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Game and Wildlife Code summary · 2026-27
Pennsylvania Hunting Laws
What may be hunted and what is protected, legal arms for every season, fluorescent orange, baiting, Sunday hunting, safety zones, State Game Land rules and the penalties, from the Game Commission digest.
Photo: Calistemon (CC BY-SA 4.0)
What may be hunted
The digest is not the Game and Wildlife Code (34 Pa.C.S.) and is not final on legal interpretation; questions to 1-833-PGC-HUNT.
Big game
White-tailed deer, Black bear, Elk (license by lottery), Wild turkey.
Big game classification per the Game and Wildlife Code.
Small game animals
Cottontail rabbit, Snowshoe hare, Squirrels (red, gray, black, fox), Woodchuck.
Game animals not classified as big game.
Game birds
Ruffed grouse, Ring-necked pheasant, Bobwhite quail, Wild turkey, Mourning dove, Eurasian collared dove, Woodcock, Wilson's snipe, Rails (Virginia, sora), Gallinules, Coots, Wild ducks, Mergansers, Geese, Brant.
Swans are game birds but tundra and trumpeter swans have no open season.
Furbearers
Beaver, Bobcat (permit), Coyote, Fisher (permit), Mink, Muskrat, Opossum, River otter (permit), Raccoon, Red fox, Gray fox, Striped skunk, Weasel, Porcupine.
Badger and pine marten are classified furbearers with no open season.
Other
Crow, European starling, English sparrow, Mute swan (non-native, unprotected), Feral swine (where protection removed).
Crows have a Thursday-Sunday season; starlings/English sparrows no closed season except regular firearms deer season.
Protected species and closed areas
10 listings, from songbirds and chipmunks to the Wild Pheasant Recovery Areas and the Letterkenny quail area.
Protected mammals and birds
Wild mammals not classified as game or furbearers (e.g. chipmunks) and wild birds not classified as game birds are protected.
Tundra and trumpeter swans, harlequin duck, clapper and king rails
No open season.
Sandhill crane
Protected; likely present in certain areas.
Pine marten, sharp-tailed grouse
No open season.
Badger
Classified furbearer with no season listed for 2026-27.
State endangered species (PGC list)
American bittern, black-crowned night-heron, black tern, blackpoll warbler, common tern, dickcissel, great egret, Indiana bat, king rail, least bittern, least shrew, little brown bat, loggerhead shrike, northern long-eared bat, northern flying squirrel, American goshawk, piping plover, sedge wren, short-eared owl, tri-colored bat, upland sandpiper, yellow-bellied flycatcher, yellow-crowned night-heron.
State threatened species (PGC list)
Allegheny woodrat, eastern small-footed bat, long-eared owl, northern harrier, red knot, West Virginia water shrew.
Wild Pheasant Recovery Areas
No pheasant season in WPRAs (Central Susquehanna, Franklin) unless authorized by executive order.
Bobwhite quail in Letterkenny recovery area
No open season and no release of quail in the Letterkenny Army Depot Bobwhite Quail Recovery Area.
Protection removal for property damage
Protection removed from wildlife (except migratory birds, big game, threatened/endangered) when personal property other than crops is being damaged; only owner may take; animal surrendered to PGC.
Sporting arms by season
Semiautomatic rifles are legal for small game and furbearers but never for deer, bear or elk. Flintlock season allows no scopes, and fall turkey is now shotgun and archery only.
| Season or tool | Legal | Not legal | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| General | Semiautomatic rifles, air/gas rifles and manually operated handguns for small game and furbearers; semiautomatic centerfire shotguns with single projectiles for deer, bear and elk. | Automatic firearms; semiautomatic rifles for deer, bear or elk; semiautomatic handguns for any hunting; shotguns over 3 shells for small game, furbearers, turkeys, waterfowl, crows (one-piece plug). | digest |
| Deer and bear regular firearms (and special/extended) | Manually operated centerfire rifles, handguns (revolvers/single-shots) and shotguns with all-lead or expanding bullets; semiautomatic centerfire shotguns with single projectiles (no plug needed); muzzleloading long guns .44+ or handguns .50+; bows (35 lb) and crossbows (125 lb) with broadheads at least 7/8 in wide and no longer than 3.25 in. | Buckshot (except special-permit controlled hunts); semiautomatic rifles. | digest |
| Archery deer and bear | Long, recurve and compound bows (35 lb minimum) and crossbows (125 lb minimum); broadheads 7/8 in minimum width, 3.25 in max length; magnifying scopes and red dots on crossbows; lighted pins/reticles that cast no beam. | Firearms (except License to Carry holders with authorized handguns); muzzleloaders only during muzzleloader-season overlaps with both licenses and orange. | digest |
| October muzzleloader (antlerless deer, bear) | Single-barrel muzzleloading long gun (flintlock, in-line or percussion) .44 caliber or larger, or .50+ handgun; breech-loaded encapsulated propellant with muzzle-loaded bullet; scopes permitted. | Multi-barrel guns. | digest |
| Flintlock deer | Flintlock-ignition single-barrel long gun .44+ (pre-1800 design or reproduction) or .50+ handgun; single projectile; peep sights; bows and crossbows also legal. | Telescopic sights; in-line or percussion ignition. | digest |
| Elk | Manually operated centerfire rifles and handguns .26 caliber or larger with expanding bullets of at least 120 grains; 12-gauge or larger shotguns with single projectiles; muzzleloaders .50+ with 210 grain projectiles; bows 45 lb; crossbows 125 lb; broadheads at least 1 in wide, max 3.25 in long. | Semiautomatic rifles. | digest |
| Fall turkey | Manual or semiautomatic shotguns (3 shells max), muzzleloading shotguns, bows (35 lb) and crossbows; shot no larger than No. 4 lead, No. 2 steel or No. 4 other nontoxic. | Rifles, handguns, muzzleloading rifles, slug guns and any single-projectile ammunition (new restriction). | digest |
| Spring gobbler | Same shotguns, muzzleloading shotguns, bows and crossbows; rifle/shotgun combination guns with shotshells only. | Single-projectile ammunition, rifles, handguns, muzzleloading rifles and handguns, slug guns. | digest |
| Small game | Manual and semiautomatic shotguns 10 gauge or less, 3-shell capacity; manual and semiautomatic rifles and manual handguns .22 rimfire or less; air guns .177-.22 (woodchucks at least .22) with single projectile; muzzleloading rifles/handguns .40 or less and shotguns 10 gauge or less; bows and crossbows. No magazine limit on semiautomatic rifles. | BB ammunition; shot larger than No. 4 lead/No. 2 steel. Rifle/handgun caliber limits (except air guns) do not apply to woodchucks. | digest |
| Furbearer hunting | Semiautomatic and manual rifles, manual handguns of any caliber, manual or semiautomatic shotguns, bows, crossbows, single-projectile muzzleloaders, air guns .22+; gun-mounted lights without laser beams; handheld and mounted night-vision and thermal optics for coyote, fox, bobcat, raccoon, skunk, opossum, weasel. | Shotgun shot larger than No. 4 buckshot; laser-beam lights. | digest |
| 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. | digest |
| Waterfowl and migratory birds | Manual and semiautomatic shotguns no larger than 10 gauge plugged to 3 shells; bows and crossbows; nontoxic shot up to size T for waterfowl. | Lead shot for waterfowl; unplugged guns; sink boxes; shooting from moving motorboats. | digest |
| Special Regulations Areas | Philadelphia County: bows and crossbows only. Other SRA counties: manually operated rifles and handguns chambered for straight-walled centerfire cartridges; muzzleloaders .44 or larger; manual or semiautomatic shotguns .410 or larger with slugs; bows and crossbows (125 lb min). No buckshot. | Bottlenecked centerfire cartridges; buckshot. | digest |
| Crossbows | Legal in all archery, firearms deer/bear and small game seasons; minimum 125 lb draw for deer, bear and elk. | Cocked crossbow with bolt in, on or against a motorized conveyance. | digest |
| Air guns | Air or gas rifles and manual air handguns .177-.22 for small game; at least .22 for woodchucks and furbearers. | Big game; BB ammunition. | digest |
Fluorescent orange
250 square inches of daylight fluorescent orange on the head, chest and back combined, visible 360 degrees, worn at all times while hunting and while moving from one hour before to one hour after legal hunting hours. Camouflage orange counts if it contains at least 250 sq in of orange.
Orange is required in
- All small game seasons (incl. porcupine)
- Deer, bear and elk regular firearms seasons
- October muzzleloader antlerless deer and bear seasons
- Special firearms antlerless deer and bear seasons
- Extended firearms antlerless deer and bear seasons
- Ag Tag hunting (all season, any sporting arm)
- Elk regular seasons (hunters and those accompanying them)
- Feral swine hunting with a firearm
- Coyote hunting during a big-game season when that season requires orange
- Middle Creek late flintlock/archery hunt
Not required
Archery seasons for deer, bear and elk; waterfowl, doves, turkeys (strongly recommended), furbearers, crows; after-Christmas flintlock season.
Archers in a firearms season
Hunters using archery gear during firearms deer, bear or elk seasons must meet orange requirements.
Blinds and enclosed stands
In a blind or enclosed tree stand during regular firearms deer, bear or elk seasons, display at least 100 sq in of orange within 15 feet of the blind/stand, visible 360 degrees, in addition to wearing orange.
Non-hunters on State Game Lands
Unlawful to be on State Game Lands Oct. 1-Jan. 31 and April 20-May 31 (Sundays included) without 250 sq in of orange or an orange hat, unless lawfully hunting/trapping/fishing where orange is not required; shooting range users exempt.
People with a hunter
Unlicensed persons accompanying a licensed hunter must wear the required orange; mentors and mentored hunters must meet the orange rules for the species.
Woodchuck hunters
Solid fluorescent orange hat visible 360 degrees.
Sources: fluorescent orange, p. 8; State Game Lands rules, checked October 12, 2026.
All 34 method and conduct rules
Grouped by topic. Each card is the digest rule in short form with the page it came from.
Bait, feeding and lures
Baiting (general)
Unlawful to hunt in or around any area where bait, food, salt, minerals or their residues are or were used within the past 30 days to lure game or wildlife. Normal farming/habitat practices and food plots are not baiting; crop manipulation for doves allowed; nonliving bait allowed for coyotes.
Deer baiting in Special Regulations Area
Deer may be hunted over bait in the Southeast Special Regulations Area (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia; rules now include federal lands) on private, municipal and federal lands: shelled corn, apples, protein pellets or agricultural products; no mineral blocks; max 5 gallons; from two weeks before the first deer season to the close of the last; bait site labeled with name/address or Sportsman's Equipment ID.
Bear baiting, scents and feeding
Unlawful to hunt bears over bait used within 30 days or to use scents/lures for bears; unlawful to intentionally place food that causes bears to congregate.
Feeding on State Game Lands, state parks and forests
Feeding wildlife or placing food, salt or minerals is prohibited on SGLs, state parks and state forests; CWD feeding bans apply in listed counties/townships.
Elk
Unlawful to feed elk at any time or to drive or herd elk.
Lures and scents for deer
Non-food lures and cover scents legal; food-based lures illegal; cervid urine attractants now legal (2025 law).
Calls, decoys, dogs, drones and electronics
Electronic calls and devices
Electronic devices prohibited except: electronic callers for bobcat, coyote, fox, raccoon, crow and conservation-season snow geese; non-beam lighted pins and reticles; arrow/bolt tracking lights; two-way radios for general communication only; hearing-protection amplifiers; electronic-ignition firearms; rangefinders; dog-locating collars; heated scent dispensers and ozone devices; ice-eaters.
Turkey calls and decoys
No electronic callers, live decoys or drives for turkeys; hunt by calling only; fanned-tail blinds illegal; blinds must be manmade and enclose the hunter on all sides and top.
Decoys
Food-simulating decoys are bait; live decoys prohibited for all hunting; electronic decoys allowed for crows, waterfowl and doves.
Dogs
Unlawful to use dogs to hunt elk, bears, deer or spring turkeys; dogs allowed for fall turkey, small game and furbearers (not during regular firearms deer and bear seasons for furbearers). Leashed tracking dogs may recover deer, bear or elk with no permit.
Dog training
No closed season except on SGLs from the Monday before the youth pheasant season until the statewide pheasant opener; no license needed; landowner permission needed on Sundays on private land.
Drones
Unlawful to use a drone in any part of hunting, including tracking or recovery, and to launch/retrieve drones on SGLs.
Safety zones, parties and drives
Safety zones
Unlawful to hunt, shoot, trap, chase or disturb wildlife within 150 yards of an occupied residence, camp, farm building, school, day-care or playground without occupants' permission, or to shoot into a zone. Archery/crossbow zone 50 yards (still 150 yards around schools, playgrounds, day-care). No hunting on hospital/institution grounds or cemeteries. No firearm discharge within 150 yards of a PGC vehicle releasing pheasants.
Hunting parties
Max 25 for deer, elk or bears; max 6 for small game (not waterfowl/dove hunters in blinds or stationary).
Drives
Drives permitted for deer and bear only; unlawful to drive elk or turkeys; drivers must be licensed and wear orange.
Injury reports
Hunting-related shooting injuries must be reported to PGC within 72 hours; fleeing or failing to render aid is unlawful.
Drugs and alcohol
Unlawful to hunt under the influence; alcohol prohibited on SGLs.
Vehicles, roads and lights
Road hunting and loaded firearms in vehicles
No hunting from vehicles, shooting at wildlife on or across roads, or shooting within 25 yards of the traveled roadway after alighting. No loaded firearm in, on or against a motor vehicle; no charged and primed muzzleloader or cocked loaded crossbow in a motorized conveyance; no loaded firearm in a powered watercraft until motor off and stopped.
Spotlighting
Unlawful while possessing a firearm/bow/device, during the regular firearms deer season (closes 11 p.m. day before, reopens a full day after), or after 11 p.m.; recreational spotlighting lawful sunrise-11 p.m. Furbearer hunters on foot may use handheld or gun-mounted lights (no laser).
Disabled Person Permit (vehicle as blind)
Loaded firearm in a parked vehicle off the highway right-of-way with engine off; one loaded firearm; not for migratory birds.
On State Game Lands
ATVs and motor vehicles on State Game Lands
Motorized vehicles prohibited off roads open to vehicular travel (except battery wheelchairs with Disabled Person Permit and designated roads for permit holders); unlicensed vehicles prohibited on roads; snowmobiles only on designated routes third Sunday of January-April 1; 25 mph where unposted.
Non-motorized travel and horses on SGLs
Bikes and horses only on designated trails; prohibited Oct. 1-Jan. 31 and April 20-May 31 (incl. Sundays) except while lawfully hunting, trapping or fishing.
Tree stands and blinds
Unlawful to damage trees with stands or climbing devices (except own land/with written permission). On SGLs, stands and blinds may be placed no more than two weeks before the first and removed within two weeks after the last deer season in that area, and must carry name/address, CID or Sportsman's Equipment ID. Placing a stand does not reserve the spot.
Sundays and migratory birds
Sunday hunting
All seasons except migratory game birds include all Sundays. Written permission on private land recommended, not required. Limited to Nov. 15, 22, 29 in state parks/preserves in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties.
Migratory bird restrictions
No migratory bird hunting on Sundays; no sink boxes, motor vehicles, aircraft, moving motorboats, live decoys, recorded calls (except snow goose conservation season), baited areas (baited for 30 days after removal) or driving birds.
After the shot
Transporting game
Big game must carry the completed tag during transport (incl. animals taken out of state). Deer may be moved between any locations; high-risk CWD parts must go to commercial trash once moved. Small game untagged with owner, labeled if unaccompanied. Furs shipped out of state need an official shipping tag.
Tracking wounded game
Notify the Centralized Dispatch Center (1-833-PGC-HUNT) when tracking after hours or on closed days; cannot dispatch injured wildlife outside lawful hunting.
Mistake kills
Deliver big game killed by mistake to a game warden within 24 hours with a written statement; restitution elk/bear $100, deer $25, turkey $20, other $15.
Road-killed deer and turkeys
Residents may keep for personal consumption with a PGC permit number within 24 hours; antlers, beards and spurs may not be kept; may not be used to bait coyotes.
Field possession limits
Opening day: no more than the daily limit; afterward no more than three days' limit.
Trapping, feral swine and posting
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.
Feral swine
Daylight hunting with hunting or furtaker license; during big-game seasons only by persons with a valid big-game tag lawfully hunting big game; 250 sq in orange with firearms; report within 24 hours.
Purple paint posting
Vertical purple marks (8×1 in, 3-5 ft high, max 100 ft apart) mean no trespassing (all counties except Philadelphia and Allegheny); defiant trespass up to 1 year and $2,500.
Fluorescent orange
250 sq in on head, chest and back during small game, firearms deer/bear/elk, muzzleloader and Ag Tag seasons; see regs.json hunter_orange.
Places with their own rules
Special Regulations Areas
Allegheny County, Bucks County, Chester County, Delaware County, Montgomery County and Philadelphia. Special controlled hunts at Ridley Creek and Tyler state parks.
Deer and bear: Philadelphia County: bows and crossbows only. Other SRA counties: manually operated rifles and handguns chambered for straight-walled centerfire cartridges; muzzleloaders .44 or larger; manual or semiautomatic shotguns .410 or larger with slugs; bows and crossbows (125 lb min). No buckshot.
Small game: Shotguns plugged to 3 shells; .22 or less rimfire; muzzleloading shotguns; single-projectile muzzleloaders .40 or less; bows; crossbows; air guns .177-.22 (.22+ for woodchucks/furbearers). No bottlenecked centerfire; coyote and woodchuck hunters may use straight-walled centerfire. Philadelphia: only bows, crossbows, air rifles and shotguns.
Deer baiting: Southeast Special Regulations Area (digest p.15 and pocket guide): bait permitted while hunting deer on private, municipal and federal lands: shelled corn, apples, protein pellets, natural agricultural products; no mineral blocks; max 5 gallons; only from two weeks before the first deer season to the close of the last; labeled with name/address or Sportsman's Equipment ID.
Wild Pheasant Recovery Areas
Central Susquehanna WPRA (Northumberland and Montour counties) and Franklin WPRA (Franklin County). No pheasant season in either WPRA in 2026-27.
CWD feeding bans
Executive Director may prohibit feeding of deer/wild cervids at the county and township level. CWD Designation of Prohibited Feeding Areas Order #1 (signed August 2026) designates these areas: Adams; Bedford; Blair; Cambria (12 municipalities); Clearfield (6 municipalities); Cumberland; Dauphin; Franklin; Fulton; Huntingdon; Indiana (6 municipalities); Jefferson (7 municipalities); Juniata; Mifflin; Perry; Snyder; Somerset (5 municipalities); York.
Sources: Special Regulations Areas; pheasant recovery areas; feeding ban order, checked October 12, 2026.
Penalties and license revocation
The digest lists revocation periods rather than fine amounts, and a Pennsylvania suspension follows a hunter into every state in the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact.
Mandatory revocations
Failure to respond to citation: indefinite; failure to pay fine within 180 days: indefinite; hunting under the influence: 1 year; refusing chemical test: 1 year (3 years repeat); shooting a person: 2 years (no/minor injury), 5-10 years (serious injury), 15 years (death); fleeing/failing to render aid: 10 years nonfatal, 15 years fatal; second trespass while hunting: 5 years.
Other revocation periods
Assaulting an officer 3 years; resisting/failure to stop 2 years; selling wildlife: T&E 7 years, big game up to 5 years, other 3 years; big game in closed season or over limit up to 5 years; hunting while revoked 5 years; baiting bear/elk 3 years, other game 2 years; unlawful big game in season: bear/elk 3 years, deer/turkey 1 year; disturbing traps, closed-season trapping, killing protected wildlife, over-limit small game/migratory birds 1 year.
Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact
Pennsylvania is a member (36th state); suspensions are shared with member states.
Mistake kill restitution
Elk or bear $100; deer $25; turkey $20; other species $15.
Defiant trespass
Up to one year in jail and $2,500 fine; PGC may enforce trespass as a primary offense.
Shooting a dog not attacking big game
Misdemeanor under the Crimes Code, up to $5,000 and two years, plus civil liability.
Uncollectible checks
$25 fee plus prosecution costs; licenses invalid until paid.
Reporting violations
Operation Game Thief hotline 1-888-PGC-8001.
Act 54 of 2010 increased fines and revocation periods for serious violations; specific fine amounts by offense grade are not listed in the digest.
Sources: 2026-27 digest; penalties, p. 60, checked October 12, 2026.
Keep reading the Pennsylvania section
Hunting law questions
Can I hunt deer over bait or a feeder?
Not in most of the state: hunting where bait was placed in the past 30 days is unlawful. The exception is the Southeast Special Regulations Area, where up to 5 gallons of corn, apples or protein pellets is allowed on private, municipal and federal land.
Can I hunt on Sunday in Pennsylvania?
All seasons except migratory game birds include all Sundays. Written permission on private land recommended, not required. Limited to Nov. 15, 22, 29 in state parks/preserves in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties.
How much orange do I need for rifle deer season?
250 square inches on the head, chest and back combined, visible from all sides. In a ground blind or enclosed stand, also hang 100 square inches within 15 feet.
How close to a house can I hunt?
150 yards from an occupied home, camp, farm building, school, day-care or playground without the occupants’ permission. Archers and crossbow hunters may come to 50 yards, except around schools, playgrounds and day-cares.
Are semiautomatic rifles legal for deer?
No. Semiautomatic rifles are legal only for small game and furbearers. A semiautomatic centerfire shotgun with single projectiles is legal for deer, bear and elk.
Can I use a drone to find a deer I shot?
Unlawful to use a drone in any part of hunting, including tracking or recovery, and to launch/retrieve drones on SGLs. A leashed tracking dog may be used instead, with no permit.
Can I use dogs to hunt deer or bear?
No. Dogs may not be used for elk, bear, deer or spring turkey, but they are allowed for fall turkey, small game and furbearers.
Do I need orange on State Game Lands if I am not hunting?
Unlawful to be on State Game Lands Oct. 1-Jan. 31 and April 20-May 31 (Sundays included) without 250 sq in of orange or an orange hat, unless lawfully hunting/trapping/fishing where orange is not required; shooting range users exempt.
What does purple paint on trees mean?
Vertical purple marks (8×1 in, 3-5 ft high, max 100 ft apart) mean no trespassing (all counties except Philadelphia and Allegheny); defiant trespass up to 1 year and $2,500.
How many people can be in a deer drive?
Hunting parties for deer, elk or bear are capped at 25. Drives are lawful only for deer and bear, and every driver must be licensed and in orange.
Confirm with the Game Commission
Rules here follow the 2026-27 license year, July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. Questions go to the PGC line at 1-833-PGC-HUNT.
Other photos on this page: Intermountain Region US Forest Service (Public domain); USFWS Midwest Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Buck Valley Ranch (CC BY 2.0); USFWS Mountain-Prairie (Public Domain Mark 1.0).