[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6477497,"mediaKeyId","5740872-b17e1b6fc420aae4146bda4befeb8bb9","parentId",5740872,"title","Votes at a glance: Game Commission adopts mentored-hunting change and approves several land transactions","audioSeconds",300,"startMs",7320000,"endMs",7620000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5740872-b17e1b6fc420aae4146bda4befeb8bb9&start=7320&end=7620","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5740872-b17e1b6fc420aae4146bda4befeb8bb9/thumbnail_7320000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6477497/Pennsylvania/Votes-at-a-glance-Game-Commission-adopts-mentored-hunting-change-and-approves-several-land-transactions","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6477497-4d4259672d868856de28e50c7ce80871/orig.mp4?Expires=1770585447&Signature=E7FVKkx11t4hSUC9BOlDrACsPZNvqQSJOd1Wlr59sImLpI-pWEvXbyZERHkqhKcx4qx3jXe1zPSBEtLhmgRiJ0gGCJUawqhyYyxgNwJzsGtu17vciJmA2yFnmN1XfxbKCoP2xVHBtzu5dXE2oFwKow5Gj-xArIPJDSmHKZZdUns9N1IhWOL~XKOflLePqAiXkiyoBywCUqRHNmt8giy8-7T5EaaJV1cbURv7pThmEKJudAWyvD8hEYqPQYwwDv0wSFPi8XQOrf99HURXbxI8~maSe7OdbazAtu6Od3zjHD1-8Trhq0hylmb1HrOTHgG0ZL1MlaSNEZFhqk4ZtlRslQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Pennsylvania Game Commission","date","2025-09-06T04:36:27Z","article","The Pennsylvania Game Commission took a series of votes on Sept. 5, 2025, approving a mentored-hunting regulatory change and several land-acquisition and housekeeping items.

Key outcomes included the board’s approval (6–3) of a proposal to amend section 147.804 to allow mentored youth under age 7 at the time of application to receive big-game harvest tags with their mentored permit; the change requires a second adoption vote before it becomes final.

Other actions taken by the commission during the meeting included:

- Approval of a housekeeping amendment to remove redundant language that prohibited use or possession of more than four agricultural deer-control permits in a permit year (amendment to section 147.559). Staff characterized this as a clarifying fix to previously adopted text.

- Designation of State Game Land (SGL) 339 (roughly 17.88 acres in Philadelphia County) as a special wildlife management area to support controlled archery hunts and structured access.

- Acceptance of a donation offer from The Nature Conservancy of approximately 390.3 acres adjacent to State Game Land 119 in Luzerne County, contingent on DCNR grant approvals; staff said the donation would secure access to roughly 2,400 acres of previously inaccessible lands.

- A motion to table one proposed acquisition was approved at staff request; staff said additional work remained before finalization.

- Approval to acquire subsurface oil, gas and mineral interests (about 1,340 acres of subsurface estate) under State Game Land 143 for a lump-sum option of $469,000 to give the commission greater control over future development affecting game-land habitat.

- Approval of a land exchange with Donna and Ray Reed (roughly 6 acres conveyed to the commission in exchange for approximately 2 acres of SGL 92), a land exchange involving Flickerville Cross of Fulton County Foundation (16 acres to the foundation, 140 acres to the commission; the foundation contributed $31,200 toward the $275,000 option price), and an exchange with PPL Electric Utilities (36 acres to the commission in exchange for a 2.88-acre nonexclusive right of way on SGL 207).

Board minutes for the July 28, 2025 meeting were approved at the start of the session. The meeting closed with routine new-business items and board acknowledgments, including recognition of Jason Dacascos for long service with the Bureau of Wildlife Protection.

Where a roll call or tally was recorded the clerk’s announcements are reflected above; where the transcript reports only “motion carries” the board recorded passage but no roll-call tallies were provided in the hearing record.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Board of Game Commissioners Meeting September 5, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","At its Sept. 5, 2025 meeting the Pennsylvania Game Commission approved a regulatory amendment to the mentored hunting program and a series of land transactions and housekeeping changes including designation of a state game land as a special wildlife management area and multiple property donations and exchanges.","taxTitle","Game Commission, TOURISM & RECREATION, Executive Departments, Organizations, Executive, Pennsylvania","taxId",17209,"location","Pennsylvania","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6477501,"Game Commission votes to let mentored youth under 7 receive big-game tags with permit",3714,3786000,7500000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5740872-b17e1b6fc420aae4146bda4befeb8bb9&start=3786&end=7500","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5740872-b17e1b6fc420aae4146bda4befeb8bb9/thumbnail_3786000.jpg","/articles/6477501/Pennsylvania/Game-Commission-votes-to-let-mentored-youth-under-7-receive-big-game-tags-with-permit","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6477501-3e952cacd893d7abeb747054640d7244/orig.mp4?Expires=1770585447&Signature=kqgF0mXz1dL1WnYJOTCaDLy4YKnvmZoMau-zbW3bfhsN39V40smZTQOykyNnCsx7FRekbuq2zp9yj9h9SLVHwbm3OFMpe8Gl4ZA-Rf7rwYHR-mbI7Q89uDpn9AK61TSOBxc9AgjPB5CO2h6elPDvnWeAlwZo0NtE4WWQX2OqpM2qU02w0mblMaJdjm1uxWfYdd-KDNwLDSWCNR3Kq8BQGPAMhL9GPDUZXuRI8POmFx3v6M7BLVo8iEWfIM5kYPfNz3Xr39p3E3XtXH40K3HyWkgAlvftvtgdWIcFigU3zcTTsUAXaBdb9vBiMTJ1wCVW-PV2K6UQfkLY1Z~o0G2uyQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Pennsylvania Game Commission voted 6-3 on Sept. 5 to amend section 147.804 of its regulations so mentored youth who are under 7 years old at the time of application may receive big-game harvest tags when they obtain a mentored hunting permit.

Commission staff and supporters said the change aligns the mentored program’s tag-issuance process across age groups and removes the need for a mentor to transfer a personal harvest tag to a child in the youngest cohort. The board’s Bureau of Wildlife Protection presented a regulatory history showing the program’s many changes since its creation by Act 86 of 2005 and said the change would simplify regulations and better fit modern licensing systems.

Jason Dacascos, bureau director of wildlife protection, reviewed the program’s legislative and regulatory milestones and noted that the commission’s audit of citation records identified two incidents possibly associated with the mentored program out of 2,185 citations reviewed. “We’re not seeing any abuse of the program as it currently sits,” Dacascos said, and recommended eliminating the special transfer rule that applies only to mentored youth under 7.

Public commenters spoke both in favor of expanding access and in support of keeping safeguards. John Klein, representing Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, and Ralph Martone, a former commissioner, urged approval, saying Pennsylvania’s mentored program has historically grown cautiously and expanding tag access would improve opportunities and consistency. Several farm and hunting organizations also addressed the board during public comment on related topics, including hunter access and youth participation.

Some commissioners pressed staff for data showing whether changes to the mentored program are increasing long-term hunter recruitment. Commissioner [last-name as spoken in transcript] asked for metrics on “pickup rates” — how many mentored permit holders later buy hunting licenses — and for evidence that the change would meaningfully increase participation.

Commissioner Denny Forodoro offered an amendment during the meeting that would have kept the current age break (7 and older receive tags directly) while giving mentored children under 7 only spring and fall turkey tags; that amendment failed on a roll call. On the final vote to adopt the proposed regulatory amendment as presented by staff, the roll call recorded six commissioners in favor and three opposed; the board chair announced the motion carries.

The board noted that a second adoption vote is required at a later meeting before the regulation becomes final. Commission staff also reminded the public that the rule change will not affect the current hunting season during the calendar year in which the amendment was proposed; implementation and any changes to electronic licensing plans will be timed by staff and will be reported when final adoption occurs.

For context, the bureau told the board it sold more than 27,000 mentored hunting permits last year. Current mentored-permit fees discussed in the presentation were $5 for resident applicants and $40 for nonresidents (plus transaction fees for issuing agents). The bureau also noted that modernizing licenses toward a digital system remains a goal and that removing an exception for physical transfer of tags simplifies future electronic licensing.","The Pennsylvania Game Commission voted 6-3 on Sept. 5, 2025, to amend regulations so mentored youth under 7 at the time of application may receive big-game harvest tags with a mentored hunting permit; the change aligns issuance procedures across age groups and will require a second adoption vote before becoming final.","actionData","errors"]

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Votes at a glance: Game Commission adopts mentored-hunting change and approves several land transactions

Game Commission votes to let mentored youth under 7 receive big-game tags with permit