PA Game Commissioners Adopts 2012-13 Seasons And Bag Limits

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today gave final approval to hunting and trapping seasons and bag limits for 2012-13, including a move to allow Mentored Youth Hunting Program participants to take part in fall turkey seasons and establishing antlerless deer license allocations.

            Other changes include expanded bear hunting opportunities in urban/suburban Wildlife Management Units (WMUs); the extension of the fall archery deer season by one day to include Monday, Nov. 12; additional small game season dates prior to Christmas; the closing of the snowshoe hare season throughout the state, except in WMUs 2F, 2G and 3A; the addition of WMU 4C for bobcat hunting and trapping; the addition of WMUs 2G and 4D for fisher trapping; various changes to the beaver trapping seasons to reduce bag limits in WMUs 3A and 3D and to increase bag limits in WMU 5D to address nuisance complaints

Licenses for the 2012-13 seasons will go on sale in mid-June.

Following are several articles on meeting highlights. 

BOARD RETAINS SPLIT RIFLE DEER SEASONS

The Board of Game Commissioners gave final approval to a slate of deer seasons for 2012-13 that retains the split, five-day antlered deer season (Nov. 26-30) and seven-day concurrent season (Dec. 1-8) in 11 Wildlife Management Units.  The list includes (WMUs) 2A, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 3B, 3C, 4B, 4D and 4E. The package also retains the two-week (Nov. 26-Dec. 8) concurrent, antlered and antlerless deer season in WMUs 1A, 1B, 2B, 3A, 3D, 4A, 4C, 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D.

Hunters with DMAP antlerless deer permits may use them on the lands for which they were issued during any established deer season, and will continue to be permitted to harvest antlerless deer from Nov. 26-Dec. 8 in WMUs 2A, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 3B, 3C, 4B, 4D and 4E. Fees for DMAP permits are $10 for residents and $35 for nonresidents.

As part of the statewide archery deer season, the Board extended the closing day by one day to include Monday, Nov. 12, which is Veterans Day in 2012 and represents an additional day that some hunters may have off from work and be able to hunt.  The statewide fall archery deer dates are from Sept. 29-Nov. 12.

Additionally, the Board also gave final approval to retain the use of crossbows in the archery deer seasons. 

The Board retained the antler restrictions enacted for the 2011-12 seasons, which includes the “three-up” on one side, no counting a brow tine, provision for the western Wildlife Management Units of 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B and 2D, and the three points on one side in all other WMUs.

BOARD SETS ANTLERLESS DEER AND ELK LICENSE ALLOCATIONS

 

The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today set antlerless license allocations for each of the 22 Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) for the 2012-13 seasons.  After hunters purchase a general hunting license, they may apply for antlerless deer licenses based on staggered timelines, which will be outlined in the 2012-13 Pennsylvania Hunting & Trapping Digest presented to each license buyer and published on the agency’s website in early June. Licenses will go on sale in mid-June.

The Board also set the elk license allocation at 65 licenses (19 antlered elk and 46 antlerless elk) for the 2012 hunt. The allocation does not include the one Conservation Elk Tag, which was auctioned at the Safari Club International Banquet. 

Beginning in mid-June, applications for the public drawing of the elk licenses will be accepted through the agency’s online license sales system or when an individual purchases his or her 2012-13 license.  The applications cost $10.70, and only one application may be submitted each license year.  No mail-in applications are accepted.

Antlerless deer license allocations by WMU (along with the 2011-12 allocation figures) are:

WMU 1A allocation is 42,000 (42,000).

WMU 1B allocation is 33,000 (30,000). 

WMU 2A allocation is 59,000 (65,000). 

WMU 2B allocation is 67,000 (71,000).

WMU 2C allocation is 50,000 (58,000). 

WMU 2D allocation is 62,000 (60,000). 

WMU 2E allocation is 21,000 (25,000). 

WMU 2F allocation is 27,000 (34,000). 

WMU 2G allocation is 33,000 (23,000). 

WMU 3A allocation is 26,000 (26,000). 

WMU 3B allocation is 40,000 (40,000). 

WMU 3C allocation is 35,000 (29,000). 

WMU 3D allocation is 39,000 (39,000).

WMU 4A allocation is 29,000 (28,000). 

WMU 4B allocation is 26,000 (23,000). 

WMU 4C allocation is 35,000 (35,000). 

WMU 4D allocation is 36,000 (37,000).

WMU 4E allocation is 28,000 (29,000). 

WMU 5A allocation is 19,000 (19,000). 

WMU 5B allocation is 51,000 (50,000). 

WMU 5C allocation is 111,000 (117,000). 

WMU 5D allocation is 19,000 (22,000).

Follow this link for much more information on various seasons and changes.  One highlight is the addition of Fall turkey to the youth mentored hunt program.