The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners gave preliminary approval to the 2026-27 hunting and trapping seasons and bag limits.
The Board discussed a preliminary 2026-27 season proposal that would have moved the firearms deer season a week earlier, causing the firearms bear season and others to shift as a result. That proposal was part of the Board’s prepared agenda. However, the Board voted 6-3 to reject that plan and move ahead with a proposal that largely mirrors last year’s seasons.
All 2026-27 season proposals include the Sundays that fall within the listed start and end dates. Also, seasons that previously ended on Saturdays largely would end on Sundays, providing one additional day of opportunity.
Migratory game bird seasons are set later and not included on this list. It has not been determined at this time whether those seasons will include Sundays.
The preliminarily approved 2026-27 seasons include several significant changes:
- For wild turkeys, a bag limit of one spring gobbler is proposed to offset possible additional harvest due to the inclusion of Sundays and ensure that harvest rates remain within sustainable levels.
- For white-tailed deer, minor adjustments to date structures of extended firearms, flintlock, and late archery seasons are proposed to reduce complexity and to ensure season lengths correspond to sporting arm efficiency and management objectives.
- For black bears, in WMU 3D, a longer archery bear season (overlapping with the entire first segment of the archery deer season) is proposed to increase harvest in response to high levels of bear-human conflict in this area.
- For elk, a new early October firearms season segment is proposed to limit crowding and maintain hunter satisfaction under current and potential future increased license allocations. The late firearms elk season is proposed to be moved later in January to avoid conflicts with major holidays.
- For small game, the squirrel, ruffed grouse, rabbit, pheasant, bobwhite quail and woodchuck seasons all are proposed to remain open during the firearms deer season.
- For furbearers, WMU 5A is proposed to be opened to bobcat hunting and trapping, and WMUs 2G, 3A, and 4C are proposed to be opened to river otter trapping. Habitat and population data indicate that these units can support sustainable harvest for these species.
The public may offer comments on all proposed 2026-27 seasons and bag limits, as well as other board actions, between now and the board’s April meeting, when 2026-27 seasons and bag limits will be finalized, and antlerless deer license allocations will be presented.
The board is scheduled to meet April 10 and 11 at the Game Commission’s Harrisburg headquarters.
