Hunters Sharing the Harvest, Pennsylvania’s statewide venison donation nonprofit organization, has launched its year-end appeal in response to what processors across the state are reporting as one of the highest deer-donation seasons in the organization’s 34-year history.

Established in 1991, HSH has coordinated the donation of more than 3 million pounds of venison to hunger-relief agencies throughout Pennsylvania. Hunters pay nothing to donate a deer through HSH. The nonprofit picks up the tab for every deer donated by reimbursing participating processors for their services.

Last season, HSH distributed 283,789 pounds of venison — over 1.1 million servings — making Pennsylvania the nation’s leader in hunter-donated venison for at least four years running. This year, however, both donations and need are rising sharply.

“Processors are reporting more donated deer than ever before,” said Randy Ferguson, executive director of Hunters Sharing the Harvest. “That’s incredible news for families facing food insecurity — but it also means we urgently need additional support to keep up with our processing costs. Every dollar helps us ensure hunters can donate at no charge and that venison reaches the food banks that depend on it.”

The year-end appeal encourages both individual donors and corporate sponsors to help sustain the growing program. All contributions directly support reimbursement payments to participating processors, who prepare the venison for distribution to regional food banks and community pantries.

Corporate sponsors are invited to contact HSH for customized partnership opportunities, including statewide visibility, co-branding, event participation and mission-aligned impact reporting.

“We are committed to ensuring that every donated deer becomes meals for Pennsylvanians who need it most,” Ferguson said. “But with donations increasing and operating costs rising, this moment calls for a strong show of support from individuals, businesses and philanthropic partners across the state.”

Tax-deductible gifts may be made online at www.ShareDeer.org/support-our-mission. Corporate sponsors are encouraged to visit www.ShareDeer.org/sponsors or to contact Ferguson directly to discuss options at randy@ShareDeer.org or by calling 844-474-2141.

I donated the last two bucks I bagged to HSH.

Pennsylvania’s firearms deer season closed on Saturday and this year marked a historic milestone for hunters across the commonwealth. Thanks to the new Sunday hunting law, the fall hunting season included a total of 13 Sunday hunting opportunities, giving more hunters more chances to get afield. While all seasons kept their originally scheduled closing dates, including the firearms deer season ending Saturday, Dec. 13, the added Sundays provided a boost for hunting participation. All of the expanded Sunday opportunities for the 2025-26 seasons have now come and gone, with the final Sunday on Dec. 7.

Game Commission Executive Director Steve Smith praised hunters for maintaining an exemplary safety record during those 13 Sundays, noting that even with the additional opportunities, there was not a single safety incident reported involving a hunter and a non-hunter.

“This demonstrates what we have stated all along: hunters and non-hunters can safely share Pennsylvania’s outdoors together. We look forward to building on the success from this year and continuing to expand hunting access for generations to come,” Smith said.

For the remainder of the license year, through June 30, Sunday hunting remains open for foxes, coyotes, and crows during their respective seasons. There is no Sunday hunting during the upcoming extended firearms deer seasons or during the late archery and flintlock deer seasons.

Looking ahead to next license year, the Game Commission will begin the process of adopting the 2026-27 hunting seasons in January. This will mark the first time the board of commissioners can consider adding more Sunday opportunities from the outset.

The new law lifting Pennsylvania’s longstanding prohibition on Sunday hunting took effect in September, well after the 2025-26 seasons were finalized. Still, the Game Commission moved quickly to implement the change, adding Sundays where doing so would provide meaningful opportunities without negatively impacting wildlife populations.

And although I failed to fill my buck tag during the state’s firearms season, I’ll get another chance when the late archery seasons kick in after Christmas with the statewide season running from Dec.26 through Jan 19, 2026

Tom Tatum is the outdoors columnist for MediaNews Group. You can reach him at tatumt2@yahoo.com.