FNN Article © Thursday, August 13, 2026
HARRISBURG, PA — On Thursday, August 13, 2026, the Deputy Game Warden Program website was taken down shortly after the announcement that the Pennsylvania Game Commission was ending its 123-year-old Deputy Game Warden Program within law enforcement. As noted by the [Game Commission’s Fiscal 2024-25 Annual Report]( https://www.pa.gov/…/mediarep…/pgc-annualreport_2025.pdf ), that means the state’s 155 full-time game wardens will no longer be assisted by 145 deputies that were released.
Col. Richard O. Danley Jr., director of the commission’s Bureau of Law Enforcement, has stated that the program is ending Tuesday, September 1, 2026, and all deputy game wardens must turn in their state-issued gear by Thursday, October 1, 2026.
According to press secretary John Buffone, this decision reflects PA Game Commission’s focus on maintaining the “most efficient and effective full-time, professional workforce.”
The Commission released in a statement that they were deeply grateful to the committed individuals that volunteered and served as deputy wardens and provided valuable services to the agency and to the people of Pennsylvania. “The PA Game Commission is unwavering in its obligation to serve as the guardian of state wildlife resources for all citizens,” said Buffone in a written statement.
The news comes as a shock to many Pennsylvanian outdoorsmen and women who enjoy nature, hunting, trapping and fishing. Especially by those who are aware of that the Game Commission ended the 2024-25 Fiscal Year with a surplus [fund balance of $504.3 million], fueled primarily by oil and gas leases on State Game Lands. So the end of the program was not due to the lack of money. (Feel free to click on the provided link for more information https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/outdoors/2026/03/how-pennsylvania-fishing-and-hunting-agencies-hope-to-avoid-license-fee-hikes.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawTrrn9wZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMUFNSlFqeEtCQVZ5REV4V05zcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeXz_gU6EaBG1JIA6SPbE2aty6NxV6pdxkTqPphaQHjDJGiBjQPkHZMiegVfA_aem_2CmHyMtkDhEyemFuo0WR8w .
