A ban is not likely to happen soon... More than 1 million Pennsylvanians are believed to enjoy watching deer ...


Manheim Twp. man charged after bullet strikes house when he shot hunting rifle 7 times August 16, 2019 Pennsylvania, Lancaster Online

... has a permit for deer culling ...  one of the seven rounds fired from the hunting rifle struck the sunroom of a residence nearby while the homeowners were home...


Pennsylvania's elk population has come a long way, conservationists say August 15, 2019 The Courier-Express

... disappeared by the 1870s due to unregulated hunting, according to the PGC. In the early 1920s, 177 elk were released to 10 different Pennsylvania counties... roughly 1,000 elk in Pennsylvania ..,


Public hunting in suburban deer programs will increase in Allegheny County August 15, 2019 Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

... In July, the commission voted to require municipalities applying for cull permits to provide more information verifying that public hunting has occurred in deer-control areas... To remain in compliance with their cull agreements, Mt. Lebanon and Fox Chapel will staff their controlled hunts with vetted archers from the general public ...


Peters Township business owner plans deer cull to help cut losses August 14, 2019 Pennsylvania, The Almanac

...  Because the Pennsylvania Game Commission considers his property to be for agricultural use, he does not need a permit to carry out culling activities...


The culprit to blame for missing flower buds August 11, 2019 Pennsylvania, Tribune-Review

... The damage, at first, seems like it may be rabbits, deer or groundhogs nibbling off the flower buds before they can open, but after a bit of investigation, it’s often discovered that a small caterpillar known as the geranium or tobacco budworm is to blame...


Proposed ban on feeding Pennsylvania wildlife riles some in the Pittsburgh region August 4, 2019 Tribune-Review

... “Disease transmission is probably at the forefront of the issues related to wildlife feeding. Habituation is another,” ... In 2016, an estimated 59.1 million Americans engaged in some form of wildlife watching tied to wildlife feeding ... “A lot of people just enjoy the aesthetics of having deer in the yard. They like to feed deer so they can see deer,”  ...


State deer populations stable, antlerless permit allocations change August 2, 2019 Pennsylvania, The Herald-Standard

... according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s (PGC) antlerless allocation plan, deer populations in local areas are considered stable...


Deer Control Permits Receive Stronger Public Hunting Requirements July 24, 2019 Pennsylvania, PGC News

...  requires applicants to provide proof of public hunting in seeking permits to conduct culls to manage deer in urbanized areas.  Political subdivisions, homeowners associations and nonprofit land-holding organizations are eligible to apply for permits, and these groups are required to use public hunting as a management tool to be considered for a permit...


Effect of male age structure on reproduction in white‐tailed deer

DR Diefenbach, GL Alt, BD Wallingford… - Journal of Wildlife Management, 2019

... Selective harvest regimes that create female‐biased sex ratios can potentially lead to delayed breeding, reduced breeding synchrony, reduced productivity, and a female‐biased sex ratio of offspring...  We conclude that harvest regulation changes implemented in Pennsylvania, USA, were insufficient to affect timing of breeding or population dynamics ...


Pennsylvania Game Commission weighs ban on feeding deer, turkeys July 23, 2019 Pennsylvania, Lancaster Online

... As drafted, the proposed regulation states:  “It is unlawful to intentionally lay or place food, fruit, hay, grain, chemical, salt or other minerals anywhere in this Commonwealth for the purpose of feeding big game to include Elk, Deer, Bear and Turkey ...


'Dr. Deer' Addresses Sportsmen on CWD and Herd Culling July 18, 2019 Pennsylvania, Morrisons Cove Herald 

...  "deer eradication programs have been failures and will be elsewhere if attempted. Deer eradication does not work in combatting CWD." [Dr. James Kroll] ...One surprising statement he made is that supplemental feeding, which is now discouraged in Pennsylvania, could possibly be helpful in the battle against CWD since it could spread deer out...


Chronic Wasting Disease cases have more than doubled in a year July 15, 2019 Pennsylvania, Allentown Morning Call

... According to the PGC, the disease was detected in 123 free-ranging deer over the past year, bringing the total number of cases to 250 since CWD was first discovered in 2012... Some of the most recent DMA expansions result from what we term as ‘flyers’ – CWD-positive deer that pop up a considerable distance away from the next known positive ...


Doe licenses go on sale; allocations reflect CWD prevention July 3, 2019 Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

...  state Game Commission announced it would increase the number of doe tags 8 percent, from 838,000 to 903,000. The 65,000 additional tags will be allocated primarily in Wildlife Management Units where chronic wasting disease has been detected in free-ranging deer...


Will compromise on Pennsylvania's Sunday hunting bill satisfy all parties? June 28, 2019 Allentown Morning Call

... While the original bill called for up to 14 days of Sunday hunting, the bill approved by the Senate would give the Pennsylvania Game Commission the authority to allow Sunday hunting on only three day ...


CWD Update: Disease Management Areas Expand by More than 2,300 Square Miles, June, Pennsylvania, PGC News

... With CWD testing from the 2018 deer seasons now completed, there now have been a total of 250 known CWD cases in free-ranging deer in Pennsylvania since 2012...  tested 9,631 free-ranging deer and 122 elk for CWD taken in the 2018 seasons...


Elk hunt to be expanded in 2019-20  June 13, 2019 Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

... Elk are native to Pennsylvania, but by 1877 they were driven to regional extinction through over-hunting and habitat loss. In 1934, just 14 elk were thought to be living in the state. Elk hunts were banned, but illegal poaching occurred. A 1971 survey counted 65 elk in Pennsylvania..,


Pebbles Celebrates 20th Birthday at Double Diamond Deer Ranch June 11, 2019 Pennsylvania, Blue Ridge Outdoors

... This is only achieved in captivity and it has not happened very often. This makes it possible that Pebbles is the oldest surviving whitetail in Pennsylvania. Pebbles, born in June of 1999, is a piebald whitetail ...


How 40 acres of abandoned mine lands in Central Pennsylvania became a wildlife habitat June 9, 2019 Allentown Morning Call 

... the former pits are filled with toxins and are not safe for visitors to use for recreational purposes... a tributary that reroutes acid mine drainage through a limestone filter...


Chronic Wasting Disease management areas expanded by over 2000 square miles in Pa. June 7, 2019 Pennsylvania, York Daily Record/Sunday News

... Out of the 250 total recorded positive cases of CWD in Pennsylvania throughout the years, the majority have come from DMA 2... CWD hotspots in Bedford, Blair and Fulton Counties ... No elk have tested positive ...


Northeastern U.S. deer more susceptible to wasting disease than those to the west June 6, 2019 Pennsylvania, Science Daily

... "Deer in the Mid-Atlantic region have a higher proportion of the genotypes most susceptible to CWD than deer populations to the west that have been tested in other states," ... published today in BMC Genetics ...


Game Commission audit 'disgusts' hunters June 2, 2019 Pennsylvania, Altoona Mirror-10 hours ago

... the Game Commission failed to make sure that energy companies paid what they owed in royalties ... sat on a huge and growing pile of cash — $73 million in 2018 ... auditors found $6.5 million more in various escrow accounts, which the commission’s financial officer didn’t have knowledge of ...


Firearms deer season switch to Saturday after Thanksgiving may not be permanent April 30, 2019 Pennsylvania, TribLIVE.com

... “The commissioners will be looking to see if there’s evidence the Saturday opener increased hunting license sales and hunter success ... Some who travel considerable distances to their hunting spots, and now must do so earlier in the holiday weekend, strongly opposed it.” ...


Significant changes to antlerless license totals, but not everywhere April 19, 2019 Pennsylvania, Tribune-Review

... Commissioners allocated 903,000 doe tags for the 2019-20 hunting seasons. That’s up 65,000 from 2018-19’s 838,000... deer populations are increasing in three of the state’s 23 wildlife management units ... stable in the other 20..,


Thompson unveils bill to fund $15M grant program to fight chronic wasting disease April 16, 2019 Pennsylvania, Ripon Advance

... The Chronic Wasting Disease Research Act, H.R. 2081, would authorize funding under the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which would make grants to states, institutions of higher education ...


Final 2019-20 Hunting/Trapping Seasons Approved April 9, 2019 Pennsylvania, PGC News

... The board voted to allocate 903,000 antlerless deer licenses statewide, which is up from the 838,000 licenses allocated for 2018-19... The board also voted to issue 142 elk licenses (32 antlered, 110 antlerless) for 2019-20, but two additional elk seasons and lottery drawings for licenses have been added..,


Highlights from the Pennsylvania Deer Commission Meetings April 9, 2019 PGC News

... established a firearms deer season to begin Saturday, Nov. 30... a measure that simplifies requirements to wear fluorescent orange material while hunting... The Game Commission is 100-percent committed to putting into place measures to manage CWD..,


Pa. Game Commission gives final approval to move deer rifle season opener to Saturday April 9, 2019 YDR

... a 5-3 vote on Tuesday.  Rifle season for hunting deer in Pennsylvania has kicked off the Monday after Thanksgiving since 1963 ...


Chronic wasting disease increase not a mystery April 5, 2019 Pennsylvania, Altoona Mirror ·

... Researchers believe the best way to curb this disease is to stop transporting the causative agents, including live deer and elk because there is no practical test to confirm the disease... USDA continues to allow the sale and transportation of hoofed ruminant animals (deer, elk and sheep) from documented CWD infected farms ...


Commission rethinks CWD approach April 1, 2019 Pennsylvania, Altoona Mirror

... hunters in south central Pennsylvania believe the death toll for healthy deer shot during Illinois targeted removals is too high, and the disease still persists. In addition, hunters dispute the commission’s estimates for deer numbers ...


How many deer were killed over 103 years of hunting in Pennsylvania March 21, 2019 The Express-Times

... Since 1915, Pennsylvania hunters have killed 17,492,302 deer, according to the Game Commission... [the report] ... in 1986, there were 1,000,000 deer hunters in Pennsylvania, while today there are around 740,000 deer hunters ... modern success rates are said to be comparable to the past...


Game Commission releases 2018-19 deer harvest report March 19, 2019 Pennsylvania, PGC News

... 374,690 deer were harvested in the 2018-19 hunting seasons, which marks the highest numbers in 14 years...  topped the previous year’s harvest of 367,159 by about 10 percent... The buck harvest came in at 147,750 ..,


Hunters gather in Jefferson County, protest deer removal plans March 8, 2019 Pennsylvania, WJAC Johnstown

... Local hunters are fighting back against the Pennsylvania Game Commission's plan to reduce the deer population in Clearfield and Jefferson counties because of chronic wasting disease...


Seminar to Provide Solutions for Human – Deer Conflicts March 6, 2019 Pennsylvania, Botstiber Institute

... In an effort to educate the public about how to resolve these conflicts with deer in their communities the Botstiber Institute for Wildlife Fertility Control (BIWFC) will host a Pennsylvania Urban Deer Conflict Management Seminar on Monday, March 25 at Dixon University Center. This free seminar will provide municipalities with effective and sustainable ways to co-exist and mitigate conflicts with deer and other wildlife...


Major changes planned for popular Middle Creek deer hunt March 3, 2019 Pennsylvania, LancasterOnline

... For many years, the hunt was held during the regular, late flintlock season. That led to a tradition of hunters who didn’t picked to go inside Middle Creek lining up on the public hunting lands just outside the Middle Creek boundary with their own flintlocks, hoping to get a shot at deer fleeing the project...


Game Commission Delivers Annual Report to Legislature February 27, 2019 Pennsylvania, PGC News

... Chronic Wasting Disease threatens our hunting heritage, and the state’s $1.6 billion industry tied to hunting...  Because high-fence hunting operations don’t abide by our Disease Management Area requirements, or any regulations set by the Game Commission, we do not know where these CWD-positive carcasses ended up.  We continue to coordinate with Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture to gather this information..,


CWD DIsease Management Area to Expand into Elk Range February 26, 2019 Pennsylvania, PGC News

... A captive deer that has tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) will require Disease Management Area 3 (DMA 3) to expand into Pennsylvania’s elk range... The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture last week announced a buck on a hunting preserve near Curwensville in Clearfield County tested positive for CWD..,


Deer removals planned in Clearfield, Jefferson counties to combat disease February 26, 2019 Pennsylvania, WJAC-TV

... Pennsylvania Game Commission officials say they’re planning targeted deer removals after several isolated cases of Chronic Wasting Disease were found in parts of Clearfield, Jefferson and Franklin counties...


Public meeting on CWD planned February 24, 2019 Pennsylvania, Altoona Mirror

... Blair County landowners recently turned away U.S. Department of Agriculture sharpshooters from their property and halted the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s plan to reduce deer populations for a study about whether that could slow the spread of chronic wasting disease...

 

Experts discuss response to CWD February 22, 2019 Pennsylvania, Pocono Record 

... officials in Pennsylvania are attempting to follow a model of containment set by Illinois, which includes targeted removal in areas where the disease is prevalent.  “What’s been done in Illinois has allowed them to maintain about a 10 percent prevalence rate which has stayed relatively stable for over a decade ...


Hunters, Game Commission at Odds Over CWD Management February 21, 2019 Pennsylvania, Morrisons Cove Herald 

... The game commission contends that reducing deer numbers is the best management option... [hunter reaction]:  "Sure it could stop the spread, because if you annihilate the herd there will be no deer left," ...


Nearly 150 deer taken out in this year’s Lower Merion deer cull February 12, 2-19 Pennsylvania, Main Line 

... A total of 148 deer were removed ... Over the 10 years since Lower Merion began its culling program, the only year more deer were removed was last year, when 170 were killed...


Could we be wrong about what causes dreaded chronic wasting disease in deer?  February 10, 2019 Pennsylvania, LancasterOnline 

... the prion explanation is simply wrong as a cause for chronic wasting disease, Bastian and Unified Sportsmen of Pennsylvania insist... not prions but a super-tiny bacterium, according to Bastian. The prion is only a secondary bacterial byproduct and a marker for deer with chronic wasting disease, he says...


Albino deer shot with pellet gun in Cambria County February 8, 2019 Pennsylvania, WTAJ - www.wearecentralpa.com

... An albino deer was shot with a pellet gun and left to lay in the woods ... 


Mt. Lebanon to launch sharpshooting program for third year February 8, 2019 Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

... White Buffalo will be paid $59,605 for the upcoming cull... The Game Commission permit authorizes White Buffalo to kill up to 100 deer during the upcoming cull, which is defined as a sanctioned wildlife-control operation not bound by state hunting regulations...


Chronic Wasting Disease, Deer culling to be delayed February 5, 2019 Pennsylvania, Altoona Mirror 

... For a study to determine whether lower deer numbers can control Chronic Wasting Disease, the commission had hired USDA wildlife sharpshooters to decrease the deer population potentially by a couple thousand within a 100-square mile area ...


Coyotes are among the problems for Pennsylvania deer February 1, 2019 Lebanon Daily News

... experts believe that there may be hundreds of thousands of them in Pennsylvania... hunters and trappers take more than 40,000 coyotes annually ..,


Deer removal plan has hunters up in arms February 1, 2019 Pennsylvania, WJAC Johnstown

... The Pennsylvania Game Commission is looking to cut the population in southern Blair and northern Bedford counties down to between 2,000-2,500 to combat Chronic wasting disease. Hunters were given the first chance ... but the remaining does and bucks will be removed with the help of sharpshooters ...


Highlights from PA Game Commission Meeting January 30, 2019 Pennsylvania, GantDaily

... will entertain a proposal to allow semiautomatic rifles for big game in the 2019-20 license year... Written comments can be submitted by e-mail to pgccomments@pa.gov up until the April meeting...


Game Commission board OKs changing deer season opener to Saturday; final OK still necessary January 29, 2019 Pennsylvania, The Times Leader

... In an effort to attract younger people to the hunting ranks, the Pennsylvania Game Commission ... gave preliminary approval to change the opening day of deer season from the first Monday after Thanksgiving to the first Saturday... data that shows hunters aren’t in favor of changing the opening day ...


Pneumonia Likely Caused Upper Dauphin Deer Deaths January 28, 2019 Pennsylvania, PGC News

... The mystery surrounding the deaths of perhaps two dozen deer in upper Dauphin County might have been solved.  Preliminary test results have come back for three deer picked up in the Powell’s Valley area, and all three had one or more types of pneumonia. Further testing to check for the presence of other diseases has not yet returned results...


Volunteers Create Better Habitat for Wildlife in Bradford County January 27, 2019 Pennsylvania, PAHomePage.com

... these fields are going to become a part of a burn unit and we're cutting trees for  browse for deer.  "Cutting trees in the winter time will provide high protein and high calorie browse for whitetail deer and we're also creating an additional edge for species." [deer] ... 


No citation — just a warning — for Wellsville man who took home rescued deer January 27, 2019 Pennsylvania, York Dispatch

... The deer Stoll took home — a young buck — had been in the icy water for several hours before the rescue, and Stoll said he didn't want to leave him to die...


Taking Action to Reduce the Impact of CWD January 25, 2019 Pennsylvania, PGC News

... During the past deer hunting seasons, the Game Commission provided hunters the first opportunity to harvest more deer by increasing antlerless licenses and Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) permits in northern Bedford and southern Blair counties..,


Why is there a pit filled with dead deer in Central Pa.? The Game Commission answers January 21, 2019 Pennsylvania, The Patriot-News

... dozens of dead deer in different stages of decomposition, some still covered in fur and others little more than bone... used by the Pennsylvania Game Commission and other local agencies as a dumping ground for roadkill deer ...


Fairmount Park neighbors to City Hall: Stop killing our deer January 18, 2019 Pennsylvania, Billy Penn

... The annual cull, formally referred to as the “professional deer management project,” began in the late 90s ... supporters stressed that it would only take about a year for the wildlife to be managed.  Twenty years and 3,793 dead deer later ...


Deer God, why would the Game Commission fine a man who tried to save a freezing buck?  January 17, 2019 Pennsylvania, YDR

... The buck was being pulled onto the bank by rescuers and the fire department when he arrived, but it was trembling and cold. Stoll says he couldn't bear to see the deer suffering and offered to take the buck home...  Stoll could face a fine of up to $800... So, just let them suffer ...

     Man who took deer home to try and save it is facing a citation from the PA Game Commission January 15, 2019 Pennsylvania, WPMT

... volunteered to take one of the deer home to try and save it, posting a Facebook update of the deer lying covered in blankets... the deer did not survive ...


Game Commission seeking volunteers for habitat work January 13, 2019

Wilkes Barre Times-Leader

... The agency is planning several habitat work days on State Game Lands 219 in Warren Township, Bradford County, in the coming months and can use some additional help...


Let the Pa. Game Commission and the Fish and Boat Commission set license fees January 8, 2019 Pennsylvania, York Daily Record/Sunday News

... Taxpayers have a right to question how their money is being spent. Problem is, this situation involves no tax dollars. Hunting and fishing are self-sustaining ... my trust is in both agencies to act responsibly when given the right to set the price of a license...


Hunters rescue deer trapped in crevasse January 7, 2019 Pennsylvania, Watertown Daily Times

... They tried until dark to extricate the deer, making multiple trips back to Queensbury for jacks and other tools... In a last-ditch effort, they decided to lasso the deer’s hind legs and try to pull it out upside down. “I pulled and there he was, lying in my lap,” ...


Game Commission investigating mysterious deer deaths January 4, 2019 Pennsylvania, WPMT 

... “As far as we could tell, dehydration seemed to be the primary cause of any complications that led to that deers death,” said Lau.  It’s unusual, he says, and while they don’t know what it is, they know what it isn’t...

     Hunters report mysterious deer deaths January 3, 2019 Pennsylvania, ABC27

... at least 21 deer that dropped dead in Carsonville. Other Midstaters are adding to that tally on Facebook... Morgan first found a dying fawn that couldn't control its legs ... he found three more the next week...

Pennsylvania Deer News and Information Archive by Topic: Population and Management, Deer in the News, Disease, Suburban, Transportation, Deer Resistant Plants

Pennsylvania Data:  The state reports in 2023 that populations are lower in some areas of the state as a result of drought.  A press article reports the population is estimated at 1.45 million in 2023.  About 1.5 million deer in 2017 using information from the 2019-20 deer population report.  Some 2022 and 2023 estimates in the press of 1.5 million deer.  A 15.5% increase in antlerless deer licenses for the 2023 hunt to manage the population.  A reported 12% increase in the 2022-23 deer kill with the Supervisor noting: "We see generally stable population trends in most of the state, near goal levels..."  The buck harvest, an indicator of population changes, was up 2% in 2022-23.


The deer harvest was up by 2.6 percent from 2017 to 2021 with the hunter success rate about the same over that period, suggesting a small increase over the period as also indicated by the 2021-22 deer population report.  The buck harvest per square mile indicates an approximately stable deer population over the decade into 2021.  Pennsylvania has the highest density of hunters, reported at 14.4 per square mile in 2021.


Stable to increasing, about the same in 2020 and mostly stable in 2021.  The 12 percent increase in the deer kill for 2020 was partly attributed to an increase in licenses allocated.  The deer harvest returned to about trend levels in 2021, down 3.2 percent from 2019. The deer harvest rose by about 10 percent in 2018, but the buck harvest was down by 10 percent.  In 2019 deer populations were increasing in three of the 23 management units and stable in other units, doe tags were increased to 932,000 for 2020-21, up from 903,000 in 2019-20 and up from 838,000 in 2018.   A below average acorn crop in 2020.  2003 to 2009 population estimates


About 1.4 million deer in 2015, up from about 1.3 million in 2014 (estimated using harvest data).  Populations are generally stable to increasing in 2017 and stable in 2018.  A 7.5 percent increase in antlerless deer tags in 2017, 14 of 23 units were increased, significantly less that recommended by staff.  A 2017 EHD outbreak reduced populations in some areas, but the mild temperatures from the winter 2016-17 and a  good 2016 acorn crop have generally increased the deer population in 2017.  A 13 percent increase in antlerless tags for 2016 which designed to reduce the deer herd in two management units and maintain the herd in the other 20 units.  The 2016 deer population was stable to increasing in most regions of the state. About 550,000 deer hunters.


The hard winter in 2013-14 reduced populations that had generally been stable to increasing into 2013, about 1.5 million deer.   In 2014 and 2015, the Game Commission reduced doe deer licenses in an effort to grow the herd.   Under the deer management of Gary Alt, the Pennsylvania Game Commission allowed hunters to take more does which resulted in the lowest deer populations down from 2005 to 2012.


In 2011 an estimate of 1.5 million, another estimate of 1.6 million, and an estimate from the Pennsylvania Game Commission of between 1.3 and 1.5 million, or about 1.37 million. The deer population was estimated at about 1.2 million in 2010, 1.1 million in 2008 and 2007,  1.4 million in 2002,  to 1.5 million in 2001 and 2000


Population estimates have been a matter of public controversy. The deer harvest rose about 4 percent in 2015 to 315,813, 43.4% were antlered deer. Of the bucks taken, 59 percent were 2.5 years old or older, a big increase from past years that the department attributes to antler restrictions.  Peak of the rut is about November 14.


According to the Nature Tourism project, the deer population grew from 1.2 million deer in 2006 to 1.6 million in 2011. After antler restrictions on hunters were introduced in 2002, the observed ratio of button bucks to adult bucks dropped from 15-to-1 in the winter of 2002 to 2-to-1 in 2004. Yearling buck survival has increased from 15 to 52 percent, harvest of adult bucks has increased from 20 to 50 percent. The observed ratio of adult doe to adult bucks fell from 14-to-1 to 2-to-1 over that period. 90 percent of all deer are conceived between mid-October and mid-December.  About 750,000 deer hunters were estimated, 16 per square mile of hunting land, but this number was later determined to be too high.  


A 2001 (p. 3) population estimate from the state of 1.54 million with a deer population density of 39 deer per square mile of forested area.  Another estimate from Penn State of 1.5 million deer in 2001 and from Penn State in another publication in 2001.  Prior to the hunt in 2000 a population estimate from the state of 1.523 million deer.  A 1990 population estimate of one million deer.


Hunting license sales peaked in 1982 at 1.3 million, 952,989 sold in 2013.  Hunting success about 33 percent in 2013.  About 80 percent of hunting is on public land, 1.5 million acres of game land.  In 2000 the PGC increased hunting in order to reduce the herd. Although the strategy changed to stabilizing the population in 2005, the herd continued to decline, especially in the north.


In Pennsylvania, hunting data represents the primary source of population trend information [2009 Deer Management Plan, page 77]. 


Deer Farms.  In 2023 there were over 600 deer farms in he state.  In 2020, there were over 750 deer farms.  In 2018, there were 860 deer farms regulated by the Department of Agriculture with about 23,000 deer.  In 2017 a reported 23,000 captive deer on 1,100 breeding farms.


Chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Pennsylvania was first detected in 2012 at a captive deer facility in Adams county.  First discovered in the wild herd in 2013 in Bedford and Blair counties.  From 2012 to 2015, a total of 22 free-ranging deer tested CWD-positive deer.  In 2016, 25 free ranging deer tested positive, bringing the total free-ranging CWD-positive deer to 47.  With more deer testing positive in 2017 and 2018, bring the total to more than 100.  In 2017 after only 13 cases of CWD in captive deer, 27 deer tested positive in a deer farm in Bedford county - the herd of 215 were euthanized.  Four more at the end of 2017 bringing the total positives from capative deer to 44.  


In 2018, 36 deer positives from a farm in Fulton County and two more from Bedford.  By mid-2019, 250 positives in free ranging deer with 204 additional free-ranging deer testing positive from the 2019 season bring the total since 2012 to 453.  Another 212 positives from the 2020 season, more than half from Bedford county.  About 730 cases by 2021.  In 2022 there were 723 captive shooting facilities with 35 having positives for CWD, 18 still had deer as of April.  There were 253 positive cases identified from the 2021-22 deer season.  From July 2022 to June 2023 more than 400 wild deer tested positive for CWD.


By fall, 2022, more than 118,000 wild, free-ranging whitetails and more than 1,700 elk  were tested for CWD with about 1,000 positive deer and no elk.  By fall, 2023, more than 131,000 wild, free-ranging whitetails had been tested for CWD since 1998, along with more than 1,900 elk.  CWD has been found in more than 1,400 deer, 243 of those taken by hunters last season.  No elk.  CWD Dasboard.


Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) likely first observed in the state in 1996, but no samples fresh enough to test.  Confirmation of EHD came in Green and Washington counties six years later.  A limited outbreak in 2007, 2012, 2017,  and 2020.  An outbreak in the southeast in 2018 and in 2023.


History:  The first deer season was established in 1869.  In 1897, the use of bait and dogs to hunt deer were both outlawed.   In the early 1900's, the Pennsylvania deer population was so low that the Game Commission began stocking deer in 1906.  Does were protected from 1907 until 1923 to boost the population and for many of the years until 1957.    The restrictions on hunting antlerless deer and extensive logging during the late 1800s and early 1900s supported an increase in the deer population from about 1,000 deer in 1905 to about 1 million in 1928 [2009 Deer Management Plan, page 9].


The first hunting licenses were established in 1913.  In 1923, a minimum 2 points to an antler or 6-inch spike was required for a buck.  During the depression the practice of hunting deer at night "jacklighting" became popular, made illegal in 1935.  The buck season was closed in 1938 with the herd in decline. 


In 1986, there were 1,000,000 deer hunters in Pennsylvania.  In 2013 around 740,000 deer hunters.  Since antler restrictions were enacted in Pennsylvania in 2002, yearling buck survival has increased from 15 to 52 percent, while harvest of adult bucks has increased from 20 to 50 percent.  More history starting on page 9.


A 2019 report states that  "According to the state’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Pennsylvania’s white-tailed deer population has grown from about 10 deer per square mile in the 1700s to an estimated 30 deer per square mile."


Reindeer once roamed the state when its weather was more like southern Alaska today.


Elk    The Elk population was estimated at 1,400 in 2023, 1,400 to 1,500 in 2021 and 2022.  About 1,000 in 2019, 900 in the beginning of 2015, growing from about 65 in 1971 to 800 in 2011. A 2023 study reported that only 63% of calves survived through their first year, and predation was the leading cause of mortality.


Once native to Pennsylvania, by 1877 over hunting and habitat loss resulted in the regional extermination of the species with the last known elk killed by a hunter.  Between 1913 and 1926 the Game Commission released 177 elk.  The first shipment of 50 elk from Yellowstone Park came by train in 1913.   In 1934, about 14 in the state.  Elk hunts were banned, but illegal poaching occurred. A 1971 survey counted 65 elk in Pennsylvania  In 1998 a three year long trap and transfer program expanded the elk's range.  History


Bears   About 2,500 in the 1990s and 15,000 around 2022 and 2023.  An estimated 18,000 bears in 2013 and over 20,000 in 2020.  Down to about 16,000 in 2022.


Coyotes, some experts believe there may be hundreds of thousands in 2019.


Wolves, eradicated by 1892.


Report Poaching:   Call the Game Commission at 814-643-1831.  Callers can remain anonymous and there may be a reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction.


Report a dead deer for removal from state roads, call the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation at 1-800-FIX-ROAD.