Bow hunting could start near Philly’s Somerton neighborhood this fall

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A newly acquired piece of property on the edge of Philadelphia will become Pennsylvania’s latest hunting grounds later this year.

The new state game lands are part of a recently acquired extension of Benjamin Rush State Park in the Somerton section of Philadelphia, near the city limits. The Pennsylvania Game Commission said a deer hunt will be conducted there.

“What we are doing is basically incorporating the 18 acres of state game lands that were recently acquired into their hunt program,” said Dustin Stoner with the PGC. “Their hunt program is highly regulated. They have a drawing and they select [a] few certain hunters to go in and harvest deer.”

The hunt would be limited to archers who would use tree stands, giving them a better view up in the trees.

“So that when they discharge their crossbow or they use their bow and shoot an arrow, the arrow’s trajectory carries the arrow to the ground. You know, if it misses the target, then the arrow has a safe backstop,” Stoner said.