Pennsylvania to Begin New Program That Connects Hunters with Private Landowners

A new Master Hunter certification database will soon be available to Pennsylvania landowners and farmers who want to be selective about who they allow to hunt their properties. (Image by Realtree)

The Pennsylvania Game Commission is implementing an optional Master Hunter certification and database that would be available to landowners who’d like help controlling wildlife on their farms or properties. This database helps alleviate their concern of just allowing anyone to hunt on their land.

Stephen Smith, executive director of the agency, has been meeting with members of the agricultural community to learn about their concerns and figure out ways the agency can address them.

“One thing that we hear quite frequently is, ‘What can we do to get more hunters out on properties where landowners and farmers, in particular, are experiencing loss of their crops due to wildlife, in particular, due to deer," he told York Daily Record. "One issue that farmers have raised is concerns that they might have regarding just letting anyone from the public knock on their door and request permission to start hunting on their property.

“I think that’s certainly reasonable. Where they might have a lack of comfort level with just letting anybody onto their property. So, we’ve been talking with them about how can we increase their comfort level."

The Master Hunter certification program “provides enhanced training to certain eligible hunters who are interested in being that resource for landowners,” Smith said. “One thing that the Game Commission has certainly demonstrated over the years is that we are good at providing training to our hunters. We graduate 10s of thousands of new hunters each year for our hunter-trapper education program.”

Hunters interested in participating in this enhanced hunter education program must have a record free of game law violations. The course will focus on issues such as hunting ethics, hunting safely around different residences, and respecting property lines.

“Once an individual goes through this program, we would then provide a database with hunters who have successfully completed this program and link them up with landowners, particularly farmers, in their area who have a clear and urgent need for more hunters to be on their property removing deer. This would give the landowner a higher degree of comfort that these individuals have been certified by the Game Commission,” Smith told York Daily Record.

“They’ve demonstrated a track record of safe, ethical hunting and they have an interest in removing deer from the landowners’ property. We see this really as a win-win. It’s a win for the hunters in those areas who would like the opportunity to have access to more pieces of land where they can hunt, where they can harvest deer, provide food to their families or they can participate in Hunters Sharing the Harvest and provide food to their communities, and then at the same time, it’s a win for the landowner as well. It gets individuals onto their property, individuals with a track record of demonstrating that they can hunt safely and hunt effectively and legally, and they can begin to address the issue of crop damage being caused by deer on their property,” Smith said.

While the program’s details are still being finalized, Smith believes hunters will be able to participate in the course this calendar year.