Pennsylvania Game Commission Announces Updated Antlerless License Process for 2024-25 Hunting Season

The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners recently met in Harrisburg to give final approval to the 2024-25 hunting and trapping seasons and bag limits.

One significant decision made during the meeting was in Wildlife Management Units 4A, 4D and 5A, in that an extended firearms season for antlerless deer will be held from Jan. 2 to Jan. 20, running concurrently with the final two weeks of the flintlock and late archery seasons within those WMUs.

Chronic Wasting Disease is present in these WMUs and extended seasons are being offered to help meet deer harvest goals there.

Additionally, it was decided that mentored hunters of all ages will be eligible to hunt in the early October pheasant season segment, known best as the Junior Hunt.

The changes to the antlerless license purchasing process were announced at the Game Commission's Board of Commissioners meeting, held April 13, 2024.

Below we have outlined some of the most notable changes to the PA Doe Tag purchase process, including important dates for sales, additional tag rounds, available antlerless deer license totals by WMU, and more.

Reminder - New Antlerless License Process:

Previously, Pennsylvania state law required antlerless licenses to be issued only by county treasurers.

Hunters would Apply For And Receive Their Licenses through the mail, which was considered an outdated and inflexible process.

With the enactment of Act 148 of 2022, the Pennsylvania Game Commission has modernized and simplified how antlerless deer licenses are sold.

This means that hunters in the 2024-25 license year will be able to purchase them online at HuntFishPA or at any in-store hunting license issuing agent, such as Kinsey's Outdoors.

The Board of Commissioners has now finalized the process by which licenses will be sold, with the following key points:

• 1. Antlerless deer and elk license allocations are based on scientific data and tailored to meet population objectives within each WMU and Elk Zone.

• 2. Antlerless licenses for 2024-25 again will be sold over the counter and online, but there are some changes to the sales schedule and process this year.

• 3. First, when 2024-25 general hunting licenses go on sale to Pennsylvania residents at 8 a.m. on Monday, June 24, antlerless licenses for only three Wildlife Management Units – WMUs 1B, 2G and 3A – will be sold.

• 4. On Thursday, June 27 at 8 a.m., antlerless licenses for the remaining 19 WMUs will go on sale to residents. Residents seeking licenses in any of these WMUs won’t need to wait in line for them; they’ll be guaranteed to get one, as long as they buy before 7 a.m. on Monday, July 8 – when the resident-only portion of the first round of sales ends.

• 5.Licenses for WMUs 1B, 2G and 3A will to be sold on a first come, first serve basis until the allocation is exhausted. There may be sold on a first come, first serve basis until the allocated number of licenses is exhausted.

• 6.These changes should work in tandem to reduce wait times for hunters buying their licenses. By opening antlerless license sales initially in three WMUs that are likely to sell out the fastest, and taking the others out of the mix, demand during the first three days will be channeled and surely will decrease overall. And by guaranteeing an antlerless license to a hunter in any other WMU, it largely eliminates the need to stand in line.

Preparing for the New Process:

Hunters are encouraged to review their HuntFishPA customer profile information to ensure their contact information, including address, phone number, and email, is correct and up-to-date.

This will enable the PA Game Commission to communicate directly with hunters.

Cost of Antlerless Deer Licenses:

Resident Antlerless Deer Licenses will cost $6.97, while Nonresident Antlerless Deer Licenses will cost $26.97.

2023 Antlerless Deer License Totals by WMU:

The Game Commission announced 1,186,000 antlerless deer licenses will be allocated statewide for 2024-25, which is up from the 1,095,000 licenses allocated for 2023-24.

Allocations for each Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) are as follows, with previous year allocations shown in parentheses.

WMU 1A – 46,000 (46,000)
WMU 1B – 37,000 (37,000)
WMU 2A – 46,000 (46,000)
WMU 2B – 53,000 (53,000)
WMU 2C – 93,000 (88,000)
WMU 2D – 102,000 (86,000)
WMU 2E – 54,000 (52,000)
WMU 2F – 55,000 (49,000)
WMU 2G – 37,000 (35,000)
WMU 3A – 21,000 (21,000)
WMU 3B – 34,000 (32,000)
WMU 3C – 40,000 (40,000)
WMU 3D – 41,000 (41,000)
WMU 4A – 61,000 (61,000)
WMU 4B – 60,000 (46,000)
WMU 4C – 53,000 (32,000)
WMU 4D – 77,000 (77,000)
WMU 4E – 61,000 (54,000)
WMU 5A – 40,000 (40,000)
WMU 5B – 67,000 (60,000)
WMU 5C – 79,000 (70,000)
WMU 5D – 29,000 (29,000)

Once the sale of antlerless deer licenses begins, you can see PA doe license availability by WMU on HuntFishPA Here.

For more information on antlerless deer licenses and applications – visit the Pennsylvania Game Commissions Website Here.

To shop our full line of archery, hunting, firearms, and outdoor gear and accessories – Visit Our Website, or better yet, stop by our retail store in person at 1658 Steel Way Drive, Mount Joy, PA 17552.

We're conveniently located off the Rheems/Elizabethtown exit of Route 283.