Pennsylvania hunters gear up for deer season, set to begin Saturday

WILKES-BARRE — When Steve Smith was growing up, he looked forward to the first day of deer season all year, the Pennsylvania Game Commission executive director said this week.

“I’m hardly alone that way,” Smith said. “For many of us, hunting — and deer hunting in particular — isn’t just a hobby. It’s a part of the fabric of our lives. Our hunting culture, and our commitment to wildlife and conservation, is so strong, so deeply rooted, so passionate, that it’s impossible to separate it from who and what we are.”

Smith said shoppers have Black Friday, but for Pennsylvania hunters, the real action starts one day later, on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, when the statewide firearms deer season begins.

Smith said no other single point of the hunting calendar draws as much participation.

Opening day, which falls on Nov. 30 this year, will put more than half a million hunters in the woods — all looking to bring home healthy venison to fill their freezers.

“It’s about more than just that, though,” Smith said.

For many families — those who hunt from camps and those who hunt closer to home — Smith said the deer opener is an event — a chance to bring together family and friends and make memories centered on the outdoors that will be retold for generations.

Season opens Saturday

This year’s deer season starts on Saturday, Nov 30, continues on Sunday, Dec. 1, then runs from Dec. 2-14, excluding only Sunday, Dec. 8.

Hunters are allowed one antlered deer per year, plus one antlerless deer for every Wildlife Management Unit (WMU)-specific antlerless license or Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) permit.

• Last year, across all of the 2023-24 deer seasons, hunters harvested an estimated 430,010 white-tailed deer.

• The statewide buck harvest was estimated at 171,600, while the antlerless harvest was estimated at 258,410.

• As in years past, the regular firearms deer season accounted for the largest part of the take. Firearms hunters took an estimated 254,710 deer, with 86,260 of those bucks and the remaining 168,450 being antlerless.

Smith said he expects similar numbers this year, if history is any guide.

According to the National Deer Association, an advocacy group working to ensure the future of wild deer, wildlife habitat and hunting, Pennsylvania annually ranks in the top five, if not the top three, among states in terms of antlered buck harvest; antlered buck harvest per square mile; antlerless deer harvest; antlerless deer harvest per square mile; and antlerless deer per antlered buck harvest.

That’s been true for at least a decade.

Pennsylvania grows bucks with impressive antlers, too. The implementation of antler-point restrictions in 2002 — which limit hunters to harvesting bucks with three or four points on one side, depending on which area of the state — has changed the buck harvest.

At one time, yearling bucks — those about 18 months old with their first set of antlers — dominated the harvest. Now, two of every three bucks is at least 2.5 years old. Smith said that translates to older, bigger deer with more impressive headgear.

Connecting with one of them, or any deer, is a matter of hunting in good habitat, where deer find the food and cover they need.

But it’s also a matter of patience, said David Stainbrook, the Game Commission’s Deer and Elk Section Supervisor.

“Success in harvesting deer starts with scouting and knowing the land,” Stainbrook said. “But putting in time is important, too, so hunters should hit the woods every chance they get. Even one additional day hunting can make the difference between filling a tag or not.”

License requirements

Hunters are permitted to harvest one antlered deer with a valid general hunting license, which costs $20.97 for adult residents and $101.97 for adult nonresidents.

To take an antlerless deer, a hunter must possess either a valid antlerless deer license or valid Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) permit. A mentored hunter under the age of 7 cannot apply for their own antlerless license or DMAP permit, but can harvest an antlerless deer if an antlerless license or DMAP permit is transferred to them by a mentor at the time of harvest.

Be aware that licenses purchased online must be mailed, to provide hunters with an actual harvest tag. So hunters buying their license close to opening day may want to do so in person at a vendor, so as to get their harvest tag immediately and be able to lawfully hunt.

A DMAP permit, meanwhile, can be used only on the specific property for which it is issued. Some DMAP permits might remain available on private and public properties throughout the state.

Those holding senior lifetime licenses are reminded they must obtain a new antlered deer harvest tag each year, free of charge, to participate in the season.

Deer season regulations

Deer hunters everywhere statewide must wear at all times a minimum of 250 square inches of fluorescent orange material on their head, chest and back combined, visible from 360 degrees, during the firearms deer season. An orange hat and vest will satisfy the requirement.

Non-hunters who might be afield during deer season and other hunting seasons should consider wearing orange, as well. And on state game lands between Nov. 15 and Dec. 15, non-hunters are required to meet the 250-square-inch fluorescent orange requirement.

Hunters who harvest a deer are required to affix a valid tag to the ear — not an antler — before the deer is moved. Hunters can use a large safety pin to attach the tag, as it won’t damage the ear. The tag must be filled out with ballpoint pen.

Hunters must then report their harvests to the Game Commission within 10 days. Harvests can be reported online at www.huntfish.pa.gov, by calling 1-800-838-4431 or by mailing in the postage-paid cards that are provided in the digest.

Mentored youth hunters are required to report deer harvests within five days. Hunters with DMAP permits must report on their hunting success within 10 days of the last possible date of harvest, regardless of whether they harvest deer.

Just remember one thing: there are, across Pennsylvania, fewer butchers handling deer than in years past. Some get all that they can handle quickly, too, especially around opening day.

So it’s a good idea for all hunters — and especially those removing a deer from a DMA or the EA — to call ahead and make sure your processor of choice is open and accepting whitetails.

And once again, hunters who harvest a deer in a DMA or the EA can get it tested for CWD for free by placing the animal’s head in one of many collection bins, the locations of which are identified on the Game Commission website.