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Fall Firearms Deer Seasons Making A Difference

Pennsylvania Game Commission

HARRISBURG, PA --(Ammoland.com)- The state’s early firearms antlerless deer seasons – early muzzleloader season, Oct. 16-23, and special firearms season for junior, senior, active duty military and certain disabled hunters, Oct. 21-23 – will soon be here, along with seasons for squirrels and grouse, so there will be plenty of hunting opportunities across the state, according to Carl G. Roe, Pennsylvania Game Commission executive director.

Roe noted that these early antlerless deer seasons provide hunters more ways to fit deer hunting into their busy schedules, and offer a more relaxing hunt to those who prefer warmer weather and fewer hunters in the woods.

“Although the October antlerless seasons increase hunting opportunities, their harvests still are controlled by antlerless deer license allocations, which are set to remove a pre-determined number of antlerless deer from a Wildlife Management Unit (WMU),” Roe said.

Hunters heading afield for the October firearms seasons should find that deer numbers vary by locality. (For more information, please see the next article, “GAME COMMISSION POSTS FIELD FORECASTS ON WEBSITE.”)

Last year, according to the agency’s Game-Take Survey, the 78,000 hunters who participated in the early muzzleloader season took 10,000 deer (12,000 in 2008). The 58,000 participants in the special firearms season harvested 5,000 deer (5,000 in 2008). Those figures compare with 10,000 in the 2007 October muzzleloader season and 6,000 in the special firearms season. The combined total of both October firearms seasons comprised less than 10 percent of the 2009 antlerless deer harvest, which was 200,590.

To participate in the early muzzleloader season (Oct. 16-23), hunters must have a general hunting license, muzzleloader stamp and a valid antlerless deer license or Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) antlerless deer permit. Hunters may use in-line, percussion and flintlock muzzleloaders during the early muzzleloader season. They also may use scopes, peep-sights and other lawful sighting devices on muzzleloaders during the October hunt.

To participate in the special firearms antlerless season (Oct. 21-23), hunters must have a general hunting license and a valid antlerless deer license, and qualify in one of the following license categories: resident junior or senior license holders; nonresident junior license holder; nonresident adult license holders age 65 or older; hold a disabled person permit to use a vehicle as a blind; be residents who are serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces; or qualify for license and fee exceptions under section 2706. Sporting arms permitted include: manually-operated center-fire rifles, handguns and shotguns; 44-caliber or larger muzzleloading long guns; 50-caliber or larger muzzleloading handguns; long, recurve or compound bows; and crossbows.

These two antlerless deer seasons are not open to participants of the Mentored Youth Hunting Program, which was created for those under the age of 12, because mentored youth may not harvest antlerless deer. (For more information on the Mentored Youth Hunting Program, please consult page 15 of the 2010-11 Pennsylvania Hunting & Trapping Digest, which is provided to each license buyer.)

Hunters are advised that they may take only antlerless deer in the early muzzleloader and special firearms seasons, and that they may hunt only in the Wildlife Management Units or Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) areas for which they have obtained antlerless deer licenses. An antlerless deer is defined as a deer without antlers, or a deer with antlers both of which are less than three inches in length.

Muzzleloader and special firearms season hunters are reminded that when multiple harvests of deer per day are permitted, only one deer at a time may be taken. Before attempting to take an additional deer, the first deer must be lawfully tagged. However, in Special Regulations Area counties of Allegheny, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia, hunters may shoot multiple deer before tagging. Deer must be tagged immediately after they are harvested and before the carcass is moved. The tag must be attached to the ear and remain attached until the deer is processed for consumption or prepared for mounting.

Any hunter who by accident or mistake kills an illegal deer is required to deliver the carcass – entrails removed – within 24 hours of the kill to any Game Commission officer in the county where the deer was killed. A written statement also must be provided to the officer explaining when, where and how the accident or mistake occurred. The deer must be tagged with the appropriate deer harvest tag.

Hunters may purchase muzzleloader licenses at any time. The license entitles them to hunt in both the fall antlerless muzzleloader season and the traditional flintlock season. Regulations for the after-Christmas muzzleloader season remain unchanged: hunters may use only primitive type muzzleloading long guns 44-caliber or larger with flintlock ignition systems and primitive sighting devices. Fiber-optic inserts are permitted sighting devices.

Hunters in either October firearms season are required to wear 250 square inches of fluorescent orange clothing on the head, chest and back combined at all times. Bowhunters afield during the overlap of the archery and October antlerless firearms seasons also must wear at least 250 square inches of fluorescent orange while moving and display an orange alert band while on stand.

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PA Game Commission To Begin Accepting DMAP Landowner Applications

Deer Management Assistance Program Map

Pennsylvania Game Commission

HARRISBURG, PA –-(AmmoLand.com)- Landowners looking to enroll in the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP), which is designed to help landowners manage deer on their properties, have until June 12 to mail an application to the appropriate Game Commission Region Office.

Applications will be accepted by U.S. mail only, as postmarks will be required to establish processing priorities.

In addition, a map delineating the property boundaries must be enclosed with the application. Landowners may obtain DMAP applications from the Game Commission’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us) by clicking on “D.M.A.P.” in the “Quick Clicks” box in the right-hand column of the homepage. Applications also can be obtained from any Game Commission Region Office or the Harrisburg headquarters.

Eligible lands for DMAP are: public lands; private lands where no fee is charged for hunting; and hunting club lands owned in fee title so long as the club was established prior to Jan. 1, 2000, and it provides a club charter and list of current members to the agency.

Coupons for DMAP antlerless deer harvest permits are issued to landowners at a rate of one coupon for every five acres in agricultural operations or one coupon for every 50 acres for all other land uses. Management plans are required when an applicant for DMAP requests more than the standard rate for issuance of DMAP harvest permits, or when the property acreage falls below the minimum for the standard issuance rate.

Landowners must designate their boundaries in a manner approved by the Game Commission. Landowners will be allotted one coupon for each DMAP permit allocated for their property, and they may provide up to two DMAP coupons per DMAP area to a licensed hunter. Landowners may not charge or accept any remuneration for a DMAP coupon.

The cost of DMAP permits is $10 for residents and $35 for nonresidents.

Based on a regulatory change approved by the Board of Game Commissioners at its April meeting, each WMU antlerless allocation has been reduced by the number of DMAP antlerless deer permits issued in each WMU during the 2009-10 seasons. The Board’s action also prohibits the issuance of more DMAP permits for the 2010-11 seasons than were issued for the 2009-10 seasons for each WMU.

With the amendment in place, the maximum number of DMAP antlerless deer permits available for public and private landowners in each WMU is as follows: WMU 1A, 295; WMU 2A, 656; WMU 2A, 121; WMU 2B, zero; WMU 2C, 793; WMU 2D, 277; WMU 2E, 593; WMU 2F, 3,052; WMU 2G, 10,790; WMU 3A, 753; WMU 3B, 1,239; WMU 3C, 642; WMU 3D, 1,678; WMU 4A, 1,479; WMU 4B, 852; WMU 4C, 649; WMU 4D, 1,948; WMU 4E, 101; WMU 5A, 731; WMU 5B, 188; WMU 5C, 40; and WMU 5D, zero.

The application process and deadline have been revised this year. There is an accelerated schedule, and applications will be accepted and processed in priority tiers on a first-come, first-served basis, and will be based on postmarks by the U.S. Postal Service. Top priority will be given to properties enrolled in one the Game Commission’s three public access programs (Forest-Game, Farm-Game or Safety Zone) allowing public deer hunting, followed by publicly-owned lands then private lands not in one of the Game Commission’s public access programs. Applications will be processed until quotas for each WMU (see above) are exhausted. Those applications remaining after quotas are exhausted will be denied DMAP permits.

A significant change that took effect last year for landowners and hunters participating in DMAP is that DMAP coupon redemption can be done at any license issuing agent or the Pennsylvania Automated License System (PALS) website – https://www1.pa.wildlifelicense.com/start.php – rather than through the mail, thanks to the implementation of the agency’s new point-of-sale electronic license system. The PALS website

Landowners have the option of receiving DMAP coupons and directly distributing them to hunters of their choice, or they can choose the “no coupon” option and allow any hunter to directly purchase a DMAP permit from the license issuing agent to hunt on their property.

The first option on the landowner application is “Yes, I want to distribute coupons directly to hunters that I choose.” With this option, the landowner will receive the coupons and distribute them to specific hunters. The hunters will then take coupons to any license issuing agent or go on the PALs website to acquire the antlerless deer harvest permits.

The second option on the landowner application is “No, any hunter can get a permit to hunt my property through the electronic licensing system without a coupon.” With this option, no coupons will be sent to the landowner. Any hunter will be able to go to any license issuing agent or the PALS website to get an antlerless deer permit for this DMAP property. If landowners choose this second option, they also will be asked whether they want to advertise the location of the property on the Game Commission’s website so that their DMAP information can be made available to the public.

Hunters with DMAP antlerless deer permits may use them only on the lands for which they were issued during any established deer season. Also, in WMUs 2C, 2D, 2E, 2G, 3C, 4B, 4D and 4E, which have a split season structure of Nov. 29-Dec. 3 for antlered deer only and Dec. 4-11 for antlered and antlerless deer, hunters will continue to be permitted to harvest antlerless deer with DMAP permits on DMAP properties from Nov. 29-Dec. 11.

Hunters can purchase DMAP antlerless harvest permits as soon as coupons are available. Hunters without access to the Internet can obtain listings of eligible DMAP properties by mailing a self-addressed, stamped envelope along with a letter indicating their county of interest, to the Game Commission Region Office responsible for that particular county. Region Office contact information, and a listing of counties in its jurisdiction, is as follows:

Northwest Region Office, P.O. Box 31, Franklin, PA 16323. 814-432-3188. Butler, Clarion, Crawford, Erie, Forest, Jefferson, Lawrence, Mercer, Venango and Warren counties.

Southwest Region Office, 4820 Route 711, Bolivar, PA 15923. 724-238-9523. Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Cambria, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Somerset, Washington and Westmoreland counties.

Northcentral Region Office, P.O. Box 5038, Jersey Shore, PA 17740. 570-398-4744. Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Lycoming, McKean, Potter, Tioga, and Union counties.

Southcentral Region Office, 8627 William Penn Highway, Huntingdon, PA 16652. 814-643-1831. Adams, Bedford, Blair, Cumberland, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Mifflin, Perry, Snyder and York counties.

Northeast Region Office, P.O. Box 220, Dallas, PA 18612. 570-675-1143. Bradford, Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Montour, Northumberland, Pike, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties.

Southeast Region Office, 448 Snyder Rd., Reading, PA 19605. 610-926-3136. Berks, Bucks, Chester, Dauphin, Delaware, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia and Schuylkill counties.

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