Pennsylvania Game Commission

{{Short description|Wildlife conservation agency}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}} {{Infobox government agency | name = Pennsylvania Game Commission | native_name = | native_name_a = | native_name_r = | type = | seal = | seal_width = | seal_caption = | logo = Pennsylvania Game Commission Logo.svg | logo_width = 150px | logo_caption = | image = | image_size = | image_caption = | formed = {{Start date and age|1895}} | preceding1 = | preceding2 =  | dissolved = | superseding1 = | superseding2 =  | jurisdiction = [[Pennsylvania|Commonwealth of Pennsylvania]] | headquarters = [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania|Harrisburg]], [[Pennsylvania]] | coordinates =  | motto = | employees = * <900 - 2023 * 1,000+ part time & volunteer | budget = $266,532,308 Fiscal Year 2022{{efn|The PGC does not receive General Fund appropriations from the state legislator.}} | chief1_name = Stephen Smith | chief1_position = Executive Director | chief2_name = David J. Gustafson | chief2_position = Deputy Executive Director | chief3_name = David Mitchell | chief3_position = Deputy Director of Field Operations | public_protector = | deputy = | parent_department = | parent_agency = | parent_agency_type =  | child1_agency = | child2_agency =  | keydocument1 =  | website = {{URL|https://www.pgc.pa.gov}} | agency_id = | map = | map_size = | map_caption = | footnotes = <ref name="2022 Annual Report">{{cite web |last1=Pennsylvania Game Commission |title=2022 PGC Annual Legislative Report |url=https://www.pgc.pa.gov/InformationResources/MediaReportsSurveys/Documents/PGC_Annual_Report_2022_WEB.pdf |website=www.pgc.pa.gov |access-date=10 October 2023 |page=36 |language=en |date=2022}}</ref> | embed = }} The '''Pennsylvania Game Commission''' ('''PGC''') is the state agency responsible for [[wildlife]] [[conservation ethic|conservation]] and management in [[Pennsylvania]] in the [[United States]]. It was originally founded {{age|1895|range=no}} years ago and currently utilizes more than 700 full-time employees and thousands of part-time and volunteers in its official mission to "manage and protect wildlife and their habitats while promoting hunting and trapping for current and future generations."<ref>{{Cite web|title=About Us|url=https://www.pgc.pa.gov:443/InformationResources/AboutUs/Pages/default.aspx|access-date=2021-05-05|website=Pennsylvania Game Commission|language=en-US}}</ref>

==History== In the late 1800s as a result of [[deforestation]], [[pollution]] and unregulated hunting/trapping, wildlife decreased in population and diversity. The wildlife, then-commonly referred to as "game," was to be protected by establishing the Game Commission in 1895 by the state Legislature. It was—and still is—funded primarily through the sale of licenses, State Game Land natural resource revenue, and a federal [[excise]] tax on guns and ammunition.<ref>{{Cite web|title=About Us|url=https://www.pgc.pa.gov:443/InformationResources/AboutUs/Pages/default.aspx|access-date=2021-05-05|website=Pennsylvania Game Commission|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Game wardens== [[File:PA_Game_Warden_vehicle.png|frame|left|Game Warden vehicle in [[Harrisburg, PA]].]] The main workforce of the Pennsylvania Game Commission are [[game warden]]s, formerly known as wildlife conservation officers (and originally game protectors).<ref>{{Cite web|last=Leader|first=Times|date=2018-01-08|title=New name, same job for PGC game wardens|url=https://www.timesleader.com/sports/688195/new-name-same-job-for-pgc-game-wardens|access-date=2020-07-21|website=Times Leader|language=en-US}}</ref> Game Wardens serve as sworn [[law enforcement officers]] for wildlife crimes, enforcing the hunting/trapping and conservation laws. They patrol the [[Pennsylvania State Game Lands]] and teach hunter-trapper education courses as well as providing many other educational opportunities for the Pennsylvania public, including wildlife programs for schools and community organizations.<ref name= "about">{{cite web | url = https://www.pgc.pa.gov/InformationResources/AboutUs/Pages/default.aspx| title = About the Pennsylvania Game Commission | access-date = 2008-07-30 | publisher = Pennsylvania Game Commission}}</ref>

Initial training for game wardens occurs at the Ross Leffler School of Conservation in Harrisburg. New recruiting classes are formed when positions open up, which is normally every 2nd or 3rd year. Classes are usually kept below 30 students. Training is an 11-month program in Law Enforcement, [[Natural Resource]] Management, Wildlife Management, and other subjects.

Deputy game wardens are part-time, whereas state game wardens are full-time, career-oriented positions. Serving as a deputy does not lead to promotion into a state game warden position. Deputies function in all phases of Game Commission activities and assume the powers as authorized by the Game and Wildlife Code, subject to limitations established by Commission regulations and operating procedures.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Game Laws|url=https://www.pgc.pa.gov/HuntTrap/Law/Pages/default.aspx}}</ref>

Deputies are commonly involved in: law enforcement patrols and investigations, answering complaints and calls for service, nuisance wildlife control, hunter-trapper education classes, educational programs, and assisting other agencies.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Deputy Game Warden|url=https://www.pgc.pa.gov/InformationResources/CareersandVolunteers/Pages/DeputyGameWardens.aspx|access-date=2 November 2020}}</ref>

=== Fallen wardens === [[File:PA_Game_Warden_Patch.png|thumb|right|{{center| Pennsylvania Game Commission patch}}]] [[File:PA - Game Commission.jpg|thumb|right|{{center|Previous Pennsylvania Game Commission patch}}]] Since the establishment of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, eleven Game Wardens have died while on duty. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Rank !Name !End of Watch !Cause of death !Ref |- |Game Protector |L. Seeley Houk |March 2, 1906 |Shot by leader of an organized crime ring in [[Hillsville, Pennsylvania|Hillsville]] while issuing a game citation. |<ref>{{Cite web|title=Game Officer L. Seeley Houk|url=https://www.odmp.org/officer/6722-game-officer-l-seeley-houk|access-date=2021-06-18|website=The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP)}}</ref> |- |Deputy Game Protector |Charles Beecham |November 4, 1906 |Shot attempting to arrest a man near [[Scranton, Pennsylvania|Scranton]] for hunting on a Sunday. |<ref>{{Cite web|title=Deputy Game Protector Charles Beecham|url=https://www.odmp.org/officer/23182-deputy-game-protector-charles-beecham|access-date=2021-06-18|website=The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP)}}</ref> |- |Game Protector |Joseph McHugh |November 7, 1915 |Shot while searching for [[poachers]] in [[Carbon County, Pennsylvania|Carbon County]]. |<ref>{{Cite web|title=Game Protector Joseph McHugh|url=https://www.odmp.org/officer/9017-game-protector-joseph-mchugh|access-date=2021-06-18|website=The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP)}}</ref> |- |Field Superintendent |Elias W. "Woody" Kelly |August 10, 1919 |Struck by train in [[Warren County, Pennsylvania|Warren County]] while inspecting state game preserves. |<ref>{{Cite news|title=Field Superintendent Elias W. "Woody" Kelly|work=The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP)|url=https://www.odmp.org/officer/21473-field-superintendent-elias-w-woody-kelly|access-date=2021-06-18}}</ref> |- |Chief Game Protector |Joseph H. Kalbfus |August 10, 1919 |Struck by train in Warren County while inspecting state game preserves. |<ref>{{Cite web|title=Chief Game Protector Joseph H. Kalbfus|url=https://www.odmp.org/officer/21472-chief-game-protector-joseph-h-kalbfus|access-date=2021-06-18|website=The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP)}}</ref> |- |Deputy Game Protector |Darrell S. Solida |December 6, 1931 |Shot while investigating an illegal deer kill near [[Troutville, Pennsylvania|Troutville]]. |<ref>{{Cite web|title=Deputy Game Protector Darrell S. Solida|url=https://www.odmp.org/officer/25164-deputy-game-protector-darrell-s-solida|access-date=2021-06-18|website=The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP)}}</ref> |- |Game Protector |Walter M. Middleton |December 1, 1935 |Vehicle accident while en route to assist other officers during deer hunting season. |<ref>{{Cite web|title=Game Protector Walter M. Middleton|url=https://www.odmp.org/officer/21986-game-protector-walter-m-middleton|access-date=2021-06-18|website=The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP)}}</ref> |- |Game Protector |John B. Ross |July 18, 1942 |Boat capsized while rescuing citizens of [[Port Allegany, Pennsylvania|Port Allegany]] during flood. |<ref>{{Cite web|title=Game Protector John B. Ross|url=https://www.odmp.org/officer/11544-game-protector-john-b-ross|access-date=2021-06-18|website=The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP)}}</ref> |- |Game Protector |Robert E. Zimmerman |May 13, 1957 |Vehicle accident en route to a Divisional Office |<ref>{{Cite web|title=Game Protector Robert Earl Zimmerman|url=https://www.odmp.org/officer/23586-game-protector-robert-earl-zimmerman|access-date=2021-06-18|website=The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP)}}</ref> |- |Land Management Officer |Woodrow E. Portzline |October 24, 1973 |Heart attack while investigating reports of trespassing and poaching at a farm. |<ref>{{Cite web|title=Land Management Officer Woodrow E. Portzline|url=https://www.odmp.org/officer/18770-land-management-officer-woodrow-e-portzline|access-date=2021-06-18|website=The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP)}}</ref> |- |Wildlife Conservation Officer |David L. Grove |November 11, 2010 |Shot in [[Freedom Township, Adams County, Pennsylvania|Freedom Township]], [[Adams County, Pennsylvania|Adams County]] while investigating reports of ongoing nighttime shooting and poaching. |<ref>{{Cite news|title=Wildlife Conservation Officer David Lynn Grove|work=The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP)|url=https://www.odmp.org/officer/20566-wildlife-conservation-officer-david-lynn-grove|access-date=2021-06-18}}</ref> |}

==Official game publications==

*''Pennsylvania Game News'' is the PGC's monthly publication, dealing with wildlife conservation and the financial and legislative functions of the Game Commission. The publication has frequently featured the work of [[Animal painter|wildlife artists]], including [[Jacob Bates Abbott]] in the 1940s. *''Monthly Field Notes'' is written by Game Wardens and their Deputies, which are comedic stories about happenings in the fields. They are a well received feature of the publication.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?a=482&q=151301 | title = Pennsylvania Game News | access-date = 2008-07-30 | publisher = Pennsylvania Game Commission}}</ref> *''Hunting & Trapping Digest'' is a complimentary publication received by those who purchase hunting or trapping licenses for the respective year.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Hunting & Trapping Digest|url=https://www.pgc.pa.gov:443/HuntTrap/Law/Pages/HuntingandTrappingDigest.aspx|access-date=2021-06-18|website=Pennsylvania Game Commission|language=en-US}}</ref>

==See also== *[[List of law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania]] *[[Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission]] *[[List of state and territorial fish and wildlife management agencies in the United States]]

==Notes== {{notelist}}

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * [https://www.pgc.pa.gov/ Pennsylvania Game Commission Official Website]

[[Category:Government of Pennsylvania]] [[Category:State law enforcement agencies of Pennsylvania]] [[Category:State agencies of Pennsylvania]] [[Category:State wildlife and natural resource agencies of the United States]] [[Category:Keystone symbol]]