HARRISBURG - With an eye toward the continued recruitment of young hunters, atSaturday's quarterly meeting of the Pennsylvania Game Commission to set preliminaryseasons and bag limits for the 2025-26 license year, the board of game commissioners bya unanimous 9-0 voted to continued to open the firearms deer season the first Saturdayfollowing Thanksgiving Day. This united front by the commissioners apparently puts torest the ongoing attempt by a vocal minority wanting opening day to return to the firstMonday after Thanksgiving.
This year, the concurrent statewide firearms season for antlered and antlerless deer opensSaturday, Nov. 29, and continues through Saturday, Dec. 6, including Sunday, Nov. 30 -which is the third and final Sunday is legal. Monday-Saturday, Dec. 8-13, concludes thefinal six days of the firearms season.
Archery deer season opens statewide Saturday, Oct. 4, and runs through Saturday, Nov.21 - including Sunday, Nov. 16. Late archery and flintlock muzzleloader seasons runDecember 26 through January 19 - excluding Sundays.
Archery deer seasons in Wildlife Management Units 2B, 5C and 5D open Saturday, Sept.20. Antlerless muzzleloader season is October 18-25, and antlerless special firearmsseason Thursday-Saturday, Oct. 23-25.Statewide there will continue to be firearms bear season from Saturday, Nov. 22, throughTuesday, Nov. 25 - including Sunday, Nov. 23. Once again the muzzleloader specialfirearms bear season will be three days - October 23-25.
Archery bear season in WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D opens Saturday, Sept. 20; in 5B opensOctober 4. In WMUs 1A, 1B, 2A, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D,4E and 5A the season is October 18 through November 8.
There are extended bear seasons in WMUs 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4C, 4E and 5A Saturday andSunday, Nov. 29 and 30, and from Dec. 1-6. In WMUs 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D the extendedbear season is Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 29 and 30, and Dec. 1-13.
Public comments on all proposed 2025-26 seasons and bag limits, as well as other boardactions, between now and the board's April 11 and 12 meeting, when 2025-26 seasonsand bag limits will be finalized, and antlerless deer license allocations will be presented.To comment go to the PGC website at www.pa.gov/agencies/pgc.html .