Tyler State Park To Close Dec. 1 For Whitetail Deer Shotgun Hunt

NEWTOWN, PA — Tyler State Park will close to all activities on Dec. 1 for the annual whitetail deer shotgun hunt, a chance for hunters to enjoy a day in the woods and for Pennsylvania to keep deer populations under control.

The park will reopen for normal use at 8 a.m. Dec. 2.

According to a news release by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, hunters in the commonwealth harvested an estimated 435,180 deer in the 2020-21 seasons. That was the highest harvest in 15 years, 12 percent higher than the 2019-20 harvest of 389,431.

Deer populations remain stable across most of the state’s 23 Wildlife Management Units, according to the game commission.

Deer season in Pennsylvania this year begins on Nov. 27 and runs through Dec. 11, with just one day off on Dec. 5. The rules have also changed: hunters with the proper licenses can harvest either an antlered or antlerless deer at any time throughout the season anywhere in the state, as opposed to last year when just 10 units allowed concurrent buck and doe hunting.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission also made it possible this year for hunters to hold up to six antlerless licenses at a time, if the total tag allocation hasn’t been sold out. Last year, the limit was three, but some 16,000 antlerless licenses remained available.

Hunters are permitted to harvest one antlered deer with a valid general hunting license, which costs $20.97 for adult residents and $101.97 for adult nonresidents.

To take an antlerless deer, a hunter must possess either a valid antlerless deer license or valid Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) permit. A mentored hunter under the age of 7 cannot apply for their own antlerless license or DMAP permit but can harvest an antlerless deer if an antlerless license or DMAP permit is transferred to them by a mentor at the time of harvest. Antlerless deer licenses can be used anywhere within the Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) for which they’re issued.

To learn more about the Tyler State Park closure on Dec. 1, call (215) 968-2021. Learn more about deer hunting regulations from the Pennsylvania Game Commission here.

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