Special regulations floated for Philadelphia game land

Harrisburg — Many state game lands are special in their own ways. Few are unique for the same reasons that make 17.88-acre State Game Land 339 in Philadelphia different, though.

That might lead to a name change and some special regulations.

The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners, at their recent quarterly meeting, gave preliminarily approval to a measure renaming State Game Land 339 as Poquessing Creek Wildlife Management Area.

The change, if given final approval at a subsequent meeting, would make the parcel the Game Commission’s third official wildlife management area, joining Middle Creek WMA in Lancaster and Lebanon counties and Pymatuning WMA in Crawford County.

Unlike other game lands, WMAs typically are governed by special regulations.

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The plan at Poquessing Creek WMA, in particular, is to allow public archery deer hunting, but by permit only. Those will be awarded by drawing each August.

Hunters awarded a permit will be allowed to hunt the WMA and portions of nearby Benjamin Rush State Park from elevated stands during designated one- to two-week periods between the onset of archery season in September and its close in January.

Five permits would be awarded per segment.

There’s no underestimating the opportunity that represents.

State Game Land 339 lies within Philadelphia’s city limits, just off U.S. Route 1 – a busy, heavily traveled area where green space is at a premium.

Yet hunting regularly occurs in the area. The Game Commission, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and various non-government partners conduct mentored hunts for first-time hunters in Benjamin Rush State Park and John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge.

Poquessing Creek WMA would give all hunting license buyers the chance to apply to hunt within Philadelphia. Managing that by permit will provide a better-quality experience, according to Peter Sussenbach, the Game Commission’s Southeast Region director.

“Hunters were absolutely ecstatic when we acquired this property because they know what an opportunity it represents in a metro area,” Sussenbach said.

“What we’re trying to do now is make sure they can hunt, and have a good hunt, but do so safely. It can be done, as our partnerships with other parks show.

We’re meeting hunters where they are, close to home and in areas with large populations of white-tailed deer.”