(WHTM)– Pennsylvania lawmakers are proposing adding hunting and trapping education programs in Pennsylvania schools.
Pennsylvania is one of the largest and most popular states for hunting a variety of game. The National Deer Association’s 2026 report ranks Pennsylvania among the top states for bucks per square mile.
Thanks for signing up!
Watch for us in your inbox.
Subscribe Now
Hunting and trapping are tied to Pennsylvania’s culture, and Pennsylvania lawmakers are looking to maintain that through offering programs in schools.
The legislation, proposed by State Rep. Anita Kulik (D-45) and Minority Chairman of the Senate Game and Fisheries Committee Sen. James Malone (D-36), would require the Pennsylvania Department of Education to work with the Pennsylvania Game Commission to create an age-appropriate hunting and trapping education program.
According to the memo, the program would also include a firearm safety instruction for students in grades 6 through 12. The program would be required to follow all firearm safety training requirements of the commission’s basic hunter-trapper education course and be taught by a safety trainer from the PGC.
The firearm safety part of the program would not be conducted on a school campus, and firearms would not be brought to schools as part of the program.
Changes proposed to Pennsylvania’s deer hunting season
This legislation would make a Department of Education and PGC-approved hunting and trapping education program available as an optional extracurricular class.
The memo said that any student who completes the program would be deemed to have completed the commission’s basic hunter-trapper education course required to obtain a hunting license under state law.
The bill has not yet been submitted for introduction.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27.