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Pennsylvania State Forests for Hunting
All 20 DCNR state forest districts, 2,215,145 acres by DCNR’s own page figures, open to hunting and trapping under PGC seasons.
2,215,145 acres of forest districts
Sproul State Forest is the largest at 305,450 acres, followed by Susquehannock State Forest (265,000) and Elk State Forest (217,000). 4 districts overlap a 2026 elk hunt zone. DCNR allows hunting throughout the forests except safety zones around buildings and picnic areas, and Sunday hunting on forest land follows the Game Commission dates.
Every district compared
| Forest | District | Acres (DCNR page) | GIS acres | Counties | WMU | Wild areas | Natural areas | Elk zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sproul State Forest [2G] | Forest District 10 | 305,450 | 307,153 | Clinton, Centre, Potter, Cameron, Lycoming | 2G | Russell P. Letterman Wild Area, Burns Run Wild Area | 24 | Yes |
| Susquehannock State Forest [2G, 3A] | Forest District 15 | 265,000 | 260,126 | Potter, Clinton, McKean | 2G, 3A | Hammersley Wild Area | 2 | Yes |
| Elk State Forest [2G] | Forest District 13 | 217,000 | 217,308 | Cameron, Elk, McKean, Potter, Clinton, Clearfield | 2G | Quehanna Wild Area, Square Timber Wild Area | 13 | Yes |
| Bald Eagle State Forest [4D] | Forest District 7 | 194,602 | 194,324 | Union, Centre, Mifflin, Snyder, Clinton, Lycoming, Juniata | 4D | Penns Creek Wild Area | 8 | No |
| Moshannon State Forest [2E, 2G, 4D] | Forest District 9 | 190,031 | 191,151 | Clearfield, Centre, Elk, Cameron, Clinton | 2E, 2G, 4D | Quehanna Wild Area, Restricted Area | 1 | Yes |
| Tioga State Forest [2G, 3A, 3B] | Forest District 16 | 161,890 | 162,031 | Tioga, Lycoming, Bradford, Potter | 2G, 3A, 3B | Asaph Wild Area | 5 | No |
| Tiadaghton State Forest [2G, 4D] | Forest District 12 | 146,539 | 147,013 | Lycoming, Clinton, Potter, Tioga, Union | 2G, 4D | Wolf Run Wild Area, Algerine Wild Area | 5 | No |
| Loyalsock State Forest [3B] | Forest District 20 | 114,552 | 114,647 | Lycoming, Sullivan, Bradford | 3B | McIntyre Wild Area, Kettle Creek Wild Area | 3 | No |
| Tuscarora State Forest [4B] | Forest District 3 | 96,025 | 96,127 | Perry, Juniata, Mifflin, Franklin, Cumberland, Huntingdon | 4B | James C. Nelson Wild Area | 3 | No |
| Rothrock State Forest [4A, 4D] | Forest District 5 | 96,000 | 96,360 | Huntingdon, Centre, Mifflin | 4A, 4D | Thickhead Wild Area, Trough Creek Wild Area | 6 | No |
| Michaux State Forest [5A] | Forest District 1 | 85,500 | 87,449 | Cumberland, Franklin, Adams | 5A | — | 4 | No |
| Delaware State Forest [3D] | Forest District 19 | 83,519 | 84,225 | Pike, Monroe | 3D | Stairway Wild Area | 6 | No |
| Buchanan State Forest [4A, 4B] | Forest District 2 | 71,683 | 71,896 | Bedford, Fulton, Franklin | 4A, 4B | Martin Hill Wild Area | 2 | No |
| Forbes State Forest [2C] | Forest District 4 | 59,000 | 59,506 | Somerset, Fayette, Westmoreland | 2C | Quebec Run Wild Area | 2 | No |
| Pinchot State Forest [3B, 3C, 3D, 4E] | Forest District 11 | 54,000 | 48,456 | Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Wayne | 3B, 3C, 3D, 4E | — | 1 | No |
| Weiser State Forest [3D, 4C, 4E] | Forest District 18 | 30,000 | 28,208 | Dauphin, Schuylkill, Columbia, Northumberland, Berks, Carbon | 3D, 4C, 4E | — | 22 | No |
| Gallitzin State Forest [2C, 4D] | Forest District 6 | 24,370 | 24,462 | Somerset, Cambria, Indiana, Bedford | 2C, 4D | Clear Shade Wild Area | 1 | No |
| Clear Creek State Forest [2D, 2F] | Forest District 8 | 16,716 | 16,103 | Jefferson, Venango, Clarion, Forest | 2D, 2F | — | — | No |
| William Penn State Forest [5B, 5C, 5D] | Forest District 17 | 1,683 | 1,828 | Berks, Chester, Delaware, Bucks | 5B, 5C, 5D | — | 3 | No |
| Cornplanter State Forest [1B, 2F] | Forest District 14 | 1,585 | 1,491 | Forest, Crawford, Warren | 1B, 2F | — | 1 | No |
Acres from each DCNR forest page and the DCNR boundary layer; wild and natural areas from DCNR GIS; elk zones from the PGC 2026 hunt boundaries. Checked October 12, 2026.
State forest questions
Do I need a permit to hunt state forest land?
No. A Pennsylvania hunting license and the PGC season rules apply; there is no separate DCNR hunting permit.
Which forests are in elk country?
Sproul State Forest, Susquehannock State Forest, Elk State Forest and Moshannon State Forest.
Are wild areas open to hunting?
The wild areas are part of the forest districts, and DCNR names only safety zones around buildings and picnic areas as closed.