Brian Whipkey

Pennsylvania Outdoors Columnist

April 6, 2026, 3:16 p.m. ET

PA Game Commission sets 2026-27 hunting seasons for deer, small game

• Rifle deer season is set to begin the Saturday after Thanksgiving and will include three Sundays.
• The commission will also vote on several land acquisitions, exchanges, and a mining agreement.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission plans to adopt the final hunting seasons and bag limits for the 2026-27 hunting year on April 11, including keeping the opening day of rifle deer on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, but extending some small game seasons in to rifle deer season.

The board’s tentative meeting agenda sets rifle deer season to begin on Nov. 28, a Saturday, and continue through Sunday, Dec. 13. The season would include three Sundays. In recent years, the season ended on a Saturday and the only Sunday was the second day of the season.

New this year, the agency has several small game opportunities overlapping with rifle deer season.

The first squirrel season is expected to be Sept. 12-Dec. 24, cottontails and grouse are proposed Oct. 17-Dec. 24 and the early pheasant season is slated for Oct. 24-Dec. 24.

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Also new for the 2026-27 license year, each hunting season includes the Sundays between the dates. Last year, the governor signed a bill and lifted the ban on Sunday hunting. The 2025 fall seasons included 13 Sundays.

In addition to finalizing all of the hunting seasons, the agency will also announce the number of antlerless deer licenses that will be available.

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Land purchases, trades

The agency’s board will also vote on several land acquisitions, exchanges and mining agreements, including the following:

• Cyrus Palmer Dolbin, et al., are offering 117.8 acres of land in Wayne Township, Schuylkill County, an indenture to State Game Land No. 110 for $155,000. The agency reports the property is located along the Kittatinny Ridge, an important bird area, and is also part of the Blue Mountain Natural Heritage Area.
• Kovalchick Salvage Company is offering an 18-acre right-of-way on State Game Land No. 332 in Young and Blacklick Townships, Indiana County for $5,000. The right-of-way will provide administrative and lawful user access to the existing game lands.
• Allan Myers is offering 49 acres in West Keating Township, Clinton County, adjoining State Game Land No. 321, to the Commission in exchange for 49 acres of State Game Land No. 321. In addition to the land exchange, Myers has offered the acquisition of a private road to the agency for $26,000. The agency reports this road access from New Garden Road is vital for administrative and lawful users of State Game Land No. 321.
• The Game Commission is considering a bituminous coal surface mining agreement with RES Coal of Armagh on Game Land 198 in Cresson Township, Cambria County, and Juniata Township Blair County. RES requested an amendment to its September 2024 agreement to increase surface mining and support acres by 81.7 acres. If approved, the total acreage for the mining effort would include 207.7 acres. The agency owns the surface, but not the coal rights. RES plans to pay the Game Commission an additional $1,049,219 for the additional property. The fee would be reduced by $461,727 if RES cannot mine the electric right-of-way corridor over a five-year period.
• The PGC is considering a land exchange and water use agreement on Game Land 111 in Lower Turkeyfoot Township, Somerset County. The Confluence Municipal Borough Water Authority (CMBWA) has requested to complete drilling and establish appropriate right-of-way agreements for four water wells on State Game Land No. 111 to supply approximately 700 residents of Confluence with drinking water. In exchange, the authority would convey 46.4 acres of land to the agency. After 25 years, the PGC can assess an annual water production royalty payment of up to 2% of gross receipts.

The Game Commission’s board meeting begins at 8:30 a.m. April 11 at its headquarters in Harrisburg. The full agenda is available on the agency’s website.

Animals caught in fences suffer agonising deaths. The struggle to survive is often long and futile. Particularly dangerous are neglected, unmaintained fences and pasture nets that are not checked daily.

Editorial Wild beim Wild — 13 November 2023

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Pasture nets can be dangerous for roe deer and others.

A survey conducted in 2020 by the Swiss Animal Protection organisation among the cantons confirmed what had long been feared. Each year, between 3’000–4’500 wild animals meet a painful death in fences. The number of injured animals is likely 3–4 times higher still. Among the frequent accident victims, alongside roe deer, are red deer, chamois, foxes, domestic animals, hares, mustelids, wild boar, mute swans and red kites.

Over 70% of the animals that perished died in agony in pasture nets. The animals attempt to free themselves from the pasture fence. They pull violently. The wire acts like a saw, and not infrequently the nets are also electrified. The mesh of the net can also wrap around the limbs of roe deer and others, restricting blood flow or causing bone fractures. An unspeakable act of animal cruelty! Knotted wire and strand fences are less problematic, but also responsible for fatalities. Barbed wire is entirely unsuitable. It poses a high risk of injury to humans, livestock and wild animals. Only the canton of Graubünden has a barbed wire ban. Incomprehensible!

Hundreds of kilometres of fences and nets are simply left standing throughout the year, left to rot and become overgrown. Yet there are provisions in animal protection law, building law, agricultural law, hunting law and nature conservation law that expressly prohibit this.

If an animal dies in an improperly installed or used fence, the fence owner can be held liable for violation of the Animal Protection Act!

Wild animals have a different colour spectrum

Roe deer and other wildlife have difficulty recognizing certain colors, as these are poorly visible to their eyes. Wildlife can barely distinguish red from green, and they quickly overlook orange-red nets. It is therefore recommended to use nets in blue-white or black-yellow colors, as these are wildlife more visible. Nets with woven-in (blue) warning bands or with flutter ribbons can also help wildlife more easily recognize fences and avoid them. It is important to consider these aspects when procuring fences in order to ensure the safety of the animals and to comply with legal provisions on animal protection.

Landi.ch has recognized the problem and no longer sells such nets.

Although retailers such as hauptner.ch, weidezaun-shop.ch, agrishop.ch, zinsli-ilanz.ch, hausundhofag.ch, faie.ch, rovagro.ch and others have known for years that they sell dangerous and animal-cruel pasture nets, they do not change their practices.

That needs to change! Send a pre-written email to these decision-makers and call on retailers to stop manufacturing or selling dangerous pasture nets.

Petition text:

Dear fellow human beings

Over 70% of the animals that perished died in agony in their pasture nets. The animals try to free themselves from the pasture fence. They pull violently. The wire acts like a saw, and not infrequently the fences are also electrified. The mesh of the net can also wrap around the limbs of roe deer and other animals, restricting blood flow or causing bone fractures. Unspeakable animal cruelty!

Roe deer and other wildlife have difficulty recognizing certain colors, as these are poorly visible to their eyes. Wildlife can barely distinguish red from green, and they quickly overlook orange-red nets. It is important to consider these aspects when procuring nets in order to ensure the safety of the animals and to comply with legal provisions on animal protection.

Nets in blue-white or black-yellow colors, as well as those with woven-in (blue) warning bands or flutter ribbons, are to be preferred over nets in orange, red, or yellow that are poorly visible to wildlife eyes, and over those without warning or flutter bands. This must be strictly observed for both initial and replacement purchases.

Landi.ch has recognized the problem and adjusted its product range.

Many thanks.

Kind regards

The petition is closed. Thank you for your commitment.

More on the topic of hobby hunting: In our dossier on hunting we compile fact checks, analyses and background reports.

Petition: Ban Dangerous Pasture Nets – Wild beim Wild