The Pennsylvania Game Commission has updated its regulations to allow a licensed adult hunter to bring more than one novice along. Through the commission’s mentored hunting program, children or adults are guided by a mentor, an experienced, licensed hunter who teaches the basics of hunting and gun safety. The program requires the purchase of a permit. Previously, a mentor could bring only one mentored hunter or junior hunter — someone 12 to 16 years old who has passed a hunter-trapper education course — along to hunt. The new rule allows a mentor hunter to bring up to three people, any combination of child or adult mentored hunters and junior hunters. Game commission spokesman Travis Lau said the biggest potential beneficiary is families with multiple children interested in hunting. "It could really benefit young hunters who would be able to go out with a parent and sibling, let’s say, on a day when they might otherwise have to sit home because of the rules that are in place now,” Lau said. "The 1:1 ratio we have now can mean that the kids can’t all hunt at the same time, for a lot of families.” Jack Gress, president at the White Oak Rod & Gun Club, doesn’t agree with the proposed rule change. "For something that’s as potentially dangerous as hunting with a firearm or bow, personally I don’t think it’s a good idea to have more than one child there to keep an eye on,” Gress said. "From personal experience, when you’re one-on-one with somebody — whether it’s your own child or someone else’s — you can impart a lot more to them than if there are two kids. You want them to understand what they’re doing and what the end result might be, the gravity of taking a life, even though we’re talking about an animal.” The mentored youth hunter program, which began in 2006, was designed to allow children to participate in hunting at a younger age, as junior hunting licenses are issued to those 12 and older, Lau said. "A lot more of the education is put in the hands of the parent,” he said. "They’re responsible for the child and for carrying the sporting firearm.” That aspect of the rule remains the same. While a junior hunter or mentored adult hunter is permitted to carry their own gun, the mentor is in charge of the weapon being used by a youth. Lau said the rule change has other benefits. "It gives me an opportunity to invite an adult friend of mine to go hunting even if they’ve never thought about it,” he said. "There was also a thought that kids have a lot of competition for their interests, between organized activities and other hobbies. But by allowing them to become hunters at an earlier age, it increases the chances they’ll stick with it.” Gress believes the move was driven more by a need for revenue. "They’re desperate to get more young people involved in hunting,” he said. "That needs to happen, but I firmly believe in teaching kids to do things the right way. I think the commission is interested in getting more revenue in.” Resident adult hunting licenses in Pennsylvania have decreased from 647,242 in 2010 to 534,464 in 2022, according to the most recent statistics from the game commission. Resident junior licenses, however, have fallen by nearly 60% over that same time span, from more than 36,000 to 14,600. The mentored youth permit figures have remained relatively steady, between 26,000 and 30,000. Lau said with so many different avenues for youth activities, putting hunting on the radar early is important. "If we wait until kids are 12 years old, maybe they’re just too busy with other things to get involved with learning hunting,” he said. The game commission met Friday in Harrisburg to approve the rule change. It will go into effect in time for the fall hunting seasons. Patrick Varine is a TribLive reporter covering Delmont, Export and Murrysville. He is a Western Pennsylvania native and joined the Trib in 2010 after working as a reporter and editor with the former Dover Post Co. in Delaware. He can be reached at pvarine@triblive.com. Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free. Get Ad-Free > Sign Up for NotificationsStay up-to-date on important news from TribLIVE