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Pennsylvania furbearers
Fisher Trapping in Pennsylvania
Fisher season is open in 15 of the 22 WMUs and closed in 1A, 2A, 2B, 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D. Below: every 2026-27 segment, the limits, WMU detail, public land, harvest figures and the rules for fishers.
Photo: Gregory "Slobirdr" Smith (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Trapping runs Dec 19, 2026 to Jan 10, 2027. Each furtaker may take one fisher a license year with a $6.97 fisher permit, bought before the season opens. PGC surveys estimated 802 taken in 2025 by 14,260 hunters and trappers.
Fisher: the PGC summary
- Trapping Dec. 19-Jan. 10, 2027; 1 per year with permit.
2026-27 fisher calendar
From the first fisher opener to the last close, 1 segment make up the 2026-27 calendar.
| Hunt | Applies in | Start | End | Length | Sundays | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trapping | WMUs 1B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E | Dec 19, 2026 | Jan 10, 2027 | 23 | 4 |
Season table notes
- One fisher per license year; permit required (buy before Dec. 19).
From the Pennsylvania Game Commission seasons and bag limits and the 2026-27 digest, checked October 12, 2026.
What the PGC allows for fishers
Read these before counting fishers; the wording is the Game Commission’s.
Fisher limit
1 per license year with permit.
Fisher dates and figures per unit
Find your unit in the left column; the unit guide has the boundary description and public land.
| WMU | Status | State Game Lands, sq mi | Other public land, sq mi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1A | Closed | 127 | 0 |
| 1B | Open | 82 | 1 |
| 2A | Closed | 69 | 0 |
| 2B | Closed | 2 | 0 |
| 2C | Open | 246 | 129 |
| 2D | Open | 84 | 0 |
| 2E | Open | 119 | 26 |
| 2F | Open | 221 | 1,127 |
| 2G | Open | 294 | 1,816 |
| 3A | Open | 87 | 81 |
| 3B | Open | 277 | 220 |
| 3C | Open | 71 | 0 |
| 3D | Open | 249 | 170 |
| 4A | Open | 157 | 106 |
| 4B | Open | 66 | 174 |
| 4C | Open | 261 | 27 |
| 4D | Open | 222 | 557 |
| 4E | Open | 60 | 17 |
| 5A | Closed | 14 | 134 |
| 5B | Closed | 62 | 0 |
| 5C | Closed | 52 | 1 |
| 5D | Closed | 16 | 0 |
PGC season table and digest, antlerless allocations and harvest reports (seasons, deer harvest 2025-26, bear report, spring turkey, PGC harvest dashboard), checked October 12, 2026.
Public land for fishers
Fisher trappers have 134 public options in our data, the largest Rothrock State Forest. A star marks tracts whose PGC description names fishers. The list is limited to the open units.
| Name | Land type | County | WMUs | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rothrock State Forest | State Forest | Huntingdon, Centre, Mifflin | 4A/4D | 96,000 |
| Delaware State Forest | State Forest | Pike, Monroe | 3D | 83,519 |
| Forbes State Forest | State Forest | Somerset, Fayette, Westmoreland | 2C | 59,000 |
| Pinchot State Forest | State Forest | Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe | 3B/3C/3D/4E | 54,000 |
| State Game Lands 12 | State Game Lands | Bradford, Sullivan | 3B | 24,598 |
| Ohiopyle State Park | State Park | Fayette | 2C | 20,000 |
| State Game Lands 36 | State Game Lands | Bradford | 3B | 18,972 |
| State Game Lands 42 | State Game Lands | Westmoreland, Cambria, Somerset | 2C | 18,041 |
| State Game Lands 141 | State Game Lands | Carbon | 4C | 17,227 |
| State Game Lands 86★ | State Game Lands | Warren | 2F | 14,320 |
| State Game Lands 37 | State Game Lands | Tioga | 3A | 13,136 |
| Hickory Run State Park | State Park | Carbon | 3D/4C | 13,000 |
| Laurel Ridge State Park | State Park | Somerset, Westmoreland, Cambria | 2C | 13,000 |
| State Game Lands 180 | State Game Lands | Pike | 3D | 12,506 |
| Cook Forest State Park | State Park | Clarion, Forest, Jefferson | 2F | 11,000 |
119 more tracts for fishers
State Game Lands 95 (10,626 ac) · State Game Lands 89 (10,571 ac) · Ricketts Glen State Park (10,287 ac) · State Game Lands 106 (9,857 ac) · State Game Lands 29 (9,830 ac) · Erie National Wildlife Refuge (8,959 ac) · State Game Lands 208 (8,833 ac) · State Game Lands 24 (8,585 ac) · State Game Lands 64 (8,100 ac) · State Game Lands 168 (7,814 ac) · State Game Lands 120 (7,398 ac) · Oil Creek State Park (6,800 ac) · State Game Lands 74 (6,568 ac) · Lehigh Gorge State Park (6,000 ac) · State Game Lands 65 (6,000 ac) · State Game Lands 38 (5,818 ac) · Prince Gallitzin State Park (5,600 ac) · Tobyhanna State Park (5,200 ac) · State Game Lands 31 (5,157 ac) · State Game Lands 101 (5,058 ac) · Blue Knob State Park (5,000 ac) · Bald Eagle State Park (4,910 ac) · State Game Lands 244 (4,872 ac) · State Game Lands 69 (4,476 ac) · State Game Lands 228 (4,226 ac) · State Game Lands 314 (3,550 ac) · State Game Lands 135 (3,540 ac) · Nescopeck State Park (3,500 ac) · Swatara State Park (3,500 ac) · State Game Lands 195 (3,460 ac) · Elk State Park (3,150 ac) · State Game Lands 105 (3,112 ac) · State Game Lands 283 (3,061 ac) · Black Moshannon State Park (3,000 ac) · Shawnee State Park (3,000 ac) · State Game Lands 138 (2,879 ac) · Gouldsboro State Park (2,700 ac) · State Game Lands 55 (2,651 ac) · State Game Lands 299 (2,646 ac) · State Game Lands 207 (2,573 ac) · State Game Lands 330 (2,479 ac) · State Game Lands 222 (2,377 ac) · Yellow Creek State Park (2,300 ac) · Laurel Hill State Park (2,200 ac) · Mahoning Creek Lake (2,019 ac) · Beltzville State Park (1,700 ac) · Little Pine State Park (1,700 ac) · Locust Lake State Park (1,700 ac) · State Game Lands 115 (1,686 ac) · State Game Lands 188 (1,648 ac) · Kettle Creek State Park (1,640 ac) · Cornplanter State Forest (1,585 ac) · Prompton State Park (1,400 ac) · Sinnemahoning State Park (1,400 ac) · State Game Lands 140 (1,346 ac) · Promised Land State Park (1,300 ac) · State Game Lands 291 (1,259 ac) · State Game Lands 191 (1,223 ac) · State Game Lands 310 (1,197 ac) · State Game Lands 273 (1,146 ac) · and 59 more in the directories
Where fishers counties rank
- Jefferson County9 tracts
- Monroe County8 tracts
- Somerset County7 tracts
- Warren County7 tracts
- Wayne County7 tracts
- Erie County6 tracts
- Luzerne County6 tracts
- Potter County6 tracts
- Carbon County5 tracts
- Clarion County5 tracts
- Crawford County5 tracts
- Fayette County5 tracts
- Schuylkill County5 tracts
- Westmoreland County5 tracts
- Armstrong County4 tracts
PGC State Game Lands GIS, DCNR forest and park hunting pages and federal managers (PGC layers), retrieved 2026-10-12. Species lists are what each manager names; area rules still apply.
Survey harvest of fishers
PGC survey figures for fishers; they are estimates, not check-station counts.
Harvest data: furbearer harvest, hunters and trappers. Estimates as published by the PGC.
Fisher licenses and requirements
Everything here is from the 2026-27 digest and applies statewide unless a WMU or area says otherwise.
Fees
The paperwork for fishers, with fees.
Shooting time
No traps for fishers before 7 a.m. opening morning; checks are due every 36 hours after that.
Safety orange
Fishers are hunted without the orange requirement. Remember that coyote hunters during a big game season follow that season’s orange rule.
Sundays this year
Every Sunday inside a fisher season is open in 2026-27, the first full year of Sunday hunting. Sunday hunting in PA
Tagging and reporting
Attach the permit harvest/carcass tag before removing the animal; report within 48 hours online or by phone. CITES tag issued for bobcats; required for otters as applicable.
Permit
Furtaker or combination license holders; Buy before Dec. 19.
From the Pennsylvania Game Commission 2026-27 digest, license types and harvest reporting, checked October 12, 2026. Pennsylvania hunting laws · License guide.
What you may hunt fishers with
The PGC lists legal arms by season; these rows cover fishers.
| Applies to | Legal sporting arms | Prohibited |
|---|---|---|
| Trapping (dispatch during deer season) | .22 rimfire or smaller rifles (semi or manual) and manual .22 rimfire handguns; air rifles/handguns .177-.22. | Other firearms while trapping during deer season. |
Methods that matter for fishers
Trapping rules
No traps before 7 a.m. opening day; not within 5 ft of a den (except underwater); jaw spread max 6.5 in; body-grip traps only in water (cubby exceptions); trap ID tags; check every 36 hours; remove by sunset closing day; no bait visible from the air. Beaver/otter device limits and 15-ft dam/house setback.
2026-27 digest, sporting arms and unlawful acts pages, checked October 12, 2026.
Quick answers on fishers
Which WMUs are open for fishers?
1B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D and 4E.
How do I report a fisher?
Attach the permit harvest/carcass tag before removing the animal; report within 48 hours online or by phone. CITES tag issued for bobcats; required for otters as applicable.
Can I use a rifle for fishers?
Trapping (dispatch during deer season): .22 rimfire or smaller rifles (semi or manual) and manual .22 rimfire handguns; air rifles/handguns .177-.22.
When can I hunt fishers this season?
Fisher trappers get trapping Dec 19, 2026 to Jan 10, 2027 (WMUs 1B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E).
What does the PGC allow per day for fishers?
1 per license year with permit.
What paperwork do fisher trappers carry?
For fishers: Resident Adult Furtaker License ($20.97); Nonresident Adult Furtaker License ($81.97); Fisher Permit ($6.97).
Can I hunt fishers on State Game Lands?
134 tracts on our list qualify; the largest are Rothrock State Forest, Delaware State Forest and Forbes State Forest.
Can fishers be hunted at night?
No traps for fishers before 7 a.m. opening morning; checks are due every 36 hours after that.
Is orange needed when hunting fishers?
Fishers are hunted without the orange requirement. Remember that coyote hunters during a big game season follow that season’s orange rule.
Does Sunday hunting include fishers?
Every Sunday inside a fisher season is open in 2026-27, the first full year of Sunday hunting.
Wrapping up fishers
A State Game Land, park or forest can add its own rules on top of the statewide fisher rules here.
Other photos on this page: TheTurducken (CC BY 2.0); James Case (CC BY 2.0); U.S. Geological Survey (CC0 1.0); Buck Valley Ranch (CC BY 2.0); YellowstoneNPS (Public domain); USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain).