HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe reminds hunters that the agency will begin accepting regular antlerless deer license applications from resident hunters beginning Aug. 7, and non-residents on Aug. 21. Antlerless deer license applications must be sent to the Game Commission via 22 different Post Office boxes and the agency, in turn, will forward them to county treasurers for processing.
All applications for antlerless deer licenses – regular, as well as unsold – must be submitted through the U.S. Mail (first-class only). Express and priority mail will not be accepted.
With the implementation of Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) in 2003, hunters began applying for antlerless deer licenses based on WMUs, not specific counties. Pre-printed mailing labels for each WMU are provided to affix to the yellow application envelope. They are bar-coded to speed the application process. Hunters should ensure the label is securely affixed to the envelope before mailing it. If it appears that the label is not attached properly, the U.S. Postal Service allows applicants to place transparent tape over the label to secure it.
Just in case the label does fall off, hunters also should write the WMU they are applying for in the lower left-hand corner box on the envelope. This step enables the agency to continue processing the envelope without having to open and check the application’s WMU designation and then re-sealing the envelope for shipment to a county treasurer.
“With reductions in the allocations of many WMUs, hunters should give serious thought to which WMU they will apply to during the regular antlerless deer license round, because some WMUs may run out of licenses earlier in the process than in previous years,” Roe said. “Hunters also may want to consider applying for Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) antlerless deer permits, which offer hunters additional opportunities to hunt on specific properties where landowners are seeking additional deer hunting pressure.”
After Aug. 7, the Game Commission will launch the popular “Doe License Update” page on its website (www.pgc.state.pa.us) to provide hunters with updates on the availability of antlerless deer licenses. Notices for WMUs that have sold out will be posted as soon as possible. Look in the “Quick Clicks” box in the upper right-hand corner of the agency’s homepage and choose “Doe License Update.” A link to the listing of participating DMAP public landowners will be posted in the “Quick Clicks” box, as well as those private landowners who asked to be included on the agency’s website.
Roe emphasized that, as required by state law, county treasurers will continue to issue antlerless deer licenses. Except for “over-the-counter sales,” county treasurers will receive a pre-determined number of applications from the Game Commission based on the county’s geographic representation in the WMU.