Antlerless deer licenses can be purchased anywhere licenses are sold. This year, antlerless licenses for WMUs 1B, 2G and 3A will go on sale to Pennsylvania residents the first day of general hunting license sales – Monday, June 24 at 8 a.m. Licenses for these WMUs will be sold first come, first serve until the license allocation for the WMU is exhausted. Antlerless licenses for the remaining WMUs will go on sale to residents on Thursday, June 27 at 8 a.m. Licenses in these WMUs are guaranteed to resident hunters who buy at any time until 7 a.m. July 8. Sales to nonresidents begin at 8 a.m. July 8. No remaining antlerless licenses are guaranteed. No hunter may purchase more than one antlerless license in the first round of sales, or exceed more than three antlerless licenses by the close of the third round. In the fourth round, hunters can buy additional licenses to reach their personal limit of six unfilled antlerless licenses. Sales of Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) permits begin in the third round of sales, on Monday, Aug. 12 at 8 a.m.
Resident and nonresident antlerless deer licenses can be purchased online at www.HuntFish.PA.gov or at any issuing agent, including County Treasurer offices and Game Commission offices. Resident Disabled Veteran and Resident Armed Forces Antlerless Deer Licenses are available only at County Treasurer offices and Game Commission offices. There is a validation process when purchasing online. Resident Disabled Veteran antlerless deer licenses are now available to Disabled Veterans who have a disability rating of 60-99% through Veterans Affairs. Resident and nonresident Landowner Antlerless Deer Licenses must be obtained at a County Treasurer office. Landowners seeking such licenses should contact their local County Treasurer for address information and hours of operation.
All hunting license holders may obtain up to six antlerless deer licenses before the start of the deer hunting seasons. No hunter may hold more than six unfilled antlerless licenses at a time. Those who hold mentored hunting permits – which are different than hunting licenses – may obtain only one antlerless deer license total in a license year. The number of antlerless deer licenses made available in each Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) is allocated by the Game Commission based on scientific data on deer populations. With limited numbers available, licenses for at least some WMUs could sell out before the second or third round of sales begins. Consequently, most hunters will never reach their personal limit of six unfilled antlerless deer licenses. But in WMUs where licenses remain, enabling more hunters to purchase antlerless licenses increases their opportunity and helps to achieve deer-management goals. Hunters who obtain six antlerless deer licenses may buy additional licenses, if available, as they harvest deer and report them. Hunters who report harvests online through www.HuntFish.PA.gov or call the Customer Support line at 1-800-838-4431 instantly become eligible to purchase another license, if any are available. Those reporting by mail will not be eligible to buy another license until their report is logged.
Qualified resident and nonresident applicants for landowner antlerless deer licenses (see license section in the back of this digest for qualifications) must apply directly to the County Treasurer of the county where the qualifying acreage is located.
These licenses are available the 3rd week in June, a Monday if not a state-observed holiday, and should be applied for prior to the start of the regular application period, which begins the 4th Monday in June. If the qualifying acreage is located within a county with two or more WMUs, the applicant selects the desired WMU.
If the applicant or his or her agent cannot apply in person, a completed application, proper remittance ($6.97 for residents, $26.97 for nonresidents), proof of ownership and a Landowner Antlerless Deer License Application/Affidavit (available from County Treasurers, Game Commission offices or www.pgc.pa.gov) should be mailed to the Treasurer in a plain envelope marked “Landowner Antlerless Application.”
Applicants who apply by mail must include a self-addressed, stamped return envelope. Do not mail antlerless requests directly to the Game Commission.
Landowner antlerless deer licenses for WMUs other than 1B, 2G and 3A will not be sold from June 24-26, but will be available for sale as long as WMU licenses remain available.
Qualified resident applicants who have a service-incurred 60-100% disability, or the loss of use of one or more limbs, may apply to any County Treasurer or Game Commission office for the WMU in which they desire to hunt. Regardless of allocations or application deadlines, only one antlerless deer tag is guaranteed per license year. Disabled Veteran antlerless deer licenses for WMUs other than 1B, 2G and 3A will not be sold from June 24-26.
Qualified residents serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces, or within 60 days from honorable discharge, may apply to any County Treasurer for the WMU in which they desire to hunt.
Regardless of allocations or application deadlines, only one antlerless deer license is guaranteed. Armed Forces Resident antlerless deer licenses for WMUs other than 1B, 2G and 3A will not be sold from June 24-26.
Applicants who lose their antlerless deer license may obtain a replacement at any license sales location. Do not mail replacement requests directly to the Game Commission.
Antlerless deer licenses are allocated based on scientific data on deer populations. Increased allocations might address CWD risk in some WMUs or forest impacts in others. Shown below are the 2024-25 allocation, followed by the change in the number of available licenses compared to last year and the 2023-24 sell-out date. For reference, licenses went on sale June 26 last year. Nonresidents could buy licenses beginning July 10. The second round began July 24, the third round started Aug. 14 and the fourth round began Aug. 28.
WMU 1A – 46,000 (+/- 0) 8/14
WMU 1B – 37,000 (+/- 0) 7/22
WMU 2A – 46,000 (+/- 0) 9/19
WMU 2B – 53,000 (+/- 0) 11/22
WMU 2C – 93,000 (+5,000) 10/8
WMU 2D – 102,000 (+16,000) 8/25
WMU 2E – 54,000 (+2,000) 9/8
WMU 2F – 55,000 (+6,000) 7/24
WMU 2G – 37,000 (+2,000) 6/28
WMU 3A – 21,000 (+/- 0) 7/23
WMU 3B – 34,000 (+2,000) 7/24
WMU 3C – 40,000 (+/- 0) 7/25
WMU 3D – 41,000 (+/- 0) 8/14
WMU 4A – 61,000 (+/- 0) N/A
WMU 4B – 60,000 (+14,000) 8/26
WMU 4C – 53,000 (+21,000) 7/22
WMU 4D – 77,000 (+/- 0) 9/1
WMU 4E – 61,000 (+7,000) 8/15
WMU 5A – 40,000 (+/- 0) 10/2
WMU 5B – 67,000 (+7,000) 8/14
WMU 5C – 79,000 (+9,000) 8/28
WMU 5D – 29,000 (+/- 0) 9/4