yourstate.us
34 Pa.C.S. § 2141

Killing game or wildlife to protect person

Pennsylvania · Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Title 34 — GAME · Status: effective

Get this as JSONEmbed this
Cite this
Citation
34 Pa.C.S. § 2141, Killing game or wildlife to protect person, Pennsylvania, version 1 as recorded 2026-09-27, yourstate.us, https://yourstate.us/provision/1385441
Permanent ID
ys:prov:1385441@1
SHA-256
3ce1e5d06ba83ae2d8a95f794d747165294df4cf42a09acea92b63d9946b02fc

The hash is SHA-256 of this version's text, with every run of whitespace collapsed to a single space and the ends trimmed. The ID always leads back here, and checking it says whether the text you cited is still the current version.

Full text

(a) General rule.--It is unlawful for a person to kill any game or wildlife as a means of protection unless it is clearly evident from all the facts that a human is endangered to a degree that the immediate destruction of the game or wildlife is necessary. (b) Report, safekeeping and investigation.--A person killing any game or wildlife under this subchapter shall report the event to an officer as soon as possible following the incident but in no case later than 24 hours, provide for safekeeping of the game or wildlife intact at the place where it was killed and be available for interview by the officer. (c) Exoneration.--At the conclusion of any investigation when any game or wildlife is allegedly killed as protection to a person, the officer may exonerate the person for the otherwise unlawful killing of the game or wildlife. In all cases the officer shall seize and dispose of the game or wildlife as required by this title or upon instructions of the director. (d) Prosecution.--Any officer making an investigation when game or wildlife was allegedly killed as a protection to a person shall proceed with prosecution as though the game or wildlife was unlawfully killed if the officer is dissatisfied with the explanation of the person killing the game or wildlife or if the physical facts of the killing do not support and sustain the facts alleged by the person killing the game or wildlife. (e) Penalties.--A violation of this section relating to: (1) Threatened or endangered species is a misdemeanor. (2) Elk or bear is a summary offense of the first degree. (3) Deer is a summary offense of the second degree. (4) Bobcat or otter is a summary offense of the third degree. (5) Wild turkey or beaver is a summary offense of the fourth degree. (6) Any other game or wildlife is a summary offense of the fifth degree.