Pennsylvania Doe Licenses To Go On Sale This Monday

HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania deer hunters who want to better their chances of obtaining an antlerless license will want to send in applications during the first round of sales set to kick off on Monday, July 8.

During the first three weeks applications are accepted, only Pennsylvania residents may apply. Nonresidents may apply beginning Monday, July 29. Then beginning on Monday, Aug. 5, residents and nonresidents alike may apply for any unsold licenses that remain. The second round of unsold license sales is set to begin on Monday, Aug. 19.

Applications received before the Monday start of any round will be returned to sender.

While applications won’t be accepted before a given sales period begins, Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe said it’s a good idea for hunters to send in their applications as early as they’re permitted.

“The number of tags allocated for each wildlife-management unit is different, and in  some units, licenses traditionally have sold out fairly quickly,” Roe said. “The sooner you send your application in, the better your chance of coming away with a license in the management unit that’s your top choice.”

Hunters applying for 2013-14 antlerless deer licenses will follow the same process that has been in place during recent years. License fees also remain unchanged.

Antlerless deer license applications must be mailed directly to a county treasurer’s office, with the exception of the Philadelphia and Lehigh county treasurer offices, which no longer issue antlerless deer licenses. Treasurers across the state will accept applications for antlerless licenses covering any wildlife-management unit (WMU), but hunters should note that only county treasurers issue tags. The Pennsylvania Game Commission does not accept applications.

A list of participating treasurers and their mailing addresses, as well as the number of licenses allocated for each WMU, appear in the 2013-14 Hunting & Trapping Digest, which hunters can pick up from a licensing agent.

Applications must be mailed in the official pink envelope issued to hunters at the time they purchase their general hunting licenses.

Hunters who are Pennsylvania residents need to submit with each application a check or money order to cover the $6.70 license fee. The license fee for nonresidents is $26.70.  If an application is rejected due to licenses being sold out, the uncashed check or money order will be returned to the hunter by mail.

For most management units, hunters may apply for only one license in each round. However, hunters are allowed during each round to select their top three WMU preferences. If antlerless licenses are sold out for the WMU that is the hunter’s top choice, for example, a license for the second choice will be issued if available.

Applications from up to three separate hunters may be submitted in the same envelope. If the WMU preferences for all applications mailed in the same envelope are exactly the same, payment may be made with a single check or money order. If the applicants have different WMU preferences, payment by separate checks or money orders is strongly recommended.

Applying early during the first round of sales also helps to ensure hunters will get their antlerless licenses by the start of archery season. Archery season begins Sept. 21 in WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D. Statewide, the season begins Oct. 5.

A hunter, except for in WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D, can purchase no more than three antlerless licenses – including “unsold licenses” – per license year. In WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D, there is no antlerless license limit for hunters, and beginning Aug. 5 in these three WMUs, hunters can apply for up to three licenses per mailing until the allocation is exhausted. Antlerless licenses for WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D also are sold over the counter beginning Aug. 26.

Over-the-counter sales for licenses covering other WMUs begin Oct. 7. Hunters may apply over the counter to county treasurers for any other WMU with antlerless licenses remaining.

A listing of antlerless licenses allocated by WMU, as well as the remaining allocation, can be viewed on the Game Commission’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us), by clicking on “Doe License Update” in the “Quick Clicks” box in the right-hand column of the homepage.

HUNTERS CAN PURCHASE DMAP PERMITS

Permits do not impact hunters’ ability to obtain antlerless licenses. 

The licenses county treasurers will place on sale Monday aren’t the only option hunters have for tags to harvest antlerless deer.

Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe reminds hunters that antlerless permits through the Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) remain available for some properties, and can be purchased through the Pennsylvania Automated License System (PALS).

DMAP is a Game Commission program designed to help landowners manage deer numbers on their properties. Eligible landowners include those owning: public lands; private lands where no fee is charged for hunting; and hunting clubs established prior to Jan. 1, 2000 that are owned in fee title and have provided a club charter and list of current members to the agency.

Hunters may obtain up to two DMAP antlerless deer permits per property, and DMAP permits do not impact a hunter’s eligibility to apply for and receive antlerless deer licenses issued for Wildlife Management Units (WMUs).

DMAP permits went on sale June 10, along with general hunting licenses, and are sold out for some properties. Hunters purchasing the remaining permits may do so at any time and do not have to follow the regular antlerless license schedule.

DMAP permit fees are $10.70 for resident hunters; and $35.70 for nonresident hunters.  The permit can be used to harvest one antlerless deer on the specific DMAP area. Maps for the properties are to be provided to hunters by the landowners. Landowners may not charge or accept any contribution from a hunter for DMAP permits or coupons.

Hunters may not use DMAP permits to harvest an antlered deer. Hunters may use DMAP permits to harvest an antlerless deer anytime antlerless deer are legal, including during the entire statewide two-week firearms deer season (Dec. 2-14).  However, WMU-specific antlerless deer licenses may only be used only during the last seven days of the season (Dec. 7-14) in WMUs 2A, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3B, 3C, 4B, 4D and 4E.

All DMAP permits are available through PALS. For DMAP unit numbers, the Game Commission has posted a listing of all public landowners and those private landowners who did not request DMAP coupons. 

Those private landowners who requested DMAP coupons to present to hunters to redeem for DMAP permits will not appear on the website. However, these landowners generally have a limited number of coupons available and already have identified a sufficient number of hunters to receive their allotted coupons.

The website provides an alphabetical listing of DMAP properties for each county in which DMAP properties are located. Each listing will provide the following information: DMAP property number; contact information, including name, address, telephone number and e-mail address (when available); total number of acres for the property; and total number of coupons issued for the property.