Hunting & Fishing

Mandatory Member Registration and Hunting Meeting

The Hunting & Fishing committee holds a meeting for members who plan on hunting to register them and review the safety procedures and hunting rules. Info about the meeting will be sent out via email and in the Spray before the meeting.

All members must attend and must fill out the Hunting Registration Form.

Hunting Safety

The following forms & maps do not take away the responsibility of following proper safety precautions while hunting or hiking in the woods during hunting seasons. For all non-hunters and hikers, proper safety precautions such as 1) staying on main trails, 2) making noise while hiking, and 3) wearing brightly colored clothing & hats, are standard practice during hunting seasons.

Please review and the above safety precautions prior to hiking or hunting in the woods. If you see something in the woods that raises a question or concern please contact the Chair of Hunting & Fishing immediately.

For all hunters:

To improve safety at PF, we've enhanced our website to enable hunters to share where and when they intend to hunt with all members. In support of this, all hunters MUST use the on-line Hunter Reservation Form each time before they hunt. Areas in which hunting is allowed have been divided into zones and are illustrated on the map at the bottom of the form. Please be sure to enter all zones in which you plan to hunt for the day in the appropriate space on the form.
- Here’s a link to the Online Hunter Reservation Form: Hunter Log & Reservation Form.
We have also created an online Hunter Harvest Form to aid in keeping a record of what has been harvested on the PF grounds. If you have had a successful day of hunting, please complete and submit the online Hunter Harvest Form within one week of your harvest.
- Here’s a link to the Online Hunter Harvest Form: Hunter Harvest Log & Form

The No Hunting Safety Zone map which appears below and the Hunting Zone map which appears on each of the Hunter Reservation and Hunter Harvest forms are an attempt to ensure the safety of everyone during the hunting seasons.

No Hunting Safety Zone Map

Paradise Falls Hunting Regulations

Paradise Falls Lutheran Association has an active animal population in its woodlands, especially deer, bear, turkey and small game. Because this is essentially a residential community, strict regulations concerning hunting are in effect.

General Guidelines:

Members in good standing and the PFLA Caretaker have hunting privileges.
Member privileges for hunting would be extended to the following:

Member hunters can have one guest per membership during the hunt and are responsible for informing their guests of all PF rules and regulations prior to hunting.

One person from each membership who intends to hunt on PF property must attend the mandatory Annual Hunter Safety meeting. Failure to attend that meeting, or to make arrangements with the Chairperson of the Hunting & Fishing Committee to meet separately with them, would result in that entire membership and their guests forfeiting the right to hunt on PF property for that entire season.
All persons who intend to hunt are required to show proof of a current PA hunting license and sign the hunting contract.
It is the responsibility of all members to support the PFLA hunting regulations by notifying a member of the Hunting & Fishing Committee of any violations.
Any hunter (member or guest) who is observed and/or reported hunting without a current PA hunting license, destroying/damaging property, or violating the PFLA and/or PGC rules and regulations will lose the privilege of hunting on Association property for the remainder of the season.
- Second offense: Possible permanent loss of hunting privileges at PFLA, depending on the recommendation of the Hunting & Fishing Committee and the decision of the Board of Directors.
PFLA follows the Pennsylvania Game Commission rules and seasons (https://huntfish.pa.gov/).
- All hunters must have their PF hunting badge prominently displayed and produce proof (if asked) of a current PA hunting license, either a paper or digital copy. Each hunter under the age of 16 needs to be paired with one adult member with a current PA hunting license during the hunt.
- Pennsylvania State Law minimum distance requirements are:
  - Firearm: no discharge within 150 yards of an occupied residence
  - Archery: no arrow release within 50 yards of an occupied residence
- Hunters are responsible for adhering to the safety zone(s) that are communicated during the safety meeting and set forth by the Hunting and Fishing Committee.
- Game killed out of season intentionally or by accident, or a designated protected animal, must be reported to the designated PFLA contact or a member of the Hunting & Fishing Committee and the local game warden.
Hunting Guests: If a member wants to have a guest hunt on PF property, the Member (or their representative) must—in addition to informing the guest of the PF hunting rules and regulations—accompany their guest into the woods and be within sight and sound of the guest hunter at all times. If the member cannot personally accompany their guest hunter into the woods, the person they appoint as their representative must be made known to and approved by a member of the PF Hunting & Fishing committee before they will be allowed to hunt.
Every guest hunter needs a guest badge.
- The guest fee of $25/day must be paid in advance before the guest can hunt on PFLA grounds.

Reporting Locations and Harvest:

Prior to each hunt, all members and guests must report their location through the provided form on the website. Hunters are asked to indicate which zone(s) they are planning to hunt. The information will be posted on the website so other hunters and hikers can be aware of the location of each hunter. (See link to form above)
Big game harvests must be reported via the form on the website within one week of the harvest. (See link to form above).

2025/26 Hunting Calendar and Guidelines

Below are the dates for the 2025/26 Fall Hunting Season. We do have members and guests who hunt on Paradise Falls property. Please respect their rights. Be careful walking in the wooded areas and we would highly recommend that you wear a fluorescent orange vest during the various hunting seasons. Hunting seasons in Pennsylvania run Monday through Sunday.

Archery Season Deer: Oct. 4 - Nov. 21, 2025 and Dec. 26, 2025 - Jan. 19, 2026
Muzzleloader Deer: Oct. 18 - 25, 2025
Special Firearms Season Deer & Bear: Oct. 23 - 25, 2025
Turkey Season: Nov. 1 - Nov. 8, 2025
Spring Turkey Season: May 2 - May 29, 2026
Bear Season- Archery/Muzzleloader: Oct. 18 - 25, 2025
Bear Season - Rifle: Nov. 22 - 25, 2025
Deer Season- Firearms: Nov. 29 - Dec. 13, 2025

Antlered & Antlerless

Extended Reg. Firearms
Flintlock Season- Deer: Dec. 26, 2025 - Jan. 19, 2026

Small Game: Sept. 1, 2025 - Mar. 31, 2026

Junior Hunt Squirrels: Sept. 13 - 27, 2025

Sunday Sept. 14, 2025 through Dec. 7, 2025 are open for hunting

For season/bag limits, see www.pa.gov.

The dates listed above are to be used as a guide for the members of Paradise Falls for their information, not as an Official Pennsylvania Hunting Guide.

Fishing & Wildlife Forms & Logbooks

The boxes with Fishing and Wildlife Logbooks are located at the lake and by the bridge at the stream. Please record events where you catch fish or see any wildlife. This is a great way to document the wildlife at PFLA! The boxes at the stream and lake are not locked. For your convenience, online forms and log books have also been created which allow you to record your information and views all submissions from your computer or mobile device. Please contact Bill Simolike with any questions about how to use this new resource.

To access the box, follow these directions:

Go to the box and open the cover.
Turn the knob (it is not locked)

To record and view your information with our online forms, select one of the following:

Paradise Falls Fishing Regulations

Our lake and stream are stocked each year before and during the fishing season.