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Crow Hunting in Pennsylvania
Crows may be hunted Aug 20, 2026 to Mar 21, 2027, but only Thursday through Sunday. Below: every 2026-27 segment, the limits, WMU detail, public land, harvest figures and the rules for crows.
Photo: USFWS Mountain-Prairie (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
There is no limit, and electronic callers are legal for crows. The 2025 survey estimated 33,509 crows taken by 6,189 hunters. Electronic decoys are allowed for crows; live decoys are not.
Crow: the PGC summary
- Aug. 20-March 21, 2027, Thursday-Sunday only; no limit; electronic calls allowed.
2026-27 crow calendar
From the first crow opener to the last close, 1 segment make up the 2026-27 calendar.
| Hunt | Applies in | Start | End | Length | Sundays | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular season (Thursday-Sunday only) | Statewide | Aug 20, 2026 | Mar 21, 2027 | 214 | 31 |
Season table notes
- Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only. No limit.
From the Pennsylvania Game Commission seasons and bag limits and the 2026-27 digest, checked October 12, 2026.
What the PGC allows for crows
Read these before counting crows; the wording is the Game Commission’s.
Crow limit
No limit.
Public land for crows
For crows we fall back to the 87 tracts whose game list includes small game.
| Name | Land type | County | WMUs | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohiopyle State Park | State Park | Fayette | 2C | 20,000 |
| Moraine State Park | State Park | Butler | 1A | 14,000 |
| Hickory Run State Park | State Park | Carbon | 3D/4C | 13,000 |
| Laurel Ridge State Park | State Park | Somerset, Westmoreland, Cambria | 2C | 13,000 |
| Cook Forest State Park | State Park | Clarion, Forest, Jefferson | 2F | 11,000 |
| Pymatuning State Park | State Park | Crawford | 1A | 10,300 |
| Ricketts Glen State Park | State Park | Luzerne, Sullivan | 3B/4E | 10,287 |
| Raccoon Creek State Park | State Park | Beaver | 2A | 7,000 |
| Oil Creek State Park | State Park | Venango | 2F | 6,800 |
| French Creek State Park | State Park | Berks, Chester | 5C | 6,000 |
| Lehigh Gorge State Park | State Park | Carbon, Luzerne | 3D/4C | 6,000 |
| Prince Gallitzin State Park | State Park | Cambria | 2E | 5,600 |
| Tobyhanna State Park | State Park | Monroe, Wayne | 3D | 5,200 |
| Blue Knob State Park | State Park | Bedford | 2C | 5,000 |
| Bald Eagle State Park | State Park | Centre | 2G | 4,910 |
72 more tracts for crows
Hillman State Park (3,650 ac) · Nescopeck State Park (3,500 ac) · Nockamixon State Park (3,500 ac) · Swatara State Park (3,500 ac) · Elk State Park (3,150 ac) · Black Moshannon State Park (3,000 ac) · Shawnee State Park (3,000 ac) · Codorus State Park (2,800 ac) · Gouldsboro State Park (2,700 ac) · Tionesta Lake (2,619 ac) · Kings Gap Environmental Education Center (2,500 ac) · Yellow Creek State Park (2,300 ac) · Laurel Hill State Park (2,200 ac) · McConnells Mill State Park (2,200 ac) · Gifford Pinchot State Park (1,945 ac) · Beltzville State Park (1,700 ac) · Little Pine State Park (1,700 ac) · Locust Lake State Park (1,700 ac) · Kettle Creek State Park (1,640 ac) · Prompton State Park (1,400 ac) · Sinnemahoning State Park (1,400 ac) · Promised Land State Park (1,300 ac) · Mount Pisgah State Park (1,100 ac) · Tuscarora State Park (1,100 ac) · Maurice K. Goddard State Park (1,075 ac) · Clear Creek State Park (1,000 ac) · Evansburg State Park (1,000 ac) · Marsh Creek State Park (1,000 ac) · Boyd Big Tree Preserve Conservation Area (975 ac) · Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center (937 ac) · Lackawanna State Park (900 ac) · Ryerson Station State Park (900 ac) · Susquehanna Riverlands State Park (900 ac) · Big Pocono State Park (800 ac) · Keystone State Park (800 ac) · Parker Dam State Park (800 ac) · Salt Springs State Park (800 ac) · Joseph E. Ibberson Conservation Area (780 ac) · Caledonia State Park (740 ac) · Chapman State Park (700 ac) · Frances Slocum State Park (700 ac) · Denton Hill State Park (650 ac) · Cowans Gap State Park (630 ac) · Vosburg Neck State Park (575 ac) · Canoe Creek State Park (550 ac) · Lyman Run State Park (505 ac) · Erie Bluffs State Park (500 ac) · Raymond B. Winter State Park (487 ac) · Poe Valley State Park (450 ac) · Warriors Path State Park (349 ac) · Linn Run State Park (300 ac) · Little Buffalo State Park (300 ac) · Kinzua Bridge State Park (275 ac) · Worlds End State Park (265 ac) · Varden Conservation Area (256 ac) · Leonard Harrison State Park (250 ac) · Simon B. Elliott State Park (230 ac) · Sizerville State Park (200 ac) · Greenwood Furnace State Park (188 ac) · Whipple Dam State Park (114 ac) · and 12 more in the directories
Where crows counties rank
- Potter County5 tracts
- Luzerne County4 tracts
- Wayne County4 tracts
- Bedford County3 tracts
- Carbon County3 tracts
- Centre County3 tracts
- Cumberland County3 tracts
- Huntingdon County3 tracts
- Monroe County3 tracts
- Schuylkill County3 tracts
- Somerset County3 tracts
- Westmoreland County3 tracts
- York County3 tracts
- Butler County2 tracts
- Cambria County2 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.
Survey harvest of crows
PGC survey figures for crows; they are estimates, not check-station counts.
| Year | Harvest | Hunters | Hunter days | Per 100 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 33,509 | 6,189 | 19,125 | 175.21 |
| 2024 | 21,884 | 5,400 | 22,235 | 98.42 |
| 2023 | 23,802 | 4,312 | 21,452 | 110.95 |
| 2022 | 24,339 | 7,673 | 52,035 | 46.77 |
| 2021 | 44,014 | 7,804 | 55,743 | 78.96 |
| 2020 | 36,080 | 8,362 | 28,982 | 124.49 |
| 2019 | 30,271 | 9,827 | 42,313 | 71.54 |
| 2018 | 87,091 | 9,781 | 75,352 | 115.58 |
Harvest data: harvest, hunters, hunter days. Estimates as published by the PGC.
Crow licenses and requirements
Everything here is from the 2026-27 digest and applies statewide unless a WMU or area says otherwise.
Fees
The paperwork for crows, with fees.
Shooting time
Legal light for crows opens a half hour before sunrise and closes a half hour after sunset.
Safety orange
Crows are hunted without the orange requirement. Remember that coyote hunters during a big game season follow that season’s orange rule.
Sundays this year
Crows are the exception among birds: the season is Thursday to Sunday, so Sundays are open. Sunday hunting in PA
From the Pennsylvania Game Commission 2026-27 digest, license types and harvest reporting, checked October 12, 2026. Pennsylvania hunting laws · License guide.
What you may hunt crows with
The PGC lists legal arms by season; these rows cover crows.
| Applies to | Legal sporting arms | Prohibited |
|---|---|---|
| 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. |
Methods that matter for crows
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.
Decoys
Food-simulating decoys are bait; live decoys prohibited for all hunting; electronic decoys allowed for crows, waterfowl and doves.
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.
2026-27 digest, sporting arms and unlawful acts pages, checked October 12, 2026.
Quick answers on crows
Which days of the week is crow season open?
Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only.
What does the PGC allow per day for crows?
No limit.
What paperwork do crow hunters carry?
For crows: Resident Adult Hunting License ($20.97); Nonresident Adult Hunting License ($101.97).
Can I hunt crows on State Game Lands?
87 tracts on our list qualify; the largest are Ohiopyle State Park, Moraine State Park and Hickory Run State Park.
Can crows be hunted at night?
Legal light for crows opens a half hour before sunrise and closes a half hour after sunset.
Is orange needed when hunting crows?
Crows are hunted without the orange requirement. Remember that coyote hunters during a big game season follow that season’s orange rule.
Does Sunday hunting include crows?
Crows are the exception among birds: the season is Thursday to Sunday, so Sundays are open.
Can I use a rifle for crows?
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.
When can I hunt crows this season?
Crow hunters get regular season (thursday-sunday only) Aug 20, 2026 to Mar 21, 2027.
Before the drive to Crow country
Chosen around the hunting done here; listings update on every click.
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Wrapping up crows
A State Game Land, park or forest can add its own rules on top of the statewide crow rules here.
Other photos on this page: TheTurducken (CC BY 2.0); Intermountain Region US Forest Service (Public domain); Joseph Gage (CC BY-SA 2.0); cuatrok77 (CC BY-SA 2.0); Under the same moon… (CC BY 2.0); Renee Grayson (CC BY 2.0).