{"id":274964,"date":"2026-08-30T02:32:08","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T02:32:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/274964\/"},"modified":"2026-08-30T02:32:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T02:32:08","slug":"pennsylvania-game-commission-announces-start-of-2026-27-hunting-seasons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/274964\/","title":{"rendered":"Pennsylvania Game Commission announces start of 2026-27 hunting seasons"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

The Pennsylvania Game Commission reminds hunters that opening day for Pennsylvania\u2019s 2026-27 hunting seasons is Tuesday, Sept. 1 \u2014 marking the beginning of statewide seasons for both Canada goose and mourning doves.<\/p>\n

The agency has also upgraded its online mapping center to enhance user experience for hunters and outdoor enthusiasts.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor hunters, we\u2019re entering the best time of the year,\u201d said Game Commission Executive Director Stephen Smith. \u201cThe early season is upon us, marking the beginning of the new license year, a time when hunters across the state are making plans and preparing for all our exciting seasons ahead. On behalf of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, we wish all hunters a safe and successful year ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

The upgraded mapping center offers a cleaner, more user-friendly interface; faster access to maps and information; live data from authoritative agency sources; improved search, navigation, and overall performance. This platform is available on the agency\u2019s website and will continue to grow as new features and datasets become available.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of us have become very reliant on our smartphones, especially when it comes to maps, so we wanted to ensure our enhanced mapping tool had better mobile functionality,\u201d added Smith. \u201cBeyond that, it\u2019s a more streamlined tool with better search capabilities, updated symbols for map layers, and more. Updates will continue to be added throughout the fall.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Canada goose season runs Sept. 1-25 in both the Resident Population Zone and the Atlantic Population Zone. Hunters are reminded that in western Crawford County and northwestern Mercer County, the season runs from Sept. 1-12, with a daily limit of one and a possession limit of three. In the Atlantic Population Zone, the daily limit is eight, with a possession limit of 24.<\/p>\n

The mourning dove season begins Sept. 1 and continues through Nov. 27, 2026. The daily bag limit is 15 doves, with a possession limit of 45. The Game Commission has prepared more than 80 managed dove fields on state game lands to enhance hunting opportunities.<\/p>\n

As a reminder, Sunday hunting is prohibited for migratory game birds, including waterfowl, doves, and woodcock, throughout the 2026-27 license year.<\/p>\n

Licensed junior and mentored youth hunters can hunt ducks, mergansers, coots, gallinules, Canada geese, and brant statewide during a special Youth Day on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. All waterfowl hunting licensing requirements apply.<\/p>\n

Hunting dogs are common partners in both dove and goose fields and are a valuable investment for many hunters. The Game Commission reminds hunters that in Pennsylvania, licensing your dog is required and can be helpful if a dog gets lost or separated while hunting.<\/p>\n

Visit pa.gov\/doglicense<\/a> to learn more.<\/p>\n

The Game Commission is also alerting hunters that its current mobile app has been deactivated. The agency\u2019s new \u201cHuntFishPA\u201d mobile app will be managed in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission to provide a digital one-stop shop for hunters and anglers. The new app is expected to launch in 2027.<\/p>\n

$20M investment secured to clean up hazardous sites throughout Pa.<\/p>\n

Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Jessica Shirley, state, local, and county officials this week highlighted the success of the Act 2 Land Recycling Program.<\/p>\n

The 2026-27 budget included a one-time $20 million transfer to support the HSCA program, allowing DEP to continue critical state-led site investigations and remediation projects while the Commonwealth works toward identifying a permanent funding source for this important environmental and public health work.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Shapiro-Davis Administration believes environmental protection is both a responsibility and a constitutional obligation, and we\u2019re putting real resources behind that commitment,\u201d said Lt. Governor Davis. \u201cWe\u2019ve invested more than $100 million to support over 800 completed Act 2 cleanups, and now the one-time $20 million investment will help the Department of Environmental Protection continue critical, state-led site investigations and remediation projects. This work doesn\u2019t just protect our environment \u2014 it creates opportunities for economic growth, producing more jobs in manufacturing, construction, conservation, and environmental services.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since 2023, the Shapiro-Davis Administration has invested more than $100 million to support over 800 completed Act 2 cleanups and investigations and remediation projects at more than 150 hazardous sites across Pennsylvania \u2014 protecting public health, restoring communities, putting contaminated properties back to productive use, and creating new opportunities for economic growth across Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

The HSCA program conducts initial investigations into land and water pollution to identify responsible parties. When none can be found, HSCA funding supports cleanup solutions such as land remediation and water treatment.<\/p>\n

The program also drives economic development by supporting redevelopment through Pennsylvania\u2019s Act 2 program, which has approved 13,688 cleanups across all 67 counties since 1995.<\/p>\n

BACK WOODS BASS RESULTS<\/p>\n

Week of Aug. 16<\/p>\n

Bob Strunk reports results from the Back Woods Bass Harveys Lake Wednesday Night Lunker Tournament, the Back Woods Bass Harveys Lake Friday Night Tournament and the Monday Night River Tournament.<\/p>\n

Monday Night<\/p>\n

River Tournament<\/p>\n

1st Place: John Centak\/Ron Dopko 8.60 lbs<\/p>\n

Also won Lunker Award 2.34 lbs<\/p>\n

2nd Place: Jerry &d Paul Vitale 5.75 lbs<\/p>\n

3rd Place: Brad & Tony Glazenski 4.42 lbs<\/p>\n

4th Place: Ryan Borton\/Jake Seymour\/Jared Adamski 4.40 lbs<\/p>\n

5th Place: Bob & Cindy 3.00 lbs<\/p>\n

Wednesday Night<\/p>\n

Harveys Lake Lunker Tournament<\/p>\n

1st Place: Chris Kalna 4.11 lbs<\/p>\n

2nd Place: Ron Burd. 3.82 lbs<\/p>\n

3rd Place: Eric Jarnot. 3.53 lbs<\/p>\n

4th Place: Kenny Kosloski 3.25 lbs<\/p>\n

5th Place: Joe Kosloski 3.20 lbs<\/p>\n

6th Place: Joe McGraw Jr. 3.16 lbs<\/p>\n

7th Place: George Gendler Jr. 2.95 lbs<\/p>\n

8th Place: Chuck Peterman 2.92 lbs<\/p>\n

9th Place:. Joe Kosloski 2.87 lbs<\/p>\n

10th Place: George Hogan. 2.85 lbs<\/p>\n

Friday Night<\/p>\n

Harveys Lake Tournament<\/p>\n

1sr Place: Jake & Kevin Seymour 14.40 lbs<\/p>\n

2nd Place: Mar Fredmonski\/Bruce Rhin 11.81 lbs<\/p>\n

3rd Place: Johnny Niezgoda 11.75 lbs<\/p>\n

Also won Lunker Award 4.60 lbs<\/p>\n

4th Place: Jordon Goss\/Danny Harrison 11.41 lbs<\/p>\n

5th Place: Nate & Howard Hazeltine 10.62 lbs<\/p>\n

6th Place: Kenny Kosloski\/Ron Dopko 10.20 lbs<\/p>\n

7th Place: Pete Sulla 9.05 lbs<\/p>\n

8th Place: Dave Brill 7.66 lbs<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Local journalism matters, and your support makes it possible. You can help sustain this work by making a donation or choosing one of our subscription options. Subscribers enjoy valuable benefits, including full access to our e-edition, a reduced ad experience on timesleader.com, and more.<\/p>\n

Your support helps ensure independent, high-quality local news remains available today and for future generations. Thank you for standing with local journalism. \n<\/p>\n

Click for subscription offers.<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Pennsylvania Game Commission reminds hunters that opening day for Pennsylvania\u2019s 2026-27 hunting seasons is Tuesday, Sept.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":274965,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":["post-274964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania-headlines","tag-pennsylvania-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=274964"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274964\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/274965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=274964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=274964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=274964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}