September Board meeting gives PGC more flexibility over antlerless license sales while approving several land deals that could improve hunting access across Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners met September 25 at the Pennsylvania Game Commission headquarters in Harrisburg, approving a significant change to the way antlerless deer license sales can be structured and moving forward with a series of land acquisitions and exchanges affecting State Game Lands.
For deer hunters, the biggest news involves antlerless licenses. The change does not alter Wildlife Management Unit allocations or immediately establish a new license-sale schedule. Instead, it gives the Game Commission greater flexibility to determine how antlerless licenses will be sold in future years.
Antlerless Deer License Sales Could Look Different
Until now, Pennsylvania regulations prescribed a specific schedule for antlerless deer license sales. The newly adopted change removes that schedule from regulation and allows the Game Commission to establish a sales structure each year.
PGC will continue setting the number of antlerless licenses available in each Wildlife Management Unit based on deer-management objectives. What could change is when and how hunters get the opportunity to buy those licenses.
The Commission said the purpose is to allow the system to evolve as hunter purchasing habits and license availability change. Importantly, the action taken Friday does not create a new sales schedule or mandate a particular sales method.
Hunters also will not be caught off guard by a sudden change. The new regulation requires the Commission to provide at least 30 days’ notice before licenses go on sale.
That means Pennsylvania deer hunters should pay particularly close attention to PGC announcements ahead of the 2027-28 license year rather than assuming the antlerless purchasing schedule will remain the same.
Commercial Guide Reporting Change Proposed
The commissioners also proposed, but did not yet finally adopt, eliminating the annual reporting requirement for licensed commercial guides.
Under the proposal, guides would no longer need to file a separate annual report with the Game Commission. They would still be required to maintain accurate records covering their clients, dates of guided activities, harvested wildlife and accompanying guides, and those records would remain available for inspection.
More Land and Access for Pennsylvania Hunters
The board also approved several land transactions that could expand or improve access to State Game Lands.
One of the largest involves approximately 346 acres in Berks County, offered by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection near State Game Land 280. PGC says the property would increase hunting and trapping access in an area where more than 1.5 million people live within 30 miles while also protecting a wildlife corridor along the Schuylkill River.
Another acquisition involves approximately 224 acres adjoining State Game Land 118 in Blair and Huntingdon counties. The property, offered by JKLM Energy, is to be managed primarily for the federally and state-endangered Indiana bat but will also become part of the Game Commission’s land system.
Approximately 44 acres in Warren County adjoining State Game Land 282 also were approved for acquisition. The property lies within Akeley Swamp and contains important wetland and grassland habitat.
Several land exchanges could improve hunter access as well. One exchange would add approximately 36 acres adjoining State Game Land 109 in Erie County and expand opportunities for woodcock habitat management. Other transactions involving State Game Land 338 in Elk County are intended to improve access while addressing ATV use on existing Game Commission property.
PGC said it will announce when newly acquired lands become open to the public.
New Rights-of-Way Improve Access
The commissioners also approved several rights-of-way that could make existing game lands easier to reach.
These include access improvements involving State Game Lands 114 in Lycoming County, 134 in Sullivan County, 193 in Union County and 61 in McKean County. The State Game Land 134 project also includes rights for the Commission to construct and maintain a parking area, allowing seasonal vehicular access for game-land users.
For hunters, these smaller access agreements can sometimes be just as important as acquiring additional acreage because they can open or improve practical access to land the public already owns.
What Pennsylvania Hunters Should Take Away
There were no sweeping changes to Pennsylvania’s current 2026-27 hunting seasons at this meeting. The most important immediate development is instead a change in how future antlerless deer license sales can be organized.
For hunters accustomed to planning around Pennsylvania’s established antlerless license-sale rounds, that is something worth watching closely. The Commission now has more flexibility to adjust the process from year to year, although hunters must receive at least 30 days’ notice before sales begin.
The land transactions are another positive practical development for hunters, particularly where they add acreage, improve parking or provide better access to existing State Game Lands.
Keep Pennsylvania Hunting Regulations at Your Fingertips With Hunterizer
Pennsylvania hunters have a lot to keep track of: different deer Wildlife Management Units, antlerless licenses, overlapping small-game and furbearer seasons, Sunday hunting opportunities, shooting hours, bag limits and species-specific regulations.
The Hunterizer app makes that information easier to navigate by showing hunters what they can legally hunt at their location on a particular date, along with season dates, hunting zones, legal weapons, bag limits, shooting hours and other important regulations.
And while the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s former mobile app is no longer available, Hunterizer is available for Pennsylvania hunters. Before heading into the field, check Hunterizer to see what’s open where you’re hunting and review the regulations that apply to your hunt.
