(a) General rule.--A person, while engaged in hunting or furtaking, commits an offense if, knowing that the person is not licensed or privileged to do so, the person:
(1) enters or remains on any land of another without authorization to do so, when the land is posted in a manner prescribed by law or reasonably likely to come to the person's attention or is fenced or enclosed in a manner manifestly designed to exclude trespassers; or
(2) enters or remains on any land of another without authorization and defies an order not to enter or to leave that has been personally communicated to the person by the owner of the land or other authorized person.
(b) Applicability.--This section shall not apply to an unarmed person who enters onto posted property for the sole purpose of retrieving a hunting dog.
(1) (Deleted by amendment).
(2) (Deleted by amendment).
(c) Penalty.--An offense under this section shall be graded as follows:
(1) A person who violates subsection (a)(1) commits a summary offense of the third degree.
(2) A person who violates subsection (a)(2) commits a misdemeanor.
(3) A person who commits a second or subsequent violation of this section within a seven-year period commits a misdemeanor, and the second or subsequent violation shall result in forfeiture of the privilege to hunt or take game or wildlife anywhere within this Commonwealth for a period of one year.
(d) Enforcement.--The director shall authorize the police department of each municipal corporation to assist in the enforcement of this section as necessary, in addition to those under section 903 (relating to delegation of enforcement powers).
(Dec. 22, 2005, P.L.467, No.90, eff. 60 days; July 9, 2010, P.L.387, No.54, eff. 60 days; Nov. 27, 2019, P.L.739, No.107, eff. 90 days)
2010 Amendment. See section 6 of Act 54 in the appendix to this title for special provisions relating to public notice.
Structure Pennsylvania Consolidated & Unconsolidated Statutes
Pennsylvania Consolidated & Unconsolidated Statutes
Chapter 23 - Hunting and Furtaking
Section 2301 - Prima facie evidence of hunting
Section 2303 - Hunting on Sunday prohibited
Section 2304 - Ownership of carcass of game or wildlife
Section 2305 - Retrieval and disposition of killed or wounded game or wildlife
Section 2306 - Killing game or wildlife by mistake
Section 2307 - Unlawful taking or possession of game or wildlife
Section 2308 - Unlawful devices and methods
Section 2309 - Unlawful removal of game or wildlife from place of refuge
Section 2310 - Unlawful use of lights while hunting
Section 2311 - Restrictions on recreational spotlighting
Section 2312 - Buying and selling game
Section 2313 - Investigation and seizure of game or wildlife
Section 2314 - Trespass on private property while hunting
Section 2315 - Hunting on Sunday without written permission
Section 2321 - Unlawful killing or taking of big game
Section 2322 - Prohibited devices and methods
Section 2323 - Tagging and reporting big game kills
Section 2324 - Parties hunting big game
Section 2325 - Cooperation after lawfully killing big game
Section 2326 - Excess kill of big game
Section 2327 - Subsequent kill if big game unfit for human consumption
Section 2328 - Shipping or transporting big game
Section 2329 - Additional penalty for poaching (Repealed)
Section 2341 - Possession and transportation of small game
Section 2361 - Unlawful acts concerning taking of furbearers
Section 2363 - Trapping exception for certain persons
Section 2381 - Dogs pursuing, injuring or killing game or wildlife
Section 2382 - Training dogs on small game
Section 2383 - Dogs pursuing, injuring or killing big game
Section 2384 - Declaring dogs public nuisances
Section 2385 - Destruction of dogs declared public nuisances