There is no late pheasant hunting in the southern tier of the state. Hunters should consult page 13 of their Digest of Pennsylvania Hunting and Trapping Regulations for further clarification of what area is open to pheasant hunting during the late season. Banded pheasants will be released in the late season and some remain afield from earlier stockings. The banded birds are part of an ongoing effort by the Bureau of Wildlife Management to measure the effectiveness of its pheasant propagation program. Banded pheasants taken by hunters, even those found dead, should be reported to the Game Commission, which records the information on the bands.
Some pheasants have reward bands.
SO FAR Deer harvest report cards received at the Game Commission's Harrisburg headquarters indicate the hunters are slightly behind last year's pace, based on postal counts of cards. But it's important to remember this count can be influenced by Christmas mail and hunters who haven't yet mailed their report card. Quite frankly, we're not seeing that so far. However, we won't be able to speak definitively about the deer kill until all the report cards are in our hands and harvest rates have been established. That won't happen until sometime in early March.