The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners on Jan. 24 gave preliminary approval to the 2026–27 hunting and trapping seasons and bag limits, setting the stage for public review ahead of final adoption this spring.
Under the proposal, all 2026–27 seasons would include Sundays that fall within the listed start and end dates. In addition, several seasons that previously ended on Saturdays would instead end on Sundays, adding an extra day of hunting opportunity.
Migratory game bird seasons are not included in the preliminary schedule and will be set at a later date. Officials said it has not yet been determined whether those seasons will include Sundays.
The board also discussed a proposal that would have moved the firearms deer season one week earlier, which would have required adjustments to the firearms bear season and other related seasons. That proposal was rejected by a 6–3 vote, with the board instead advancing a plan that largely mirrors the 2025–26 season structure.
Several changes are included in the preliminarily approved proposal. For wild turkeys, a bag limit of one spring gobbler is proposed to help offset potential increases in harvest resulting from Sunday hunting and to keep harvest levels sustainable.
Minor adjustments are proposed for white-tailed deer seasons, including extended firearms, flintlock, and late archery seasons, to simplify date structures and better align season lengths with equipment effectiveness and management goals.
In Wildlife Management Unit 3D, a longer archery bear season is proposed to overlap the full first segment of the archery deer season. Officials said the change is intended to increase bear harvest in response to elevated levels of bear-human conflict in the unit.
For elk hunting, the proposal includes adding a new early October firearms season to reduce crowding and maintain hunter satisfaction as license allocations increase. The late firearms elk season would be moved later into January to avoid conflicts with major holidays.
Small game seasons for squirrel, ruffed grouse, rabbit, pheasant, bobwhite quail, and woodchuck are proposed to remain open during the firearms deer season.
For furbearers, the board proposes opening Wildlife Management Unit 5A to bobcat hunting and trapping. In addition, WMUs 2G, 3A, and 4C would be opened to river otter trapping. The commission cited habitat conditions and population data indicating these areas can support sustainable harvests.
Public comment on the proposed 2026–27 seasons and bag limits will be accepted through the board’s April meeting, when final decisions will be made and antlerless deer license allocations will be presented.
The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners is scheduled to meet April 10 and 11 at the Game Commission’s headquarters in Harrisburg.
