Game commission closes 2 pheasant farms

The closing of two pheasant farms shows that the Pennsylvania Game Commission is coping with deficit budgets while waiting for the state Legislature to increase prices for hunting licenses.
On Dec. 14, the commission said it will close its Western Game Farm in Crawford County and Northcentral Game Farm in Lycoming County to save $1.5 million a year and trim the agency’s projected deficit of $8 million.
Closing the farms cost 14 workers their jobs and reduces the pheasants that the commission can release next fall to 170,000 from more than 200,000 this year.
The commission’s board will consider creating a pheasant hunting permit that will cost $25 for adults and $1 for junior hunters to sustain the game farms.
Only the Legislature, however, can raise prices of hunting licenses. Because licenses prices haven’t changed since 1999, the commission has struggled to balance its budget as other costs increase.
Commissioners have asked the lawmakers to raise prices or let the commissioners set prices, but bills haven’t passed in the House of Representatives.