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2026-27 license year · Pennsylvania Game Commission
Pennsylvania Hunting
State Game Lands, state forests and the Allegheny National Forest, all 22 Wildlife Management Units, licenses, laws, elk, CWD and Sunday hunting, in one guide built from PGC and DCNR sources and checked October 12, 2026.
Photo: TheTurducken (CC BY 2.0)
Public hunting land by type
The Game Commission owns 312 numbered State Game Lands covering 1,551,267 acres, DCNR manages 20 state forest districts with 2,215,145 acres, and 93 state parks list acreage open to hunting. The Hunter Access Program adds 621,414 acres of leased private land.
| Land type | Areas in this guide | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| State Game Lands | 312 | 1,551,267 |
| State forests | 20 | 2,215,145 |
| State parks open to hunting | 93 | 220,586 |
| Allegheny National Forest | 1 | 512,932 |
| National wildlife refuges | 3 | 15,765 |
| Delaware Water Gap (PA side) | 1 | 29,677 |
| Corps of Engineers lakes | 18 | 46,180 |
| Cooperative wildlife areas | 8 | 22,326 |
| Pheasant release areas | 20 | 8,388 |
| Fort Indiantown Gap | 1 | not published |
| Hunter Access Program | 1 | 621,414 |
State Game Lands acres are the sum of the PGC SGL boundary layer; state forest acres are DCNR district figures; park acres are the hunting acreage DCNR publishes for each park. 62 closed areas are left out. Sources: PGC GIS layers; Hunter Access Program; DCNR hunting, last checked October 12, 2026.
Seasons opening next
The next twelve openers after Oct 12, 2026, from the 112 season rows in the 2026-27 digest. 26 other segments were already open that day. The last column reads your own device date.
| Game | Season | Where | Opens | Closes | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snipe | Regular season | Statewide | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 8, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Archery | WMUs 1A, 1B, 2A, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E, 5A | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | |
| Cottontail | Regular season | Statewide | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 24, 2026 | |
| Ruffed grouse | Regular season | Statewide | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 24, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | October muzzleloader (antlerless only) | Statewide | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | |
| Woodcock | Regular season | Statewide | Oct 17, 2026 | Dec 8, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Muzzleloader | Statewide | Oct 22, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Special firearms | Statewide | Oct 22, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Special firearms (antlerless only) | Statewide | Oct 22, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | |
| Canada goose (incl. white-fronted geese) | Regular season | Resident Population Zone | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 27, 2026 | |
| Coyote, fox, opossum, raccoon, striped skunk and weasel | Trapping | Statewide | Oct 24, 2026 | Feb 21, 2027 | |
| Raccoon | Hunting | Statewide | Oct 24, 2026 | Feb 21, 2027 |
Sources: PGC seasons and bag limits; 2026-27 digest, last checked October 12, 2026.
The 22 Wildlife Management Units
Pennsylvania sets deer, bear, turkey and furbearer dates by WMU, and units follow highways and rivers rather than county lines. The Board allocated 1,469,000 antlerless licenses across the 22 units for 2026-27.
| Unit | Square miles | Game land sq mi | Antler rule | Antlerless licenses | CWD detected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WMU 1A | 1,846 | 127 | 3 up (3 points on one side excluding brow tine) | 52,000 | No |
| WMU 1B | 2,118 | 82 | 3 up (3 points on one side excluding brow tine) | 44,000 | No |
| WMU 2A | 1,811 | 69 | 3 up (3 points on one side excluding brow tine) | 49,000 | No |
| WMU 2B | 1,363 | 2 | 3 up (3 points on one side excluding brow tine) | 62,000 | No |
| WMU 2C | 2,934 | 246 | 3 points on one side | 117,000 | Yes |
| WMU 2D | 2,487 | 84 | 3 up (3 points on one side excluding brow tine) | 112,000 | Yes |
| WMU 2E | 1,427 | 119 | 3 points on one side | 63,000 | Yes |
| WMU 2F | 2,411 | 221 | 3 points on one side | 67,000 | Yes |
| WMU 2G | 4,112 | 294 | 3 points on one side | 57,000 | No |
| WMU 3A | 1,508 | 87 | 3 points on one side | 21,000 | No |
| WMU 3B | 2,220 | 277 | 3 points on one side | 53,000 | No |
| WMU 3C | 2,192 | 71 | 3 points on one side | 57,000 | No |
| WMU 3D | 2,102 | 249 | 3 points on one side | 52,000 | No |
| WMU 4A | 1,736 | 157 | 3 points on one side | 64,000 | Yes |
| WMU 4B | 1,583 | 66 | 3 points on one side | 71,000 | Yes |
| WMU 4C | 1,716 | 261 | 3 points on one side | 51,000 | Yes |
| WMU 4D | 2,743 | 222 | 3 points on one side | 120,000 | Yes |
| WMU 4E | 1,736 | 60 | 3 points on one side | 61,000 | Yes |
| WMU 5A | 1,310 | 14 | 3 points on one side | 65,000 | Yes |
| WMU 5B | 2,640 | 62 | 3 points on one side | 86,000 | Yes |
| WMU 5C | 1,982 | 52 | 3 points on one side | 101,000 | No |
| WMU 5D | 1,327 | 16 | 3 points on one side | 44,000 | No |
Sources: WMU boundary maps; antlerless allocations; CWD, last checked October 12, 2026.
Counties by Game Commission region
The Game Commission runs six regions. Each county guide shows the WMUs that cross it, its public land and its nearest processors and ranges; 159 town guides measure the drive to the closest game lands.
Northwest region (10)
Butler, Clarion, Crawford, Erie, Forest, Jefferson, Lawrence, Mercer, Venango, Warren
Northcentral region (10)
Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Lycoming, McKean, Potter, Tioga, Union
Northeast region (13)
Bradford, Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Montour, Northumberland, Pike, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wayne, Wyoming
Southwest region (10)
Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Cambria, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Somerset, Washington, Westmoreland
Southcentral region (12)
Adams, Bedford, Blair, Cumberland, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Mifflin, Perry, Snyder, York
Southeast region (12)
Berks, Bucks, Chester, Dauphin, Delaware, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, Schuylkill
Sources: PGC region offices, last checked October 12, 2026.
32 game species guides
Four big game animals, then upland birds, small game, furbearers and waterfowl. Each guide carries the WMU dates, bag limits and the best public land for that animal.
Ruffed Grouse · Ring-necked Pheasant · Bobwhite Quail · Cottontail Rabbit · Snowshoe Hare · Squirrels (red, gray, black, fox) · Woodchuck (Groundhog) · Crow · Coyote · Red and Gray Fox · Raccoon · Opossum, Striped Skunk, Weasel · Bobcat · Fisher · River Otter · Beaver · Mink and Muskrat · Porcupine · Mourning Dove · American Woodcock · Wilson's Snipe, Virginia and Sora Rails, Gallinules · Ducks, Mergansers and Coots · Canada Goose (incl. white-fronted) · Brant · Snow and Ross's Geese · Mute Swan · European Starling and English Sparrow · Feral Swine
Rules that shape a Pennsylvania season
Licenses and fees
Resident adult $20.97, nonresident adult $101.97, junior $6.97. Antlerless licenses are $6.97 for residents and valid only in the WMU chosen.
Sunday hunting
First license year with all Sundays open within every season except migratory game birds (waterfowl, doves, woodcock etc.; crows excepted).
Fluorescent orange
250 square inches on the head, chest and back in small game and firearms deer, bear and elk seasons. Non-hunters on State Game Lands wear it too from Oct. 1 to Jan. 31 and April 20 to May 31.
CWD
Detected in 11 WMUs: 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E, 5A, 5B. Feeding bans cover 18 counties or parts of them.
Elk
155 licenses allocated: 80 bull, 75 cow. One $11.97 application per hunter, due July 12.
Youth and mentored
Mentored hunters need no Hunter-Trapper Education course; the youth permit is $2.97. Juniors get their own squirrel, rabbit, pheasant and turkey days.
Shooting hours
A half hour before sunrise to a half hour after sunset for big and small game; ducks, geese and doves stop at sunset.
Records
The PGC Big Game Scoring Program scores whitetails, bears and elk for the state records book; the heaviest bear on record weighed 875 pounds.
Sources: 2026-27 digest; Sunday hunting; CWD; elk drawing; Big Game Records, last checked October 12, 2026.
Every public hunting area on one map
477 mapped areas. Larger dots are areas of 20,000 acres or more; each dot links to its own page.
Public ground in each Game Commission region
Counts and acres of top-level public areas in each region. The Northcentral region holds the most, 2,009,083 acres; the Southeast region the least, 235,066 acres.
Events, ranges and hunting services
Banquets, buck contests and youth hunts; State Game Land ranges and clubs; and the processors, taxidermists and shops across all 67 counties.
Deer processors
118 listed, 109 of them taking donated deer for Hunters Sharing the Harvest.
Taxidermists
652 shops on the state taxidermist registry.
Guides and preserves
108 preserves, clubs and guide services.
Gun and archery shops
759 gun shops, archery shops and outdoor stores.
Pennsylvania hunting by the numbers
Sources: PGC SGL layer; DCNR; antlerless allocation; 2025-26 deer harvest estimates; bear report 23001-25; elk licenses; elk harvest; pheasant stocking, last checked October 12, 2026.
Pennsylvania hunting questions
How many acres of public hunting ground are there in Pennsylvania?
State Game Lands cover 1,551,267 acres in 312 tracts, state forests 2,215,145 acres, and the Allegheny National Forest 512,932 acres. State parks, Corps lakes, refuges and 621,414 acres of Hunter Access land add more.
What is the largest State Game Land?
State Game Lands 13, at 50,745 acres in Sullivan County, Columbia County and Lycoming County. The largest single public area is Allegheny National Forest at 512,932 acres.
When does rifle deer season open in Pennsylvania?
The regular firearms season runs Nov. 28-Dec. 13 (antlered and antlerless, statewide). It opens Saturday, Nov. 28, in every WMU at once.
Is Sunday hunting legal in Pennsylvania now?
First license year with all Sundays open within every season except migratory game birds (waterfowl, doves, woodcock etc.; crows excepted). Migratory birds such as ducks, geese, doves and woodcock stay closed on Sundays.
What does a Pennsylvania hunting license cost?
$20.97 for a resident adult and $101.97 for a nonresident adult. The resident license includes an antlered deer tag and fall and spring turkey tags.
How do I get an elk license?
Single $11.97 application (PA hunting license required), up to five options (season, Elk Hunt Zone, antlered/antlerless); deadline 11:59 p.m. July 12, 2026; drawing July 25, 2026 at the Elk Country Visitor Center.
Where has CWD been found?
CWD has been detected in wild white-tailed deer in WMUs 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E, 5A and 5B (11 WMUs).
How many antlerless deer licenses are there?
1,469,000 for 2026-27, split by WMU. WMU 4D has the most at 120,000; WMU 3A has the fewest at 21,000.
Do I need hunter education?
Yes, if you have never held a hunting license in Pennsylvania or elsewhere. Mentored hunters are the exception and need no course.
How many bears do Pennsylvania hunters take?
2,890 in 2025 and 2,642 in 2024. The PGC estimated about 19,347 bears in 2025.
Plan the Pennsylvania season
Start with a county for its WMUs and nearby game lands, or open the map and work out from your camp.
Other photos on this page: USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain); Shenandoah National Park (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Yellowstone National Park (Public Domain Mark 1.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Midwest Region (Public domain); grendelkhan (CC BY-SA 2.0); Nicholas A. Tonelli (CC BY 2.0); Nicholas A. Tonelli (CC BY 2.0); kirybabe (CC BY 2.0); lcm1863 (CC BY-SA 2.0); chrisinphilly5448 (CC BY-SA 2.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region (Public domain); Ethan Prater (CC BY 2.0); LandBetweentheLakesKYTN (Public domain); HeyRocker (CC BY 2.0); James Case (CC BY 2.0).