Pennsylvania Whitetail Deer Hunting 2026: Season Dates, Sunday Hunting, WMU Rules & Nonresident Guide

Pennsylvania deer hunting in 2026-27 is the first full season after the Sunday hunting ban was repealed. Statewide archery runs October 3 – November 20 and December 26 – January 24. Regular firearms is November 28 – December 13. Flintlock is December 26 – January 24. WMUs 2B, 5C, and 5D open archery on September 19. A nonresident general license is $101.97 and includes one antlered tag. Always confirm at the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

• Archery (WMUs 2B, 5C, 5D): September 19 – November 27, 2026, and December 26, 2026 – January 24, 2027
• Archery (statewide): October 3 – November 20, 2026, and December 26, 2026 – January 24, 2027
• Regular firearms: November 28 – December 13, 2026 (Sundays included)
• Flintlock: December 26, 2026 – January 24, 2027 statewide
• Nonresident general license: $101.97 (one antlered deer tag)

Quick Facts: Pennsylvania Whitetail Deer 2026-27

Dates and fees above are from the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s 2026-27 season announcement, hunting digest, and license schedule. PGC aligned late archery and flintlock to the same January 24, 2027 close statewide. Confirm the digest before you hunt.

Why Pennsylvania for Whitetail Deer

Pennsylvania still treats the firearms opener like a state holiday. Rural schools historically closed, and deer camp remains the backbone of fall in a lot of counties. More than 1.5 million acres of State Game Lands, plus more than 2.2 million acres of state forest and the Allegheny National Forest, make it one of the most publicly accessible deer states east of the Mississippi.

The Wildlife Management Unit system splits the Commonwealth into 23 units. Each WMU gets its own antlerless allocation, and most use antler-point restrictions to protect yearling bucks. Herd density and antler quality change fast from suburban Philadelphia and Pittsburgh units to the big-woods northern tier.

For 2026-27 the Sunday hunting ban is gone for deer. Combined with a $20.97 resident general license and a $101.97 nonresident license that already includes an antlered tag, Pennsylvania remains one of the most affordable major whitetail states in the country.

When Is Pennsylvania Deer Season in 2026-27?

Bag for all seasons: one antlered deer per hunting license year. Each antlerless deer needs its own antlerless license, DMAP permit, or Ag Tag, except that an unused antlered tag may be used on an antlerless deer during the after-Christmas flintlock season.

Archery Season

An archery license is required in addition to the general hunting license. Crossbows are legal for all hunters during archery.

• WMUs 2B, 5C, and 5D (Pittsburgh and Philadelphia metro units): September 19 – November 27, 2026, and December 26, 2026 – January 24, 2027
• Statewide (all other WMUs): October 3 – November 20, 2026, and December 26, 2026 – January 24, 2027

PGC shortened the old split between metro and statewide late archery. Both late archery windows now close January 24.

October Antlerless Seasons

• Antlerless muzzleloader (statewide): October 17–25, 2026. Requires a muzzleloader license plus an antlerless license or permit.
• Special firearms, antlerless only (statewide): October 22–25, 2026. Limited to junior and senior license holders, mentored permit holders, disabled hunters with a vehicle-as-blind permit, and qualified Pennsylvania residents on active duty.

Regular Firearms Season

November 28 – December 13, 2026. Sixteen consecutive days, the Saturday after Thanksgiving through the second Sunday in December. All Sundays in that window are open. Fluorescent orange is required (250 square inches on head, chest, and back combined).

Flintlock and Late Archery

December 26, 2026 – January 24, 2027 statewide for both late archery and flintlock. Flintlock requires a muzzleloader license. During flintlock only, an unused general-license antlered tag may be used on an antlerless deer anywhere in the state.

Extended Antlerless Firearms

• WMUs 2B, 5C, 5D: December 26, 2026 – January 24, 2027
• WMUs 4A, 4C, 4D, 5A: December 26, 2026 – January 18, 2027
• DMAP properties statewide: December 26, 2026 – January 24, 2027, with a valid DMAP permit

What Did the Sunday Hunting Repeal Change?

Act 36 of 2025, signed July 9, 2025, repealed Pennsylvania’s statewide Sunday hunting ban. For 2026-27, PGC included every Sunday that falls inside a listed season. Many seasons that used to end on Saturday now end on Sunday.

Migratory game birds stay closed on Sunday — waterfowl, mourning doves, and woodcock. Those seasons follow federal frameworks. A PGC survey showed a slight majority of migratory-bird hunters wanted Sundays left closed, and federal rules make a later reversal difficult.

Private land: The old law that required written permission specifically for Sunday hunting has been lifted. PGC still recommends carrying a signed permission slip so a warden can confirm access quickly. You still need lawful permission to hunt private land any day of the week.

Public land: State forests are open on PGC-authorized Sundays. State parks and preserves are open statewide on those Sundays except in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties, where Sunday hunting on those properties is limited to November 15, 22, and 29 in areas designated open to hunting. Confirm the tract before you go.

What Licenses and Fees Do You Need?

The general license is the bargain: one antlered tag plus fall and spring turkey and small game. Archery, muzzleloader, antlerless, and DMAP are add-ons.

2026-27 licenses went on sale June 22, 2026, at 8 a.m. Buy them at HuntFish.PA.gov or any PGC issuing agent.

Antlerless sale sequence:

• June 22, 8 a.m.: residents only; one WMU of choice is guaranteed through July 13 at 7 a.m.
• July 13, 8 a.m.: remaining licenses first-come, first-served; nonresidents may buy
• July 27 and August 10: later rounds; DMAP sales start August 10
• August 24: fourth round; personal limit of six unfilled antlerless licenses, or 15 in WMUs 5C and 5D

Each antlerless license is valid only in the WMU printed on it.

Hunter education is required for first-time license buyers. Complete it through a PGC-approved course.

How Do Antler Restrictions and WMUs Work?

Pennsylvania manages deer through 23 Wildlife Management Units. Antlerless licenses are allocated by WMU. Most of the state uses a three-point rule.

• Most WMUs: three points on one antler. A point is any projection at least one inch long, including the brow tine.
• WMUs 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, and 2D (“three up”): three points on one side, counting the main beam as a point and excluding the brow tine.
• Juniors, mentored youth, and some disabled and resident active-duty hunters: two or more points on one antler, or a spike three or more inches long. Senior license holders follow adult APRs.

2026-27 antlerless allocation is 1,469,000, up from 1,312,000 in 2025-26. No WMU was cut. Large increases include WMU 4D (+37,000), 2C (+24,000), and 5A (+19,000). WMUs 5C (101,000) and 5D (44,000) still allow up to 15 unfilled antlerless licenses per hunter.

Where to Hunt Pennsylvania Whitetails

North-Central Big Woods

WMUs 2G, 2F, and neighboring northern units are classic big-woods hunting on State Forest and State Game Lands. Density is lower than farm country. Public access is strong and pressure is lighter than in suburban units.

South-Central Farm Country

Cumberland Valley and surrounding agricultural WMUs mix private farmland with public game lands. Nutrition is better, deer numbers are higher, and buck quality is often stronger than in the big woods.

WMUs 5C and 5D (Suburban Philadelphia)

These units carry some of the highest antlerless allocations because development limits hunter access while deer numbers stay high. Archery opens earliest here. Suburban-edge hunting is the tradeoff.

Public Land

PGC manages more than 1.5 million acres of State Game Lands. DCNR adds more than 2.2 million acres of state forest. The Allegheny National Forest covers much of the northwest. Use PGC’s WMU and game-lands maps before you travel.

When Is the Pennsylvania Rut?

Peak breeding usually sits inside statewide archery and just before the November 28 firearms opener. Rifle hunters typically see post-rut deer that are still moving.

What Are Pennsylvania’s CWD Rules in 2026-27?

PGC dropped Disease Management Areas and now manages CWD by Wildlife Management Unit. CWD has been found in wild deer in several WMUs, concentrated in south-central Pennsylvania.

• Transport: Hunters may move a deer between sites. Whole-carcass DMA travel bans are gone.
• High-risk parts: After the animal leaves the harvest site, it is unlawful to dump heads, backbone, and other high-risk parts on the landscape. Dispose of them through a commercial trash service or another PGC-approved method. Leaving those parts at the kill site (burying is recommended) remains lawful.
• Testing: In WMUs where CWD has been found, PGC provides free head-collection bins. Leave the completed harvest tag on the ear. Antlers will not be returned. Results take about two to three weeks.
• Hotline: 1-833-INFOCWD or infocwd@pa.gov

Do not eat a CWD-positive animal. Confirm current WMUs and bin locations at arcg.is/1G4TLr before you hunt.

How Do You Hunt Whitetail Deer in Pennsylvania as a Nonresident?

There is no draw. Buy licenses over the counter.

What nonresidents need:

• General hunting license: $101.97 (one antlered tag)
• Archery license: $26.97 if you hunt bow or crossbow season
• Muzzleloader license: $21.97 for October muzzleloader or after-Christmas flintlock
• Antlerless license: $26.97 each, WMU-specific, available starting July 13, 2026
• Hunter education: required for first-time buyers

Estimated cost for one buck: about $102 for firearms only, or about $129 with archery. Add $27 per antlerless license.

Sundays inside deer season are now legal, so a weekend trip no longer loses Saturday-to-Monday travel to a Sunday closure. Confirm the specific State Game Land or state park before you plan a Sunday hunt, especially in the five southeastern counties.

State Game Lands make Pennsylvania a strong DIY nonresident state. Pick the WMU first — that choice controls antler restrictions, antlerless leftover odds, and late-season structure.

Buy licenses at HuntFish.PA.gov.

Key Resources

• PGC seasons and bag limits: pa.gov/agencies/pgc/huntingandtrapping/regulations/seasons-and-bag-limits
• 2026-27 hunting digest (PDF): pa.gov/.../pa game hunttrap digest 26-27.pdf
• Final 2026-27 seasons announcement: pa.gov/agencies/pgc/newsroom/final-2026-27-hunting-seasons-approved
• License types and fees: pa.gov/agencies/pgc/huntingandtrapping/licenses-and-permits/license-types
• HuntFishPA: huntfish.pa.gov
• CWD information: arcg.is/1G4TLr

For more whitetail guides by state, visit The Inside Spread State Guides. See the Pennsylvania hunting guide and Pennsylvania spring turkey hunting 2026.

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Sources

1. Pennsylvania Game Commission. "Final 2026-27 Hunting Seasons Approved." PGC, pa.gov/agencies/pgc/newsroom/final-2026-27-hunting-seasons-approved. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.
2. Pennsylvania Game Commission. "2026-27 Hunting and Trapping Digest." PGC, pa.gov/content/dam/copapwp-pagov/en/pgc/documents/hunttrap/law/pa%20game%20hunttrap%20digest%2026-27.pdf. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.
3. Pennsylvania Game Commission. "Seasons and Bag Limits." PGC, pa.gov/agencies/pgc/huntingandtrapping/regulations/seasons-and-bag-limits. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.
4. Pennsylvania Game Commission. "License Types." PGC, pa.gov/agencies/pgc/huntingandtrapping/licenses-and-permits/license-types. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.
5. Pennsylvania Game Commission. "2026-27 Hunting Licenses to Go on Sale June 22." PGC, pa.gov/agencies/pgc/newsroom/2026-27-hunting-licenses-to-go-on-sale-june-22. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.
6. Pennsylvania Game Commission. "Antlerless Deer License." PGC, pa.gov/agencies/pgc/huntingandtrapping/licenses-and-permits/antlerless-deer-license. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.