Why is Pennsylvania one of the 10 most hunter-friendly states?

Tops for hunters

Pennsylvania has been ranked among the 10 most hunter-friendly states.

Pennsylvania is the 10th most hunter-friendly state in the U.S., according to Bowhunting.com, which bills itself as the No. 1 source for bowhunting and archery information.

“No one can deny that hunting traditions run deep in the Keystone State,” wrote Kyle Hey. "School schedules and business hours are often dictated by hunting seasons to accommodate the state’s nearly 1 million hunters. In fact, Pennsylvania ranks first in the country in both hunter and bowhunter density per square mile.

“14.5 percent of the state is public ground, comprising 4.2 million acres, and an additional 2 million acres of private ground is open to hunting through cooperative agreements. While whitetails are by far the most popular game species in the state, Penn’s Woods offers chances at some of the biggest black bear in the country, as well as world-class elk hunting – though only through a competitive tag draw. Excellent turkey, waterfowl and small game hunting round out a state with plenty to offer hunters.”

Hey noted that “hunter-friendly states hold 2 main characteristics; a high percentage of the state’s population hunts and, perhaps more importantly, significant public land acreage open to those hunters.”

Other important factors include traditions, variety of game and game regulations.

No. 9 most hunter-friendly state is West Virginia with about 10-12 percent of the population buying hunting licenses and about 1.5 million acres open to public hunting.

No. 8 is Wyoming, with 25 percent of the population hunting and 31.4 million acres of public land; No. 7, Minnesota, 560,000 license holders, 8.2 million acres of public land; No. 6, Wisconsin, 700,000 hunters, 7 million acres of public land; No. 5, North Dakota, 15-18 percent of the population hunts, 3 million acres open to hunting; No. 4, South Dakota, a quarter of the state’s population hunts, 5 million acres of public land; No. 3, Idaho, 15-17 percent of Idahoans hunt, more than 60 percent of the state is public land; No. 2, Montana, a third of the state hunts, more than 30 million acres of public land.

The No. 1 most hunter-friendly state is Alaska, according to the website.

Hey noted, “Hunters love Alaska, and with hunting generating billions of dollars of economic impact yearly, it’s safe to say that Alaska loves hunters. Approximately 15 percent of residents in Alaska own a hunting license, and many others participate in other wildlife activities such as fishing and trapping.” More than 90 percent of the state is public land.

Also, he wrote, “by shear license numbers, hunting powerhouses like Georgia and Texas could hold legitimate gripes for being left off this list if it were not for the lack of public land access in those states. With hunting access becoming increasingly competitive, public lands are perhaps more important to the hunting community than ever before. Michigan was just squeezed out, as its percentage of hunters, and percentage of public land, is just lower than other similar states.”

Marcus Schneck may be reached at mschneck@pennlive.com. Start your day in the know by signing up for our newsletter, “Good Morning, Pennsylvania.”

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.