Pennsylvania seasons finalized
The Pennsylvania Game Commission approved final 2026–27 hunting seasons and most of those seasons will include the Sundays that fall within their listed start and end dates, per the commission’s recent decision. (Web) (wpxi.com).
Pennsylvania’s 2026-27 hunting seasons are now final, and most seasons will run through the Sundays that fall between their start and end dates. (pa.gov) The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners approved the seasons and bag limits on April 11 in Harrisburg. The agency said seasons that used to end on Saturdays will now largely end on Sundays. (pa.gov) The biggest exception is migratory game birds: no Sunday hunting this season for waterfowl, woodcock, or mourning doves. The commission said hunter surveys showed a slight preference for keeping Sundays out, and federal rules would make that change permanent once adopted. (pa.gov) This is the first full season-setting cycle since Governor Josh Shapiro signed House Bill 1431 on July 9, 2025, repealing Pennsylvania’s long-standing Sunday hunting ban. The law, Act 36 of 2025, gave the Game Commission authority to decide which Sundays to open. (pa.gov 1) (pa.gov 2) (palegis.us) Before that repeal, Pennsylvania generally allowed hunting on only three Sundays a year. The Game Commission then approved 13 consecutive Sunday hunting dates for the 2025 season, from Sept. 14 through Dec. 7. (post-gazette.com) (pa.gov) The 2026-27 package also changes several species seasons. Spring gobbler hunters will be limited to one bird, and the commission said Sunday hunting for spring turkeys will not begin until 2027; no Sundays are open for the 2026 spring gobbler season. (pa.gov) For deer, the commission approved minor date changes for extended firearms, flintlock, and late archery seasons. It also allocated 1,469,000 antlerless deer licenses statewide for 2026-27, up from 1,312,000 in 2025-26. (pa.gov) For bears, Wildlife Management Units 3C and 3D will get a longer archery season to increase harvest where the commission cited bear-human conflicts. For elk, a new early October firearms segment was added and the late firearms season was moved later in January. (pa.gov) Small game seasons for squirrels, ruffed grouse, rabbits, pheasants, bobwhite quail, and woodchucks will remain open during the firearms deer season. The commission also opened Wildlife Management Unit 5A to bobcat hunting and trapping, and Units 2G, 3A, and 4C to river otter trapping. (pa.gov) The result is a longer calendar in the field for many Pennsylvania hunters, with one major limit left in place for migratory birds. The Game Commission said it plans to revisit Sunday hunting for those species before the 2027-28 seasons. (pa.gov)
