Pennsylvania\u2019s hunting regulators are looking to expand an initiative that connects landowners in need of help with deer management and hunters who are looking for new ground to cover.<\/p>\n
The Pennsylvania Game Commission in 2025 piloted the Certified Hunter Program<\/a> in the southwest portion of the state. Game commissioners last month preliminarily approved expanding it statewide, with final approval expected in April.<\/p>\n Under the program, the commission certifies that a participating hunter meets set criteria, including passing a background check, written exam and proficiency test with firearms and archery gear. They can then reserve time on acreage that the landowner has already enrolled in the program.<\/p>\n \u201cWe completed over 1,000 hunts through this program and really had overwhelmingly positive reviews,\u201d the commission\u2019s Tyler Strohecker said in January.<\/p>\n Built from the ground up by various Game Commission staffers, the Certified Hunter Program relies on 21st-century technology to solve the age-old issue of crop-damage concerns.<\/p>\n Under Pennsylvania\u2019s traditional Agricultural Deer Control<\/a> efforts, a hunter needs to contact enrolled landowners to receive Ag Tag harvest permits. The certified program allows an approved hunter to use an e-tagging and e-harvest system to reserve time on a property for a day, up to two weeks in advance. <\/p>\n \u201cOur landowners appreciated that, knowing that they were vetted ahead of time and didn\u2019t have to take the time to have their front door knocked on by 50 strangers and not know how to vet through that,\u201d Strohecker, landowner engagement and hunting access manager, told the Board of Game Commissioners at its meeting Jan. 23.<\/p>\n The hunter and landowner then receive confirmation emails, and the hunt is on.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you for giving us an easy decision to make,\u201d Game Commissioner Kristen Koppenhafer told Strohecker ahead of last month\u2019s preliminary vote on expansion.<\/p>\n Wait list 800-strong<\/p>\n Strohecker said he was hoping for 20 properties and 100 hunters in 2025 and instead saw 60 properties enrolled and 250 hunters certified. The wait list to be certified stood around 800 as of January.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s without a strong marketing campaign,\u201d he said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t put this on our Facebook. That is largely word of mouth advertising.\u201d<\/p>\n The pilot averaged over seven deer harvested per property. <\/p>\n \u201cWe spoke to hunters that said very clearly that these were some of the best hunting grounds they\u2019ve ever had the opportunity to hunt in our state,\u201d Strohecker said. \u201cAnd they didn\u2019t have that prior.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey had some very deer-rich environments, I\u2019ll say, throughout this program,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Landowners can customize their participation by limiting which sporting arms may be used, deciding whether to permit Sunday hunting, and blacking out certain dates when they or their family may want to hunt the property. They receive annual reports and harvest history provided for their farm and can call the Game Commission at any time for real-time data.<\/p>\n \u201cReally, at its core, it was designed to connect landowners with the right hunting population of hunters that could really help out landowners who were having issues with crop damage and deer damage on their properties,\u201d Strohecker explained. <\/p>\n Participating hunters are given tools like an OnX<\/a> subscription.<\/p>\n \u201cWe wanted them to know where property boundaries were,\u201d Strohecker said. \u201cWe wanted them to be able to drop pins: Here\u2019s the parking location, here\u2019s a Safety Zone.\u201d<\/p>\n The Certified Hunter Program dovetails with another initiative the Board of Game Commissioners will consider in April<\/a>. That one would allow Ag Tag hunters to use any sporting arms authorized for hunting deer in the regular firearms deer season throughout the Ag Tag permit period. Currently, Ag Tag hunters must use sporting arms approved for whichever season is open. For example, when only archery season is open, an Ag Tag hunter must use archery gear.<\/p>\n Allowing farmers to thrive<\/p>\n Pennsylvania agricultural officials are applauding the improved collaboration between hunters and farmers looking to combat crop damage.<\/p>\n \u201cBy bringing farmers, landowners, hunters and conservation partners to the same table, we\u2019re protecting crops, strengthening our agricultural economy, and ensuring working farms remain viable for generations to come,\u201d Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding said during a town hall Feb. 11 at the Great American Outdoor Show<\/a> in Harrisburg. <\/p>\n Pennsylvania Farm Bureau President Chris Hoffman voiced thanks at that meeting for new tools and resources that support farmers.<\/p>\n The bureau is \u201celated to be able to continue to collaborate with the Pennsylvania Game Commission on the development of the Certified Hunter Program,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n \u201cThese discussions are vital to finding adequate solutions to wildlife issues that our farmers face every day,\u201d Hoffman continued. \u201cWe are excited to continue to partner with industry stakeholders to drive meaningful change to allow our farmers to thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n Strohecker told the Board of Game Commissioners the story of one farmer who was finally able to harvest a field he\u2019d planted for two years only to have deer decimate it, prior to enrolling in the Certified Hunter Program.<\/p>\n \u201cThis year he was able to get a crop out of that field,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The program also encourages participating hunters to consider donating venison to Hunters Sharing the Harvest<\/a>. <\/p>\n That effort has continued to see record amounts of venison donated through cooperating processors across the state, according to the Game Commission. During the 2024-25 license year, hunters set an all-time high venison donation record with 283,789 pounds donated from 7,855 deer. That\u2019s enough for around 1.1 million servings of lean, nutritious meat for food-insecure Pennsylvanians.<\/p>\n