Safety tips as deer rifle hunting season underway in Pennsylvania for 2025 season
THOUSANDS OF PENNSYLVANIA HUNTERS WILL BE OUTSIDE. THE HUNTING SEASON STARTED OVER THE WEEKEND, AND THIS MORNING WE’RE HELPING YOU STAY SAFE AS YOU GO OUT TO ENJOY THE SEASON. NEWS EIGHT’S JACOB HUNZIKER JOINING US LIVE. WHERE ARE YOU, JACOB? YOU ARE AT ROCKY RIDGE COUNTY PARK IN YORK COUNTY. HI. UP THIS MORNING. WHAT’S GOING ON? YEAH, MATT, GOOD MORNING TO YOU. THIS IS DEFINITELY A FIRST FOR ME. I KNOW I TALKED ABOUT PEOPLE, OF COURSE, ALL ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH ARE GOING TO BE HUNTING OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS AND ENJOYING THEMSELVES. BUT LIKE I SAID, AS MUCH AS I’VE HANDLED FIREARMS, I’VE NEVER ACTUALLY HUNTED. AND THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT WE WANTED TO TRY OUT TODAY. THE PEOPLE THAT OBVIOUSLY CLIMB UP INTO THE TREES FOR GETTING THAT PERFECT SPOT FOR WHENEVER THEY HUNT. SO THIS MORNING WE’RE JOINED BY JOSH KERN. HE’S ONE OF THE DEPUTY STATE GAME WARDENS HERE IN PENNSYLVANIA. FOR YOUR COUNTY, SPECIFICALLY. JOSH, WHAT THE HECK AM I DOING RIGHT NOW? SO YOU’RE CLIMBING UP A TREE. CLEARLY, SOME OF THE THINGS YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE BEFORE YOU EVEN START MAKING SURE YOU’RE CLIMBING STICKS ARE SECURED TO THE TREE. SO THEY’RE NOT SCREWED IN, CORRECT? THEY’RE NOT SCREWED INTO THE TREE. THEY KIND OF BITE DOWN ONTO THE BARK. IF YOU HAVE ONES THAT SCREW IN. THOSE ARE NOW ILLEGAL, CORRECT? YEAH, YEAH. YOU CAN’T HARM THE TREE IN ANY WAY, BUT IT WON’T HARM IT IN ANY SORT OF WAY. OKAY. MAKING SURE YOUR HARNESS IS SECURED AS PER THE MANUFACTURERS YOU’VE BEEN DOING FOR 25 MINUTES NOW, FOLKS. SO I THINK I’M PRETTY. I THINK I’M PRETTY SNUG IN HERE. MAKE SURE YOUR LINEMAN’S BELT IS SECURED TO YOUR SAFETY HARNESS. AND THEN WHENEVER YOU CLIMB UP INTO THE TREE. AND YOU KEEP GUIDING ME HERE BECAUSE, AGAIN, I DON’T WANT TO DO ANYTHING I’M NOT SUPPOSED TO DO OR HURT MYSELF. RIGHT? SO RIGHT IN THE CENTER OF THE PLATFORM SO IT DOESN’T SHIFT AND THEN CONTINUE TO USE THAT CLIMBING HARNESS AROUND. AND THEN WHENEVER YOU’RE ALL THE WAY UP AND YOU’RE READY, YOU WOULD SECURE YOUR EXTRA SAFETY HARNESS UP ABOVE YOUR HEAD IN CASE YOU WERE TO FALL A TREE STAND. RELATED INCIDENTS ARE VERY COMMON IN THE COMMONWEALTH, AND THAT’S JUST, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE FORGET TO DO ONE STEP AND THEN THEY END UP FALLING OUT OF THE TREE AND GETTING SERIOUSLY HURT OR DYING. NOW, HOW DOES SOMEONE THEN GET THEIR FIREARM UP TO WHERE THEY ARE SO THEY CAN ACTUALLY HUNT? SO WHAT A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL DO IS THEY’LL LEAVE THEIR FIREARM ON THE GROUND WITH A ROPE ATTACHED TO IT. THEY’LL ATTACH THAT TO THEIR HARNESS IN SOME WAY. AND WHENEVER THEY’RE SECURED UP IN THE TREE, THEY’LL JUST START PULLING IT UP AGAIN, MAKING SURE THAT FIREARM IS UNLOADED UNTIL YOU ARE READY TO BEGIN YOUR HUNT. AND ONE THING ALSO THAT JOSH MENTIONED TO ME, WHICH WAS REALLY SURPRISING, IS THAT ONCE PEOPLE ARE UP IN THIS PARTICULAR SPOT, THEY’LL ACTUALLY BE STANDING HERE FOR THE ENTIRETY OF THE TIME THAT THEY ARE OUT HUNTING IN THAT PARTICULAR DAY. THERE ISN’T ANY WAY TO REALLY GET COMFORTABLE UP HERE, BUT PEOPLE GET THAT PERFECT SPOT AND THEN HOPEFULLY THEY CAN GET THAT PERFECT SHOT ON THE DEER OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS. SO I’M CERTAINLY GETTING A WHOLE NEW APPRECIATION FOR WHAT HUNTERS DO, BECAUSE THIS IS A WILD AMOUNT OF EFFORT THAT I DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO GO INTO ALL THIS KIND OF STUFF. WE’RE GOING TO HAVE A WHOLE LOT MORE THROUGHOUT NEWS 8 TODAY. WE’LL HAVE ANOTHER UPDATE FOR YOU ABOUT 6:00. SO STICK WITH US BECAUSE THEY’RE PUTTING ME THROUGH THE WRINGER TODAY. IT’S BEEN A FUN ONE. WE’RE LIVE IN YORK COUNTY THIS MORNING. JACOB HUNZIKER FOR WGAL NEWS 8. AND THEN ONCE YOU’RE UP THERE, JACOB, YOU HAVE TO BE QUIET AND STILL AND JUST WAIT. WHICH IS, YOU KNOW HOW DIFFICULT THAT IS FOR ME, MATT. ALL RIGHT, YOU STAY SAFE UP THERE AND COME DOWN. COME DOWN. WELL. AL
Safety tips as deer rifle hunting season underway in Pennsylvania for 2025 season
Updated: 3:12 PM EST Dec 1, 2025
Rifle hunting season is officially underway throughout the commonwealth, having begun shortly after the Thanksgiving holiday on Saturday, Nov. 29.The season runs through Dec. 13.Sunday huntingThat includes Sundays for the first time after a decades-long ban was lifted earlier this year; however, there is no hunting in State Parks on Dec. 7.Wear orangeDeer hunters everywhere statewide must wear a minimum of 250 square inches of fluorescent orange material on their head, chest and back combined, visible from 360 degrees, during the firearms deer season. An orange hat and vest will satisfy the requirement.Nonhunters who might be out during deer season and other hunting seasons might consider wearing orange, as well. On state game lands between Nov. 15 and Dec. 15, nonhunters are required to meet the 250-square-inch fluorescent orange requirement.Trigger disciplineHunters are reminded to practice good trigger discipline, keeping their finger off the trigger until they are ready to fire, with the barrel of the gun pointed away from themselves and any other person in their group.Tree standsWhen it comes to climbing to that perfect perch spot, hunters are reminded to use their safety harness.According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, there are a considerable number of hunting deaths each year from hunters falling out of trees due to a lack of being safely secured.
YORK COUNTY, Pa. —
Rifle hunting season is officially underway throughout the commonwealth, having begun shortly after the Thanksgiving holiday on Saturday, Nov. 29.
The season runs through Dec. 13.
Sunday hunting
That includes Sundays for the first time after a decades-long ban was lifted earlier this year; however, there is no hunting in State Parks on Dec. 7.
Wear orange
Deer hunters everywhere statewide must wear a minimum of 250 square inches of fluorescent orange material on their head, chest and back combined, visible from 360 degrees, during the firearms deer season.
An orange hat and vest will satisfy the requirement.
Nonhunters who might be out during deer season and other hunting seasons might consider wearing orange, as well.
On state game lands between Nov. 15 and Dec. 15, nonhunters are required to meet the 250-square-inch fluorescent orange requirement.
Trigger discipline
Hunters are reminded to practice good trigger discipline, keeping their finger off the trigger until they are ready to fire, with the barrel of the gun pointed away from themselves and any other person in their group.
Tree stands
When it comes to climbing to that perfect perch spot, hunters are reminded to use their safety harness.
According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, there are a considerable number of hunting deaths each year from hunters falling out of trees due to a lack of being safely secured.