WARREN, Pa. — Hunting is a major economic driver in Pennsylvania, and the state’s auditor general has some suggestions for the Game Commission with regard to finances.

In a release last week about the audit of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, Auditor General Eugene DePasquale said the agency should strengthen its financial oversight.

“The Game Commission must take a careful look at how it manages all of its finances,” DePasquale said. “Beyond the nearly $73 million balance in the Game Fund, we found there was an additional $6.5 million in various escrow accounts — which the commission’s financial officer didn’t even have knowledge of the specific accounts, balances, or purposes until my audit.”

License sales, one of the key contributors to the agency’s revenues, are declining, according to the release.

“Because license sales account for about a third of total commission revenues, the agency should focus on retaining existing hunters and getting former hunters back into the field,” DePasquale said. “The commission is making an effort, but seems to be struggling to address a long-term decline in the sport of hunting – much of it apparently driven by changing demographics.”

DePasquale said the agency should also hold oil and gas development companies accountable for lease royalty payments.

While oil and gas was a problematic area, timber was not.

“The commission generated $22.8 million in timber sales from 2015 to 2017 following the provisions in the Forestry Manual and Game and Wildlife Code,” the release said.

DePasquale pointed to an area of opportunity for the Game Commission.

“Fleet management is an area in which the commission could save some of the $3 million it spends every year in transportation-related costs,” he said. “Hunting remains a key component of Pennsylvania’s economy, generating an estimated $1.6 billion in economic spinoff activity. The sport supports thousands of businesses and related jobs.”