Pennsylvania panel urges broader use of hunting tools, processing capacity to curb crop damage from deer

A panel at the 109th Pennsylvania Farm Show on the state’s deer population and crop damage outlined existing state programs, near-term regulatory changes under consideration by the Pennsylvania Game Commission and practical barriers — especially access to processors and privately posted land — that limit farmers’ ability to reduce herd density.

Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding said the problem is widespread: "we've got an overabundance. We've got a density issue. We've got, you know, concerns about, deer populations," and urged cooperation among landowners, hunters, the Game Commission and the agricultural community.

Why it matters: farmers across the state told panelists they are losing yield and, in some cases, income because deer are feeding in and moving between fields, especially where neighboring parcels are posted against hunting. Panelists said addressing the problem will require changing some regulations, expanding harvest opportunities where appropriate and strengthening the local processing capacity that turns harvested deer into food for donation.

Game Commission tools and near-term rulemaking

Steve Smith, executive director of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, reviewed the statutory and regulatory tools already in place. Statute in the Game and Wildlife Code establishes a "protection of property" depredation option allowing eligible landowners, lessees or authorized permit holders to remove wildlife that is "actively destroying crops, fruit trees, vegetables, livestock, poultry or beehives." Under that statute, an individual who removes a deer for that purpose may keep one carcass for consumption if the land is open to hunting.

Regulation-level tools the commission administers include the Agricultural Deer Control Program (often called "ag tag"), which allows hunters to harvest antlerless deer on enrolled properties Aug. 1–Sept. 15 and Feb. 1–April 15 (Sunday hunting is not permitted under that program because Sunday hunting is set by statute), and the Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP), which provides additional antlerless tags during the normal hunting season. Smith said the Game Commission Board will consider proposed changes to the ag‑tag program at its first quarterly meeting and that the changes could be preliminarily voted in January, finalized in April and, if adopted, be in place by summer.

Farmers’ concerns and on‑the‑ground hurdles

Speakers from the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and farmers from multiple counties described widespread crop losses and local variation in damage. Chris Hoffman, president of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, said wildlife damage had become the organization’s top county concern in recent surveys and urged removing emotion from problem‑solving so farmers can get more tools and access.

Farmers raised three recurring operational barriers: 1) posted private land and leased parcels that block hunter access and concentrate deer on farmed parcels; 2) limited numbers or timing of antlerless tags in some units, causing tags to sell out; and 3) limited local processing capacity outside peak deer season that prevents donated or harvested venison from entering the charitable food system.

Processing capacity and Hunters Sharing the Harvest

Randy Ferguson, executive director of Hunters Sharing the Harvest, said the nonprofit pays processors’ reimbursement costs so hunters can donate deer without out‑of‑pocket expense and reported that the program delivered roughly 262,000 pounds of venison in the 2023–24 season. Ferguson said the program is seeing roughly 50% year‑over‑year growth in deer donated under the category linked to crop damage and that expanded harvests would require sustained fundraising and more processor capacity.

Smith and other panelists acknowledged processor capacity is a critical bottleneck. Smith said commission staff are studying whether a grant program modeled on a recent private shooting‑range grant could help processors expand capacity and that staff are assessing other actions to ensure processors can handle higher volumes year‑round or during earlier/later harvest windows.

Access, incentives and pilot ideas

Panelists discussed incentives and targeted programs to increase lawful hunter access to posted or leased properties. Smith said the commission is examining an "enhanced" hunter‑certification program and maintaining a vetted database of hunters who meet stricter safety and experience standards so landowners might be more comfortable allowing access.

Several farmers and a Farm Bureau member proposed season or allocation changes to increase antlerless harvests where damage is concentrated. Suggestions included an early firearms antlerless season in parts of the southeast and streamlining paperwork for programs that require landowner signatures on multiple small parcels. Smith said the board is