Deer Hunting Season Begins In PA: What You Need To Know

PENNSYLVANIA — Firearms deer hunting season begins in Pennsylvania on Nov. 30, and the state game commission expects more than half a million hunters will be in the woods on opening day.

No other day of the hunting calendar draws as much participation.

“Growing up, I looked forward to the first day of deer season all year,” Game Commission Executive Director Steve Smith said in a statement. “I’m hardly alone that way. For many of us, hunting, and deer hunting in particular, isn’t just a hobby. It’s a part of the fabric of our lives."

This year’s deer season starts on Saturday, continues on Sunday, Dec. 1, then runs from Dec. 2-14, excluding Sunday, Dec. 8. Hunters are permitted to harvest one antlered deer with a valid general hunting license, which costs $20.97 for state residents and $101.97 for nonresidents.

To take an antlerless deer, a hunter must possess either a valid antlerless deer license or valid Deer Management Assistance Program permit.

When hitting the woods, hunters are required to wear 250 square inches of daylight flourescent orange material on the head, chest and back combined and it must be visible from 360 degrees. An orange vest and hat satisfies the requirement.

Last year, across all of the 2023-24 deer seasons, hunters harvested an estimated 430,010
white-tailed deer. The statewide buck harvest was estimated at 171,600; the antlerless harvest was estimated at 258,410.

As in years past, the regular firearms deer season accounted for the majority of the take. Firearms hunters took an estimated 254,710 deer, with 86,260 of those bucks and the remaining 168,450 being antlerless. The game commission expects similar numbers this year.