SB 517 — An Act amending Title 34 (Game) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in Pennsylvania Game Commission, further providing for organization of commission; in game or wildlife protection, further providing for report to commission officer and for surrender of carcass to commission officer; in hunting and furtaking, further providing for trespass on private property while hunting; and, in special licenses and permits, providing for agriculture access permit list.

PRINTER'S NO.   480

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                        SENATE BILL
                        No. 517
                                               Session of
                                                 2025

     INTRODUCED BY ROTHMAN, VOGEL, FONTANA AND PENNYCUICK,
        MARCH 25, 2025

     REFERRED TO GAME AND FISHERIES, MARCH 25, 2025


                                    AN ACT
 1   Amending Title 34 (Game) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
 2      Statutes, in Pennsylvania Game Commission, further providing
 3      for organization of commission; in game or wildlife
 4      protection, further providing for report to commission
 5      officer and for surrender of carcass to commission officer;
 6      in hunting and furtaking, further providing for trespass on
 7      private property while hunting; and, in special licenses and
 8      permits, providing for agriculture access permit list.
 9      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
10   hereby enacts as follows:
11      Section 1.    Section 301(a) of Title 34 of the Pennsylvania
12   Consolidated Statutes is amended and the section is amended by
13   adding a subsection to read:
14   § 301.   Organization of commission.
15      (a)   Composition.--The independent administrative commission
16   known as the Pennsylvania Game Commission shall consist of nine
17   competent citizens of this Commonwealth who shall be well
18   informed on the subject of wildlife conservation and restoration
19   and who shall be appointed by the Governor, by and with the
20   advice and consent of a majority of the elected members of the
21   Senate. The Governor shall ensure that at least one member
 1   appointed to the commission represents the interest of
 2   agricultural commodities that pertain to normal agricultural
 3   operations and wildlife.
 4      * * *
 5      (e)    Definitions.--As used in this section, the following
 6   words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this
 7   subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
 8      "Agricultural commodity."    As defined in section 2 of the act
 9   of June 10, 1982 (P.L.454, No.133), referred to as the Right-to-
10   Farm Law.
11      "Normal agricultural operation."     As defined in section 2 of
12   the Right-to-Farm Law.
13      Section 2.    Sections 2122, 2125 and 2314(a), (b) and (c) of
14   Title 34 are amended to read:
15   § 2122.    Report to commission officer.
16      Any person who kills any game or wildlife, other than
17   raccoons, under the provisions of this subchapter shall, within
18   24 hours, report, orally or in writing, the killing to an
19   officer of the commission. The report shall set forth the date,
20   time and place of the killing, the number of species killed
21   [and], the sex of the species[.] and the location of each
22   carcass. The commission shall establish a self-reporting system
23   that allows a person assigned to remove deer for crop damage
24   purposes to report each harvest to an officer of the commission
25   via a toll-free telephone number, online application or publicly
26   accessible Internet website.
27   § 2125.    Surrender of carcass [to commission officer].
28      Except as otherwise provided in this subchapter, the entire
29   carcass, including the head and hide[,] of all big game animals
30   and the entire carcass of any other game or wildlife, other than

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 1   raccoons, less entrails, shall be made available, unless
 2   otherwise directed by an officer of the commission, intact[,
 3   less entrails,] to any commission officer calling for them[.] or
 4   delivered to a processor for final disposition. As used in this
 5   section, the term "processor" means a location specified by the
 6   commission that is willing to accept donations of animals taken
 7   under this chapter.
 8   § 2314.    Trespass on private property while hunting.
 9      (a)    [General rule] Trespass.--A person, while engaged in
10   hunting or furtaking, commits an offense if, knowing that the
11   person is not licensed or privileged to do so, the person:
12             (1)   enters or remains on any land of another without
13      authorization to do so, when the land is posted in a manner
14      prescribed by law or reasonably likely to come to the
15      person's attention [or is fenced or enclosed in a manner
16      manifestly designed to exclude trespassers; or];
17             (2)   enters or remains on any land of another without
18      authorization and defies an order not to enter or to leave
19      that has been personally communicated to the person by the
20      owner of the land or other authorized person[.];
21             (3)   enters or remains on any land of another without
22      authorization to do so, when the land is fenced or enclosed
23      in a manner manifestly designed to exclude trespassers; or
24             (4)   subject to subsection (b), enters or remains on any
25      land of another without authorization to do so when notice
26      against trespass is given by the placement of identifying
27      purple paint marks on trees or posts on the property in
28      accordance with 18 Pa.C.S. § 3503(b)(1)(vi) (relating to
29      criminal trespass).
30      (b)    Applicability.--This section shall not apply to an

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 1   unarmed person who enters onto posted property for the sole
 2   purpose of retrieving a hunting dog. Subsection (a)(4) shall not
 3   apply in a county of the first class or a county of the second
 4   class.
 5      (c)    Penalty.--An offense under this section shall be graded
 6   as follows:
 7             (1)   A person who violates subsection (a)(1), (3) or (4)
 8      commits a summary offense of the [third degree.] second
 9      degree and may result in forfeiture of the privilege to hunt
10      or take game or wildlife anywhere within this Commonwealth
11      for a period of up to one year.
12             (2)   A person who violates subsection (a)(2) commits a
13      misdemeanor[.] and shall result in forfeiture of the
14      privilege to hunt or take game or wildlife anywhere within
15      this Commonwealth for a period of three years.
16             (3)   A person who commits a second or subsequent
17      violation of this section within a seven-year period commits
18      a misdemeanor, and the second or subsequent violation shall
19      result in forfeiture of the privilege to hunt or take game or
20      wildlife anywhere within this Commonwealth for a period of
21      [one year] five years.
22      * * *
23      Section 3.     Title 34 is amended by adding a section to read:
24   § 2931.    Agriculture access permit list.
25      No later than January 1, 2026, the commission shall develop
26   and implement a program to connect landowners experiencing
27   wildlife-related damage with qualified hunters who are available
28   to assist in wildlife population control. The program shall
29   include all of the following:
30             (1)   A system for landowners to request assistance from

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1     qualified hunters.
2         (2)   A database, maintained by the commission, of hunters
3     who demonstrate the qualifications specified by the
4     commission for the program and who have elected to
5     participate in the program.
6         (3)   A mechanism for matching landowners with qualified
7     hunters based on geographic proximity, level of need and
8     hunter availability.
9     Section 4.    This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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