pa-56-37-1331: Seasons and bag limits; elk management area and hunt zones

Summary

To effectively manage the wildlife resources of this Commonwealth, the Game Commission (commission) at its July 10, 2026, meeting amends § 139.18 (relating to elk management area and hunt zones) to rename and reorganize the elk management area elk hunt zones using current management data. This final-form rulemaking will not have an adverse impact on the wildlife resources of this Commonwealth. The authority for this final-form rulemaking is 34 Pa.C.S. (relating to Game and Wildlife Code). Notice of proposed rulemaking was published at 56 Pa.B. 3145 (May 30, 2026). 1. Purpose and Authority The purpose of the commission's established elk hunt zones is to provide managers with a method of monitoring and modifying harvest pressure across wide geographic areas to match current management goals. In principle, individual elk hunt zones are designed to represent: 1) subpopulations of elk (defined as groups of elk that generally occupy the same geographic area through time); 2) areas of historic or present elk-human conflicts, or both; and 3) the greatest percentage of public land available. The commission's current elk management plan calls for periodic review of the elk hunt zone boundaries. The commission conducted its last in-depth review and revision of the elk hunt zone boundaries in 2013. Since then, only four minor adjustments have been made to current elk hunt zone boundaries. In 2025, the commission used data from GPS-collared elk and landscape characteristics to evaluate...

The agency’s own summary, as published.