The Pennsylvania Game Commission has announced that the 2025-27 hunting licenses went on sale June 22. As a reminder to hunters, the new license year kicks off July 1, 2026 and 2025-26 licenses and permits expired so the new license will be needed before heading afield.

As before, hunters can purchase their new licenses at any commercial issuing agents including county treasurer offices and PGC offices, the closest to the Lehigh Valley is on Route 222 in Berks County, or online at www.HuntFishPA.gov. Hunting license fee remains $20.97 for residents and $101.97 for nonresident adults.

As for antlerless licenses, the first round also began on June 22 for all WMUs wherein resident hunters are guaranteed one antlerless license in any WMU through 7 a.m. on July 13, 2026.

Then again on Monday, July 13, beginning at 8 a.m., all remaining licenses will be sold on a first come basis until the allocation for the WMU is exhausted.

ROUND 2

On Monday, July 27, beginning at 8 a.m., unsold licenses will be available to license buyers (residents and nonresidents) on a first come basis.

ROUND 3

Monday, Aug 10, beginning at 8 a.m., unsold licenses will be sold to all license buyers on a first come basis. Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) permit sales will also begin at 8 a.m.

ROUND 4

Monday, Aug. 24, beginning at 8 a.m., unsold licenses will be sold to all license buyers (residents and nonresidents) on a first come basis.

In most of the state, hunters may hold up to six unfilled antlerless licenses at a time. Once reaching that limit, they are not able to buy additional licenses until they use tags by harvesting deer and reporting them.

Locally, hunters in WMU’s 5C and 5D, in southeastern Pennsylvania, may hold up to 15 unfilled licenses at a time. In these highly developed WMUs, where there’s less public land and limited hunting access, a higher limit helps hunters better seize opportunities to harvest antlerless deer says the PGC.

To check your favored WMU for any remaining antlerless licenses in real time, go to HuntFish.PA.gov and click on the Antlerless Deer tab. Then click on Antlerless Deer Quota. The PGC goes on to say that as antlerless license sales progress, tracking sales gives a clear sense of how fast licenses for a given WMU are selling, and how expedient you may want to buy one before they’re all gone.