Explain PA licenses
Pennsylvania
Recently moved back to PA (thrilled to be back) and I'm a little confused about the issuing of hunting license. I understand I need one for hunting, one for archery and one for bear. But I see anterless deer applications? What's that?
Thanks for the help!
Your license only comes with a buck tag. If you want to kill antlerless deer you must apply for those tags separately. The state doesn't issue them, County Treasurers do.
PA Regs are confusing, it's going to take you a while to understand them. Just wait till you get to the fluorescent orange requirements.......
I'ts exactly what it means. You need an antlerless license for each specific Wildlife Management Unit you plan to hunt antlerless deer in. One antlerless tag entitles you to one antlerless deer. Example: WMU 1B will require an antlerless tag specific to WMU 1B.
What Herd and Bob said.
But if you need help with those doe licenses, just PM good ol' RC. He'll print you out what ever you need. :^)
When do they typically go on sale?
YOu can find answers to most of your questions here - http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=12775&PageID=648010&mode=2&contentid=http://pubcontent.state.pa.us/publishedcontent/publish/marketingsites/game_commission/content/resources/newsreleases/newsrelease/articles/release__030_16.html
"Hunting licenses for 2016-17 go on sale in mid-June and become effective July 1. After hunters purchase a general hunting license, they may apply for antlerless deer licenses based on staggered timelines, which will be outlined in the 2016-17 Pennsylvania Hunting & Trapping Digest presented to each license buyer. "
One item of note - you will generally be able to get an antlerless tag during the first round. You may apply for a second tag during the subsequent round. For most of the state you are limited to two antlerless licenses. There is one WMU on each end of the state that sells them OTC at the County Treasurers office and you can buy as many as you want for those specific WMUs.
Go to this page and click on the Digest to peruse the contents.
http://www.pgc.pa.gov/HuntTrap/Law/Pages/HuntingandTrappingDigest.aspx#.VyASd4-cFMs
It's not very complicated at all. Even the fluorescent orange, since they give you an idiot proof color guide in the book. You get turkey tags with your license also, as well as a buck tag. You have to buy your archery permit and your bear tag if you want one. And doe permits are by application. The dates will be in the guide.
If it's not complicated, why did the PGC have a mistake in the regulations last year about fluorescent orange in Special Regs areas?
Read the Ohio game laws, and you'll quickly realize how crazy our game laws are, and how simple they could be.
Thanks very much guys I really appreciate the help. The season is still a ways away but I'm already excited for it!
Pay attention to the PGC website and buy your regular license early because the antlerless applications will be available in the July/August timeframe.
Growing up and hunting in PA has made us think chaos is normal.
I have hunted in six other states. Reading their regulations, seasons and bag limits, and buying licenses is like a breath of fresh air!
I feel for non residents or those who move here. It has to be confusing. My advice would be to go to a REAL sport shop and talk to a license issuing agent, especially if you plan to hunt the special regs areas.
I don't know Red...I'd put Maryland's convoluted "season within a season" regs against PA's.
The only way I'm absolutely certain that I'm legal as far as licenses goes is to just buy every license and stamp they have available. :^(
I lived in NY for a while and their regulations and handbook was not any easier to follow than ours.
Regardless of when you moved we have always had to apply for "doe" tags to the county treasurer. Only they used to issue them by county instead of management unit. Also the doe season in gun was the 3 days right after buck season instead of months long in places and running concurrent with buck season.... which sucks. Brown it's down.
Well I guess to some folks it may well be complicated. I've never found it to be a task at all, but then I've learned to read instructions and try my best to interpret them correctly.
As for why the PGC making a mistake, that doesn't negate being able to interpret the rules, and Special Regulations areas are not the whole of the state. I think I may have made a few mistakes in my lifetime as well.
I've never found it to complicated, but I could see how someone new to the state might get confused.
I just edit the year and the color, then print out a new license.
Try reading the flo. Orange regulations for bowhunters. LOL. Not that hard if you read the regulations. If it was not for the UBP you would be wearing 250 square inches of orange all the time. PGC once claimed it was too hard for the game wardens to remember what we should be wearing.
Different states, Bobby Boy...
it ain't that complicated. The only thing that is screwy to me is that you can buy all your tags from the PGC website but you still have to get doe tags at the county treasurers office. That just don't make sense to me. What does the treasurers office have to do with hunting anyway?
Money. They get a fee for every license they issue.
They must get interest too... And the longer they hold the tags, the more money they get?
Send your doe tags to MONTGOMERY COUNTY if you want them issued quickly and returned quickly.
I agree, I've hunted three other states, I just moved here and the licensing seems daunting.
it's funny. cuz I think it's sort of easy to follow. I've wanted to huntin several other states and checked out their regs and found all of them to be very confusing. Especially in some western states that seem to have special regs for every management unit! I guess it's whats you're used to.
LICENSE? Hell I aint bought a license in 20 years!
Once had a landowner tell me that, I believe he was telling me the truth!
Mike
They're all confusing when its a new state. CO, WY, NM all seemed confusing when I first started with them. But you do it a few years and learn. If you've been hunting more than 5 years in PA and the licenses seem confusing, the problem may not be the licensing system.
Well, I personally blame the No Child Left Behind program.
Ron. really? Everyone should be checking the regulations each year anyway! We have a few special reg areas in the state. Otherwise, it's pretty much the same all over. And most of the differences for the special reg areas has to do with early seasons. It ain't that hard.
