Hunting Archery Duck Deer

A new measure proposed at last week’s summer meeting of the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners may provide another option for local authorities battling urban deer problems. Commissioners gave preliminary approval to a regulatory change that would allow homeowners associations and nonprofit land-holding organizations to apply for Deer Control Permits under the same process provided for boroughs and townships.

The measure may help remedy a common yet illegal practice in Pennsylvania, in which some local police departments arbitrarily shoot troublesome deer in their municipalities. Without a permit, the practice is illegal even when a landowner requests it, town council sanctions it and the police chief orders it.

Wildlife management in the commonwealth is the sole responsibility of the Pennsylvania Game Commission and is financed exclusively through the sale of hunting licenses, leases on State Game Lands and an excise tax on hunting-related sporting goods. Local authorities can cull deer only with proper licensing.

Game Commission executive director Carl Roe said that while hunting remains the preferred method of controlling white-tail populations, it isn’t always practical in urban areas.

“In developed landscapes, lower deer populations result in fewer deer-human conflicts,” he said, in a prepared statement. “Hunting is not always feasible … due to safety zone restrictions. Recognizing that urban deer issues do not always affect an entire township or borough, the board is proposing to expand the list of authorized Deer Control Permit applicants to include homeowners associations and nonprofit land-holding companies.”

Under the proposal, the permit allocation process would be the same as what’s now required of municipalities.

And local cops still can’t shoot deer without a license.

The agency will vote on final approval of the proposal at its next scheduled meeting Oct. 24.

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