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HARRISBURG -- The new license year for hunters begins July 1, and licenses are on sale now.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission has maintained the same price structure as the current season, except for a newly offered discount for Hunter-Trapper Education instructors who are Pennsylvania residents -- they can purchase a general hunting license for just $1, plus $1.97 in administrative fees.
General hunting licenses and furtaker licenses each cost $20.97 for Pennsylvania residents and $101.97 for nonresidents. Resident senior hunters and furtakers ages 65 and older can purchase one-year licenses for $13.97, or lifetime licenses for $51.97. For $101.97, resident seniors can purchase lifetime combination licenses that afford them hunting and furtaking privileges.
Like other hunters and trappers, seniors still need to purchase bear licenses to pursue bruins and obtain permits to harvest bobcats, fishers or river otters. Hunters who acquired their senior lifetime licenses after May 13, 2017, are required to obtain an annual pheasant permit to hunt or harvest pheasants.
Hunters once again this coming season may carry digital versions of their licenses in place of paper licenses. License buyers will be emailed a PDF version of their licenses, so long as they provide an email address in their online profile at HuntFishPA. This applies whether they buy licenses online or at an issuing agent. All documents will be emailed, except for harvest tags.
Deer, bear and turkey hunters, and those hunting or trapping in any other season where harvests must be tagged, must continue to carry paper harvest tags afield. No electronic harvest tags are being issued or authorized for use. And all paper licenses and permits that are carried afield must be signed.
Those who plan on hunting big game or bobcats, or trapping bobcats, fishers or otters must plan ahead of time to be sure that they are in possession of their harvest tags prior to hunting or trapping those species. All harvest tags will be mailed to those who purchase their licenses online.
A complete list of licensing requirements can be found at www.pgc.pa.gov.
Hunting will again be offered on three Sundays: Nov. 13, Nov. 20 and Nov. 27. They're open for all species that are in season, except turkeys and migratory game birds.
There are 178 licenses available for Pennsylvania elk hunters, including a record 60 bull tags, spread out across three seasons. Licenses are awarded by lottery. License applications can be submitted online or at any license issuing agent. A separate application, costing $11.97, is needed for each season. The deadline to apply for an elk license is July 31.
Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) permits are available in limited numbers and enable holders to harvest antlerless deer in any established deer season. A resident Pennsylvanian who buys their 2022-23 hunting license is eligible to apply for an antlerless deer license July 11. Nonresidents can apply July 18.
Hunters statewide now can hold up to six unfilled antlerless deer licenses. A total of 948,000 antlerless deer licenses are available, up from 925,000 last year.
New this year, starting in November hunters can also get Agricultural Deer Permits, previously known as "red tag" permits, through the online licensing system. Cost of the permits is $1.97, which covers administrative fees associated with the license system.
Hunting licenses can be purchased online at https://huntfish.pa.gov.