About the Harvest Dashboards

Historic harvest data of four game species, deer, bear, turkey, and elk can be viewed on each of the tabs across the top of this page. The data for the current license year will be updated after the license year is complete. Deer, bear, and turkey are represented by Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) while elk is represented by Elk Hunt Zone.

Tips and Tricks

1. When viewing the pages on a desktop, each element can be expanded by selecting the Expand icon in the upper right corner of the element. This will allow you to view the element on the entire screen.
2. Most species’ maps have multiple layers that can be displayed on the map. Each layer will change based off of the license year selected in the upper right corner of the page. If you wish to view another layer on the map, select the Layer icon in the upper right corner of the map.
3. Clicking a WMU or Elk Hunt Zone on the map will bring up a pop-up with additional information on the harvests in that WMU or Elk Hunt Zone.
4. Clicking on a row in the ‘Top 10 WMUs’ or ‘Top 10 Elk Hunt Zones’ table will Highlight and zoom to that WMU or Elk Hunt Zone on the map.

Map Layers

Deer, bear, and elk have multiple layers that can be viewed in the map. Deer and bear are represented by WMU while elk is represented by Elk Hunt Zone. Deer and bear layers are normalized by the area, in square miles, of the WMU. The harvest data are normalized so it is easier to compare across WMUs, which vary in size or area. Deer is represented by number of deer harvested per one square mile while bear is represented by number of bears harvested per 100 square miles. The layers within the elk map are the total reported harvests within each elk hunt zone; data are not normalized.

Turkey has one layer that can be viewed on the map. The turkey harvest data is represented by number of turkeys harvested per 100 hunter days. That layer is the best way to depict the harvest trends in each WMU.

How Harvests are Estimated

Reported vs Estimated Harvests

Some species, such as bear and elk, have check stations where each harvest is reported. Bear and elk are represented as ‘reported’ harvest because of the check stations. Other species, such as turkey and deer, do not have check stations so annual harvests must be estimated.

Estimated Deer Harvests

Annual deer harvested in each WMU are estimated using reported harvest in combination with estimated reporting rates from field-checked deer.

Estimated Turkey Harvests

Annual turkeys harvested statewide are estimated from the annual Spring Turkey Hunter Survey and the Mentored Youth Turkey Hunter Survey for the spring season and from the annual Game Take Survey for the fall season. Harvests by WMU are calculated as the proportion of statewide estimate according to the proportions in the reported harvest in each WMU.

Annual Reports 

Due to some harvests being reported with unknown sex or unknown WMUs, the numbers on this dashboard could be slightly different then the numbers reported in the annual report for each species. Please use the annual report for the final number harvested each year. Reports for each species can be found by searching on the following link.

HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Bureau of Wildlife Protection has a new director.

Richard “Rod” Danley, who has worked for the Game Commission for more than 25 years, started in the role Sept. 27, overseeing and directing the agency’s law-enforcement operations.

“Wildlife Protection is a dynamic, fast-paced, and highly valuable bureau serving the agency’s core mission,” said Game Commission Executive Director Steve Smith. “Rod brings a wide range, and depth, of law-enforcement experience that is helping him excel in his new position.”

Danley started his career path at Unity College in Maine, graduating in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science in Conservation Law Enforcement degree. After graduation, he worked for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources as a Park Ranger, then a Forest Ranger. He joined the Pennsylvania Game Commission in 1999 as a member of the 25^th Class of the Ross Leffler School of Conservation. 

Upon graduation, Danley was assigned to the Bureau of Law Enforcement’s Special Investigation Unit, serving in that role as a covert investigator from 2000 to 2005.  He transferred in 2005 to the Southern Huntingdon County Field District, handling the district needs from 2005 to 2011. 

In 2011, Danley was promoted to the Southcentral Regional Office as the Information and Education Supervisor and served in that capacity until he transferred to the Law Enforcement Supervisor of the Southcentral Region in 2012 and remained there until his promotion to Bureau Director for Wildlife Protection.

“I have had the privilege of serving in wildlife law enforcement for the majority of my career, but now having the opportunity to lead those efforts is truly an honor,” said Danley. “Pennsylvania Game Wardens have such a rich heritage and continue to lead the charge, nationally, when it comes to protecting wildlife.”

Danley resides in Mount Union, Pa. with his two dogs.

HARRISBURG — The Game Commission is asking for the public’s help finding turkey flocks for ongoing research.

Pennsylvanians are encouraged to report the location of any turkey flocks they see across the state. Information is being collected online at https://pgcforms.pa.gov/TurkeySightingSurvey now through March 15.

Among other things, visitors to that webpage are asked to provide the date of the sighting, the location and the type of land (public, private or unknown) where birds are seen.

Game Commission crews will assess sites for the potential to trap turkeys. Just like the last six winters, the Game Commission will put leg bands on male turkeys statewide. Turkeys will not be moved; they’ll simply be leg-banded and released on site.

Trapping turkeys during winter is part of the Game Commission’s ongoing population monitoring.

Hunters who harvest these banded turkeys, or people who find one dead, are asked to report the band number, either by calling toll-free or reporting it online.

“By reporting banded turkeys, hunters provide us with important information on harvest rates for our population model,” said Reina Tyl, the Game Commission’s wild turkey biologist. “In return, the hunter gets to learn when and approximately where the turkey was banded. If the turkey was banded the first winter after it hatched, we can also provide the hunter with an exact age of the turkey they harvested.”

While no turkeys will be fitted with transmitters this winter, as the research projects that were tracking turkeys to get an in-depth look into their survival, productivity and movement are coming to an end, males will continue to be banded in the winter to monitor harvest rates.

Finding birds to trap is key to accomplishing the work. That’s where the public comes in. Fortunately, Pennsylvanians have a history of helping in this way.

Tyl said participation in the Winter Turkey Sighting Survey has been extremely useful for locating trappable flocks over the past four winters.

“The public has been so helpful. Some landowners who reported flocks on their property have also helped with monitoring flock activity and have participated in trapping,” Tyl said. “We look forward to continuing this collaboration this winter.”