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Hunting licenses to go on sale june 19

4K views 37 replies 27 participants last post by  Potter Co. Joe 
#1 ·
Release 38-17

HUNTING LICENSES TO GO ON SALE JUNE 19

Pheasant permit, pocket guide among changes in store for coming license year.
-
Pennsylvania hunters and trappers soon will be lining up to purchase their 2017-18 licenses, and they need to be aware of some important changes implemented since this time last year.

Hunting licenses for 2017-18 go on sale June 19. The licenses become valid July 1 and, after that date, all who hunt, trap or who want to apply for an antlerless deer license must have an up-to-date 2017-18 license to do so.

One noticeable change for 2017-18 license buyers is that the full regulations digest typically given out when licenses are purchased is not being provided for free this year.

Instead, all license buyers will receive a complimentary “pocket-guide” that contains general hunting regulations, hunting hours, fluorescent orange requirements, a map of the Wildlife Management Units, and season dates and bag limits.

License buyers who wish to view the full digest can do so online at the Game Commission, or they can opt to purchase a printed digest for $6. Digests will be sold over-the-counter at Game Commission Region Offices and Harrisburg Headquarters. When purchased elsewhere, the digests will be mailed directly to license buyers.

By no longer giving free digests to all license buyers, the Game Commission will save significantly on the cost of printing and mailing hundreds of thousands of digests.

Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans explained this decision is being motivated by the agency’s financial situation, which already has caused the Game Commission to eliminate programs and reduce personnel.

“These kinds of reductions in services are necessary as the Game Commission approaches nearly two decades without an increase in the cost of a general hunting or furtaker license,” Burhans said.

Unlike most state agencies, the Game Commission doesn’t get a share of tax money from the state’s general fund. Instead, funding comes primarily from the sale of licenses, the fees for which are set by the General Assembly.

A challenging fiscal climate also is behind another significant change in 2017-18 – the requirement for all adult and senior pheasant hunters to purchase a permit.

In recent decades, pheasant hunting in Pennsylvania has been possible only through the release of farm-raised pheasants, and the Game Commission’s pheasant propagation program annually has raised and released about 200,000 pheasants or more for hunting statewide. While the program is a popular one, it doesn’t come cheap, costing about $4.7 million annually in recent years.
Steps have been taken to curtail the cost of the program. The Game Commission last year closed two of its four pheasant farms, and the statewide pheasant allocation for 2017-18 has been reduced to 170,000.

By creating a pheasant permit, the Game Commission has established a mechanism to help fund the pheasant program – giving hunters a chance to help sustain the program rather than see it vanish.

Pheasant permits are required for all adult and senior hunters, including senior lifetime license buyers, who pursue or harvest pheasants. Junior hunters do not need a pheasant permit to hunt or harvest pheasants. Each pheasant permit costs $26.90, and the permit is required in addition to a general hunting license. ---

General hunting licenses and furtaker licenses each continue to cost $20.90 for Pennsylvania residents and $101.90 for nonresidents.
Resident senior hunters and furtakers, ages 65 and older, can purchase one-year licenses for $13.90, or lifetime licenses for $51.90. For $101.90, resident seniors can purchase lifetime combination licenses that afford them hunting and furtaking privileges. Like other hunters and trappers, seniors still need to purchase archery licenses before participating in the archery deer season, bear licenses to pursue bruins, and permits to harvest pheasants, bobcats, fishers or river otters.

A complete list of licensing requirements can be found at Game Commission.

Burhans thanked hunters and trappers for their enduring support of Pennsylvania wildlife through their annual license purchases.
“At any price, the opportunity to spend days afield in Penn’s Woods, carrying on our hunting and trapping heritage, is invaluable,” Burhans said. “Our pheasant hunters are a great example of that. When we first proposed creation of a pheasant permit, many of them stepped up to say they’d gladly pay $50 or a $100 for their permits that would keep the propagation program going and sustain the opportunity to hunt pheasants in Pennsylvania.

“For more than a century, hunters and trappers have funded the conservation of all the Commonwealth’s wildlife, for all Pennsylvanians, and we owe them a debt of gratitude,” Burhans said. “Their contribution not only has produced some of the best deer, bear and turkey hunting in the nation, it’s helped to create and maintain healthy habitat and preserve a diversity of wildlife that can be enjoyed by all statewide.”-
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#4 ·
Release 38-17

HUNTING LICENSES TO GO ON SALE JUNE 19

Pheasant permit, pocket guide among changes in store for coming license year.
-
Pennsylvania hunters and trappers soon will be lining up to purchase their 2017-18 licenses, and they need to be aware of some important changes implemented since this time last year.

Hunting licenses for 2017-18 go on sale June 19. The licenses become valid July 1 and, after that date, all who hunt, trap or who want to apply for an antlerless deer license must have an up-to-date 2017-18 license to do so.

One noticeable change for 2017-18 license buyers is that the full regulations digest typically given out when licenses are purchased is not being provided for free this year.

Instead, all license buyers will receive a complimentary “pocket-guide” that contains general hunting regulations, hunting hours, fluorescent orange requirements, a map of the Wildlife Management Units, and season dates and bag limits.

License buyers who wish to view the full digest can do so online at the Game Commission, or they can opt to purchase a printed digest for $6. Digests will be sold over-the-counter at Game Commission Region Offices and Harrisburg Headquarters. When purchased elsewhere, the digests will be mailed directly to license buyers.

By no longer giving free digests to all license buyers, the Game Commission will save significantly on the cost of printing and mailing hundreds of thousands of digests.

Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans explained this decision is being motivated by the agency’s financial situation, which already has caused the Game Commission to eliminate programs and reduce personnel.

“These kinds of reductions in services are necessary as the Game Commission approaches nearly two decades without an increase in the cost of a general hunting or furtaker license,” Burhans said.

Unlike most state agencies, the Game Commission doesn’t get a share of tax money from the state’s general fund. Instead, funding comes primarily from the sale of licenses, the fees for which are set by the General Assembly.

A challenging fiscal climate also is behind another significant change in 2017-18 – the requirement for all adult and senior pheasant hunters to purchase a permit.

In recent decades, pheasant hunting in Pennsylvania has been possible only through the release of farm-raised pheasants, and the Game Commission’s pheasant propagation program annually has raised and released about 200,000 pheasants or more for hunting statewide. While the program is a popular one, it doesn’t come cheap, costing about $4.7 million annually in recent years.
Steps have been taken to curtail the cost of the program. The Game Commission last year closed two of its four pheasant farms, and the statewide pheasant allocation for 2017-18 has been reduced to 170,000.

By creating a pheasant permit, the Game Commission has established a mechanism to help fund the pheasant program – giving hunters a chance to help sustain the program rather than see it vanish.

Pheasant permits are required for all adult and senior hunters, including senior lifetime license buyers, who pursue or harvest pheasants. Junior hunters do not need a pheasant permit to hunt or harvest pheasants. Each pheasant permit costs $26.90, and the permit is required in addition to a general hunting license. ---

General hunting licenses and furtaker licenses each continue to cost $20.90 for Pennsylvania residents and $101.90 for nonresidents.
Resident senior hunters and furtakers, ages 65 and older, can purchase one-year licenses for $13.90, or lifetime licenses for $51.90. For $101.90, resident seniors can purchase lifetime combination licenses that afford them hunting and furtaking privileges. Like other hunters and trappers, seniors still need to purchase archery licenses before participating in the archery deer season, bear licenses to pursue bruins, and permits to harvest pheasants, bobcats, fishers or river otters.

A complete list of licensing requirements can be found at Game Commission.

Burhans thanked hunters and trappers for their enduring support of Pennsylvania wildlife through their annual license purchases.
“At any price, the opportunity to spend days afield in Penn’s Woods, carrying on our hunting and trapping heritage, is invaluable,” Burhans said. “Our pheasant hunters are a great example of that. When we first proposed creation of a pheasant permit, many of them stepped up to say they’d gladly pay $50 or a $100 for their permits that would keep the propagation program going and sustain the opportunity to hunt pheasants in Pennsylvania.

“For more than a century, hunters and trappers have funded the conservation of all the Commonwealth’s wildlife, for all Pennsylvanians, and we owe them a debt of gratitude,” Burhans said. “Their contribution not only has produced some of the best deer, bear and turkey hunting in the nation, it’s helped to create and maintain healthy habitat and preserve a diversity of wildlife that can be enjoyed by all statewide.”-
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Is the yellow part correct? Do I now have to buy an archery license again???
 
#8 ·
Is that going to be tough for enforcement? Guess where I'm going with this several years ago I did some pheasant hunting. Only with 1/2 hour from my home is a well stocked game lands mainly fields where they are stocked in Somerset county. Some guys rabbit hunted these fields also. If I'm small game hunting and decide to walk across these fields for sake of short cut or rabbit hunting and not have the permit am I in violation? I know common sense if I throw up shotgun and even shoot and miss I would be but wonder how this is going to pan out.
 
#19 ·
Since you will be 65 on June 2, 2018, you will be eligible for a lifetime license for the 2017-2018 license year. A senior lifetime resident hunting license is available to residents who have reached, or will reach, their 65th birthday during the license year.

Since these licenses are computer generated, all issuing agents should be able to process your requests.
 
#20 ·
Ordered my license online today, was smooth sailing thru the process.
Ya gotta love this lifetime combo license renewal at no cost! Course the federal duck stamp, migratory bird stamp and the special turkey cost extra but it's a good deal.
 
#21 ·
"In recent decades, pheasant hunting in Pennsylvania has been possible only through the release of farm-raised pheasants, and the Game Commission’s pheasant propagation program annually has raised and released..."

OR, through private organizations. The rod and gun club I belonged to had pheasant pens and raised pheasants for release on club-leased farms for hunting. Does the pheasant tag apply to just state game lands where pheasants are stocked, or to private land as well? If the latter, that means club members pay for the club pheasant farm fees thru their normal yearly dues, and then have to pay the Game Commission to hunt pheasant anyway on club-leased properly, which as well is paid for by club member dues.
 
#22 ·
Yep no matter what land you hunt for pheasants you need the stamp.


I've been in favor of a stamp for many years but I do have a problem with it because IMHO the stamp should be only needed if hunting birds stocked by the PGC on SGL's , NPS land or land enrolled in the hunter access program.

If birds are stocked on private land by landowners or a club etc the stamp should not be needed.

Ok that's my 2 cents worth.:wave:
 
#23 · (Edited)
I'm going to buy my license tomorrow. I will buy the pheasant stamp. I don't agree with it, but I enjoy pheasant hunting too much to simply not do it anymore. What I'm not going to do is pay for the regulations digest. They can keep that. With all the advertisements it contains, it should not suddenly cost us money to purchase. I'll take the pocket guide and I'll save the $6.00 and put that toward one of my doe permits.
 
#24 ·
Since the Legislature has refused to grant a hunting license increase since '99 - and knew at that time, that the increase granted then, would only help to cover operating expenses for five to six years - PGC should've introduced a $10 pheasant stamp around 2005.

Picked up my new license this morning at PGC/HQ. Dozens there and still coming in when I left.

Will get the pheasant stamp (donation) when I go over on the 26th for the BOC meeting. SS "welfare check" comes in on the 21st, so I'll be momentarily affluent for a few days, after that.

:smile2:

One guy ahead of me was mad that they increased 3A doe tags by 10,000, said there aren't any deer around where he hunts. Told him they're plentiful where I hunt in 3A, so he said he hunts near Westfield. Told him that's barely five miles from where I hunt. Then his "spot" changed to an area that's about ten miles from me. Have farmer kin down there in that area, no complaints from them about deer numbers?

:plain:

Didn't have the heart to tell him they'd just added-back the 5,000 3A tags that they took away last few years, not a 10,000 tag increase.
 
#26 ·
10 Minutes and $200 later I ordered the Lic on line. Both boys probably won't hunt cause they'll be away at college but I got them just in case. I bought the pheasant tags cause when their home for Christmas break they like to get out, I also succumbed to the $6 comic book!
 
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