By Aaron Hepler
Tis the season of the orange army! It’s the time of year when Pennsylvania sees its largest number of hunters hit the woods - all at the same time. It’s a nostalgic time of year, and may as well be a holiday in Pennsylvania. The PA rifle opener is here.
Some hunters will take to the woods, adding to their history of seasons afield. Many hunters this year are new and just learning the ropes. If COVID has taught us anything, it’s that people’s love for the outdoors - hunting, fishing, hiking, biking, boating, whatever you can think of - has been reignited.
As a reminder, if you are one of the lucky guys or gals in camp to harvest a deer, remember to help support an important conservation tool: Report your harvest to the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC). Mail-in, online, or phone app – there are plenty of options to easily report your harvest. Click Here for a rundown of the options from the PGC:
Each kill that is reported to PGC only makes hunting better. Harvest rates help to determine harvest goals for years ahead. It tells the truth about deer health and population.
This is only my opinion, but I do believe the hunting in PA is excellent. We really have a lot of opportunity in this state as far as public land and good animal populations are concerned.
Only 40 percent of hunters take the time to report their harvest. Imagine if that number was 80-95 percent! Our hunting is good, but it could be amazing.
I get it, if you don’t do it right away you’re bound to forget. But we have plenty of tools available to make the job an easy one. The PGC has many available options to submit a report. An easy thing to do would be to download the PGC’s app and make reporting a deer a part of your tagging process. If there’s no reception where you’re hunting, set a reminder on your phone.
Reporting your harvest is a mandate, but you have ten days to get it done. No excuses! Let’s make that harvest number a good and accurate one this year!!
About Pennsylvania BHA
The Pennsylvania Chapter of BHA represents a diverse and enthusiastic group of outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen who seek to protect and improve wild places in the Keystone State and beyond.