Pennsylvania

In Pennsylvania, It’s Almost Deer Season

Published

2 years ago

September 14, 2024

In Pennsylvania, It’s Almost Deer Season

It’s probably safe to say that most people, given the chance to trade their cellphone for a landline, swap out their vehicle for a horse and buggy, or replace their washing machine with a bucket, a bar of rough homemade soap and a 100-yard walk to the nearest river, would opt to keep their modern conveniences.

Tools offering efficiency, ease and comfort are hard to forgo.

There are exceptions, though. Bowhunters – who represent one of every two deer hunters in Pennsylvania overall – each year willingly go afield with stick and string, albeit often modernized, finding attraction in the challenge and intimacy of close-range encounters.

More than 350,000 bowhunters will pursue whitetails across Pennsylvania this fall, starting soon. Archery season begins in Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) 2B, 5C and 5D – those are the ones surrounding Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, respectively – on Sept. 21 and runs through Nov. 29, including two Sundays, Nov. 17 and 24, then comes back in from Dec. 26-Jan. 25. The statewide archery season kicks off on Oct. 5 and includes one Sunday, Nov. 17, before ending on Nov. 22. It reopens Dec. 26-Jan. 20.

“No other state has as many bowhunters as Pennsylvania,” said Game Commission Executive Director Steve Smith. “And it’s not hard to see why so many love the season. It’s a special time, with the chance to hunt in mild weather against a backdrop of amazing fall color early on and the promise of the whitetail rut later.

“Hunters appreciate what’s available and take advantage of it.”

They take deer, too. Last year, in the 2023-24 seasons, archers harvested an estimated 154,850 whitetails (83,370 bucks and 71,480 antlerless deer). That was about 36% of the overall harvest.

That matched the most recent five-year average and is in line with what’s occurring on a larger scale. According to the National Deer Association’s 2024 “Deer Report,” in the three seasons from 2020 to 2022, archers took, on average, about 34% of all deer harvested across what’s considered the Northeast region, a 13-state area stretching from Maine to Virginia.

Hunters who want the opportunity to fill a tag during archery season should hunt where deer want to be, said David Stainbrook, the Game Commission’s Deer and Elk Section Supervisor. That’s typically around food and cover. He recommends hunters scout for fresh deer sign around places rich in green browse and, later, hard and soft mast, which includes everything from apples and agricultural crops to acorns. If those places are close to thick escape and bedding cover, all the better, he said.

Often, though, the real key is just being out there. Deer have large home ranges, Stainbrook said, taking in hundreds of acres.

“So if I could give hunters one piece of advice, it would be to just hunt as much as possible,” Stainbrook said. “Putting more time in the woods is going to increase your odds of harvesting a deer.”

That’s true throughout the season. Every week of the 2023-24 archery season contributed at least 10% to the overall harvest, with some weeks accounting for as much as 25%.

Smith, for one, will be out there, enjoying the season for all sorts of reasons, just like so many others.

“Pennsylvania’s archery deer season is big on opportunity, and I wouldn’t miss it,” Smith said

Getting Started

The Game Commission’s YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/pagamecommission) offers several videos to help deer hunters.

There’s a two-part series on learning to archery hunt deer, along with another on the effective range of crossbows, one on tracking a deer after the shot in archery season, and another on deboning a deer in the field. There are also several videos on tree stand safety.

Search “learn to hunt” and “tree stand safety.”

Hunters might also want to check out the in-person and online versions of Pennsylvania’s “Successful Bowhunting” course and/or its online archery safety course. They’re available at https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/0913e52e0cda4e3e848328f2a516dc18.

Of course, bowhunters should also practice with their equipment before the season starts, shooting from the ground and/or an elevated stand, whichever mimics how they’ll hunt. After it starts, hunters should only take responsible shots – broadside or quartering-away shots at deer within their personal maximum effective shooting range – to ensure quick, clean kills.

As for equipment, archery hunters may use long, recurve or compound bows, or crossbows. Bows must have a draw weight of at least 35 pounds; crossbows must have a minimum draw weight of 125 pounds.

Illuminated nocks that aid in tracking or locating the arrow or bolt after being launched are legal, but transmitter-tracking arrows are not.

Tree stands and climbing devices that cause damage to trees are unlawful to use or occupy unless the user has written permission from the landowner. Tree stands or tree steps penetrating a tree’s cambium layer are unlawful to install or occupy on state game lands, state forests or state parks.

Portable hunting tree stands and blinds are allowed on state game lands, starting two weeks before opening day of archery season, but must be removed no later than two weeks after the close of the flintlock and late archery deer seasons in the WMU being hunted.

In all cases, tree stands on state game lands also must be conspicuously marked with a durable identification tag that identifies the stand owner. Those tags must include the hunter’s first and last name and legal home address, their nine-digit CID number, or their unique Sportsman’s Equipment ID number. Hunters can find their number in their HuntFishPA online profile or on their printed license.

Hunters who plan to be afield on private property on the Sundays open to archers must carry with them written permission from the landowner.

Safety Tips for Bowhunters

Make sure someone knows where you’re hunting and when you expect to return home. Leave a note or topographic map with your family or a friend. Pack a cellphone for emergencies.

Practice climbing with your tree stand before the opening day of the season, especially at dawn and dusk. Consider placing non-slip material on the deck of your tree stand if it’s not already there.

Always use a fall-restraint device – preferably a full-body harness – when hunting from a tree stand. Wear the device from the moment you leave the ground until you return. Don’t climb dead, wet or icy trees, and stay on the ground on blustery days.

Use a hoist rope to lift your bow and backpack to your tree stand. Trying to climb with either will place you at unnecessary risk.

Don’t sleep in a tree stand. If you can’t stay awake, return to the ground.

Keep yourself in good physical condition. Fatigue can impact judgment, coordination and reaction time, as well as accuracy.

Always carry broadhead-tipped arrows in a protective quiver, especially when moving. Cocked crossbows should always be pointed in a safe direction. Know how to uncock a crossbow safely, too. If you use a mechanical release with a vertical bow, always keep your index finger away from the trigger when drawing.

In all cases, check your equipment before every outing and follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for using it.

Venison Care

While hunting in early fall often offers pleasant days afield, the warm weather also presents challenges for successful deer hunters.

One is making sure they wind up with high-quality venison for the table.

Deer harvested when the weather is warm should be field dressed quickly, then taken from the field and cooled down as soon as possible, preferably by refrigerating if temperatures are above 40 degrees.

Additional information on warm-weather venison care, as well as instructions on deer processing and other tips, are available on the white-tailed deer page on the Game Commission’s website, www.pgc.pa.gov.

CWD Regulations

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) – an always-fatal prion disease impacting deer and elk for which there is no cure – continues to spread across Pennsylvania both geographically and in terms of the number of deer infected.

“This illustrates the urgency of doing something to manage this disease,” said Andrea Korman, the Game Commission’s Chronic Wasting Disease Section Supervisor. “Our deer herd requires protection from this threat, and I think we can all agree we do not want to stay where we are now.”

So this year, three Disease Management Areas (DMAs) – places with special rules in place to slow the human-assisted spread of CWD – have expanded. DMA 2 in southcentral Pennsylvania grew eastward; DMA 3 in western Pennsylvania expanded south; and DMA 8 in the southeast grew to the south and west.

Up-to-date boundaries for those and all DMAs are described at https://arcg.is/1G4TLr.

Hunters who harvest a deer within the boundaries of a DMA or the Established Area (EA) can take them directly to any Game Commission-approved processor or taxidermist anywhere in the state. That list is available at www.pgc.pa.gov/cwd.

Hunters who take a deer within a DMA or the EA may also leave the high-risk parts at the location of harvest, although this is not preferred, or they may take it home to process themselves so long as they also live within that DMA or the EA and dispose of the high-risk parts through a trash service. Hunters who live outside a DMA or the EA can quarter the deer to take it home, free of high-risk parts.

High-risk parts include the head (including brain, tonsils, eyes, and any lymph nodes); spinal cord/backbone; spleen; skull plate with attached antlers, if visible brain or spinal cord tissue is present; cape, if visible brain or spinal cord tissue is present; upper canine teeth, if root structure or other soft tissue is present; any object or article containing visible brain or spinal cord tissue; unfinished taxidermy mounts; and brain-tanned hides.

Deer Management Assistance Program

The Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) allows hunters to get permits good for harvesting antlerless deer – one per tag – on the specific property or area for which the permit was issued.

Once again this year, the Game Commission is offering DMAP tags on some state game lands, namely 41 spread across the Northwest, Northcentral, Northeast and Southeast regions. Combined, 7,000 tags were made available across 360,014 acres.

All game lands in DMAP have one thing in common: they have too many deer for the habitat to support. This year – for the first time in a while – Game Commission foresters are erecting deer-proof fencing in every region of the state around new timber cuts. If they don’t, overabundant deer eat the young seedlings so fast that the forest cannot regenerate a healthy habitat. DMAP can mitigate the need for that by targeting hunting pressure in areas where it’s needed.

The Game Commission is also offering DMAP tags in places with CWD. There, the goal is to “increase CWD sampling through hunter harvest to determine the extent and sample prevalence of the disease,” Korman said. Biologists would like to get 250 deer per DMAP unit, a target that hunters have hit in several units previously.

There are seven CWD DMAP units this year – three less than last year – though two of those that remain, DMAP units 6367 and 6396, are larger than before. Details on licenses per unit are listed at the same link as other DMAP tags.

For information on DMAP properties of all kinds, visit https://www.pgcapps.pa.gov/Harvest/DMAP.

Deer Seasons to Follow

While deer hunting in Pennsylvania kicks off with the archery season, a full slate of other opportunities follow.

The muzzleloader season for antlerless deer runs Oct. 19-26. During its last three days, Oct. 24-26, the season overlaps with the special firearms deer season, in which junior and senior license holders, mentored permit holders, active-duty military and hunters with a permit to use a vehicle as a blind may hunt antlerless deer with additional sporting arms, including approved rifles and shotguns. The October muzzleloader and special firearms seasons also are open for bear hunting.

The statewide regular firearms deer season runs Nov. 30-Dec. 14 and includes a day of Sunday hunting on Dec. 1.

And aside from after-Christmas archery deer hunting opportunities, properly licensed hunters may participate in flintlock deer season, which runs Dec.26-Jan.20 statewide and Dec. 26-Jan. 25 in WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D. There’s also an extended firearms deer season for antlerless deer, which run Dec. 26-Jan.25 in WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D, and Jan. 2-20 in WMUs 4A, 4D and 5A.

Each hunter receives an antlered deer harvest tag as part of a general hunting license. An antlerless deer license or DMAP permit is needed for each antlerless deer harvested. Valid licenses or permits must be possessed to lawfully hunt deer, and valid paper harvest tags must be carried afield while deer hunting, then attached to the deer’s ear before the deer is moved.

Licenses, including remaining antlerless licenses and DMAP permits, may be purchased online at HuntFishPA.gov, but those who plan to hunt soon after purchasing a license likely are better off visiting a license issuing agent, a list of which is available on the Licenses and Permits page at www.pgc.pa.gov.

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Pennsylvania

Upside Down Trapezoid House Built by Renowned Loft Architect and His Students Hits the Market in Pennsylvania for $625K

Published

5 hours ago

June 6, 2026

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Upside Down Trapezoid House Built by Renowned Loft Architect and His Students Hits the Market in Pennsylvania for 5K

A stunning four-bedroom work of art designed by late Italian architect and loft pioneer Giuseppe “Beppe” Zambonini has just hit the market in Pennsylvania for $625,000—listing for the first time in more than two decades.

The upside-down 1987 trapezoid-style dwelling in Dingmans Ferry boasts a barrel vaulted ceiling supported by eight interior columns and is surrounded by expansive windows and decks to soak in the tranquil views of nature.

Each of the rooms was designed, not as a traditional rectangle, but as a trapezoid, a technique that was meant to maximize the amount of natural light inside the home, ensuring that each window has ample opportunity to let the sun shine through.

It was a design method that Beppe came up with while working in New York City, where he was renowned for his work creating stunning loft spaces with “theater set” walls. He then brought that technique to Pennsylvania, where he sought to design his own weekend retreat, using the hallmarks that had turned him into a legend of Big Apple architecture.

The result is a home that appears, from the outside, almost like a stack of unevenly placed shipping containers—but on the inside is a stunning, light-filled dwelling, with enormous windows that offer beautiful views of the surrounding area from every room.

A stunning four-bedroom work of art designed by late Italian architect and loft pioneer Giuseppe “Beppe” Zambonini has just hit the market in Pennsylvania for $625,000—listing for the first time in more than two decades.HomeTourVision

The upside-down 1987 trapezoid-style dwelling in Dingmans Ferry, PA, boasts a barrel vaulted ceiling supported by eight interior columns and is surrounded by expansive windows and decks to soak in the tranquil views of nature.HomeTourVision

The result is a home with enormous windows that offer beautiful views of the surrounding area from every room.HomeTourVision

“There are numerous instances in the construction where hallways, rooms, and decks are not perfectly rectangular but rather are all trapezoid in shape,” says listing agent Shaun Burger of Keller Williams Real Estate Milford.

Beppe purchased the 2.44-acre land on which the home now sits in the 1980s, before crafting a home that would be used full time by his wife and their daughter—but was close enough to New York City that he could join them on weekends.

The idyllic parcel is perched above Nyce Lake in a development that would later become known as Traces of Lattimore.

“It is only 90 minutes away from Manhattan but is a world away in terms of peacefulness and nature,” Burger noted. “There are a lot of properties here being used as second homes, but it could also be used as a primary residence.”

The unique home—which was constructed by Beppe and a team of his best students from his design school, Open Atelier of Design—drew immediate attention from design aficionados, even featuring in a play entitled “The Upside Down House” in New York and a feature film called “A Picture of You.”

In a nod to this heritage, the garage door features a design by one of Beppe’s students resembling a theater curtain that a local artist created using shades of Chinese red, gray, and white.

Burger says that with so much cultural and architectural history, the property feels as much like a piece of art as it does a residential dwelling, one that the current owner has taken great care to preserve and maintain.

“The seller is very much into the arts and feels more of a custodian of the home,” Burger shares. “He is looking to pass it along to the next steward.”

What makes the dwelling so unique is that only one column is exposed on each floor, which is highlighted by a different color in each room. In the home office, the column is red while the primary bedroom features a blue support, and a yellow column can be found in the dining room.

In the 40 years since the property was built, it has changed hands on only one occasion, in 2005—when it was sold by Beppe’s wife, Claudia, to the man who owns it now for $396,000.HomeTourVision

The property is located just 90 minutes from Manhattan.HomeTourVision

“There are a lot of windows and sitting areas, so when you are inside, you feel like you are outside,” the listing agent says.HomeTourVision

A third-floor loft boasts Zambonini’s signature theater set walls.

“The home itself is so unique, which is what originally attracted the seller,” he added. “There are so many Colonials, ranches, and cookie-cutter homes in the area, so it is infrequent to find a home like this where there has been so much thought put into it.”

In the 40 years since the property was built, it has changed hands on only one occasion, in 2005—when it was sold by Beppe’s wife, Claudia, to the man who owns it now for $396,000.

“I scrupulously maintained the original colors of the house, inside and out, and kept the kitchen and bathrooms as I found them,” the seller writes in the listing. “After 21 years, it is time for a new custodian to live in this significant work of art.”

According to Burger, the property would be the perfect retreat for someone who likes their privacy but also enjoys entertaining guests, offering ample room across its 2,850-square-foot design.

“It has four bedrooms and four bathrooms so it would be a nice home for someone who loves to entertain,” Burger adds. “There is plenty of space for guests.”

What’s more, the property offers the best of both worlds—surrounded by nature, but with all the convenience of proximity to nearby cities and towns.

“There are a lot of windows and sitting areas, so when you are inside, you feel like you are outside,” the listing agent says. “Dingmans Ferry is very quaint and has lots of lakes, waterfalls, hiking trails, and skiing. It’s a naturally beautiful area.

“I envision the next buyer to be an artist who will totally appreciate this work of art. The area has highly rated public schools for someone who has children. I think it will be someone who will want a getaway where they can reconnect and recharge with nature and will not want to change or renovate the home.”

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Pennsylvania

Sweet Summer: 59 creameries unite dairy lovers with Pennsylvania farms on Ice Cream Trail

Published

16 hours ago

June 6, 2026

Press Room

Sweet Summer: 59 creameries unite dairy lovers with Pennsylvania farms on Ice Cream Trail

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. (WFMZ) — 59 creameries across the Commonwealth are serving up a sweet summer connecting dairy lovers with Pennsylvania farms.

June 4 kicked off the Ninth Annual Scooped Ice Cream Trail.

Ice cream lovers can register online and fill out a digital passport as they visit participating creameries. Each visit earns points towards various prizes.

The owners of Batch Microcreamery in Center Valley tell 69 News they’re excited to be part of the trail for the third year in a row, attracting visitors locally and out-of-state.

“This is the third location of the ice cream trail that I’ve been on,” said Kamden Acevedo.

Acevedo is originally from Staten Island and said he’s motivated to try other locations on the trail throughout the state.

“I love ice cream. I’m going to try, I’m going to try my hardest honestly,” Acevedo stated.

Dana Reibman and her daughter are just happy for the sweet treat.

“We’re all up for ice cream all the time. We come here probably about once a month because we like trying the different flavors. As you can see, she really enjoys the cookie monster flavor,” Reibman explained.

The ice cream trail continues through Sept. 7.

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Pennsylvania

PA law would restrict cellphones in schools. Pittsburgh already bans them

Published

1 day ago

June 5, 2026

Press Room

PA law would restrict cellphones in schools. Pittsburgh already bans them

Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives passed a bill requiring schools to create policies restricting student cellphone use.
Pittsburgh Public Schools already has a policy banning student cellphone use during the school day, which was approved in late 2025.
Under Pittsburgh’s policy, students must turn in their phones to school personnel for the duration of the school day.

If Pennsylvania sees statewide restrictions on cellphones in schools, would anything change in Pittsburgh?

It’s too early to say for sure.

On June 1, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed legislation that would require school districts to adopt phone restrictions, leaving the details of the exact policy’s implementation up to individual districts, according to USA TODAY. Now, if cleared by the Senate — which already passed another version of the proposal with almost unanimous support — it will go to Gov. Josh Shapiro, who has repeatedly said he supports getting cellphones out of classrooms with a bell-to-bell ban.

“Here in Pennsylvania, Democrats and Republicans agree: We need to let our kids be kids again,” Shapiro said in a June 4 post to his X account.

But Pittsburgh’s already ahead of the curve when it comes to banning cellphones during school hours because of a school board policy approved in late 2025.

Here’s what to know.

Are cell phones banned in Pittsburgh schools?

Yes, cellphones are banned during the school day at Pittsburgh Public Schools.

In December 2025, Pittsburgh Public Schools Board voted to ban the use of phones by students during the school day, Pittsburgh’s Action News 4.

Under the policy, the possession of phones by students is prohibited. While they may bring cellphones to school, the devices must be turned in to school personnel during the school day.

There are exceptions to the policy in cases where a student may need a phone for instructional activities, an Individualized Education Plan, a Section 504 Plan or for other reasons approved by a school administrator.

Why are schools banning cellphones?

Numerous states have already banned cellphones in schools, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and others, according to ABC News.

This year, Indiana and Kansas banned phones during the day, implementing policies that require students to keep their phones in inaccessible locations through the entire school day, USA TODAY reported.

Recently, Delaware, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming passed or updated less restrictive legislation on phones in schools, according to an analysis by the Becca Schmill Foundation, the Institute for Families and Technology, Smartphone-Free Childhood US and Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation.

Illinois, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania may follow suit.

Do cellphone bans work?

Yes and no.

Cellphone bans keep kids off their devices, but they don’t appear to impact test scores, attendance, self-reported classroom attention or perceived online bullying, according to a study published in April by the National Bureau of Economic Research. Additionally, researchers found that during the first year of a cellphone ban, disciplinary incidents rose and students’ reported well-being fell, though the effects subsided as the years passed.

Still, there’s a push for bans nationally, with the U.S. surgeon general’s office warning on May 20 that “compulsive” screen use is linked to poor sleep, substance abuse, developmental disruptions and social, mental and behavioral issues. The office suggested that cellphone bans in schools are a way to help put excessive screen time in check.

Finch Walker is the Pittsburgh Connect Reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Contact Walker at FWalker@usatodayco.com. Instagram: @finchwalker_. X: @_finchwalker.

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