Pennsylvania Game News - July 2021 - 37

University researchers a few years ago,
found that permit holders are primarily
recreational shooters, many of them
favoring pistols.
They do, however, contribute money
to wildlife conservation and public shooting
range development and maintenance,
even if they don't always know it.
The Pittman-Robertson Act, also
known as the Federal Aid in Wildlife
Restoration Act, allows the federal government
to collect an 11 percent excise
tax on long guns and ammunition, and
10 percent on pistols. It applies to all
firearm and ammunition sales, whether
their purpose is hunting, sport shooting
or personal defense.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
annually gives that money back to the 50
states, using a formula based on hunting
license sales and land mass. State wildlife
agencies can use the money for things like
hunter education, wildlife restoration and
public shooting range construction and
maintenance.
The rise in firearms sales has led to a
corresponding rise in Pittman-Robertson
dollars. Sussenbach said the Game Commission
is using much of that to benefit
those who pay into the system.
" Ultimately, you want to give
something back to all your shooters, "
Sussenbach said.
RANGE READY
Shooters visiting a state game lands
shooting range should keep two things
in mind.
First, pay attention to the range rules.
Rifle and pistol shooters, for example,
are permitted to fire only at paper targets
affixed to the provided permanent
backstops. There are limits, too, on how
many rounds can be loaded in a firearm.
A rundown of range regulations is
posted at each facility. Shooters need to
read them, said Pete Sussenbach, director
of the Game Commission's Bureau of
Wildlife Habitat Management.
" Sometimes people will just take
things for granted, walk past the signs
outlining the rules, and maybe commit
violations unintentionally, like destroying
target backers and things like that, " Sussenbach
said. " Had they just read the sign
they would have realized that what they
were doing was illegal and damaging. "
Second, account for competition.
State game lands shooting ranges
often are busy, especially at certain times
of year. Fall weekends when hunters
are prepping their rifles for big-game
seasons are a prime example. There are
others, too.
" If you get a nice spring or summer
day at one of our ranges, the utilization
is intense. You'd be amazed at how many
people are there, " Sussenbach said.
Unless closed for maintenance or
something else, the ranges are open
seven days a week year-round, though.
They are open from 8 a.m. to sunset
Monday through Saturday and noon to
sunset on Sundays, except for the Sunday
immediately preceding and any Sunday
throughout the duration of the regular
firearms deer seasons and the regular
firearms bear seasons. On those days,
Sunday range hours are 8 a.m. to sunset.
So being opportunistic, and visiting
one during off-peak hours when possible,
can be more relaxing.
" If you've got a free weekday or even
some time right after school, the experience
is going to be way better than it is on
a packed weekend when you've got rows
of people, " Sussenbach said.
JULY 2021
37
Phil Andraychak
Pennsylvania Game News - July 2021

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