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The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners has given preliminary approval to hunting and trapping seasons and bag limits for the 2021-22 license year.
Modifications proposed for the 2021-22 seasons include:
--A statewide, 14-day concurrent antlered and antlerless firearms season, which was proposed to simplify regulations and provide increased opportunity, especially for younger hunters.
--Expanded Sunday hunting opportunity: the hunting Sundays during the archery deer and firearms bear seasons also would be open for other species (except migratory game birds and wild turkey) with seasons encompassing those dates. These expansions of Sunday opportunity are the only changes preliminarily proposed for small game and furbearer seasons.
--The closure of the fall turkey season in WMU 5A and reductions in season length for 14 other WMUs due to declining population trends. The recommendations are in accordance with Wild Turkey Management Plan guidelines to increase hen survival.
--The extended (post-Christmas) antlerless firearms season that traditionally has been held in certain counties in southeastern and southwestern Pennsylvania is proposed to be held in all of WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D, given that antlerless harvests are evenly distributed throughout these WMUs regardless of firearms restrictions.
--The antlerless designation is proposed to be removed from the late elk season to provide the Game Commission the flexibility to issue antlered elk licenses for this season, if and when appropriate. Specific license allocations for all elk seasons will be set in April.
The public may offer comments on all proposed 2021-22 seasons and bag limits, as well as other board actions, between now and the board's next quarterly meeting, when 2021-22 seasons and bag limits will be finalized, and antlerless deer license allocations will be determined.
The board's next quarterly meeting is scheduled to be held April 16 and 17 at the Game Commission's Harrisburg headquarters.