Frequently Asked Questions
Hunting and Furtaker licenses are sold at many locations across Pennsylvania. Explore our interactive map to find addresses, phone numbers, and driving directions to any of the agents who sell our licenses. If you purchase your license at one of our issuing agents, your physical licenses and harvest tags will print immediately.
You may also purchase your licenses online at HuntFishPA. Licenses purchased online are printed and mailed to customers within 14 business days. Digital licenses are available immediately after completing an online transaction, however, you must have physical harvest tags printed on the official durable stock if you intend to go out and hunt/trap any game that requires a harvest tag.
During peak sales periods in June, July, and August (during antlerless deer license rounds), the overwhelming response to online hunting license orders creates a backlog at our fulfillment center causing delays in mailing license purchases. Backlogs are cleared as quickly as possible to avoid further delays. Please allow for up to 15 days for delivery during these peak sales periods. If you do not receive your license within the extended time, please SUBMIT A TICKET for investigation.
If a hunter needs a license for small game hunting, digital licenses can be used so long as there are no harvest tags associated with the hunted species. If the digital copy was deleted or lost, the digitally accepted licenses are available through the HuntFishPA customer portal.
We apologize for any inconvenience to our hunters caused by delays and continue to work quickly to get licenses mailed. Licenses ordered in advance of the big game seasons are typically received prior to the season start.
HuntFishPA provides the option for hunters and trappers to carry afield electronic versions of licenses they buy, as an alternative to carrying certain paper licenses. Harvest tags will continue to be issued in physical form on durable stock, and harvest tags need to be carried afield when hunting in big-game seasons or trapping in seasons where harvest tags are used. Hunters and trappers buying licenses online will continue to be mailed all durable stock license panels, including harvest tags, and will also be given access to e-Licenses. Those buying licenses from an issuing agent will be issued harvest tags at the time of purchase and will have the opportunity to have digital licenses provided through email. No signature is required on digital licenses. The license buyer attests to a statement, which serves in place of a signature. All big game tags must be printed on green license stock.
A CID is your Customer Identification Number, also referred to as Customer Number. When purchasing a license through the Pennsylvania Automated License System (PALS), you will be assigned a nine-digit CID that will be printed on your license. Your CID is your permanent identification number in PALS and identifies you in the database. Please retain this number for future purchases or hunter identification purposes.
No, digital licenses now may be carried afield as an alternative to carrying certain paper licenses. You do need to carry physical harvest tags that are printed on durable license stock. Deer, bear, elk and turkey under transport, including those taken outside of Pennsylvania, are some game animals that must have an appropriate tag completed and attached.
Yes. The purchaser must provide confirmation of residency for a resident license. When the licensee signs their license and takes the privileges afield, they certify the correctness of all the information presented.
Yes, however, you will have to present some other form of positive identification verifying residency, such as current receipts documenting payment of Pennsylvania state or local personal income tax. For junior license applicants who are too young to drive, the parent or legal guardian who signs the application must present proof of residency.
Yes. When either you or an agent create an account for them in HuntFishPA, simply leave the driver’s license fields blank. The system will allow you to continue without entering anything.
License issuing agents have very limited access to the PALS database and only for the purpose of issuing or replacing a license. Your SSN cannot be viewed. There are many layers of security built into PALS to ensure that all licensee information is protected and kept confidential. In addition, the Game and Wildlife Code prohibits all license-issuing agents from disclosing license information in any manner.
No. You may enter your own SSN securely using the agent’s pin-pad. The only time you would need to enter your SSN again is if there is no SSN on file or you can't remember your CID when renewing your license.
No. A court-order is required to prohibit the issuance of a hunting/furtaker license or to suspend an existing license. You should receive notice before your hunting/furtaker privileges are affected. Of course, the best way to avoid problems with your hunting license or other licenses (including your driver's license) is to get yourself up to date on your child support. If you believe you have been denied a license in error, please contact the Game Commission's Bureau of Wildlife Protection directly at (717) 787-4024.
Please contact the HuntFishPA help desk by calling 1-800-838-4431.
You may purchase a replacement license for $6.97 from any issuing agent or online at HuntFishPA. Using your CID, SSN, or driver's license number, the issuing agent will access your record in the database to verify the license privileges you have on file. If ordering replacements online, please allow 14 business days for your replacement license documents to arrive in the mail.
You must be at least 65 years of age before June 30th of the current license year.
Hunters who purchased a senior lifetime hunting/combo license prior to May 13, 2017 are eligible to hunt pheasant without the pheasant permit. Those who purchased their lifetime license after that date will need the pheasant hunting permit to hunt pheasant.
General hunting, archery, muzzleloader and furtaker privileges are what make up the combo license. This is true for both junior and senior lifetime combos. There is no Disabled Veteran Combo license.
These licenses allow for archery hunting and muzzleloader hunting in their respective seasons. You can hunt during the regular firearms season with a bow or a muzzleloading gun without either add-on license.
Information on these requirements can be found on our License Types page. Military personnel can contact the PGC License Division at 717-787-2084 with questions.
A mentored hunter can hunt deer, turkey, squirrel, rabbit, hare, ruffed grouse, bobwhite quail, pheasant, crow, dove, porcupine, woodchuck, waterfowl, bear and coyote in any of their respective seasons, and must follow daily and season bag limits for each species.
Mentored hunters ages 12 or older may participate in the mentored program for a maximum of three license years. After that period, they must take and pass a Hunter-Trapper Education class in order to obtain a license. Individuals who have participated in the program for at least three years before turning 12 are unable to continue as a mentored hunter and must obtain a license.
Licenses are valid for the license year they are purchased for. License years run from July 1st – June 30th.
The Seasons and Bag Limits page on the PGC website, mobile app, and the Hunting and Trapping Digest are all great resources when looking for current hunting and trapping seasons and bag limits. Specific information is available by emailing pgccomments@pa.gov or calling 1-833-PGC-HUNT or 1-833-PGC-WILD.
Please call our Centralized Dispatch Center at 1-833-PGC-HUNT or 1-833-PGC-WILD for assistance.
Yes. Use of the shooting ranges is included with a general hunting license. No license or permit is required to use the archery-only ranges. PGC Shooting Range permits are not valid at DCNR shooting ranges.
Yes, one guest can accompany you to use the range if you have a current hunting license or shooting range permit.
For name changes, you can reach out to the PGC License Division directly at (717) 787-2084 or by emailing pgclicdiv@pa.gov. There is no need to get a new license. Once we update your profile, the changes will reflect immediately and the change history will be available to a warden in the event you are stopped.
Contact the Bureau of Wildlife Protection, Special Permits Division at 717-783-8164 or click the Permints for Hunters with Disabiliies page to print the application and to find more information.
For hunters who have purchased their hunting license and then changed residency during the license year, the Change of Residency Application must be completed and sent to the Game Commission to keep that license valid for the remainder of the current hunting year.
Senior license holders that move out of state are considered nonresidents and will have to purchase nonresident licenses. Your lifetime license will be inactive during this time. If you ever move back to Pennsylvania as a full-time resident, you can call the PGC License Division at 717-787-2084 to have your lifetime license reactivated.
If you are unable to log in to your HuntFishPA account, some of your personal information may be incorrect on your account. You should contact the HuntFishPA help desk at 1-800-838-4431 (24/7) or the PGC License Division at 717-787-2084 (during normal business hours) to have them investigate further and make necessary corrections to your account.
Having duplicate accounts can create problems in accessing your account and/or purchasing licenses. Please contact the HuntFishPA help desk at 1-800-838-4431 or the License Division Staff at 717-787-2084 as soon as you can to have your profiles merged into one active account.
You can send an email to infocwd@pa.gov or call 1-833-INFOCWD.
If it is a licensing issue, you can email pgclicdiv@pa.gov. All others may be made by filling out the PGC Conact form.
Antlerless Deer License FAQ
Antlerless licenses in these WMUs have historically sold out in the first round. To avoid overselling, antlerless licenses in these three WMUs are not guaranteed and are available on a first come, first served basis until sold out.
We understand the concern regarding the new method of selling antlerless licenses as it is definitely a concern for us here at the Game Commission as well. We have been working with our vendor to best prepare for this new process. Testing for this new process is currently underway and will be ongoing as we consider all the factors that may affect the system once licenses go on sale. To assist in a smoother opening sales process, the 23-24 licenses will go on sale at 8 AM that first day and DMAP licenses will become available at a later date in an effort to alleviate some of the stress on the system.
A new state law, Act 148 of 2022, allows the Pennsylvania Game Commission to modernize and simplify how antlerless deer licenses are sold. The new antlerless deer license purchasing process allows hunters to purchase 2023-24 antlerless deer licenses online at HuntFishPA, or at any in-store hunting license issuing agent.
The antlerless applications and pink envelopes from previous years are no longer being used for antlerless deer license purchases. Antlerless licenses should be purchased online or at any hunting license issuing agent.
Antlerless deer license availability can be viewed at huntfish.pa.gov by clicking the Antlerless Deer Quota link.
No, licenses cannot be transferred between licensed hunters. You can only transfer an antlerless tag from a licensed hunter to a mentored hunter under the age of 7. Mentored Hunters over the age of 7 may now apply for and receive one antlerless tag. Licensed junior hunters can apply for antlerless licenses and are subject to the same personal license limits as adult licensed hunters.
Hunters can check their antlerless deer licenses by logging onto their account at huntfish.pa.gov and selecting Antlerless Deer License History. This will display the current personal limit and the antlerless deer licenses currently on their account.
DMAPs are separate from antlerless deer licenses and do not count toward your personal antlerless license limit.