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Pennsylvania Game Commission

@pagamecomm

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Managing & protecting Pennsylvania's wildlife & their habitats while promoting hunting & trapping for current & future generations.

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Some hunters would rather take on the briars and brush than the timbers and tree stands this time of the year. For those hunters, your time starts this weekend!

In addition to squirrel season already being open, this Saturday, October 17 marks the beginning of ruffed grouse and rabbit seasons!

Hunters can take to the fields and forests in search of these exciting small game opportunities. With the rush of a grouse flushing or a rabbit darting from one hedgerow to the next, small game hunting is thrilling, fast-paced, and full of excitement.

As a general reminder, hunters must wear a minimum of 250 square inches of fluorescent orange on their head, back, and chest, visible from 360 degrees.

Limits for small game seasons are:
Squirrel: 6 daily, 18 possession
Ruffed Grouse: 2 daily, 6 possession
Rabbit: 4 daily, 12 possession

Waiting patiently for pheasant season? Don’t worry, that opens NEXT weekend, October 24.

Good luck, have fun, and hunt safely! by @pagamecomm

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a day ago

They blazed the path for us, now it’s our job to frame the future.

Hunting runs deep in the hearts of many Pennsylvanians. But nothing great should be gatekept. So, what about those individuals who don’t hunt? How do we want our story to be told?

How a hunt is perceived by a spectator often begins with a harvest photo. If we want people to appreciate a hunt, we have a responsibility to represent it thoughtfully.

A picture is worth a thousand words — make those words speak highly of hunting.

Sharing tasteful, respectful harvest photos online helps tell the story of hunting in a way that reflects the care, respect, and passion hunters have every time we go afield. And hopefully that creates interest in becoming a Pennsylvania hunter, or at least a new appreciation.

Set a good example when you take your harvest photo this year. You may encourage the next generation of hunters.

Thank you for being a Pennsylvania hunter! taken in Pennsylvania, USA by @pagamecomm

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2 days ago

If there’s something to be said about Pennsylvanians, we care about deer around here! 🦌

On this episode of Call of the Outdoors, we answer common questions like are deer populations dwindling in Pennsylvania? Or are way too many whitetails running around?

Biologists Maureen Staats and David Stainbrook join host Matt Morrett to share insights from managing deer throughout the Keystone State. Learn which metrics actually matter for determining herd health, when to hit the woods for peak rut action, and why antlerless allocations change from year to year.

Watch or listen to Episode 75- Pennsylvania Deer Hunters: A Driving Conservation Force, wherever you get your podcasts or find the link in our bio. 🎧 by @pagamecomm

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5 days ago

Tag it. Report it. Your harvest COUNTS!

With Pennsylvania’s statewide archery deer season underway, we’re reminding hunters to report their harvest within 10 days.

Report one of three ways:

💻 Online at huntfish.pa.gov
☎️ By calling 1-800-838-4431
📬 By mailing a 2026-27 harvest report card to: PA Game Commission, Attn: Harvest Reports, 2001 Elmerton Ave., Harrisburg, PA 17110-9851

By reporting your harvest, you provide Game Commission wildlife biologists with information they need to estimate and track harvest, hunting success, and the age and sex of harvested animals in each WMU.

This data helps them monitor population trends and understand how changes to seasons could affect harvest.

Higher reporting rates means estimates are more accurate and help show clearer trends over time.

Thank you for being a Pennsylvania hunter!

Good luck. Have fun. Hunt safely. by @pagamecomm

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8 days ago

Good grief, we love foliage! 🍁

You can drop the security blanket, and we promise not to pull the football away because the seasons are quietly shifting before our eyes. As the days get shorter and temperatures chill, just like the critters, trees begin preparing for winter too.

With less sunlight and cooler temperatures, trees gradually stop producing chlorophyll — the green pigment that helps leaves capture sunlight for photosynthesis.

As the chlorophyll breaks down, the green fades and reveals yellow and orange pigments. In some trees, sugars become trapped and help produce those brilliant red and purple hues.

Don’t be a blockhead, we know you like foliage as much as we do! by @pagamecomm

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9 days ago

Get in, loser. We’re going archery hunting.

Pennsylvania’s statewide archery season starts TODAY, Saturday, October 3. And you know what makes it totally fetch?

Sundays! It’s like the limit does not even exist on how many opportunities you have to get out and enjoy this fall.

The statewide season runs now through Friday, November 20, which means there are plenty of Wednesdays to wear camo, not pink.

Good luck, have fun, and hunt safely! by @pagamecomm

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11 days ago

Boots on, bows drawn. Tomorrow's the day.

Good luck, have fun, and hunt safely. by @pagamecomm

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12 days ago

Crisp mornings, quiet woods, and heavy anticipation.

Our time is here, and we have the perfect soundtrack to get you to and from your tried-and-true stand this coming archery season — Broadhead Ballads, now streaming on Spotify.

And before you ask, of course “Fred Bear” is on the playlist.

Find the link in our bio for this playlist and more. And don’t forget, we’ll be adding more seasonal playlists throughout the fall! by @pagamecomm

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13 days ago

Find yourself searching for oaks this hunting season? Thank a blue jay. Beneath all that squawking lies the most unlikely and clever partnership.

The symbiotic relationship between the easily recognizable blue “bully” and a mighty oak tree has an unforeseen impact — one hunters may appreciate.

Blue jays play a key role in oak propagation, assisting an oak’s likelihood of growing into a mature tree producing its own acorn crop by spreading acorns throughout the ecosystem.

Not only have they championed oak seed dispersal, but jays also aid a slow-growing oak’s survival rate.

While it seems like a simple task, the ripple effect benefits many others, including big game species like black bears, turkeys, and of course our desired whitetails.

The blue jay may get a bad reputation, never underestimate a critter’s role in an ecosystem — they may be contributing a lot more than we realize. by @pagamecomm

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15 days ago

“Does this black fur make me look fat?”

There’s a reason @nationalparkservice calls it Fat Bear Week.

PA black bears are putting on the pounds for winter. And no, they don’t need your leftovers.

Human food attractants can be very tempting as the days get colder and shorter, making it that much more important to stay @bebearwise.

Simple efforts like cleaning your BBQ grills, securing compost areas, latching trashcans, containing livestock, taking birdfeeders inside, and winterizing your summer gardens can help keep your property a “no-bear-food zone.” by @pagamecomm

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16 days ago

Maturing is realizing the story of the hunt matters more than the grip-and-grin.

Today, National Hunting and Fishing Day, we celebrate the stories that are made outdoors, time spent with family, lessons shared, and memories made from our roots to our boots. It’s a day to get outdoors and create a few new stories of your own — building a conservation legacy carried on by generations of sportsmen and women.

New chapters start this fall with statewide archery season beginning in just ONE WEEK! Find seasons and bag limits at pa.gov/pgc

Thank you for being a Pennsylvania hunter! by @pagamecomm

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18 days ago

Let’s be honest, we’d probably think of “cupine” too.

Porcupines are typically quiet and unassuming, slow and clumsy, but when September and October roll around, that all changes.

As the fall approaches, porcupine courtship begins. They become very vocal, rub noses, and chatter their teeth. They’ll even walk on their hind feet and perform waving body motions.

But unlike most rodents (yes, they’re rodents), porcupines are not prolific reproducers, and it’s estimated that up to half adult females go unmated each year. On top of that, females almost always produce just one offspring — just one porcupette.

And yes, we would’ve been WAY MORE IMPRESSED if he’d have said “Cu Pette” instead of “Cu Pine.” by @pagamecomm

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19 days ago