Pennsylvania Hunting License: Cost, Requirements & How to Buy
A Pennsylvania hunting license costs $20.97 for a resident adult and $101.97 for a non-resident adult (fees verified 2026-09-11).
Pennsylvania has one of the deepest hunting traditions in the country (the first day of deer season is close to an unofficial state holiday in much of rural Pennsylvania), and its license system reflects that: the base adult license already bundles a deer tag, turkey tags and small game privileges, rather than charging for each separately the way some states do.
Base adult license includes one antlered deer tag, spring/fall turkey tags and small game privileges. Junior (12-16) is $6.97 resident/$41.97 non-resident; senior (65+) is $13.97 resident.
Fee last verified 2026-09-11.
Heading out for Pennsylvania hunting? Game wardens require carrying physical or digital license proof and valid tags. Equip yourself with a waterproof license and tag pouch, rechargeable wide-beam LED headlamp, and corrosion-resistant multi-tool pliers before your trip.
What a Pennsylvania hunting license costs
The resident adult license is $20.97 and includes one antlered deer tag, a fall turkey tag, a spring turkey tag and general small game hunting privileges for the license year. Junior licenses (12-16) run $6.97, and residents 65 and older pay $13.97. Non-residents pay $101.97 for the equivalent adult license, with a $41.97 junior rate.
Hunter-Trapper Education requirement
Pennsylvania requires every first-time hunter to complete the state's Hunter-Trapper Education course before a license will be issued, regardless of age, there's no birth-year cutoff the way some states use. The course is free and offered through the Pennsylvania Game Commission both in traditional classroom form and as a hybrid online-plus-field-day option. Junior license holders under 12 need a parent or guardian's signature in addition to course completion.
License year and additional tags
Pennsylvania's license year runs July 1 to June 30, so licenses bought in the spring or early summer cover the coming fall seasons in full. The base license's single antlered deer tag and turkey tags cover the core seasons; additional antlerless deer tags, archery and muzzleloader permits, and bear or elk licenses are separate purchases layered on as needed.
How to buy your Pennsylvania hunting license
The Pennsylvania Game Commission's HuntFishPA system handles online sales, or you can buy in person through the state's network of licensed issuing agents, mostly sporting goods stores and outfitters spread across every county. HuntFishPA also stores your license digitally, so a phone screen works at a game check station without a paper copy.
Hunting in Pennsylvania: what to expect
Pennsylvania's whitetail deer season, especially the traditional Monday-after-Thanksgiving rifle opener, remains a genuine cultural event in much of the state, and schools in rural districts have historically closed for it. The Allegheny National Forest and the state's extensive State Game Lands system (over 1.5 million acres open to public hunting) give Pennsylvania hunters more accessible public land than most states east of the Mississippi. Elk hunting exists too, through a competitive lottery draw for tags in the Pennsylvania Wilds region around Elk and Cameron counties, where a reintroduced herd has grown into one of the largest free-ranging elk populations in the eastern US.
State Game Lands and public access
Pennsylvania's State Game Lands system is unusually well distributed: nearly every county has at least one tract, so public access rarely means a long drive the way it can in states with a handful of huge, concentrated public forests. The Pennsylvania Game Commission publishes detailed maps for every Game Lands parcel showing boundaries, parking areas and habitat type, which is worth checking before opening day since some tracts are managed specifically for grouse or turkey rather than deer.
What is already in the $20.97 license
Pennsylvania's adult resident hunting license at $20.97 is more inclusive than most Midwest base licenses: it includes one antlered deer tag, spring and fall turkey tags, and small game. Junior (12 to 16) is $6.97 resident or $41.97 non-resident; senior 65 and older is $13.97 resident. Antlerless deer tags are extra and allocated by Wildlife Management Unit, which is why a license bought in July still needs a WMU antlerless application if that is the deer you intend to take.
License year runs July 1 to June 30. Hunter-Trapper Education is required for first-time hunters. Mentored hunting exists for younger kids hunting with a licensed adult; it is not a way for an unlicensed 40-year-old to skip the course. Buy at huntfish.pa.gov or a licensed issuing agent, and keep the harvest tags attached the way the Game Commission printed them, not in a cup holder.
How to renew a Pennsylvania hunting license
There is no separate renewal process in Pennsylvania. A hunting license is not extended in place; when it expires you buy a new one for the next license year through the same system you used the first time, and your customer profile, hunter or angler ID and any saved payment details carry over so the second purchase takes a couple of minutes. License year runs July 1 to June 30.
The fastest route is the official Pennsylvania online licensing portal, which also lets you print or download the new license and add any stamps, tags or endorsements in one transaction. In-person license agents (sporting goods stores, bait shops and, in many states, county clerks) sell the same license at the same price, so use whichever is closer. Buying before the old license lapses is not required, but it avoids an accidental gap if a season opens before you get round to it.
Planning more than one? See the Pennsylvania fishing license page too, see how much a hunting license costs in every state, compare non-resident hunting fees across states, browse every state, or use the state license finder.