WMA

Whitetail Management Associates of Greater Pittsburgh (WMA) was formed in 1996 to help local governments, municipalities, and private landowners deal with urban deer management problems in a safe, natural humane manner. WMA is a volunteer organization comprised of experienced sportsmen who not only acknowledge the responsibility that society has to our wild resources, but who choose to take an active role in wildlife conservation.

Additionally, our members have chosen to abide by a more restrictive rules structure than the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) mandates. This is to demonstrate that with proper, common sense guidelines, bowhunting can not only safely co-exist in urban environments where more conventional hunting methods are not practical, but also to demonstrate that urban archery hunting is an effective tool in managing urban deer numbers.

FACTS:

WMA accepts absolutely no money from local governments or private landowners, and charges no fees for our services. No member is paid for participating in the program, including directors.

WMA members provide 100% of the funding required to process venison donated to local food banks, as well as the costs of liability insurance.

All members are fully insured under a $1 million dollar liability insurance policy.

All members have demonstrated their ability to abide by all regulations and to humanly harvest deer in an urban setting.

All members are required to successfully complete either a Pennsylvania Bowhunter Education Program (PABE) or a National Bowhunter Education Foundation Course (NBEF) and must prove that they have harvested at least 3 big game animals with archery equipment prior to the beginning of the archery seasons.
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All members undergo a game law and criminal background check before being able to participate in the program. They must also successfully complete a proficiency test with their archery equipment. Applicants who fail any of these requirements are not admitted into the program.

All members donate the 1st and every 3rd deer they harvest to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, with the hunters annual dues paying all processing costs. WMA also provides processed venison to local residents with qualifying medical conditions.

Over the past 12 years WMA hunters have paid for butchering, packing, and donated over fifteen tons of processed venison to the needy.

WMA promotes and encourages local hunter involvement in the program. Nearly all of the hunters placed in local parks around Pittsburgh make their homes in close proximity to their assigned areas.

All members must harvest 1 doe before they are eligible to harvest a buck. Each member is required to purchase a minimum of 4 antlerless deer tags before the season begins.

ANY SPORTSMAN who meets the minimum qualifications of the organization is encouraged to apply. This is NOT a "good old boys" club, but rather a group of sportsmen who realized that in order to gain the trust and faith of our neighbors an additional layer of accountability and restraint (above and beyond state game laws) when hunting in close proximity to populated areas was needed.