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Hunting licenses for 2025-26 go on sale at 8 a.m. this Monday along with the first round of antlerless deer (doe) licenses.
This will be the third year doe licenses can be purchased directly through the electronic licensing system rather than the cumbersome process of mailing applications in special pink envelopes to a county treasurer's office.
In 2023, there was a bit of a crunch on the first day of license sales when hordes of hunters rushed to be among the first applicants to get their licenses. That initial wave of buyers overwhelmed the licensing system, resulting in long delays in processing individual applications.
Despite the backlog, no Wildlife Management Units sold out of their antlerless allocations on that fateful first day, and all who stayed in the queue eventually were able to purchase a license for the WMU of their choice. The rest of the antlerless licensing process went on without further problems.
Last year, the Game Commission made a few tweaks to prevent overwhelming the system early on. Only hunters seeking a doe license for WMU 1B, 2G or 3A could apply during the first three days of the first round. Those three WMUs are typically the first ones to sell out most years. From the fourth day of the first round until the start of nonresident sales, residents were guaranteed a doe license for any other WMU desired. That process seemed to work well.
This year, the process will be even simpler and more equitable. When licenses go on sale on Monday, all Pennsylvania residents are eligible to apply for the WMU of their choice at any time, either online or over the counter, during the first round.
Antlerless licenses for all WMUs will be guaranteed to Pennsylvania residents, if they buy their first antlerless license before 7 a.m. on Monday, July 14 before the first round of antlerless license sales opens to nonresidents. This includes WMU 2G, which was the only unit to sell out before the start of nonresident sales last year. The 2025-26 allocation for WMU 2G is 57,000, which is up 20,000 from 37,000 last year.
With a window of three full weeks to purchase a guaranteed doe license for the WMU of your choice, there is no need to the first one in line on Monday morning, unless you happen to enjoy waiting in line.
"Guaranteeing resident hunters an antlerless license for the WMU of their choice provides them flexibility in deciding when to purchase and ensures every resident hunter can get a license without waiting if so inclined," Game Commission Executive Director Steve Smith said. "Because the number of antlerless licenses allocated in a given WMU is driven by deer-management objectives, and often fluctuates from one year to the next, there's no guaranteeing a statewide guarantee will continue. But for this year, it is certain to further alleviate the first-round rush and create additional convenience."
Like previous years, there will be four rounds of antlerless license sales. Hunters are permitted to purchase one doe license in each of the first three rounds. After nonresident sales begin on June 14 of the first round and during all subsequent rounds, all sales will be first-come first-served for any WMUs that have licenses remaining.
The second round of antlerless sales begins on Monday, July 28 at 8 a.m. The third round begins at 8 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 11. Deer Management Assistance Program permits also go on sale at this time.
During the fourth round, which begins Monday, Aug. 25 at 8 a.m., a hunter may purchase more than one license for any WMU where licenses are available. However, no hunter may possess more than their personal limit of six antlerless licenses at a time. The exception to that is for WMUs 5C and 5D comprising the suburbs of Philadelphia where a hunter can hold up to 15 unfilled antlerless licenses at a time.
If you are interested in obtaining multiple-doe licenses for the coming hunting seasons, there should be ample opportunity to do so in most areas of the state. The Game Commission has set the total statewide antlerless deer license allocations at 1,312,000 for 2025-26. That number is 126,000 more than the allocation for 2024-25.
Of the 22 WMUs around the state, five received a smaller allocation than last year; five received the same allocation as last year; and 12 received a larger allocation than last year. Here in our region, both WMU 4A and WMU 4D will see increased allocations, with 4A at 64,000, up from 61,000 and 4D at 83,000, up from 77,000.
As we progress through the various rounds of license sales, hunters will be able to keep track of the number of antlerless licenses remaining in any WMU in real time at HuntFish.PA.gov by clicking on the Antlerless Deer tab, then Antlerless Deer Quota.