A recent announcement by the Pennsylvania Game Commission caught my attention and got me thinking about hunting in our state.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission announced the end of the State Deputy Game Warden Program, dismissing all deputy wardens within law enforcement across the state.

Effective Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, the Pennsylvania Game Commission Deputy Game Warden Program will come to an end. Deputy Game Wardens were paid a daily stipend of $100 and were also issued gear and equipment, including uniforms, body armor, a portable radio, a service pistol, and an agency phone. All that gear and equipment must be returned to the commission.

Deputies have been a part of the Game Commission for 123 years, with over 100 deputies serving. I might add that the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is also ending its deputy program, releasing 36 deputies on the same date as the Game Commission.

So, no doubt a lot of hunters are asking, “Why the change?” Is it because there are fewer people interested in hunting these days? I certainly don’t have the answer, but several thoughts are being tossed out.

I’m sure I’m not alone in this, but I have seen a big decrease in the number of people who hunt these days. I remember when my buddies and I couldn’t wait until we were old enough to go hunting, and especially deer hunting, but I certainly don’t see that in many of our young people today.

While younger people are less interested, it’s also true that we “dyed-in-the-wool” hunters are getting older, and hunting is becoming more of a challenge. I’ll be honest: in the past few years, I’ve seen far fewer hunters and heard far less shooting than I did 10 or 20 years ago.

In Pennsylvania, hunters numbered 1.3 million in the early 1980s. In 2020, hunting license sales totaled 887,221, and the decline has continued since then.

So, maybe a lack of interest by the younger crowd and a greater physical challenge for the older crowd has contributed to less hunting activity. I do think another big factor, however, is that lower numbers and less interest in hunting are closely tied to the availability of places to hunt.

I remember that in years past, many of the local farmers and landowners granted my family and me permission to hunt on their property; we had plenty of places to hunt, but that has changed in recent years. As a different generation took over on much of that land, posted signs began to appear more often, and maybe for good reason since they may not have known or had any previous contact with those hunters.

I suspect, too, that some would say another reason for the declining interest and numbers of hunters might have something to do with the change in the opening day of the statewide firearms deer season. In 2019, the opening day of deer season was changed from the first Monday after Thanksgiving to the Saturday following Thanksgiving. That change apparently disrupted many traditions at camps across Pennsylvania.

Several deputy game wardens are disappointed, and the question has arisen: “Will there be a longer response time since there are fewer wardens to act?” I guess we’ll have to see how that goes.