An Act to Prevent the Killing of Deer out of Season, and Against Carrying of Guns and Hunting by Persons Not Qualified, 1721 Pa. Laws 21, 21–23 (Andrew Bradford).

"An ACT to prevent the Killing of Deer out of Season, and against Carrying of Guns and Hunting by Persons not qualified.

    BE it Enacted by Sir William Keith, Baronet, Governor of the Province of Pennsylvania, &c. by and with the Advice and Consent of the Freemen of the said Province in General Assembly met, and by the Authority of the same, That if any Person or Persons, after the Publication hereof, shall kill or destroy any Buck, Doe, Fawn, or any other Sort of Deer whatsoever, at any other Time or Season, except only betwixt the First Day of July, and the First Day of January, he shall forfeit and pay for every such Buck, Doe, Fawn, or other Deer so kill’d or destroy’d, as aforesaid, the Sum of Twenty Shillings; One Half thereof to the Poor of the Township where the Offence is committed, and the other Half to him who shall inform or sue for the same before any Justice of the Peace of this Province, who is hereby empowered^[1] and authorized to hear and determine the same, and to convict the Offender by the Oath or Affirmation of one or more Witnesses.
    Provided, That such Conviction be made within Two Months after such Offence committed.

    And for the better Convicting of Offenders against this Act, Be it Enacted, That every Person, in whose Custody shall be found, or who shall expose to Sale, any Green Deer Skins, Fresh Venison, or Deers Flesh, at any other Time of the Year than what is before excepted, and shall be convicted thereof, as aforesaid, shall be deem’d guilty of the said Offence; And that the same Green Deer-Skins, Fresh Venison or Deers-Flesh so found as aforesaid, shall be held to be good Evidence in the Cases aforesaid.

    Provided always, That nothing contain’d in this Act shall be deem’d or construed to extend to any Free Native Indians, carrying Guns, Hunting, Killing and having in their Custody any Skins or Deers-Flesh for their own Use, any thing in this Act to the contrary notwithstanding.

    And whereas divers Abuses, Damages and Inconveniences have arose by Persons carrying Guns, and presuming to hunt on other Peoples Lands; For Remedy whereof for the future, Be it Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That if any Person or Persons shall presume, at any Time after the Sixteenth Day of November, in this present Year One Thousand Seven Hundred and Twenty One, to carry any Gun, or hunt on the improv’d or enclosed^[2] Lands of any Plantation, other than his own, unless he have License^[3] or Permission from the Owner of such Lands or Plantation, and shall be thereof convicted, either upon View of any Justice of Peace within this Province, or by the Oath or Affirmation of any One or more Witnesses, before any Justice of the Peace, he shall for every such Offence forfeit the Sum of Ten Shillings. And if any Person whatsoever who is not Owner of Fifty Acres of Land, and otherwise qualified in the same Manner as Persons are, or ought to be by the Laws of this Province, for Electing of Members to serve in Assembly, shall, at any Time after the said Sixteenth Day of November, carry any Gun, or hunt in the Woods or unenclosed^[4] Lands without License^[5] or Permission obtain’d from the Owner or Owners of such Lands, and shall be thereof convicted in Manner aforesaid, such Offender shall forfeit and pay the Sum of Five Shillings for every such Offence.

    And be it further Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That no Person whatsoever shall presume to shoot at, or kill with a Fire-Arm, any Pigeon,^[6] Dove, Partridge, or other Fowl, in the open Streets of the City of Philadelphia, or in the Gardens, Orchards, and Enclosures^[7] adjoining upon and belonging to any of the Dwelling-Houses within the Limits of the said City, upon the Forfeiture of Five Shillings for every such Offence, to be convicted in Manner aforesaid.

    All which Penalties and Forfeitures shall go, one Moiety to the Informer, and the other to the Poor of the Township where such Offence is committed: But if convicted upon View of a Justice of Peace, the whole Forfeiture shall be to the Use of the Poor. And if the Offender refuse to pay, the same shall be levied by Distress and Sale of the Offender’s Goods, by Warrant under the Hand and Seal of the Justice before whom such Offender shall be convicted, returning the Overplus, if any be, the Charge of Distraining being first deducted; And for want of such Distress he shall be committed to Prison; where the Forfeiture is Twenty Shillings, for the Space of Ten Days; and where the Forfeiture is Ten Shillings, for the Space of Five Days; and if the Forfeiture be Five Shillings, for the Space of Two Days, without Bail or Mainprize."