Under proposed rules, all 2026-27 hunting seasons would include the Sundays that fall within their designated start and end dates.
The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, gave preliminary approval to allow Sunday hunting across all seasons, while youngest mentored hunters will receive their own deer and turkey tags for the first time, among the rule changes adopted or proposed.
But it’s far from the only action taken during the board’s first quarterly meeting of 2026 this past Saturday in Harrisburg. The 2026-27 hunting and trapping seasons and bag limits that were given preliminary board approval will significantly expand opportunities for Sunday hunting across the state. The public may submit comments on the proposed changes before the board’s next meeting on April 10-11, when commissioners will finalize the 2026-27 seasons and bag limits.The most significant change to seasons and bag limits affects Sunday hunting, after the Legislature and Gov. Josh Shapiro in 2025 authorized the Game Commission to permit Sunday hunting as it sees fit. Under the proposed rules, all 2026-27 seasons would include the Sundays that fall within their designated start and end dates. Many seasons that previously concluded on Saturday would be extended to end on Sunday, providing an extra day for hunters. Commissioners have not yet determined whether migratory game bird seasons will include Sundays.To account for a potential increase in harvests due to the additional hunting day, the commission proposed reducing the spring gobbler bag limit to one. The proposed hunting dates extend the archery bear season in Wildlife Management Unit 3D to increase harvests in an area with high levels of bear-human conflict. For elk hunters, a new firearms season segment in early October aims to limit crowding, while the late firearms season would shift deeper into January to avoid conflicts with major holidays. The plan also permits hunting for squirrel, ruffed grouse, rabbit, pheasant, bobwhite quail and woodchuck during the firearms deer season. Wildlife Management Unit 5A would open for bobcat hunting and trapping, while WMUs 2G, 3A, and 4C would allow river otter trapping based on population data. The board also voted Saturday to allow Pennsylvania’s youngest mentored hunters to receive their own deer and turkey harvest tags beginning with the 2026-27 license year. The change will affect mentored hunters of all ages, including those under 7 years old. Until now, children younger than 7 who successfully harvested a deer or turkey were required to use a tag from their mentor, which meant the mentor could not legally hunt that species. The new regulation aims to improve access to Pennsylvania’s mentored hunting program and support adults who are recruiting new hunters. The board gave preliminary approval to several additional regulatory changes during the meeting. Commissioners are considering statewide requirements for disposing of high-risk deer parts, such as heads and spines, through commercial trash pickup rather than leaving them in the field. The proposal, part of ongoing Chronic Wasting Disease regulation reviews, would also eliminate restrictions on transporting harvested deer among locations if proper disposal methods are followed. The commissioners approved 13 real estate transactions that will add more than 1,125 acres to state game lands. The acquisitions include eight purchases and five land exchanges, creating two state game lands in Berks County and Delaware County. The Delaware County addition marks the first state game lands in that county. A 17.88-acre parcel in Philadelphia, formerly State Game Lands 339, was renamed the Poquessing Creek Wildlife Management Area. The commission plans to allow public archery deer hunting on the property through a permit drawing system. Other proposals receiving preliminary approval include expanding the Certified Hunter Program statewide, streamlining the elk license application process, removing permit limits for the Agricultural Deer Control Program, and modifying deer baiting rules in the Southeast Special Regulations Area.Advance Local Express Desk The Advance Local Express Desk uses AI tools to assist in producing content, which is reviewed and edited by staff. Advance Local is the parent company of AL.com, Cleveland.com, lehighvalleylive.com,...
Pennsylvania Game Commission Hunting @Jpickel Section:/Outdoors
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