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Wildlife Management Unit
WMU 4C Hunting Guide
WMU 4C covers 1,716 square miles across parts of 8 counties, with 261 square miles of State Game Lands.
Photo: Doug Kerr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
WMU 4C at a glance
The Game Commission draws WMU 4C on roads and rivers, not county lines, so it takes in parts of Schuylkill, Carbon, Dauphin, Columbia, Lebanon and Luzerne and others. The PGC map credits 4C with 261 square miles of State Game Lands and 27 square miles of other public land. A legal buck in 4C has at least three points on one side.
4C boundary roads
From Millersburg, US Route 209 east to I-81 near Joliett; I-81 north to PA Route 61 near Frackville; PA Route 61 north to PA Route 42 at Centralia; PA Route 42 north to I-80 near Bloomsburg; I-80 east to I-476 near White Haven; I-476 south to Route 248; Route 248 east to Route 873; Route 873 south to Route 309; Route 309 west to Route 143; Route 143 south to I-78; I-78 to I-81; I-81 to Susquehanna River near Harrisburg; Susquehanna River north to Millersburg Ferry to US Route 209.
PGC WMU boundary maps. Checked October 12, 2026.
2026-27 calendar for WMU 4C
Filter the 56 rows below by species. Every Sunday inside a non-migratory season is open this year.
| Game | Season | Begins | Ends | Days | Sundays | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White-tailed deer | Ag Tag, antlerless | Aug 1, 2026 | Apr 15, 2027 | 258 | 37 | |
| White-tailed deer | Archery | Oct 3, 2026 | Nov 20, 2026 | 49 | 7 | |
| White-tailed deer | October muzzleloader antlerless | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | 9 | 2 | |
| White-tailed deer | Special firearms antlerless | Oct 22, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | 4 | 1 | |
| White-tailed deer | Regular firearms | Nov 28, 2026 | Dec 13, 2026 | 16 | 3 | |
| White-tailed deer | Archery | Dec 26, 2026 | Jan 24, 2027 | 30 | 5 | |
| White-tailed deer | Extended firearms antlerless | Dec 26, 2026 | Jan 18, 2027 | 24 | 4 | |
| White-tailed deer | Extended firearms antlerless | Dec 26, 2026 | Jan 24, 2027 | 30 | 5 | |
| White-tailed deer | Flintlock | Dec 26, 2026 | Jan 24, 2027 | 30 | 5 | |
| Black bear | Archery | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | 9 | 2 | |
| Black bear | Muzzleloader | Oct 22, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | 4 | 1 | |
| Black bear | Special firearms | Oct 22, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | 4 | 1 | |
| Black bear | Regular firearms | Nov 21, 2026 | Nov 24, 2026 | 4 | 1 | |
| Black bear | Extended firearms | Nov 28, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | 9 | 2 | |
| Wild turkey | Fall season | Oct 31, 2026 | Nov 8, 2026 | 9 | 2 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring gobbler youth hunt | Apr 24, 2027 | Apr 25, 2027 | 2 | 1 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring gobbler, mornings | May 1, 2027 | May 15, 2027 | 15 | 2 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring gobbler, all day | May 16, 2027 | May 31, 2027 | 16 | 3 | |
| Ruffed grouse | Regular season | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 24, 2026 | 69 | 10 | |
| Pheasant | Junior hunt | Oct 10, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | 9 | 2 | |
| Pheasant | Regular season | Oct 24, 2026 | Dec 24, 2026 | 62 | 9 | |
| Pheasant | Regular season | Dec 26, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | 65 | 10 | |
| Bobwhite quail | Regular season | Sep 1, 2026 | Dec 24, 2026 | 115 | 16 | |
| Bobwhite quail | Regular season | Dec 26, 2026 | Mar 31, 2027 | 96 | 14 | |
| Cottontail | Junior hunt | Oct 3, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | 16 | 3 | |
| Cottontail | Regular season | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 24, 2026 | 69 | 10 | |
| Cottontail | Regular season | Dec 26, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | 65 | 10 | |
| Snowshoe hare | Regular season | Dec 26, 2026 | Dec 31, 2026 | 6 | 1 | |
| Squirrels | Junior hunt | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 27, 2026 | 16 | 3 | |
| Squirrels | Regular season | Sep 12, 2026 | Dec 24, 2026 | 104 | 15 | |
| Squirrels | Regular season | Dec 26, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | 65 | 10 | |
| Woodchuck | Regular season | Jul 1, 2026 | Dec 24, 2026 | 177 | 25 | |
| Woodchuck | Regular season | Dec 26, 2026 | Jun 30, 2027 | 187 | 27 | |
| Crow | Regular, Thu to Sun | Aug 20, 2026 | Mar 21, 2027 | 214 | 31 | |
| Coyote | Hunting | Jul 1, 2026 | Jun 30, 2027 | 365 | 52 | |
| Fox | Hunting | Oct 24, 2026 | Feb 21, 2027 | 121 | 18 | |
| Raccoon | Hunting | Oct 24, 2026 | Feb 21, 2027 | 121 | 18 | |
| Porcupine | Hunting | Oct 10, 2026 | Nov 27, 2026 | 49 | 7 | |
| Porcupine | Hunting | Dec 14, 2026 | Dec 24, 2026 | 11 | 1 | |
| Porcupine | Hunting | Dec 26, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | 37 | 6 | |
| Mourning dove | Regular season | Sep 1, 2026 | Nov 27, 2026 | 88 | 12 | |
| Mourning dove | Regular season | Dec 18, 2026 | Jan 2, 2027 | 16 | 2 | |
| Woodcock | Regular season | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 8, 2026 | 53 | 8 | |
| Bobcat | Trapping | Dec 19, 2026 | Jan 10, 2027 | 23 | 4 | |
| Bobcat | Hunting | Jan 9, 2027 | Feb 3, 2027 | 26 | 4 | |
| Opossum, skunk | Hunting | Jul 1, 2026 | Jun 30, 2027 | 365 | 52 | |
| Starling, sparrow | No closed season | Jul 1, 2026 | Jun 30, 2027 | 365 | 52 | |
| Gallinules | Regular season | Sep 1, 2026 | Nov 20, 2026 | 81 | 11 | |
| Rails | Regular season | Sep 1, 2026 | Nov 20, 2026 | 81 | 11 | |
| Snipe | Regular season | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 8, 2026 | 53 | 8 | |
| Furbearers | Trapping | Oct 24, 2026 | Feb 21, 2027 | 121 | 18 | |
| Mink and muskrat | Trapping | Nov 21, 2026 | Jan 10, 2027 | 51 | 8 | |
| Beaver | Trapping | Dec 19, 2026 | Mar 31, 2027 | 103 | 15 | |
| Fisher | Trapping | Dec 19, 2026 | Jan 10, 2027 | 23 | 4 | |
| Coyote, fox | Cable restraints | Dec 26, 2026 | Feb 21, 2027 | 58 | 9 | |
| River otter | Trapping | Feb 13, 2027 | Feb 21, 2027 | 9 | 2 |
seasons and bag limits, 2026-27 digest. Checked October 12, 2026.
Deer numbers for unit 4C
WMU 4C gets 51,000 antlerless licenses for 2026-27 (+/- 0 on last year). The 2025-26 sell-out date was 8/13. In 2025-26 the unit produced an estimated 23,300 deer, 13,800 of them in firearms seasons. Archery runs Oct 3 to Nov 20, 2026; Dec 26, 2026 to Jan 24, 2027. Extended antlerless: Dec 26, 2026 to Jan 18, 2027.
| Season | Antlered | Antlerless | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archery | 4,850 | 3,690 | 8,540 |
| Firearms | 4,500 | 9,300 | 13,800 |
| Muzzleloader | 50 | 910 | 960 |
allocations, 2025-26 deer report, PGC harvest dashboard. Checked October 12, 2026.
WMU 4C State Game Lands and forests
Public ground in 4C: 34 tracts on our list, from State Game Lands 211 down.
| Tract | Type | Counties | Acres | Game named |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Game Lands 211 | State Game Lands | Dauphin, Lebanon, Schuylkill | 44,479 | deer, turkey, grouse +2 |
| Weiser State Forest | State Forest | Dauphin, Schuylkill, Columbia | 30,000 | deer, bear, turkey +2 |
| State Game Lands 141 | State Game Lands | Carbon | 17,227 | deer, bear, turkey +5 |
| Hickory Run State Park | State Park | Carbon | 13,000 | deer, bear, turkey +3 |
| State Game Lands 58 | State Game Lands | Columbia | 12,630 | deer, turkey, grouse +1 |
| State Game Lands 210 | State Game Lands | Dauphin | 11,131 | deer, bear, turkey +4 |
| State Game Lands 80 | State Game Lands | Lebanon, Schuylkill, Berks | 10,818 | pheasant |
| State Game Lands 110 | State Game Lands | Berks, Schuylkill | 10,335 | – |
| State Game Lands 106 | State Game Lands | Berks, Schuylkill, Lehigh | 9,857 | deer, bear, turkey +5 |
| State Game Lands 217 | State Game Lands | Lehigh, Carbon, Schuylkill | 8,622 | deer, bear, turkey |
| State Game Lands 187 | State Game Lands | Luzerne | 8,157 | deer, bear, turkey +4 |
| State Game Lands 40 | State Game Lands | Carbon | 6,200 | deer, turkey, grouse +4 |
| Lehigh Gorge State Park | State Park | Carbon, Luzerne | 6,000 | deer, bear, turkey +3 |
| Swatara State Park | State Park | Lebanon, Schuylkill | 3,500 | deer, bear, turkey +4 |
| State Game Lands 257 | State Game Lands | Schuylkill | 3,441 | deer, grouse, rabbit +1 |
| State Game Lands 229 | State Game Lands | Schuylkill | 3,041 | pheasant |
| State Game Lands 326 | State Game Lands | Schuylkill | 2,699 | – |
| State Game Lands 222 | State Game Lands | Schuylkill | 2,377 | deer, bear, grouse +4 |
| State Game Lands 149 | State Game Lands | Luzerne, Carbon | 1,991 | – |
| State Game Lands 329 | State Game Lands | Columbia, Schuylkill | 1,744 | deer, bear, turkey +2 |
| Locust Lake State Park | State Park | Schuylkill | 1,700 | deer, bear, turkey +3 |
| State Game Lands 227 | State Game Lands | Schuylkill | 1,528 | pheasant |
| Lehigh County Lands (CWMA 433) | Cooperative Wildlife Management Area | Lehigh | 1,370 | – |
| State Game Lands 254 | State Game Lands | Perry, Dauphin | 1,163 | deer, grouse, squirrel +1 |
| Tuscarora State Park | State Park | Schuylkill | 1,100 | deer, bear, turkey +3 |
| State Game Lands 290 | State Game Lands | Dauphin, Perry | 1,042 | rabbit, pheasant, dove |
| Boyd Big Tree Preserve Conservation Area | State Park | Dauphin | 975 | deer, bear, turkey +3 |
| Joseph E. Ibberson Conservation Area | State Park | Dauphin | 780 | deer, bear, turkey +3 |
| Fish and Boat Commission Lands (CWMA 403) | Cooperative Wildlife Management Area | Northampton, Lehigh, Bucks | 600 | – |
| State Game Lands 286 | State Game Lands | Schuylkill | 488 | – |
| State Game Lands 160 | State Game Lands | Schuylkill | 246 | deer, grouse, woodcock +1 |
| Reading Anthracite, Swatara | Pheasant Release Area | Schuylkill | 212 | pheasant |
| State Game Lands 319 | State Game Lands | Dauphin | 53 | deer, squirrel, waterfowl +1 |
| Fort Indiantown Gap | Military Installation | Lebanon | – | deer, pheasant |
PGC State Game Lands GIS and DCNR and federal land data, overlaid on the PGC WMU layer; a tract counts when at least 1% of it, or 100 acres, falls in the unit. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
WMU 4C: bears, turkeys, trapping
Bear hunters took 189 bears in 4C in 2025, 1.1 per 10 square miles. The bear archery season in 4C is Oct 17 to Oct 25, 2026. Bear hunting continues into deer season here, Nov 28 to Dec 6, 2026. Fall turkey in 4C: Oct 31 to Nov 8, 2026. Hunters took 1,225 spring gobblers in 4C in 2024. Open permit species: bobcat, fisher and river otter. Beaver trappers here are held to 5 daily / 5 season.
bear report, bear 2024, spring turkey, PGC harvest dashboard, furbearer WMUs. Checked October 12, 2026.
Counties and CWD status in 4C
Counties partly in 4C also fall in a neighbouring unit.
- Schuylkill County82% inside
- Carbon County61% inside
- Dauphin County51% inside
- Columbia County28% inside
- Lebanon County24% inside
- Luzerne County18% inside
- Lehigh County18% inside
- Berks County12% inside
The PGC lists 4C among the CWD-detected WMUs. The CWD feeding order reaches Dauphin. Look for CWD head bins in Schuylkill, Carbon, Dauphin, Columbia, Lebanon and Luzerne. More on CWD
County shares from the PGC WMU layer intersected with Census county outlines (counties.json); CWD lists from the digest and feeding order. Checked October 12, 2026.



4C: what hunters ask
Which counties are in WMU 4C?
It covers 1,716 square miles; the counties with the largest share in it are Schuylkill, Carbon, Dauphin and Columbia.
Did the 4C antlerless allocation change?
WMU 4C gets 51,000 antlerless licenses for 2026-27 (+/- 0 on last year). The 2025-26 sell-out date was 8/13. A resident license is $6.97; nonresidents pay $26.97.
Do antler restrictions apply in 4C?
The rule is 3 points on one side. Juniors and mentored youth are exempt and may take a two-pointer or a 3 inch spike.
Are there CWD rules in 4C?
The PGC lists 4C among the CWD-detected WMUs. The CWD feeding order reaches Dauphin. Look for CWD head bins in Schuylkill, Carbon, Dauphin, Columbia, Lebanon and Luzerne. Anywhere in the state, head and spine parts go in the trash once moved.
When is archery in WMU 4C?
Archery runs Oct 3 to Nov 20, 2026; Dec 26, 2026 to Jan 24, 2027. Every Sunday in the segment is a legal day.
Is there a fall turkey season in 4C?
Fall turkey in 4C: Oct 31 to Nov 8, 2026.
What bear seasons apply in 4C?
The bear archery season in 4C is Oct 17 to Oct 25, 2026. Bear hunting continues into deer season here, Nov 28 to Dec 6, 2026. Bear hunters took 189 bears in 4C in 2025, 1.1 per 10 square miles.
Which State Game Lands are in 4C?
The PGC map credits 4C with 261 square miles of State Game Lands and 27 square miles of other public land. State Game Lands 211, Weiser State Forest and State Game Lands 141 are the largest.
What was the 2025-26 deer harvest in 4C?
In 2025-26 the unit produced an estimated 23,300 deer, 13,800 of them in firearms seasons. Statewide that was 11th of 22.
Which furbearer permits work in 4C?
Open permit species: bobcat, fisher and river otter. Beaver trappers here are held to 5 daily / 5 season.