Pennsylvania Game Commission director highlights land gains, habitat work, shooting-range grants and Sunday hunting outcomes
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Summary
Director Smith presented the Game Commission's 02/24/25 annual report, citing more than 7,000 acres acquired, 30,000+ acres of habitat improvements, expansion to 75 public shooting ranges, $300,000 awarded to 11 shooting clubs, growth in game warden ranks to 155 officers, and a game fund balance drawn from about $460M to just over $430M.
Director Smith delivered an abbreviated presentation of the Pennsylvania Game Commission's 02/24/25 annual report to the House Game and Fisheries Committee, outlining land acquisitions, habitat management, grants, research, law-enforcement staffing and the agency's financial position.
Smith said the commission added "over 7,000 acres," including parcels near Downtown Pittsburgh and Downtown Harrisburg that opened previously landlocked areas to public game lands. He said the agency improved "more than 30,000 acres of habitat" over the past year through wetland restoration, planning herbaceous openings, timber harvest and managing more than 11,000 acres with prescribed fire, including what he described as the largest prescribed burn in agency history on State Game Land 108.
On infrastructure, Smith said the commission completed dozens of road and bridge projects and increased the total number of public shooting ranges to 75 on 42 game lands, with three new archery ranges completed last year. He said the shooting range improvement program awarded "over $300,000 to 11 clubs" last fiscal year and announced a forthcoming grant program for deer processors to expand capacity and support venison donation efforts.
Smith highlighted ongoing research into wildlife movement and survival, citing studies of black bear movement patterns and survival rates, wild turkey habitat use and reproduction, chronic wasting disease in deer, and extensive elk monitoring that will inform future management decisions.
He emphasized the role of game wardens, noting the agency recently graduated the 30th class of the Ross Loeffler School of Conservation and added 18 new wardens earlier, plus a most-recent class of 24 officers, bringing active field officers to 155, "the highest number of active officers we've ever had at 1 time." He said officer compensation and collective bargaining improvements were key to recruitment and retention.
On finance, Smith explained that a spike in natural gas prices several years ago produced temporarily higher leasing revenues, which left the game fund with a substantial balance that the commission has been investing and drawing down deliberately. He told the committee the fund balance was about $460,000,000 at the prior hearing and "today, it's just over $430,000,000." He framed the reduction as intentional investment in long-term conservation work and said staff will monitor the pace of the drawdown.
Smith also cited recent legislation affecting the agency: Act 12 (originally House Bill 55) enabled land exchanges with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), allowing transfer of the Glen Anoco Falls Trail parcel to DCNR and receipt of land better suited to join adjacent game lands. He said the house concurred in senate amendments to House Bill 1431, which removed the prohibition on Sunday hunting; the commission included 13 Sundays in the fall hunting season last year and, Smith reported, "there was not a single safety incident reported to us involving a hunter and a member of the public."
Smith closed by thanking committee leadership and the agency's employees; the chair adjourned the informational meeting at the end of his remarks.
