The Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) was established in 1895 and sets the species that are available for hunting and trapping with the state. Any animal that is not specifically assigned with a season and bag limits is illegal to hunt and off-limits.
In 1974, the state used the federal list of endangered species as its starting point for what should not be hunted in the state.
The United States Fish & Wildlife Service reported that there are currently 375 species of animals on the federal list, including species that are native to the U.S. and those originally from other counties.
This federal list includes 13 endangered or threatened animals, including fish, that can be found in Pennsylvania. It includes two species of bats as well as turtles. At the same time that the state adopted the federal list, they ensured that the state could add or remove species that were native to the state, reports the official website for Pennsylvania.
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Some of the animals that the PGC currently has on the list of endangered or threatened species include the Delmarva fox squirrel, northern flying squirrel, peregrine falcon, great egret, king rail, least shrew, West Virginia water shrew, short-eared owl, and long-eared owl.
Many people may be surprised to learn that Pennsylvania has a bobcat population. The PGC reports that these animals live in the more remote portions of the state, so many Pennsylvanians may never see one. They were provided with game animal status in 1970, but without a hunting season allowed, so they are off-limits to hunting.
The status of mountain lions or cougars in Pennsylvania, as of 2015, is that they are extinct.
However, the Examiner reported that a sighting was made in Lycoming County, located in the northern section of the state as recently as 2010. Another sighting was recorded near Downingtown, Pennsylvania, not too far west of Philadelphia in 2008. The PGC's position is that any cougars in Pennsylvania are the result of being let loose or having escaped from people who were keeping them as pets. Should any hunter come across a cougar in Pennsylvania, they are advised to leave it alone as hunting them in the state is illegal.
This article is for information only. Please check current regulations before hunting.
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