While most people know that hunting is a popular hobby, they may not understand the rules and regulations that make hunting effective.

To begin, if you want to hunt, you need a license to shoot the animals legally. So, when you do kill an animal you have present a butcher or taxidermist with the license to prove you killed it legally.

If you get caught not having a license when you shoot an animal, the Game Commission can take the animal away, or your gun, and/or give you a fine.

Trust me you don’t want that to happen because guns are expensive, and it would be frustrating to hunt all day and shoot something that is then taken away.

Fines vary for a wide variety of reasons, but you could be charged anywhere from $200 – $10,000. For a full explanation see here.

There are also laws about when you can hunt, both in season as well as time. For example, you cannot hunt deer, bird, or many other animals at night. It is illegal, and you could be fined.

Legal shooting hours for migratory birds are half an hour before sunrise to sunset.

On the other hand, raccoon, fox, opossum, beaver, and bobcats may be legally hunted at night, except during the spring turkey season.

The Game Commission for each state determines hunting seasons, and you must abide by these rules, or fines will occur.

Bow season has just started September 29 and ends on November 12, and it starts back on December 26 and ends on the January 26.

Archery is very fun because you don’t have to shoot something loud because bows are very quiet. But you have to pull the string back and you can change the poundage on your bow, so it can be just right for you.

Rifle season for is on November 17th and ends on November 25th.When this happens you can go in a treestand or go long ranging or maybe just walk around the woods and find one.

You may not know, but you can also hunt squirrel, which begins on September 29 and ends on October 13, and there is a junior hunt on October 13 which ends on November 24.

Just in case you were wondering, if you cook a squirrel properly, they taste really good.

If you want to begin hunting, make sure you have the right equipment. Things to bring include hiking boots, shells/bullets, guns, clothes to keep you warm, snacks, drinks, deer or turkey call, and camouflage.

When you hunt deer, turkey, squirrel, and bear with a rifle, you have to wear a fluorescent orange vest and hat. However, if you hunt when archery is in you don’t have to wear orange.

The purpose of the rule is, of course, so other hunters know you are a human not a deer moving through the woods.

If you want to begin hunting, consult the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s website for all the rules and regulations.