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Furbearers in Pennsylvania
Bobcat Hunting in Pennsylvania
Bobcat season is open in 17 of the 22 WMUs and closed in 1A, 1B, 5B, 5C and 5D. WMU 5A is newly open this year. 2026-27 bobcat dates, limits, harvest and public tracts.
Photo: Under the same moon… (CC BY 2.0)
Trapping runs Dec 19, 2026 to Jan 10, 2027, and hunting Jan 9 to Feb 3, 2027. Each furtaker may take one bobcat a license year with a $6.97 bobcat permit, bought before the season opens. PGC surveys estimated 1,092 taken in 2025 by 25,162 hunters and trappers.
PGC quick facts on bobcats
- Trapping Dec. 19-Jan. 10; hunting Jan. 9-Feb. 3, 2027; 1 per year with $6.97 permit; WMU 5A newly open.
Every bobcat segment this license year
2 Season rows cover bobcats this year; tap a WMU code for that unit’s full calendar.
| Segment | WMU or zone | First day | Last day | Days | Sundays | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunting | WMUs 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E, 5A | Jan 9, 2027 | Feb 3, 2027 | 26 | 4 | |
| Trapping | WMUs 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E, 5A | Dec 19, 2026 | Jan 10, 2027 | 23 | 4 |
Fine print from the season table
- One bobcat per license year (hunting and trapping combined); bobcat permit ($6.97) required. WMU 5A newly open.
- One bobcat 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.
Limits on bobcats
Bobcat limits, from the digest and the season table.
Bobcat, 2026-27
1 per license year with permit.
Where bobcat rules change: the WMU table
Bobcat hunters should know their WMU first: these figures change from unit to unit.
| WMU | Status | State Game Lands, sq mi | Other public land, sq mi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1A | No season | 127 | 0 |
| 1B | No season | 82 | 1 |
| 2A | Open, permit | 69 | 0 |
| 2B | Open, permit | 2 | 0 |
| 2C | Open, permit | 246 | 129 |
| 2D | Open, permit | 84 | 0 |
| 2E | Open, permit | 119 | 26 |
| 2F | Open, permit | 221 | 1,127 |
| 2G | Open, permit | 294 | 1,816 |
| 3A | Open, permit | 87 | 81 |
| 3B | Open, permit | 277 | 220 |
| 3C | Open, permit | 71 | 0 |
| 3D | Open, permit | 249 | 170 |
| 4A | Open, permit | 157 | 106 |
| 4B | Open, permit | 66 | 174 |
| 4C | Open, permit | 261 | 27 |
| 4D | Open, permit | 222 | 557 |
| 4E | Open, permit | 60 | 17 |
| 5A | Open, permit | 14 | 134 |
| 5B | No season | 62 | 0 |
| 5C | No season | 52 | 1 |
| 5D | No season | 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.
Mapped public land for bobcats
The map pins up to 80 of the 135 tracts that list furbearers; the table starts with the 15 largest. Look for the star: those descriptions name bobcats. Tracts outside the open WMUs are left off.
| Area | Type | County | WMU | 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 |
Further bobcat options
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) · 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) · Raccoon Creek State Park (7,000 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) · Blue Knob State Park (5,000 ac) · Bald Eagle State Park (4,910 ac) · State Game Lands 244 (4,872 ac) · State Game Lands 228 (4,226 ac) · Hillman State Park (3,650 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 117 (2,895 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) · Kings Gap Environmental Education Center (2,500 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) · State Game Lands 203 (1,541 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 310 (1,197 ac) · State Game Lands 273 (1,146 ac) · Mount Pisgah State Park (1,100 ac) · plus 60 more
County guides for bobcats
- Jefferson County9 tracts
- Monroe County8 tracts
- Somerset County7 tracts
- Wayne County7 tracts
- Fayette County6 tracts
- Luzerne County6 tracts
- Potter County6 tracts
- Carbon County5 tracts
- Clarion County5 tracts
- Schuylkill County5 tracts
- Warren County5 tracts
- Westmoreland County5 tracts
- Armstrong County4 tracts
- Bradford County4 tracts
- Butler 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.
Bobcat harvest numbers
Survey harvest of bobcats, newest year highlighted.
Harvest data: furbearer harvest, hunters and trappers. Estimates as published by the PGC.
What the law says about bobcats
Licenses, hours, orange and the other PGC rules that apply to bobcats.
Paperwork
Licenses and permits that apply to bobcats.
When to shoot
Bobcat hunters may go out day or night, with the deer-season night-only rule applying to the smaller furbearers.
Orange
Orange is not on the list for bobcats. If you walk State Game Lands between Oct. 1 and Jan. 31 for anything else, orange is required.
Sunday rule
Sundays are open for bobcats in 2026-27; state parks in five southeast counties limit Sundays to Nov. 15, 22 and 29. Sunday details
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.
Guns, bows and methods for bobcats
Arms rules change with the season, so check the row for the season you are hunting.
| Season | Allowed | Not allowed |
|---|---|---|
| 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. |
| 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. |
Other bobcat method rules
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.
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.
Bobcat questions and answers
Which WMUs are open for bobcats?
2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E and 5A.
How do I report a bobcat?
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.
Which sporting arms may I use on bobcats?
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.
Is Sunday bobcat hunting legal?
Sundays are open for bobcats in 2026-27; state parks in five southeast counties limit Sundays to Nov. 15, 22 and 29.
How many bobcats may I keep?
1 per license year with permit.
When do bobcats open and close in Pennsylvania?
Bobcats: hunting Jan 9 to Feb 3, 2027 (WMUs 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E, 5A); trapping Dec 19, 2026 to Jan 10, 2027 (WMUs 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E, 5A).
Where can I hunt bobcats without private access?
135 tracts on our list qualify; the largest are Rothrock State Forest, Delaware State Forest and Forbes State Forest.
Do bobcat hunters need anything beyond a hunting license?
PGC licenses for bobcats: Resident Adult Furtaker License ($20.97); Nonresident Adult Furtaker License ($81.97); Bobcat Permit ($6.97).
Do bobcats fall under the orange rule?
Orange is not on the list for bobcats. If you walk State Game Lands between Oct. 1 and Jan. 31 for anything else, orange is required.
When can bobcat hunters start shooting?
Bobcat hunters may go out day or night, with the deer-season night-only rule applying to the smaller furbearers.
Gear that fits Bobcat country
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Bobcat: final checks
Pair this bobcat guide with the WMU guide for the ground you hunt; unit lines follow roads, not county lines.
Other photos on this page: TheTurducken (CC BY 2.0); USFWS Midwest Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Gregory "Slobirdr" Smith (CC BY-SA 2.0); ZionNPS (CC BY 2.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Don Owens (CC BY 2.0).