Board of Game Commissioners increases overall antlerless license allocation.

The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners yesterday gave final approval to hunting and trapping seasons and bag limits for the 2017-18 license year.

A list of all seasons and bag limits appears at the end of this news release.

The commissioners also set the number of antlerless deer licenses to be allocated, as well as the number of elk licenses to be allocated for the coming license year.

The board voted to allocate 804,000 antlerless deer licenses statewide, which up from 748,000 licenses in 2016. Allocations by Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) are as follows, with the allocation from the previous license year appearing in parentheses: WMU 1A – 52,000 (46,000); WMU 1B – 35,000 (29,000); WMU 2A – 50,000 (43,000); WMU 2B – 60,000 (61,000); WMU 2C – 31,000 (31,000); WMU 2D – 55,000 (55,000); WMU 2E – 22,000 (21,000); WMU 2F – 24,000 (22,000); WMU 2G – 25,500 (21,000); WMU 2H – 7,000 (6,000); WMU 3A – 20,000 (15,000); WMU 3B – 30,000 (28,000); WMU 3C – 42,000 (36,000); WMU 3D – 25,000 (25,000); WMU 4A – 30,000 (30,000); WMU 4B – 26,000 (26,000); WMU 4C – 29,000 (25,000); WMU 4D – 34,000 (34,000); WMU 4E – 27,500 (25,000); WMU 5A – 22,000 (19,000); WMU 5B – 57,000 (50,000); WMU 5C – 70,000 (70,000); and WMU 5D – 30,000 (30,000).


Hunters should note the boundary between WMUs 2C and 2E has changed.

Hunting licenses for 2017-18 go on sale in mid-June and become effective July 1. After hunters purchase a general hunting license, they may apply for antlerless deer licenses based on staggered timelines, which will be outlined in the 2017-18 Pennsylvania Hunting & Trapping Digest to be made available online.

The board also voted to issue 118 elk licenses (25 antlered, 93 antlerless) for the 2017 hunt.

The licenses again will be awarded by lottery, and the deadline to enter the drawing is July 31.

Elk applications cost $10.90, and only one application may be submitted each license year.

Other modifications proposed for the 2017-18 seasons include: moving the statewide archery bear season to the next-to-the-last week of the archery deer season; changing the firearms deer season in Wildlife Management Units 5A and 5B to bucks-only hunting from the opening day through the first Friday; opening a conservative mid-week fall turkey season in Wildlife Management Area 5B, and reducing the season length in WMUs 4A, 4B and 4E; eliminating the post-Christmas segment of the ruffed-grouse season to improve adult survival due to recent population declines; restoring an extended black-bear season in WMU 3A; opening the Central Susquehanna Wild Pheasant Recovery Area to a youth-only pheasant-hunting season; removing restrictions on hunting small game, other than pheasants, in all Wild Pheasant Recovery Areas, and re-establishing statewide put-and-take bobwhite quail hunting with a longer season and larger bag limit, given the lack of wild quail in the state and the low likelihood of quail reintroduction occurring in Pennsylvania anytime soon.
Several highlights pertaining to the 2017-18 seasons and bag limits follow.

For Information Contact:
Travis Lau
717-705-6541
trlau@pa.gov