An Act amending Title 34 (Game) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in Pennsylvania Game Commission, further providing for organization of commission; in game or wildlife protection, further providing for report to commission officer and for surrender of carcass to commission officer; in hunting and furtaking, further providing for trespass on private property while hunting; and, in special licenses and permits, providing for agriculture access permit list.

PRINTER'S NO. 480
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No. 517
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY ROTHMAN, VOGEL, FONTANA AND PENNYCUICK,
MARCH 25, 2025
REFERRED TO GAME AND FISHERIES, MARCH 25, 2025
AN ACT
Amending Title 34 (Game) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
Statutes, in Pennsylvania Game Commission, further providing
for organization of commission; in game or wildlife
protection, further providing for report to commission
officer and for surrender of carcass to commission officer;
in hunting and furtaking, further providing for trespass on
private property while hunting; and, in special licenses and
permits, providing for agriculture access permit list.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 301(a) of Title 34 of the Pennsylvania
Consolidated Statutes is amended and the section is amended by
adding a subsection to read:
§ 301. Organization of commission.
(a) Composition.--The independent administrative commission
known as the Pennsylvania Game Commission shall consist of nine
competent citizens of this Commonwealth who shall be well
informed on the subject of wildlife conservation and restoration
and who shall be appointed by the Governor, by and with the
advice and consent of a majority of the elected members of the
Senate. The Governor shall ensure that at least one member
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appointed to the commission represents the interest of
agricultural commodities that pertain to normal agricultural
operations and wildlife.
* * *
(e) Definitions.--As used in this section, the following
words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this
subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Agricultural commodity." As defined in section 2 of the act
of June 10, 1982 (P.L.454, No.133), referred to as the Right-to-
Farm Law.
"Normal agricultural operation." As defined in section 2 of
the Right-to-Farm Law.
Section 2. Sections 2122, 2125 and 2314(a), (b) and (c) of
Title 34 are amended to read:
§ 2122. Report to commission officer.
Any person who kills any game or wildlife, other than
raccoons, under the provisions of this subchapter shall, within
24 hours, report, orally or in writing, the killing to an
officer of the commission. The report shall set forth the date,
time and place of the killing, the number of species killed
[and], the sex of the species[.] and the location of each
carcass. The commission shall establish a self-reporting system
that allows a person assigned to remove deer for crop damage
purposes to report each harvest to an officer of the commission
via a toll-free telephone number, online application or publicly
accessible Internet website.
§ 2125. Surrender of carcass [to commission officer].
Except as otherwise provided in this subchapter, the entire
carcass, including the head and hide[,] of all big game animals
and the entire carcass of any other game or wildlife, other than
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raccoons, less entrails, shall be made available, unless
otherwise directed by an officer of the commission, intact[,
less entrails,] to any commission officer calling for them[.] or
delivered to a processor for final disposition. As used in this
section, the term "processor" means a location specified by the
commission that is willing to accept donations of animals taken
under this chapter.
§ 2314. Trespass on private property while hunting.
(a) [General rule] Trespass.--A person, while engaged in
hunting or furtaking, commits an offense if, knowing that the
person is not licensed or privileged to do so, the person:
(1) enters or remains on any land of another without
authorization to do so, when the land is posted in a manner
prescribed by law or reasonably likely to come to the
person's attention [or is fenced or enclosed in a manner
manifestly designed to exclude trespassers; or];
(2) enters or remains on any land of another without
authorization and defies an order not to enter or to leave
that has been personally communicated to the person by the
owner of the land or other authorized person[.];
(3) enters or remains on any land of another without
authorization to do so, when the land is fenced or enclosed
in a manner manifestly designed to exclude trespassers; or
(4) subject to subsection (b), enters or remains on any
land of another without authorization to do so when notice
against trespass is given by the placement of identifying
purple paint marks on trees or posts on the property in
accordance with 18 Pa.C.S. § 3503(b)(1)(vi) (relating to
criminal trespass).
(b) Applicability.--This section shall not apply to an
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unarmed person who enters onto posted property for the sole
purpose of retrieving a hunting dog. Subsection (a)(4) shall not
apply in a county of the first class or a county of the second
class.
(c) Penalty.--An offense under this section shall be graded
as follows:
(1) A person who violates subsection (a)(1), (3) or (4)
commits a summary offense of the [third degree.] second
degree and may result in forfeiture of the privilege to hunt
or take game or wildlife anywhere within this Commonwealth
for a period of up to one year.
(2) A person who violates subsection (a)(2) commits a
misdemeanor[.] and shall result in forfeiture of the
privilege to hunt or take game or wildlife anywhere within
this Commonwealth for a period of three years.
(3) A person who commits a second or subsequent
violation of this section within a seven-year period commits
a misdemeanor, and the second or subsequent violation shall
result in forfeiture of the privilege to hunt or take game or
wildlife anywhere within this Commonwealth for a period of
[one year] five years.
* * *
Section 3. Title 34 is amended by adding a section to read:
§ 2931. Agriculture access permit list.
No later than January 1, 2026, the commission shall develop
and implement a program to connect landowners experiencing
wildlife-related damage with qualified hunters who are available
to assist in wildlife population control. The program shall
include all of the following:
(1) A system for landowners to request assistance from
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qualified hunters.
(2) A database, maintained by the commission, of hunters
who demonstrate the qualifications specified by the
commission for the program and who have elected to
participate in the program.
(3) A mechanism for matching landowners with qualified
hunters based on geographic proximity, level of need and
hunter availability.
Section 4. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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