FOR LANDOWNERS:
Public landowners, political subdivisions, government agencies, private landowners, and any defined hunting club are eligible for the program.
A hunting club is defined as a corporation or legal cooperative that owns its enrolled acres in fee title, was established prior to January 1, 2000, and has provided its club charter and list of current members to the Game Commission.
Landowners can apply by downloading applications and instructions from www.pa.gov/pgc. Instructions for online renewal are also available.
Applications must be submitted to local Game Commission region offices and postmarked by July 1.
FOR HUNTERS:
Each DMAP permit enables a hunter to harvest an antlerless deer on the specific property for which the permit is issued.
Landowners participating in DMAP may make permits available for hunters to purchase directly through license-issuing agents and online through www.HuntFish.PA.gov, or they can choose to issue coupons to hunters that hunters then may redeem to purchase permits at any license-issuing agent or online.
For DMAP properties where landowners provide coupons to hunters, hunters can purchase up to four DMAP permits. On all other properties, the limit is two DMAP permits per hunter.
If a landowner isn’t issuing coupons, hunters, before purchasing permits, might need to contact the landowner to get the DMAP unit number for the property, or for properties open to public hunting, go to www.pa.gov/pgc to find the unit number.
Sales of Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) permits will not begin until the third round of antlerless license sales, Monday, Aug. 11 at 8 a.m.
A DMAP permit costs $10.97 for a resident, and $35.97 for a nonresident.
Hunters on DMAP properties may hunt antlerless deer in any deer season using the sporting arm and/or implement allowed during that season. The hunter must be properly licensed for the season; for example, archery or muzzleloader licenses are required to take antlerless deer with DMAP permits during those seasons.
Additionally, the extended firearms season for antlerless deer (Dec. 26-Jan.24) has been approved for all DMAP properties. If an extended season is open within a Wildlife Management Unit (WMU), a hunter may use either an antlerless license or a DMAP permit on a DMAP property. If an extended season is not open within a WMU, hunters on DMAP properties need a valid DMAP permit (for the property they’re on) to take part in the extended season.
A mentor can transfer one DMAP permit to an eligible mentored hunter below age 7. Mentored hunters ages 7 and older each are eligible to purchase their own DMAP permits.
A valid DMAP permit held by a mentor for potential transfer shall be kept in the mentor’s possession at all times while hunting antlerless deer, and transferred after the mentored hunter under age 7 has harvested the antlerless deer, and before tagging the deer.
Reporting on harvest success is mandatory for all DMAP permit holders, regardless of whether a deer is taken. On a postcard, check the “no harvest” box if no game is harvested. Report online at www.HuntFish.PA.gov or report by phone at 1-800-838-4431.
Finding Landowner Information
Contact information for public lands and some private lands enrolled in DMAP will be posted online at www.pa.gov/pgc. Contact information for private landowners enrolled in DMAP is posted only with the landowner’s permission. Hunters without Internet access can obtain listings of eligible DMAP properties by mailing a self-addressed, stamped envelope, along with a letter indicating their county of interest, to the Game Commission region office responsible for that particular county. For more information on the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ participation in the DMAP program, visit www.pa.gov/agencies/dcnr.
Deer Management Assistance Program permits for the 2025-26 hunting season will be available on certain State Game Lands within the Northwest, Northcentral, Northeast, and Southeast Regions. The use of DMAP on these game lands better allows the Game Commission to achieve its goal of creating healthy wildlife habitat, while providing more opportunities for hunters. Hunters can purchase up to two DMAP permits per SGL DMAP unit. More information about where permits are offered can be found in the Participating Landowner Properties section on the DMAP page of the Game Commission’s website.
www.pa.gov/pgc