By Heidi Reed
Unfortunately, we haven't found a miracle cure for deer damage to crops just yet. However, updates to The Pennsylvania Game Commission's Agricultural Deer Control (Red Tag) Program could make use of the program slightly easier for landowners.
Changes were announced in April 2022, with the new regulations to start in November 2022.
The main changes are as follows:
| Old Rule | New Rule |
|---|
| Hunter may obtain one permit per Red Tag property | Hunter may obtain up to four permits per Red Tag Property |
| Permits are valid from July 1-September 28, then February 1-May 15, excluding Sundays | Permits valid from August 1-September 15, then February 1-April 15, excluding Sundays |
| Program is closed for summer period May 16-June 30 | Program is closed for summer period April 16-July 31 |
| Landowner is required to report Red Tag harvests | Hunter reports for each permit, regardless of harvest success |
| Only licensed hunters that are Pennsylvania residents qualify for Red Tag permits | All licensed hunters qualify for Red Tag permits, including out-of-state hunters |
| Red snap tags are used | Standard harvest tags issued through HuntFishPA are used |
| Landowners need to enroll in the Game Commission’s Hunter Access Program | Landowners do not need to enroll in the Hunter Access program |
Permits will be issued for the license year that begins July 1 and goes through June 30.
Hopefully these changes, plus the additional 23,000 doe tags for the 2022-2023 season, will help better manage deer populations and reduce crop damage.
Source : psu.edu