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HARRISBURG -- The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners finalized the antlerless deer and elk license allocations for next year at its meeting Friday.
The board voted to allocate 948,000 antlerless deer licenses statewide, which is up from the 925,000 licenses allocated for 2021-21.
In local Wildlife Management Units, there is no change -- WMU 4B stays at 34,000, and WMU 4D gets 55,000.
Hunting licenses for 2022-23 go on sale in mid-June and become effective July 1. After hunters purchase a general hunting license, they may apply for antlerless deer licenses based on staggered timelines that will be outlined in the 2022-23 Pennsylvania Hunting & Trapping Digest.
The board also voted to issue 178 elk licenses (60 antlered, 118 antlerless) across three 2022-23 seasons. For the one-week general season to run Oct. 31 to Nov. 5, 31 antlered and 70 antlerless tags have been allocated. In the archery season open only in select Elk Hunt Zones, to run from Sept. 10 to 24, 14 antlered and 15 antlerless licenses are available. And there are 15 antlered and 33 antlerless licenses available for the Dec. 31 through Jan. 7, 2023, late season.
All elk licenses will be awarded by lottery, and hunters must apply separately for all seasons they wish to be eligible to hunt. Individuals can be drawn for a maximum of one elk license per license year.
TURKEY CHANGES
Commissioners gave preliminary approval to a measure that would provide the Game Commission yet another tool to respond to below-goal turkey populations.
In years past, reducing the length of the fall turkey season was the primary method to increase turkey populations. But last year, the Game Commission eliminated the use of centerfire and rimfire rifles in fall turkey season, noting that relatively few hunters used rifles, but rifles were responsible for about one-third of the fall turkey harvest. That provides an additional means to protect turkey populations without reducing season length.
The measure the board preliminarily approved would eliminate the use of other single-projectile firearms -- muzzleloading rifles and handguns, and slug guns -- in the fall turkey season. It will be brought back to the July meeting for a final vote.
Survey data suggested only 14% of fall turkey hunters statewide primarily used rifles, but rifles were responsible for 33% of the harvest.
DMAP UPDATE
Lands where hunting rights have been leased and where a fee has been charged for hunting might soon be eligible to enroll in the Deer Management Assistance Program, commonly known as DMAP.
The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today gave preliminary approval to a measure that would change the regulation that excludes leased hunting land from the program. The measure will be brought back to the July meeting for a final vote.
DMAP enables public and private landowners to better address their own deer-management goals for properties. Lands enrolled in DMAP are allotted a number of antlerless deer permits that can be purchased by hunters.
The change preliminarily approved by the board wouldn't have major impacts on the DMAP program, but would make a significant difference for landowners who now are excluded. The Game Commission has determined only about 5% of hunting lands are leased.
RED TAG PROGRAM
Final approval was given to a host of changes that will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Agricultural Deer Control Program, better known as the Red Tag Program, which helps farmers address crop-damage issues through the hunting of antlerless deer.
The changes, which were recommended to the Game Commission by those who use the program, will become effective in November 2022.
Changes include:
≤ An individual hunter no longer would be limited to obtaining one permit for a Red Tag property; they could get up to four. The higher limit is consistent with that used in the Deer Management Assistance Program, which also helps landowners meet deer-management goals through antlerless deer hunting. Hunters would be able to keep all deer they harvest.
≤ The summer period during which Red Tag hunting is closed (currently May 16 to June 30) would be expanded to April 16 to July 31. Permits would be valid from Aug. 1 through Sept. 15, then from Feb. 1 through April 15. Permits would be issued for the license year that begins July 1 and runs through June 30.
≤ Landowners no longer would be required to report Red Tag harvests. Instead, similar to DMAP, hunters would report for each permit regardless of harvest success.
≤ All licensed hunters, not just hunters who are Pennsylvania residents, would qualify for Red Tag permits.
≤ Landowners no longer would need to enroll in the Game Commission's Hunter Access program before using the Red Tag program, and Red Tag properties no longer would need to be posted with signs.
NEW ROAD-KILL
DISPOSAL OPTION
Permitted professionals hired by those wishing to address nuisance-wildlife problems might soon receive authority to pick up and dispose of road-killed deer.
Commissioners preliminarily approved a measure that would allow nuisance wildlife control operators, who already are regulated by the Game Commission, to offer road-killed deer pick-up from roadways and private property.
Presently, the responsibility for picking up and removing deer carcasses from roadways is split between the state Department of Transportation and the Game Commission, which sometimes hires contractors to collect and dispose of deer.
The measure will be brought back to the July meeting for a final vote.
BOBWHITE QUAIL
RECOVERY
Preliminary approval was granted to a measure creating a bobwhite quail recovery area surrounding Letterkenny Army Depot in Greene Township, Franklin County.
The goal of the recovery area is to help quail -- a native species considered extirpated from Pennsylvania since perhaps the 1990s -- and a host of other grassland-dependent species, some of which also are in real trouble.
Field sparrows, eastern towhees, yellow-breasted chats, dickcissels, eastern meadowlarks, cottontails, American woodcock and assorted pollinators all use the same kind of old-field habitat as quail. And most need assistance
All told, the wild bobwhite quail recovery area will cover 177.65 square miles.
This proposal will go before the board again in July for a final vote.
WILDLIFE REPORTS
Those who hold wildlife capture and transportation permits will need to begin making monthly reports to the Game Commission based on a measure preliminarily approved at the meeting.
The board voted unanimously to require monthly reporting. The measure will be up for a final vote at the July meeting.
The reporting requirement will help ensure wildlife capture and transportation permit holders aren't exceeding the limitations of their permits. While these permit holders are authorized to pick up wildlife anywhere statewide at any time and transport it to the closest properly permitted wildlife rehabilitator, the Game Commission has observed instances where wildlife capture and transportation permit holders used their permits to pick up wildlife, then held it rather than transported it, acting as a wildlife rehabilitator, but without the required permit.
CWD SURVEY
Cornell University's Center for Conservation Social Sciences is conducting a survey of New York state residents who hunt in Pennsylvania to assess the degree to which their behaviors minimize the risk of spreading CWD, as well as the factors that influence those behaviors.
To help this effort, the Game Commission will provide the name, age, address, phone number, date of birth and gender for the sample of 3,000 New York state residents who bought 2020-21 Pennsylvania hunting licenses.
FALCONRY
Commissioners also approved a measure that would allow falconry hunting seasons to remain open during the regular firearms deer season.
The Game Commission has determined the expansion, which was requested by falconers, will not significantly impact other hunting opportunities during the regular firearms deer season.
The measure will be brought back to the July meeting for a final vote. If adopted, the change is expected to take effect in the 2023-24 license year.
STATE GAME LANDS
Commissioners approved of acquisitions that would add more than 974 acres to state game lands. Among them are a 54-acre tract in Miller Township, Perry County. This land adjoins State Game Lands 281 and was offered by the estate of Pauline Ayers for the option price of $260,000 lump sum to be paid with remaining escrow funds from a prior land exchange on State Game Lands 176 with Penn State University. It will require approval from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.