How new process to purchase antlerless licenses in PA will work
The Pennsylvania Game Commission is revamping the way doe hunters can purchase an anterless deer license.
The agency’s board of commissioners is scheduled to vote Jan. 28 on a plan that eliminates the use of pink envelopes that have been mailed to county treasurers to apply for an antlerless deer license. For more than four decades, county treasurers offices were the only place hunters could purchase a doe tag.
Starting in June, hunters can purchase antlerless deer licenses at all locations that sell licenses, including county treasurers, sport shops and online.
The proposed new structure includes four rounds of opportunities for the limited number of antlerless deer licenses that are allocated for Wildlife Management Units across the state with sales beginning at 8 a.m. on the following days:
Beginning the fourth Monday in June, all resident hunters can apply for their first tag. Beginning the second Monday in July, all nonresidents can apply.
The second round to buy licenses will begin on the fourth Monday of July for residents and nonresidents.
The third round opportunity to purchase remaining antlerless licenses will begin on the second Monday in August for both residents and nonresidents.
The fourth round for remaining antlerless licenses will begin on the fourth Monday in August. In the fourth round, hunters can apply for more than one license until they have five active antlerless deer licenses until the license allotment is exhausted. Last year the agency approved 948,000 antlerless deer licenses for the state.
The change - to allow more entities than county treasurers to sell antlerless licenses - happened on Nov. 3 when Gov. Tom Wolf signed Senate Bill 431 into law.
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The Jan. 28 meeting also includes votes on hunting seasons. The regular rifle deer hunting season is proposed to be similar to last year and start on the Saturday following Thanksgiving. The two-week season will begin on Nov. 25, and include Sunday, Nov. 26. The last day of rifle season is proposed for Dec. 9.
For black bear hunters, the commission’s staff is proposing to remove Wildlife Management Units 1B and 2C from the extended firearms season. The staff cited a decline in the number of nuisance bear complaints in these areas.
The agenda for the 8:30 a.m. Jan. 28 meeting is available at the Game Commission’s website, www.pgc.pa.gov. Under “About Us,” on the right side of the homepage, select “Events & Board Meetings,” then click the “Agenda” link.
The Game Commission’s headquarters is located at 2001 Elmerton Ave. in Harrisburg and the meeting is scheduled to be live-streamed on the agency’s YouTube channel.
Brian Whipkey is the outdoors columnist for USA TODAY Network sites in Pennsylvania. Contact him at bwhipkey@gannett.com and sign up for our weekly Go Outdoors PA newsletter email on this website's homepage under your login name. Follow him on Facebook @whipkeyoutdoors.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Doe tags, antlerless deer licenses in Pennsylvania go on sale in June
