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Lebanon County, military post
Fort Indiantown Gap Hunting
Who runs it, which seasons apply for whitetails and pheasants, what PGC has mapped on it and the public ground around it in Lebanon County.
Photo: Nicholas A. Tonelli (CC BY 2.0)
Quick facts on Fort Indiantown Gap
Fort Indiantown Gap sits in the PGC Southeast region as a National Guard training post with a hunting program (Lebanon County, WMU 4C). Manager on record: the Pennsylvania Army National Guard (Fort Indiantown Gap National Guard Training Center). Acreage: not published. Williamstown is the nearest town we cover, roughly 9 miles away (the area lies south of it).
County facts for Fort Indiantown Gap
| County | Seat | Residents | Sq mi | WMU | SRA | CWD feeding | Head bin | Bears (2024) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lebanon County | Lebanon | 145,319 | 362 | 5B, 4C | No | — | Yes | 9 |
From the source record (acreage not published), counties and WMUs from the PGC county and WMU layers; county facts from the Census and the 2026-27 digest; bear counts from the PGC 2024 bear release. Checked October 12, 2026.
Rules that apply on Fort Indiantown Gap
Area rules, then the statewide basics.
Access and limits
iSportsman registration, annual safety briefings and a paid General Access permit required; daily check-in; training areas open only when not in military use, each with a hunter cap.
What to buy
A general license is the base; antlered deer, fall turkey and spring gobbler tags come with it.
Orange and Sundays
You need orange in small game seasons and during any firearms deer, bear or elk season; it is not required for archery, turkey, waterfowl or doves.
PGC opened Sundays across all seasons for 2026-27 except migratory game birds.
Fort Indiantown Gap: features, plots and stocking
Features mapped by the managing agency, then its own description.
Description on file
Permits valid from the day after Labor Day to the end of spring turkey season. A lottery controls access during the two weeks of regular firearms deer season (Firearms Season Access Permit). DMAP units 643 (south of Blue Mountain, A areas and C-01) and 2840 (north of Blue Mountain, B, C and D areas). PGC pheasant permit required to hunt pheasants. All activities are at the discretion of the Garrison Commander.
Facts from the source record, ftig.isportsman.net, ftig.isportsman.net; retrieved 2026-10-12, checked October 12, 2026.
Fort Indiantown Gap: game and bag limits
Whitetails and pheasants, per the agency record.
White-tailed deer
The 2025-26 estimate for WMU 4C is 23,300 deer.
Ring-necked pheasant
About 214,577 pheasants were taken across the state in 2025.
Species from the area record; bag limits and seasons from the PGC seasons and bag limits; harvest from PGC deer report, PGC harvest data and PGC turkey report. Checked October 12, 2026.
Fort Indiantown Gap game seasons, unit by unit
The Game Commission sets dates by WMU, not by county. Fort Indiantown Gap sits in WMU 4C, and the 49 rows below are the ones that reach it.
| Game | Season | Applies in | Begins | Ends | Right now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White-tailed deer | Agricultural Deer Control (Ag Tag, antlerless only) | This area | Aug 1, 2026 | Apr 15, 2027 | |
| White-tailed deer | Archery (antlered and antlerless) | Statewide | Oct 3, 2026 | Nov 20, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | October muzzleloader (antlerless only) | Statewide | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Special firearms (antlerless only) | Statewide | Oct 22, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Rifle (antlered and antlerless) | Statewide | Nov 28, 2026 | Dec 13, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Archery (antlered and antlerless) | Statewide | Dec 26, 2026 | Jan 24, 2027 | |
| White-tailed deer | Extended regular firearms (antlerless only) | This area | Dec 26, 2026 | Jan 18, 2027 | |
| White-tailed deer | Extended regular firearms (antlerless only) | This area | Dec 26, 2026 | Jan 24, 2027 | |
| White-tailed deer | Flintlock (antlered or antlerless) | Statewide | Dec 26, 2026 | Jan 24, 2027 | |
| Black bear | Archery | This area | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Muzzleloader | Statewide | Oct 22, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Special firearms | Statewide | Oct 22, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Rifle | Statewide | Nov 21, 2026 | Nov 24, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Extended firearms | This area | Nov 28, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | |
| Wild turkey | Fall season (male or female) | This area | Oct 31, 2026 | Nov 8, 2026 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring gobbler youth hunt | Statewide | Apr 24, 2027 | Apr 25, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring gobbler season (morning only) | Statewide | May 1, 2027 | May 15, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring gobbler season (all day) | Statewide | May 16, 2027 | May 31, 2027 | |
| Ruffed grouse | Regular | Statewide | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 24, 2026 | |
| Pheasant | Junior hunt | Statewide | Oct 10, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | |
| Pheasant | Regular (male or female) | Statewide | Oct 24, 2026 | Dec 24, 2026 | |
| Pheasant | Regular (male or female) | Statewide | Dec 26, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Bobwhite quail | Regular | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Dec 24, 2026 | |
| Bobwhite quail | Regular | Statewide | Dec 26, 2026 | Mar 31, 2027 | |
| Cottontail | Junior hunt | Statewide | Oct 3, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | |
| Cottontail | Regular | Statewide | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 24, 2026 | |
| Cottontail | Regular | Statewide | Dec 26, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Snowshoe hare | Regular | Statewide | Dec 26, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | |
| Squirrels | Junior hunt | Statewide | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 27, 2026 | |
| Squirrels | Regular | Statewide | Sep 12, 2026 | Dec 24, 2026 | |
| Squirrels | Regular | Statewide | Dec 26, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Woodchuck | Regular | Statewide | Jul 1, 2026 | Dec 24, 2026 | |
| Woodchuck | Regular | Statewide | Dec 26, 2026 | Jun 30, 2027 | |
| Crow | Regular (Thursday-Sunday only) | Statewide | Aug 20, 2026 | Mar 21, 2027 | |
| Coyote | Hunting | Statewide | Jul 1, 2026 | Jun 30, 2027 | |
| Fox | Hunting | Statewide | Oct 24, 2026 | Feb 21, 2027 | |
| Raccoon | Hunting | Statewide | Oct 24, 2026 | Feb 21, 2027 | |
| Porcupine | Hunting | Statewide | Oct 10, 2026 | Nov 27, 2026 | |
| Porcupine | Hunting | Statewide | Dec 14, 2026 | Dec 24, 2026 | |
| Porcupine | Hunting | Statewide | Dec 26, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Mourning dove | Regular | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Nov 27, 2026 | |
| Mourning dove | Regular | Statewide | Dec 18, 2026 | Jan 2, 2027 | |
| Woodcock | Regular | Statewide | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 8, 2026 | |
| Bobcat | Hunting | This area | Jan 9, 2027 | Feb 3, 2027 | |
| Opossum, striped skunk and weasel | Hunting | Statewide | Jul 1, 2026 | Jun 30, 2027 | |
| Starling and English sparrow | No closed season | Statewide | Jul 1, 2026 | Jun 30, 2027 | |
| Gallinules | Regular | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Nov 20, 2026 | |
| Virginia and sora rails | Regular | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Nov 20, 2026 | |
| Snipe | Regular | Statewide | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 8, 2026 |
From the Pennsylvania Game Commission seasons and bag limits and the 2026-27 digest, checked October 12, 2026.
The WMU 4C picture for Fort Indiantown Gap
PGC publishes deer data by unit; nothing finer exists.
| Unit | Area | Game land | Buck rule | Antlerless licenses | vs 2025-26 | Sold out | CWD | Harvest 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WMU 4C | 1,716 | 261 | 3 points, one side | 51,000 | +/- 0 | 8/13 | Yes | 23,300 |
2025 was the high mark at 23,300; 2015 the low at 10,400. 2025-26: 9,400 antlered deer and 13,900 antlerless. Archers took 8,540, rifle and shotgun hunters 13,800, muzzleloaders 960. WMU 4C gets 51,000 antlerless tags in 2026-27 (+/- 0).
Bears taken nearby
| County | Bears 2024 | Bears 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Lebanon | 9 | — |
Spring turkey and bear
| Unit | Spring birds 2024 | Bear harvest 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| WMU 4C | 1,225 | 189 |
CWD is confirmed in WMU 4C; high-risk parts have disposal rules. CWD rules
WMU areas from the PGC WMU pages; antlerless allocations from the PGC allocation; deer harvest from the 2025-26 PGC report and the PGC historic harvest dashboard; bears from PGC releases; turkeys from PGC job report. Checked October 12, 2026.
Pins around Fort Indiantown Gap
The orange pin is Fort Indiantown Gap; 12 other public areas lie within 25 miles. The largest of them is State Game Lands 211 at 44,479 acres.
| Name | Type | Acres | Away | Bearing | WMU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Game Lands 211 | State Game Lands | 44,479 | 4 mi | west | 4C |
| State Game Lands 210 | State Game Lands | 11,131 | 6 mi | northwest | 4C |
| Swatara State Park | State park | 3,500 | 7 mi | northeast | 4C |
| State Game Lands 264 | State Game Lands | 9,018 | 10 mi | north | 4E |
| State Game Lands 80 | State Game Lands | 10,818 | 11 mi | east | 4C |
| Boyd Big Tree Preserve Conservation Area | State park | 975 | 14 mi | southwest | 4C |
| State Game Lands 160 | State Game Lands | 246 | 15 mi | northeast | 4C |
| State Game Lands 229 | State Game Lands | 3,041 | 16 mi | northeast | 4C |
| State Game Lands 145 | State Game Lands | 2,987 | 16 mi | south | 5B |
| State Game Lands 246 | State Game Lands | 424 | 16 mi | south | 5B |
| Joseph E. Ibberson Conservation Area | State park | 780 | 17 mi | west | 4C |
| State Game Lands 132 | State Game Lands | 1,830 | 18 mi | north | 4E |
Points from PGC, DCNR, USFS, USFWS and NPS GIS layers (OpenStreetMap Nominatim geocode (installation)). Distances are straight-line. Statewide public land map.
Closest public range to Fort Indiantown Gap
No range sits on Fort Indiantown Gap; the nearest Game Commission range is State Game Lands 211 Public Shooting Range, about 12 miles away. The other cards are clubs within 30 miles.
Trap / sporting clays / shotgun / 5-stand / rifle / smallbore / handgun / archery / air gun / highpower
From the PGC Shooting Ranges layer and the Game Commission range rules, checked October 12, 2026.
Base towns for Fort Indiantown Gap
Town guides first, then businesses in the same and neighboring counties.
| Town | County | Straight line | Heading | 2024 pop. | Public acres near |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Williamstown | Dauphin | 9 mi | south | 1,301 | 57,893 |
| Lebanon | Lebanon | 12 mi | northwest | 26,456 | 11,461 |
| Elizabethville | Dauphin | 13 mi | southeast | 1,352 | 42,887 |
| Pine Grove | Schuylkill | 14 mi | southwest | 2,071 | 29,557 |
Nearby services
Who to call
Towns and populations from the Census 2024 estimates and Gazetteer; public acres within 10 miles from PGC, DCNR and federal layers; businesses from Hunters Sharing the Harvest, PDA, store locators and listings; offices from PGC and DCNR pages. Checked October 12, 2026. Call ahead.
Fort Indiantown Gap: sunrise, sunset and legal light
Shooting hours for whitetails, turkeys and rabbits run from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes past sunset. Migratory game birds end at sunset.
Times worked out for Fort Indiantown Gap in Eastern time from the rule in the Pennsylvania Game Commission digest (shooting hours). Some furbearers may be taken at night; check the digest. Shooting hours for every county.
Fort Indiantown Gap gear checklist
Click through for current models and prices.
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Fluorescent orange vest
Rifle season needs 250 square inches of orange on the head, chest and back combined.
Common Fort Indiantown Gap questions from hunters
What kind of property is Fort Indiantown Gap, exactly?
National Guard training post with a hunting program, under the Pennsylvania Army National Guard (Fort Indiantown Gap National Guard Training Center).
What is the published acreage for Fort Indiantown Gap?
Unpublished; there is no acre count.
What county holds Fort Indiantown Gap?
It is in Lebanon County. Williamstown sits 9 miles away.
What antler rule applies on Fort Indiantown Gap?
PGC places it in WMU 4C. WMU 4C: three points, one side.
Are antlerless licenses for Fort Indiantown Gap sold out?
The WMU 4C quota is 51,000, +/- 0 on 2025-26, which sold out 8/13.
When does rifle season open near Fort Indiantown Gap?
Oct 3 to Nov 20, 2026 for archery, then Nov 28 to Dec 13, 2026 for firearms. See the WMU table for the rest.
Does Fort Indiantown Gap allow Sunday deer hunting?
Yes. Sundays inside season dates are open for all but migratory game birds.
How many square inches of orange does Fort Indiantown Gap require?
Small game and firearm big game hunters wear 250 sq in; archery, turkey and waterfowl are exempt.
Is any special permit required on Fort Indiantown Gap?
A general license, $20.97 for residents and $101.97 for nonresidents. Stocked pheasants require the $26.97 permit.
Which animals are hunted on Fort Indiantown Gap?
Per the agency, whitetails and pheasants.
Is Fort Indiantown Gap a lottery hunt?
Some hunting here is by drawing, lottery or permit only. iSportsman registration, annual safety briefings and a paid General Access permit required; daily check-in; training areas open only when not in military use, each with a hunter cap.
One more check on Fort Indiantown Gap
The managing agency has the last word on Fort Indiantown Gap. Read its page and the PGC digest the week of your hunt.
Sources for this page: ftig.isportsman.net · ftig.isportsman.net: FrequentlyAskedQuestions · ftig.isportsman.net: Permits; regulations from the 2026-27 PGC digest. Checked October 12, 2026.
Other photos on this page: USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain); Acorns Resort (CC BY 2.0).