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Pennsylvania will be allocating 10% more antlerless deer licenses for the 2025-26 season. (Photo by Tony Campbell)

Pennsylvania has set its hunting and trapping seasons and has implemented some changes for 2025-26 including a 10% increase in antlerless deer license allocations.

According to pennlive.com, the Pennsylvania Game Commission recently announced that 1,312,000 antlerless deer licenses will be allocated statewide for 2025-26, which is a 10.6% increase from the 1,186,000 licenses allocated for 2024-25.

Beginning Monday, June 23, state residents can purchase antlerless licenses over the counter and online.

New for 2025-26, each Pennsylvania resident will be guaranteed one antlerless license for any Wildlife Management Unit, as long as they buy before 7 a.m. on July 7 when the first round of antlerless license sales opens to nonresidents.

A similar guarantee was offered for the 2024-25 license year, but it did not apply to WMUs 1B, 2B and 3A, which were sold first-come, first-served as in prior years.

According to the Game Commission, antlerless deer license allocations are based on scientific data and staff recommendations tailored to meet population objectives within each WMU and Elk Hunt Zone.

This year, the Game Commission is allocating 54% more antlerless tags for WMU 2G, which is the only WMU that sold out last year before the start of nonresident sales. According to a news release from the Game Commission, officials are comfortable guaranteeing Pennsylvania residents a license in any WMU during the two weeks before nonresident sales.

“Guaranteeing antlerless licenses to residents for most WMUs worked last year to spread sales and significantly reduce wait times for hunters buying licenses,” the news release states. “Extending that guarantee for all WMUs gives resident hunters everywhere flexibility, convenience, and the ability to avoid unwanted waits.”

All remaining antlerless licenses will be sold first-come, first-serve, once the nonresident portion of the first round begins at July 7.

The Game Commission has also allocated 140 elk licenses (65 antlered, 75 antlerless) across three 2025-26 elk seasons. Thirty antlered and 38 antlerless tags have been allocated for the one-week general season, which will run November 3-8.

Sixteen antlered and 11 antlerless elk licenses are available for the archery season open only in select Elk Hunt Zones, to run from Sept. 13-27. And there are 19 antlered and 26 antlerless licenses available for the Dec. 27-Jan. 3 late season.

New for this year, the Board of Game Commissioners voted to require all hunters to buy a hunting license before applying for an elk tag. Under current regulations, anyone can submit an elk license application, and applicants only have to buy a license if drawn.

Check out additional changes reported by the Game Commission here.